As for Kira's side, the Orb forces, who initially just wanted to flee, were suddenly caught off guard by the actions of Creuset and his team.
In a moment of confusion, the enemy had already retreated.
The Orb forces did not pursue further but instead hurriedly made their way to the DSSD space station.
Seeing this, He Kui also exited the Aegis's display.
"Shihe, there's no need to take the Aegis with us. Let it stay there to gather any clues."
Although the remaining structure had been destroyed, there might still be other valuable information to be found.
"Understood."
Watching the enemy retreat, Shihe's furrowed brows did not relax; instead, they tightened even more.
It was clear that Shihe had also heard Creuset's parting words.
"It's fine. There are plenty of people who want to kill me."
He Kui shrugged and chuckled.
"Hmm."
Hearing this, Shihe could only sigh and then added, "Come back soon."
"Don't worry, I know."
"Finished chatting with your fiancée?"
Seeing that He Kui had finally ended the communication, Serena, who had just wrapped up her part in the battle, rolled her eyes and said.
"She's practically my wife already."
"They're getting married next month."
As if to stir the pot, Sulei chimed in from the side.
"Hmph."
Hearing this, Serena glanced at He Kui with a look that was both alluring and teasing.
"Ahem."
After clearing his throat, He Kui continued, "Alright, let's start recovering those Mobile Suits."
"The oxygen in the pilot suits won't last much longer."
Upon hearing He Kui's words, Serena rolled her eyes again before opening the internal communication channel of the space station.
Now that the situation had stabilized, the communication center was no longer as chaotic as before.
Only voices reporting damage and arranging repair teams could be heard.
Overall, the port had suffered heavy losses.
However, for the DSSD employees, who were frequently attacked, evacuating at the fastest possible speed had become routine.
Moreover, with the port destroyed, there were no combat personnel available to sortie, so aside from the maintenance team members who had been caught near the port, the DSSD's casualties were not significant.
"How are the casualties on your battleship?"
After confirming the situation on her side, Serena asked.
"The bridge was hit, and three soldiers on duty at the time were killed."
He Kui sighed as he spoke.
"The engines were also destroyed."
"But the captain was asleep and managed to escape unharmed."
"If the battleship hadn't been in a shutdown state at the time, the power reactor might have been directly hit, causing a secondary explosion."
As he spoke, He Kui tied up the four immobilized Blitz units with ropes.
He certainly couldn't let Orb take the blame for this.
If he had died, there would have been no way to resolve it, but since he was still alive, there were many ways to calm both sides down and handle the situation properly.
Under He Kui's direction, the pilots were quickly rescued from the Mobile Suits—seven in total, including the three women from Orb and four identical-looking Lilys.
"According to the three Orb pilots, they saw our flagship preparing to attack them first."
In the room, though it was already late at night, Sulei, who had just finished handling the aftermath and was wide awake, frowned as she reviewed the testimonies of the individuals before her.
"And it doesn't seem fabricated. As you said, even if it's not brainwashing, it's definitely some form of hypnosis."
It wasn't direct control, nothing so exaggerated, and it might not even work on those with strong wills. However, for ordinary people or those with unstable thoughts, it could trigger an episode under certain specific circumstances.
This ability wasn't too exaggerated, but it was still terrifying enough. Over the years, their spies and those suicide bombers had been impossible to completely eradicate, and who knew how many of them had been hypnotized.
"We need to report this immediately."
"It's already been sent to Chairman Zala. We'll probably have to attend meetings with them when we get back."
This incident, if taken to the extreme, could be interpreted as Orb attacking PLANT.
It was a complete act of war, but since he was here, it could still be covered up.
As long as they were careful about what 'evidence' Creuset might release to provoke both sides.
He was going to be busy when he got back.
"And we need to bring those four girls back with us."
After all, they were their captives, so of course, they had to be taken back.
Not a single word or detail was missed in the report!
Upon hearing this, Sulei thought of the four identical girls named Lily and followed up.
"They've really committed every possible war crime."
"They don't care about that."
Although he had been prepared, seeing the similar little girls in front of him, He Kui couldn't help but think of Puru.
It was tragic enough, and this was the root of what Creuset wanted to destroy.
Using Clones to create weapons was already beyond what the rules could tolerate.
Of course, although the current war had already been bound by numerous rules, such as not using weapons of mass destruction and not harming civilians in any form.
But it was clear that the Atlantic Federation hadn't followed a single one of them.
Weapons of mass destruction, harm to civilians, and various other means.
After their surrender, what awaited them was a trial.
As the two spoke, a pleasant chime rang out in the room.
"He Kui, are you there?"
Cagalli's voice came through the communicator.
"Yes, just a moment."
After saying this, He Kui looked at Sulei.
"Alright, I'll wait for you inside."
Sulei rolled her eyes and walked into the bedroom.
Seeing Sulei's movement, He Kui quickly opened the door.
Outside, Cagalli looked upset, her usually straight nose wrinkled, which still looked quite cute.
"The three pilots on my side have been settled. Thank you for this."
"Not at all, I know those three as well."
As soon as He Kui finished speaking, Cagalli hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry."
Cagalli's softened voice echoed in his heart, sounding muffled, and the vibrations from her words faithfully transmitted to his heart.
The fact that they had attacked He Kui was one aspect, an indisputable fact. If He Kui hadn't suppressed it first, Orb might have had to cut ties with those three pilots.
"If this matter were to be made public, it would affect the relationship between the two nations, so keeping it hidden is in our best interest."
He Kui shook his head and said.
After all, he was still alive, and he couldn't let Creuset succeed in driving a wedge between them at this critical moment. Creuset's original plan was to have Orb's people kill him, which would undoubtedly incite public outrage within PLANT.
For now, he could still communicate with Zala and keep things under control. Of course, Orb would absolutely have to provide compensation.
First, Orb would be responsible for the families of those three soldiers, as well as the ship repairs and such.
But things hadn't reached the worst possible outcome yet.
However, before he could continue speaking, Cagalli stood on her tiptoes and kissed He Kui's lips.
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