Gundam: From Piece to Player

“You don’t need to go in.” Sally unzipped her coat, revealing the police taser inside. “While I’m in the examination room, you should search the high-rise buildings outside the hospital to see if there are any snipers. You’ve been with me the whole time, so you didn’t go up to check, did you?”

Of course, he hadn't seen it. Haiwen dared not leave the person he was protecting because of the unusual situation.

Hewen wiped the cold sweat from her forehead again; she had heard about the previous assassination attempt on von Braun.

It was Lady Sally's vigilance that enabled Commander Karma to respond in time.

For the person being protected to give such a reminder is undoubtedly a dereliction of duty on the part of the guards.

Although he made another mistake, Haiwen still remembered his responsibilities.

"Lady Sally, please inform my guards after your consultation. I will escort you to the operating room. I will go to the rooftop now to eliminate the risk of snipers."

"Ah."

After Sally entered the examination room, Haiwen carried the safe and ran towards the rooftop through the emergency exit.

The safe contained a miniature sniper rifle equipped with an infrared thermal detection system, and for added security, a grenade launcher was also installed.

In terms of ammunition, there are 3 offensive grenades and 2 offensive hand grenades, which should be enough to last for 2 minutes.

----

Karma sized up the person who had just arrived.

The visitor was a big shot from AE Corporation, Melanie Hugh Cabinet, the chairman of Anaheim Electronics. With its immense wealth, AE Corporation was a force to be reckoned with in this era.

What does AE want with me?

After they were both seated, Karma decided to test the waters first.

"Chairman, if you want to recall Dr. Misaki, I'm sorry, but I cannot agree. The doctor is very important to Zeon, and her departure is her own wish."

"That's fine, we respect the PhD's choice. The company respects the employee's decision to stay or leave."

Kabain then revealed their true purpose for coming.

"We are here to confirm your interest in artificial intelligence technology."

"Oh?"

“Our company AE has also planned for artificial intelligence technology and has considerable technical reserves, but the federal government’s response to it has been rather lukewarm, because the development of artificial intelligence technology will inevitably eliminate a large number of jobs. However, judging from your condescending behavior of poaching PhDs, your government seems to be quite interested in this kind of technology.”

Karma thought to himself, "It's me who's interested in this technology."

He himself has also made a basic judgment about AE's contact with him.

Investments for the future.

If he chooses to become a powerful figure in Zeon, then contacting him now would be invaluable.

But since they've come to us, why not cooperate?

Karma originally thought that AE only started profiting from both sides after the One Year War, but now it seems that they are interested in any project with connections and business opportunities. They truly deserve to be called the "death merchant".

“I am indeed interested,” Kalmar said. “My main focus is on the field of construction engineering. Fifty years ago, the federal government dragged a large number of asteroids from the asteroid belt to build the lunar city and nearly two thousand colony satellites from Side 1 to Side 6. It was a monumental project, but it was halted due to insufficient funding.”

"But 'funds' are merely a tool for measuring the value of resources. In reality, the material and labor costs for building colonies are simply unsustainable. If artificial intelligence were applied to mega-city construction projects, it might significantly reduce costs."

A few glints flashed in Kabaiin's eyes.

Karma thought to herself that the other person had understood her unspoken meaning.

"It is truly remarkable that you, as a young man, possess such a deep understanding of history. Is your country planning any urban construction projects?"

The federal government's immigration program, which was initially led by the federal government, generated enormous profits for several companies responsible for building the colony's satellites.

The costs of such large-scale projects are staggering; even a little bit of cutting corners can create countless new billionaires worldwide.

"I want to build an energy city in the asteroid belt specifically for mining helium-3, and establish a permanent settlement. Some things shouldn't be monopolized by those Jupiter Flotilla people. If possible, I hope to purchase related technical services from your company over the next ten years, and I also welcome your company to invest."

All mobile suits and battleships rely on the Mitz reactor to function.

The energy source for the Mie furnace is helium-3, which mainly comes from two places: the subsurface rock layers of the moon and Jupiter.

The former was also the cornerstone of the prosperity of lunar cities, but as shallow helium-3 was exhausted and as the mining depth increased, costs rose, and helium-3 produced by Jupiter gradually gained a cost advantage.

Although the Jupiter Fleet claims neutrality, its mining equipment and ships are built with funding from federal companies, and 80% of its production goes to the federal government.

Unable to acquire enough Helium-3, Zeon dispatched Charia to captain its Jupiter fleet to replenish resources in the Jupiter Sphere. However, due to the immature technology of these mining ships, they nearly lost their lives.

The other side is building large energy cities in the asteroid belt.

Such an outlandish request caused even a top tycoon like Kabain to pause for a moment, but he quickly came up with a reason.

“There is no precedent for building a large transit base in the asteroid belt, and we can continue to explore this in the future.”

"Regarding shipbuilding, although the Jupiter resource exploration vessel Jupiter Triss-class has its hull built by Focke-Wellington, our AE company possesses its navigation, exploration, and pressure measurement systems for helium-3 collection, including technology for shielding against cosmic radiation. Are you interested in this?"

Chapter 32 Sealed Memories

“Very interested,” Kalmar said with a smile. “But this falls under the federal government’s technology ban, and if it is sold to our country, AE will inevitably be implicated.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. We can use SIDE6 as a transit point to avoid detection, or we can ship it together with other goods to circumvent the federal government’s embargo inspections.”

Kabain seemed quite adept at it, as if they had been involved in smuggling and the black market for a long time.

"It's not cheap, is it?" Karma thought to herself, "They're not doing charity."

Kabain smiled. "Sir, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"But as long as customers can afford to pay or purchase a large item of equivalent value, AE will do everything in its power to ensure they receive satisfactory service."

After exchanging some more trivial pleasantries, they saw the old man, Kabain, off.

For Karma, this meeting was still valuable, as it helped her establish a connection with AE.

Karma patted his pockets. He had to find a way to make money; nowadays, whatever he did required funds or resources.

The services that Kabain told him about were all state-level procurements. AE might not necessarily think that Zeon could win in the end, but just in case, they were still hedging their bets.

Regardless of which side wins the One Year War, they remain invincible.

Kalmar's envisioned Helium-3 city, and the mining fleet that will follow, will thwart the federal government's attempt to deliberately reduce mining output to maintain profits. It will also stimulate the economy of the entire Earth Sphere... but the initial investment will be astronomical.

Money, money, money, everything requires money.

However, one cannot accumulate a huge amount of wealth in a short period of time using conventional methods.

Karma had actually come up with a good, but somewhat hellish, idea.

As AE Chairman Kabein said, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." Paying a price does not guarantee success, but without paying a price, you will get nothing.

There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Dr. Claudia looked up, waiting for the next patient as usual.

Then a young woman with loose hair pushed open the door and entered, smiling and waving at her.

Good morning, Claudia's mom.

On the lush green grass stand several white stones, some square and some cross-shaped. This is a cemetery, and a new grave is about to be laid to rest—the grave of his beloved mentor, Ms. El.

The middle-aged men and women around me were dressed in black, their hair already turned white—traces left by contemplation and the passage of time. Grief had made rational thinking impossible.

The little girl with a single ponytail, standing closest to the coffin, had her back to her, staring at the coffin without saying a word.

That was her mentor's daughter... and the daughter of all of them.

The sealed memories surged forth like a spring, and when Claudia came to her senses, her vision was already blurred with tears.

Strange, why would she forget something so important?

"Anna?"

While Claudia was in a daze, the person in front of her was already sitting down in front of her.

"Claudia's mother, how have you been lately?"

"Where have you been, Anna? I haven't heard from you since you disappeared five years ago." Claudia, realizing what had happened, grabbed the girl's hand tightly, as if afraid she would disappear again.

"I'm going to fulfill the mission that Mother El gave me." The girl took her hands in hers.

"Mission... You have your own life. Your teacher is too obsessive. What are you doing now?"

The girl seemed very patient. "Claudia, do you remember you have surgery tomorrow? 'That' is me. I never expected it to be such a coincidence."

"VIP...?"

Claudia recalled the mysterious man in the long coat and hood who had approached her a few days earlier, asking her to undergo surgery on June 14th, which was tomorrow. He gave her a deposit far exceeding the usual surgical fees and told her that he would pay the balance after the surgery was completed.

They also threatened her that she must never pry into or inquire about the guests' information, or she would bear the consequences.

It was somewhat like coercing her into undergoing surgery.

Claudia knew these people were no good, but wanting to avoid further trouble, she agreed, intending to complete the surgery as soon as possible.

How did Anna get involved with this group of people?

"Anna, tell your mother quickly! Where are you right now, and what are you doing?"

"Mom, knowing too much can be dangerous for you."

"Doesn't that mean you're in danger right now?"

“I am different.” The girl looked at the lifeline on her palm. “Mother Claudia, you participated in my ‘creation’ process, so you should know how powerful I am. This power is all for the purpose of my mission. My life is divided into three stages. The first third is to inherit my mother’s knowledge, the second third is to advance my mission, and in the last third, I will leave behind my ‘daughter’ to carry on the work.”

"Why do something so cruel?" Claudia couldn't hold back her tears. "Is there really no other choice?"

"Because we live in a world with 'no future.' Only by being ruthless to ourselves can we gamble on that sliver of a possible future," the girl said gently.

"I beg you, Mom, to help me and act in this play."

On the third day after the visit, an official visit was conducted.

At the invitation of the SIDE6 president, Karma rode in the back of the black convertible. Looking at the empty streets and the high-rise buildings beyond, she couldn't help but wonder where an assassin would choose as an ambush location.

Actually, this is a bit redundant. SIDE6 has already cleared the streets within a 2-kilometer radius of the passageway it passed through and has not allowed the public to approach it on-site.

Meanwhile, Haiwen's message said that things were going well for Sally.

The meeting with SIDE6 was even less fruitful, consisting of endless deliberation on negotiation tactics, a stark contrast to the efficient information exchange by the chairman of AE.

Karma was reading directly from the prepared script by his secretary. He felt a little sleepy and thought that he was no different from the emperors and empresses under a constitutional monarchy. Being a mascot-like head of state was a miserable job.