After waiting in several tedious queues, He Kui was disappointed. He couldn't gather much intelligence.
He had thought that with the increased presence of the Atlantic Federation, people here might have something interesting to discuss.
But all he heard was complaints, and more complaints.
However, he did manage to find out the date of Malchio's visit.
After all, this was public information, and it wasn't difficult to find if one was determined.
Malchio's visit was scheduled for the day after tomorrow—neither too early nor too late.
Although there was no guarantee he could eavesdrop, He Kui still began preparing.
Who knows? He might stumble upon something useful.
Using his connections with Mattias, He Kui easily obtained some restricted materials from the local Waste Merchant Guild.
After finding an abandoned house and handing over Little Bird to Shihe for assembly, he headed out.
His destination wasn't far—the Waste Merchant Guild located at May City's port.
"He Kui~!"
As soon as he entered the VIP room of the Waste Merchant Guild, he was embraced by Setona, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
The girl's fresh scent lingered around him, sparking all sorts of thoughts.
"He Kui, is it true that you've developed that Hydroponic Pod technology!?"
Setona's beautiful eyes fixed on He Kui's face, filled with boundless admiration and hope.
"Yes, it is."
He could understand Setona's excitement.
After all, Mars wasn't much better off than PLANT.
To conserve food, they had even come up with the prototype of the Destiny Project.
Given the vast distance to Mars, it was impossible to transport food from Earth.
In other words, while He Kui's technology might not mean much to Earth, it was incredibly valuable for extraterrestrial colonies.
On the other hand, Setona, upon hearing He Kui's confirmation, was caught between joy and hesitation.
She wasn't afraid of revealing her identity to He Kui, but she was worried about how their relationship might change afterward.
Would he dislike her? And how should she bring up the trade deal?
After all, she hadn't contacted Mars yet, and there were still many issues to resolve.
Torn between excitement and confusion, the girl tightened her embrace around He Kui.
"So, will you come with me?"
Seeing Setona still hesitating, He Kui asked with a smile.
Resolving Mars' issues wouldn't happen overnight. At the very least, they'd have to wait until the war here was over.
"Yes!"
The girl's reply was quicker than usual.
Of course, she would follow him. He was essentially a walking food source for Mars—no, for the entire planet. She'd follow him even if it meant death.
Watching this scene, Mattias's lips twitched slightly. He had found Setona, so he knew her identity and what she was after. Seeing this, he didn't stop her as he usually would.
Instead, he chose to ignore it and continued, "Aegis went to my shop on the Moon to buy some parts for making Reconnaissance Robots. Did you know about that?"
"Yes, I asked them to."
"The Moon hasn't been peaceful lately."
He Kui said.
"I almost forgot, you have a stake in those factories."
Mattias nodded and then added, "I've already traded the parts to him, but what is Pallas planning?"
"Gathering information is essential to avoid being completely in the dark. It would be best if we could prevent their actions on the Moon."
"Also, do you know anything about Mentor Malchio?"
Since Malchio usually resides in Orb, He Kui followed up with the question.
"I heard he'll be visiting Copernicus the day after tomorrow."
"Mentor Malchio... I don't know much about him, only that he's been tirelessly working for peace."
"Why do you ask?"
Mattias asked curiously.
"Nothing, it's just that I find it a bit strange for him to go to Copernicus now."
"Hmm."
Mattias was about to say that He Kui might be overthinking it, but then he remembered how eerily accurate He Kui had been about Creuset before. And given Mentor Malchio's influence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to cause trouble for any side if he wanted to.
"What are you implying?"
Mattias asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure, just concerned."
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on the Moon situation for you."
"Thank you."
"Now I can't afford to be careless."
Mattias joked lightly.
No one could have expected that He Kui would be so versatile. His sister must be completely baffled by now.
Before, there was a chance to kill him, but they chose to recruit him instead. Now, wanting to kill him? There's no opportunity left.
Thinking of the look on Matiss's face, Mattias felt even more enthusiastic toward He Kui.
"For now, He Kui, you should avoid wandering around too much."
"Alright."
He Kui smiled. Meanwhile, back on Earth, in the Pentagon of the Atlantic Federation, Matiss was far from smiling.
"What do you mean you can't find their food production base!"
Matiss's eyes seemed to spit fire as she glared at her subordinate.
"From their transportation channels, we've determined that the production base should be located underground, but we can't confirm the exact entrance or location."
The subordinate avoided her gaze as he answered.
"Keep searching!"
I should have killed him when I had the chance!
Matiss was filled with regret, and this emotion inevitably twisted her expression into something fierce.
But it was too late for regrets now.
After shooing the subordinate out, Matiss turned to Creuset, who had been standing silently behind her.
"What do you think?"
"Cutting off their lifeline, but they still have a backup plan. According to reports, the genetic efficiency of this food is even higher than Earth's."
Creuset said calmly.
"I know that! I'm asking for your strategy!"
Seeing Matiss's icy expression, Creuset shrugged.
"At this point, our strategy to divide their people's hearts has failed, and the food blockade isn't effective. Why not surrender?"
As soon as Creuset finished speaking, Matiss's gaze pierced through him like a dagger.
Satisfied with the reaction he had provoked, Creuset lowered his eyes to hide the sinister smile at the corner of his mouth and continued.
"The Atlantic Federation has alienated the entire Earth and can't hold on much longer. In that case, the only option is to secure a decisive victory."
"Now that they've discovered the nuclear bomb we planted in Canada, they won't move until it's dismantled. So, our main force should launch a surprise attack on the Kaohsiung Space Port."
"By capturing two space ports, we can transport nuclear bombs on a large scale into space. That should be enough to suppress them."
"East Asia. Do you realize what you're saying?"
Matiss retorted.
"Of course, but right now they're partially constrained by food supplies, and ZAFT's defensive forces there are not substantial."
"As long as we act swiftly, using the pretext of helping our allies reclaim lost territory, they won't have much to say. Isn't that what we intended to do last time?"
"Moreover, based on intelligence analysis, the likelihood of them reaching an agreement with ZAFT is quite high."
Creuset continued to argue, and Matiss's expression gradually softened.