Chapter Sixty-One: The Fortified Military Stronghold of Arutemis

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Artemis Military Fortress, the detained Archangel, cafeteria.

At a long table, Kira and Hao Ren sat face to face, glaring at each other, while the surrounding civilians and Archangel crew members formed a tense circle, their expressions grave. The air was thick with anticipation.

Kira’s trembling hand slowly reached for the center of the table. With his other hand, he wiped away imaginary sweat from his brow, closed his eyes for a brief prayer, and then, with due solemnity, picked up a card...

"Fire Kill!" Kira shouted, slamming the card labeled 'Fire Kill' down directly in front of Hao Ren.

"What?!" Hao Ren’s eyes widened, incredulity all over his face.

"Damn it! Don’t underestimate my luck!" Hao Ren quickly flipped over two cards—a nine of spades and a nine of clubs.

"Nooooo!" As if struck in the knee by an arrow, Hao Ren collapsed onto the floor, limp and devastated, as though life had lost all meaning.

"I win! Hahahahaha!" Kira raised both hands in triumph, exulting in his victory.

The bemused onlookers, uncertain of the details, applauded politely.

"You won. Here’s the thing you and the master agreed on," Maya said, handing Kira a Sharp mobile phone.

"Heh heh~ You’re mine for now. You’d better behave," Kira said with an almost unhinged glee as he wiped away some drool, caressing the phone’s sleek shell.

"No! Please, let me go! I don’t want my first time to be so casually given to a man! Even if you’re such a handsome youth, I can’t allow it!" the Sharp phone protested, twisting as if to escape its fate.

"Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you. I’ll examine you thoroughly, every corner, every component—I’ll study you inside and out," Kira replied, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Components?! Are you going to take me apart? Spare me... Wait, that doesn’t sound so bad..." Two mysterious pink blushes appeared on the phone’s display.

...

The conversation above looks so problematic... I hope the PTA doesn’t come after me...

After Hao Ren temporarily eliminated the threat from ZAFT, the Archangel quickly arrived at Artemis Military Fortress. The script hadn’t changed much: with Hao Ren having hidden the Black Astray, the loli enthusiast, and the captured duelist beforehand, the Archangel and Strike were promptly detained by these so-called allies.

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The Atlantic Federation’s ambitions ran high.

Upon learning of the Archangel—a formidable battleship—and the powerful Strike Gundam, the commander of Artemis Fortress—Garcia, a white-skinned Wook—had been eagerly awaiting their arrival... to claim them for himself.

Allies? What does that even mean? Can you eat it? Enticed by the promise of complete G-weapon data, he regarded such notions as utterly worthless.

Driven by this mindset, a group of gun-toting soldiers seized everyone aboard the Archangel. The three main leaders—Murrue, Badgiruel, and Mu—were taken away for talks with Garcia, while the rest were confined to the Archangel’s cafeteria.

As for why they were playing "Three Kingdoms Kill": Kira was convinced that Sharp was a unique AI designed by Hao Ren. As a half-researcher himself, Kira’s passion was ignited. Hao Ren, seeing an opportunity, produced the "Three Kingdoms Kill" cards, explained the basic rules, and decided to use this to trounce Kira and decline his request.

But he underestimated the memory and comprehension of a Newtype. In KOF mode, Kira’s Zhuge Liang swept through three opponents, controlling the game to the end, and Hao Ren’s Zhou Tai fell with only two health lost.

"Shouldn’t have used the Military Struggle pack..." Sometimes you dig your own grave, Hao Ren—who told you to pick that armor!

The armed Artemis soldiers exchanged uncertain glances. Major Vidal’s orders were only to guard these people, not restrict their entertainment.

Of course, there were some who couldn’t stand it and raised their guns at Hao Ren, but those men were already...

Two soldiers eyed the blood stains and shattered teeth on the wall, then glanced at the black-haired, straight-cut little girl on Hao Ren’s back.

Bullets seemed useless—what on earth was happening here? It was one thing to look so sci-fi, but to have such sci-fi abilities as well?

They decided to just look the other way as long as no trouble was started. Rolling their eyes, the two soldiers tried to comfort themselves.

The previously oppressive atmosphere in the cafeteria was thoroughly disrupted by Hao Ren—seriousness was impossible. Kira, for his part, displayed the lively nature befitting a sixteen-year-old, laughing and joking.

In the original story, Kira bore the responsibility of ensuring the safety of everyone on board. Shifting so quickly from civilian to soldier was no easy feat. Kill or be killed; if he didn’t kill, he and his friends, those he protected, would be in danger. His first time piloting an MS, his first time killing, his first time in battle—under such pressure, childishness and innocence had to be cast aside. He was forced to mature rapidly.

But then he met Hao Ren... Under the influence of Hao Ren’s cheerful (foolish?) personality, Kira gradually rediscovered his youthful spirit.

He was always doing things that surprised everyone, with methods as unpredictable as they were creative.

Two powerful mobile suits conjured out of thin air, a mysterious female companion, a highly intelligent AI, and a collection of incredibly entertaining card games—each was novel and wondrous to Kira.

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Kira’s admiration for this supposed classmate—actually his senior—grew with each passing day.

...

In short, Kira was being led astray by Hao Ren.

The God of Kira was evolving into the God of Wisdom...

At sixteen, it’s the age when people are most easily influenced; it’s no surprise Kira could be swayed by a role model like Hao Ren. It’s not as if he’s gone down the wrong path—Hao Ren would be heartbroken to hear that.

Artemis Military Fortress, Commander’s Office.

On the large screen, a ZAFT Laurasia-class warship and a Magellan-class warship floated outside the protective umbrella, prowling menacingly.

"As you can see, they’re lurking just outside the shield and have been there for some time. Frankly, one or two such warships pose no real threat," Commander Garcia remarked from his swivel chair. The one destroyed by Hao Ren earlier was a Magellan-class—so, could it be that these were not Zeon forces after all, but that ZAFT had mastered the production technology of Zeon warships and mobile suits?

"But even if you receive supplies, you still can’t leave this place," Garcia revealed his fangs.

"But, Commander, they’re pursuing us. If we keep delaying like this, Artemis could be at risk..." Mu, sensing Garcia’s underlying motive, tried to appeal.

"Hahaha, Artemis? They can do nothing to us. In the end, they’ll just have to leave quietly—it happens all the time." Commander, you’ve just set up a massive flag for yourself.

"Commander!" Mu tried once more to reason with him.

"Enough!" Garcia raised his hand. "You all look tired. Get some rest—I’ll have rooms arranged for you."

Mu clenched his fists.