Chapter 71: The Sinister Hao Ren

“Blackflame! Where the hell have you run off to?!” Mu’s roar crackled through the comms.

Unbeknownst to himself, Hao Ren had been abandoning his teammates for quite some time.

“What’s up?” Hao Ren picked his nose nonchalantly.

“I got clubbed.” Mu, ever the straightforward one, admitted it without a hint of shame.

The Mobius Zero had been ambushed by a Zaku, its main body struck, the linear cannon spinning out of control, and one of its rods trailing smoke as it rolled away.

“Well, since you lot aren’t joining the fray, I suppose I’ll have to lend a hand to my comrade. By the way, you don’t mind if I take out that big tin can over there, do you?” The Blackwing Warrior unsheathed his sword, glancing back at them.

“Not at all, not at all. Just happened to be on the same ship, but we have no relation to him whatsoever.” The Zakus shook their heads like rattles.

“Then don’t mind if I do.” The experience that comes from taking down mobile armors is far greater than that of mowing down those grunt Zakus.

Hao Ren scanned the battlefield, cleaving through a few errant beams, and soon spotted the dazed and battered Mu.

“Hey! You look pretty miserable,” Hao Ren called out with a smirk.

The enemies nearby tacitly cleared a space for the Blackwing Warrior—anyone foolish enough to tussle with this monster was courting death.

“Enough with your sarcasm, just get me back to the Archangel and go help Kira, will you? I’m completely out of commission,” Mu pleaded, opening the Zero’s cockpit and drifting into the Blackwing Warrior’s waiting hand.

“There’s no need to rush, I’ve still got something usable here.” Hao Ren chuckled, and with a wave of the Blackwing Warrior’s mighty hand, a black mobile suit materialized from the void.

The black Duel Gundam.

“Even if I asked where you got that thing, I doubt you’d tell me,” Mu said, jaw slack with a complicated look.

“Of course. Worried you can’t handle it? Don’t be. Just give it a try,” Hao Ren urged.

Archangel, Detention Cell.

Isaac, bored out of his mind, glanced at the swimsuit magazine he’d torn in half and tossed in the corner. Hao Ren had smuggled it in during his last visit, though he’d made Isaac rip it up on the spot.

Aside from the three daily meals, there was nothing in this dim and endless cell. In zero gravity, even trying to exercise was useless.

Restless with loneliness, Isaac picked up the magazine again.

“Hmm~ I can’t read a word of this, but I have to admit, that bastard’s taste isn’t bad,” he mused, critiquing the scantily clad models.

Hypocrite! If it were Diego instead, he’d probably have asked Hao Ren for a few more copies.

On the battlefield, Athrun and Kira were locked in fierce combat, blows flashing but with no real damage inflicted.

Atop the Aegis, Athrun’s face was twisted with rage, clearly pushed to the edge. Kira was angry too, but with Lacus’s face, it looked more like a lover’s spat than a battle.

On the Amy, the ever-composed Jun Xun nearly bit his tongue in shock at the appearance of the Blackwing Warrior.

“Could it have failed? Impossible! Niu Xiangxiang should have been reliable.” He pulled out the after-sales guarantee slip. “Looks like I’ll have to have a word with her about this.”

“Wait, no! That’s not important!” Jun Xun crumpled the slip, muttering to himself. “I wanted to swap his soul and cripple his piloting skills, but it seems it didn’t work. Maybe it’s time to make a run for it.”

He began plotting his escape. His mobile armor was no match for that strategic weapon, and he was well aware of it.

“Trying to run?” Mu, now piloting the Duel, bravely blocked the Amy.

Remote cannons were dangerous, but Mu had this world’s unique ‘Spatial Recognition Ability’—akin to the NT skills of the Heisei era. The Duel might not have remote cannons, but dodging them was another matter.

Mu managed to hold the Amy at bay.

Hao Ren watched the two youths exchanging fruitless blows, feeling thoroughly exasperated. Wait, not two boys—it was a girl and a boy.

Kira, you’re so slow. Just turn the Aegis into a club already. There’s no dealership in ZAFT to fix it.

Deciding not to play the third wheel, Hao Ren stepped back.

Frey’s sobs over the comms were grating. You’re supposed to be a grown man now! Why are you crying?!

Her wailing only poured fuel on Kira’s already frayed nerves.

“You people! Why did you have to start this war?!” Kira screamed into the public channel, Lacus’s voice ringing out.

Why start a war? To sell model kits, obviously!

“Athrun…?” Athrun froze in the Aegis.

“That’s… Miss Lacus’s voice.” The captain of the Vesalius was stunned as well, glancing at the ever-composed Commander Creuze.

Creuze seemed about to speak.

“The source of the voice signal… is the enemy’s mobile suit, X105, the Strike!” the Vesalius’s communications officer chimed in at just the wrong moment.

You’ll pay for that later! Creuze glared daggers at the officer.

The officer simply shrugged—‘You’re wearing a mask, I can’t see your glare.’

Nemesis whispered something in Hao Ren’s ear, and he signaled ‘OK’ with his hand.

“Ahem. This is a message to all ZAFT forces. Our ship is currently protecting your nation’s Chairman Siegel Klein’s daughter, Lacus Klein. At present, Miss Lacus Klein has volunteered to pilot the G-Weapon Strike Gundam and is engaging in battle against the Aegis Gundam, which your forces… borrowed from us, as a gesture of gratitude for the Archangel’s rescue. Am I to interpret any attack on Miss Lacus by your forces as dissatisfaction with the Klein faction?” Using Sharp’s signal hacking ability, Hao Ren’s words resounded across the battlefield.

It had to be said, Hao Ren’s speech was masterfully vicious. He preserved the Earth Alliance’s pride, spotlighted Lacus with perfect poise, and delivered a slap to Creuze’s face.

Now, even to avoid political fallout, Creuze would have no choice but to halt the attack.

As expected, the order to cease fire was given.

“Lacus! Why are you doing this? Why protect those despicable Earth forces?!” Hao Ren heard Athrun’s anguished howl through the comms.

“In that case, would your forces be willing to return Miss Lacus? Out of humanitarian concern, I’m sure you wouldn’t refuse,” Creuze mused to himself—once Lacus was back on board, he’d have them all focus fire on the Strike.

“Sorry, but I don’t think Miss Lacus would be willing to return just yet. At least not until the Archangel is safe,” Hao Ren shot a meaningful look at Kira on the small screen. If you say the wrong thing, you’re reading the entire unabridged, full-color ‘Golden Lotus’ tonight.

“I’m sorry, I can’t leave yet.” That was all Kira dared say, sensing a world-shattering crisis looming over his soul.

“LACUS!!!” Athrun’s cry of confusion and rage echoed across the battlefield.

So all this time, the one he’d been fighting wasn’t his best friend—it was his girlfriend.