Chapter 73: The Doom of the Harmonious Beings

Beneath the master bedroom’s bed lies the complete trilogy of “She, She, She” in physical discs, and on the adjacent bookshelf, hidden inside the “Gintama” character design collection, there’s a 16GB USB drive—all full of forbidden files. Little An spoke these words with an expressionless face, sending Hao Ren into a state of utter terror.

“Dad! Aaah!” Unable to speak, Hao Ren’s eyes widened in horror. He desperately wanted to say something to cover up and deny it, but with his tongue injured, not a word could escape.

“Little An, keep going. Let’s hold down the master,” Nemesis and Meiya didn’t hesitate for a moment. They pressed Hao Ren flat onto the bed, rendering him motionless, their eyes gleaming with a strange anticipation.

They were clearly looking forward to what would be revealed next.

In less than thirty seconds, Hao Ren’s face turned ashen, his entire being utterly defeated.

In her hand, Little An’s Self-Illustrated Diary had rendered a comprehensive cross-section of Hao Ren’s family home, marking out, point by point, every secret hiding place of his “contraband.”

“The master’s methods grow ever more cunning. If only he’d use that cleverness in the mainbrain space,” Meiya remarked, covering her mouth in amazement at the sheer number of “collectibles” amassed by their master, who already enjoyed the company of eleven beauties.

“According to the diary, the master believes he shouldn’t sacrifice an entire hard drive just for women, so he occasionally sneaks online to buy unhealthy things,” Little An continued, reading slowly as the damning words appeared on the diary’s pages.

A conspicuous “hash” mark appeared on Little An’s brow, her face darkening with a shadow.

Clearly, Hao Ren’s attempt to use Little An and her diary to answer on his behalf had backfired horribly. The “Self-Illustrated Diary” was not merely capable of reading thoughts; it seemed it could even unearth memories buried deep within the mind. Out of curiosity, Little An had explored Hao Ren’s brain for information on “that,” and ended up digging up a veritable trove of hidden treasures.

At this moment, Little An’s feelings were a tangled mess of anger and amusement.

She was furious at the quantity of forbidden material her master possessed, yet pleased to discover that, beneath the Blu-ray player, he had stashed a special edition, fully illustrated color collection by Kentaro Yabuki—“To Love Darkness,” the bonus version.

This…

Imagining that her master might have once entertained all sorts of fantasies about her own body, Little An was at a loss as to whether she should be angry or delighted.

Little An was the sort of girl who would say no with her mouth, but whose body told a different story. Her long golden hair transformed into a massive golden hand, and then—

Incidentally, Lacus, seeing the situation deteriorate, had already made a strategic escape.

…

“Oh, wow, that’s amazing!”

“Mom, what exactly did that big brother do?”

“Child, remember, never grow up to be such a disgraceful adult.”

In the central square of Crossbell City, before the commemorative bronze bell, Hao Ren was bound, gazing up at the azure sky.

This was the collective decision of all the girls. Though the good-natured Tia Yu stood by, flustered and at a loss, it didn’t change the fact of Hao Ren’s betrayal.

Since Hao Ren was being punished in the dimensional space, naturally, the Hao Ren aboard the Archangel was merely a stand-in.

“What’s up with this guy?” Uncle Kojiro, having somehow procured a laser pointer, had started engraving designs onto the Strike’s hull.

“I can’t figure out what’s going on in the boy’s head either. Best to just watch quietly—maybe he’ll surprise us,” Mu, now thoroughly brainwashed by Hao Ren’s inscrutable antics, answered calmly.

This crystalline stand-in, by Hao Ren’s own agreement, could be partially controlled by his summons. At present, Tia Yu held the reins.

So, what would happen next was something to look forward to.

While Hao Ren was hanging from the bell, basking in the sun, the time for returning the Songstress had already arrived. Thanks to the absence of certain troublemakers and a dejected Frey, this plotline proceeded smoothly.

When Hao Ren was finally released from punishment, he returned just as the Archangel, prior to its rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet, was attacked by ZAFT. Kira, having recovered, and the speechless Mu were already engaged in battle, while Murrue, outwardly replaced by Baggilulu, was flushed with anger once more at Hao Ren’s last-minute desertion.

As an aside, the large bell in Crossbell City had been corrupted by Hao Ren into a D-rank Noble Phantasm, now possessing the special ability to expend its own energy to generate a city-wide energy shield—though its defensive capabilities remained untested.

This time, ZAFT’s assault was especially fierce. With Yzak captured and fighting strength depleted, Captain K requested reinforcements. The result: a horde of clueless, mid-to-low-level ZAFT-affiliated players descended upon the battlefield, each bringing their own system-assigned mobile suit.

These newcomers, lured by the prospect of “long-legged” prey, swarmed the battlefield like wolves ravenous after three days without food, their noses guiding them straight to the action. Captain K, seeing such a bumper crop of willing cannon fodder, was uncharacteristically pleased—the negative impact of Yzak’s capture was greatly lessened.

Because Ten and his group had perished, and thanks to Captain K’s deliberate concealment, these guys had no idea that aboard the current Archangel was a mobile suit on par with the Freedom.

K’s tally showed twenty-seven outsiders joining the fray, each piloting a different model.

These twenty-seven split into three teams (there had been a one-man team, but Hao Ren had already eliminated him): the self-styled “Second Federation Army” with nine members, the “Zeon Vengeance Corps” with seven, and the “Heroes” with eleven.

It must be said, these players’ mobile suits were far more impressive—at least compared to those of the airplane-and-tank crowd.

Let’s talk about the “Second Federation Army” first.

Mobile Suit: Gundam
Stats: p12000
Attack, Defense, Mobility, Movement: 6
Adaptability: Space, Land, Underwater—B
Weapons: Beam Sabers, Vulcan Cannons, Flail, Beam Rifle, Super Bazooka

Originating from “Mobile Suit Gundam,” this was the Federation’s first general-purpose MS, the RX-78 Gundam—the legendary “Original Gundam,” also known as the “White Devil of the Federation.” It was said that “one MS changed the entire course of war,” and its legend spread throughout the Universal Century. This time, it appeared as the signature machine of Mule, the leader of the “Second Federation Army.”

It’s worth mentioning Mule, the team’s leader, who is a dyed-in-the-wool Gundam fanatic. In fact, most players able to join this scenario, apart from a few with special motives, are Gundam fans themselves. Whether one prefers Gundams or Zaku is beside the point for now.

Ever since Mule obtained the Original Gundam, he had been in a perpetual state of cosplay: his speech grew increasingly bizarre; he’d frequently shout at others, “Are you trying to start another war?” And when female teammates, unable to endure his antics, smacked him on the head, he would clutch his face and wail, “Not even my father ever hit me!”

This…

He really needs his meds.