Chapter Fifty-Three: A Master Unlike a Master

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“What do you want with me—whoa!” Hao Ren, who had just stepped into the bridge, was startled by Bachellulu’s sudden assault.

“Speak! What’s your connection to this strange MS?” Bachellulu seized Hao Ren by the collar and shook him back and forth.

“Hey, hey! Calm down! This is hardly a dignified display,” Mu tried to placate Bachellulu.

“Yes, it’s my machine—please stop shaking me, I’m getting seasick,” Hao Ren feigned weakness.

“So that means this highly humanized combat AI was your design as well?” Mu patted Hao Ren, who had just been released by Bachellulu.

“Well, you could say that.” Hao Ren gave a dry cough.

“Is mass production possible?” Mu’s eyes shone—clearly, this was the real question.

“No way!” Hao Ren declared firmly. He wasn’t joking—Sharp couldn’t be in two places at once, and it was still unclear whether it was a computer AI or the soul of someone trapped in the network.

“Oh~” But evidently, no one believed him.

“Isn’t it a good thing for the Archangel to have one more MS to defend itself? Why overthink it? If you must, wait until we’re safe,” Hao Ren said, exasperated by Bachellulu’s stubbornness.

“If you don’t want to tell us, fine. We can’t afford to waste time at a moment like this,” Murrue didn’t want to squander their precious escape time with enemy pursuers on their tail. After all, the enemy also had a high-speed Nazca-class warship like the Archangel. If they got caught, it would be disastrous.

It seemed everyone was tacitly ignoring the issue of the Loli Enthusiast’s presence, and Hao Ren was more than happy to see it.

The Loli Enthusiast was granted permission to board.

After a round of discussion, the Archangel decided to head for the Eurasian military stronghold—Artemis.

Murrue was troubled by the lack of friend-or-foe identification signals for the Archangel and Strike, while Bachellulu considered the fact that both were top-secret assets of the Atlantic Federation to be critically important. But without sufficient supplies, a blind march was no better than suicide.

At this moment, Hao Ren was feeling the pressure.

Why were they discussing military plans in the presence of a civilian like him? Were they going to silence him afterward?

Clearly, in Murrue and the others’ eyes, Hao Ren was no longer just an ordinary student—not when he personally owned an MS capable of rivaling the “G” weapons and could also design intelligent combat AIs. Since he was a fellow fugitive, he was compelled to learn about their plans and participate in defending the Archangel.

“My AI recorded some footage—captured during the destruction of Heliopolis,” Hao Ren answered his phone and pointed to the bridge’s main screen.

The dark screen flickered painfully, the image unsteady and unclear. The footage froze: a deep crimson MS receding into the depths of space.

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This AI could forcibly hack into the Archangel’s systems! Who exactly are you? Bachellulu shot Hao Ren a glance as he studied the image.

“Is it the Aegis?” Murrue was more concerned about who was responsible for the final explosion.

“It’s not the Aegis! From the silhouette, it looks more like a Zaku. Could it be the red, horned, triple-speed? Sharp, did you scan it?” As far as he knew, ZAFT shouldn’t have Zakus yet.

“The distance was too great for a full scan. Only the machine’s name was retrieved: ‘Johnny Ridden’s Custom High Mobility Zaku II,’” Sharp replied.

It really was a Zaku! And not just any Zaku, but the “Crimson Lightning”—Johnny Ridden’s personal unit. Though whether it was piloted by the man himself remained unknown.

Hao Ren had the urge to shout “Sieg Zeon”...

What happened to the pride of a Gundam fan?

One thing was clear to Hao Ren: the enemy must include players as well. Whether they were members of ZAFT or the Principality of Zeon was anyone’s guess.

But Hao Ren missed something important. Scanning skills consumed LP points, and Sharp could use up Hao Ren’s points at will.

...

His phone could spend its owner’s LP. Nemesis and Yaya would tie him up for fun while he bathed. Shirley could cut off their attribute link at any time...

Is this even human?

After all, none of these companions were truly human...

Was Hao Ren really their master? He had no authority at all! Even if he tried to act cute, he was more likely to make people cringe!

Given Hao Ren’s nonchalance, perhaps his hidden trait was actually enjoying this sort of thing.

Ignoring the resentful looks from Mu and the others, Hao Ren slipped away without even bothering with an excuse.

Archangel, maintenance bay.

He spotted Sai’s current girlfriend—Flay Allster, the airheaded girl with a maxed-out “take it out on others” skill from a broken skill tree—about to throw herself at Kira.

Though Hao Ren felt some annoyance at seeing a character he disliked, his hand reflexively reached into his inventory, hoping to pull out a camera and document the start of this future NTR drama.

Only after coming up empty did he remember his Canon had been confiscated, so he asked the Loli Enthusiast, who was idling nearby, to record it instead.

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Watching the refugees file out of the escape pods, Hao Ren took the opportunity to summon his trio of bioweapon girls.

Why? Because all three didn’t need oxygen and came equipped with their own spacesuits!

“Sharp, I’ll put you into the dimensional space now. Go find Dr. Tia Yu and help her research the Unicorn unit. Tell her there’s no rush—I know it’s not her specialty. Just something to keep her busy,” Hao Ren said, storing Sharp away.

“Are we really in space now? This familiar scent...” Yaya, who had once been an assassin active across star systems, took a deep breath and seemed a little excited.

“Dear, you’d better put on some panties! This is zero gravity!” Hao Ren scooped up Nemesis and covered the hem of her skirt with his hand, pleading.

“As long as you give me a card like Saeko’s, I’ll do as you say,” Nemesis covered her mouth and whispered into Hao Ren’s ear.

“No problem. Later, in a private room, you can do whatever you want. For now, just put on some panties!” Hao Ren’s desires began to stir, and his hand on Nemesis’s petite backside grew restless.

“H~” Koyami, as usual, hid half her face with a novel—the title: “Construction and Maintenance of a Harem.”

“Master, master!” Saeko’s voice came through from the secondary contract card.

“What is it?” Hao Ren pressed the card to his forehead.

“Um... there’s a bit of trouble on Saya’s end.” Saeko sounded hesitant.

“What happened? I’ll head back right away!” The moment a girl was in trouble, Hao Ren immediately chose to return to “Hawaii.”

Hawaii...

“Where’s the Hawaii you promised?” Hao Ren stood in shock at the sight before him.

The crystal-blue sea, clear sky, and golden sands were gone. In their place, a central plaza with a large clock, blending elements of London.

Looking at the signs on the surrounding buildings, he saw a department store named “Era,” a café called “Winset,” and—

An orbal workshop named “Origin”!

Wait! Isn’t this the Central Plaza of Crossbell City?