The tension could be felt by everyone at Zero Station. All the leaders had gathered around a round table, anxiously staring at a monitor. The people of the station had been carefully assigned to perform their roles, but they feared that a conflict was about to break out. After all, this was a place where wars had frequently happened in the past.
There was a deep divide between the scientists of Zero Earth and those from Earth at the station.
Each sector had its own leader and its own rules. There were five sectors, each focused on a different area and led by someone from either Earth or Zero Earth.
"I don't think this war will break out so quickly. It will probably just be a cold war, like in the ancient eras," said Seto, leader of Sector 1 – Finance, brushing his hair down as he spoke.
Lidia, leader of Sector 2 – Defense, quickly responded.
"If something happens, I don't want to be killed by my own relatives from Zero Earth. And I don't like the idea of killing people either."
"In war, you don't see faces—only moving targets," said Kyle from Sector 3 – Training.
Kamiya, leader of the Technology Sector, grabbed a juice to calm himself amid all the tension.
At the beginning, Kamiya had been just a scientist from Earth who had climbed many ranks to reach his current position.
"Where is Qin? That guy is really complicated to deal with," Seto said irritably.
Qin was the chief leader of the entire base. He was an old man who had clearly fought in many wars. His face was completely wrapped in bandages and gauze, with only his eyes visible.
Soon, everyone's attention returned to the monitor.
"Where is this signal you said you detected? If an attack were happening, we would know. It just looks like a video call," Seto interrupted.
Qin appeared on the screen from what seemed to be a dark, poorly lit ship.
"What are you doing, Qin? Where are you?"
"Uh… I…"
Everyone stared in silence after his stuttering response. They were afraid and full of doubts.
"I'm now allying myself with Zero Earth. Even though I was born and raised on Earth, I have Zero Earth blood."
Qin had been left on a battlefield as a baby and was found by soldiers. They became his only family. Only recently had he discovered that his parents were from Zero Earth, after its leaders sent him photos of his supposed parents. They told him his parents had died in the war.
All this time, Qin believed he had been fighting for the right side. But he felt pity for his former comrades who would now be imprisoned there. He wished he could stop the bloodshed, but he couldn't. All he had ever wanted was peace—an impossible dream.
"This is madness. They're blackmailing you," Kyle said.
"Now the station belongs to Zero Earth."
Several soldiers entered the base and captured everyone except Seto and Lidia, who were from Zero Earth.
"How could you from Zero Earth do this?"
"You're terrorists!"
"The attack on the Peace Council and the Arena was not carried out by them," Qin said firmly, since he had access to high-level Zero Earth security information.
"I thought we were friends," Kyle said, visibly disappointed.
"Friends? We are colleagues, my dear," Seto replied, adjusting his glasses.
Lidia didn't seem to agree with what was happening. She hated this war. She wanted to run away, but she knew she would be labeled a traitor if she tried.
"You people from Earth are expelled. All the Zero Energy here belongs to us."
Kyle and Kamiya were taken to the base prison. Kamiya had anticipated something like this, so he had secretly sent a coded message to the Legion using a phone hidden in his pocket.
Fighting for others had always been Qin's dream in his youth, but now he was being manipulated by men driven by selfish ambitions.
A few hours after Qin's mutiny, the Legion's ship arrived at the station, and a battle began.
"Everyone, to your posts! We don't have much time—there are civilians inside!"
The war between the Legion and Zero Earth intensified.
Camila put on her suit, still depressed about everything. Four Armors were going to rescue Kyle and Kamiya. She knew she couldn't lose another friend.
She would use a Delta model known as Laitos 78. It was quite different from the others—green with gray parts, and a steel heart painted on its chest to remind her of her past with the Iron Hearts. It had probably been painted by someone at the base who was a fan of the Iron Hearts.
As weapons, she carried a combat knife strapped to her right leg, similar to those used by American soldiers. She also had a sniper rifle on her back and an energy sword in her hands.
She quickly entered the cockpit without fixing her hair. She was in a hurry to save Kamiya. She couldn't afford to lose anyone else she cared about.
The base was surrounded by several Zero Earth Armors. Camila was hiding behind a meteorite in the Zero Area. She planned to enter from the back, since the Legion and Zero Earth soldiers were fighting at the front.
"Hey, partner—"She immediately aimed her weapon at Xin, startled. He had only meant to greet her.
"Calm down! I just followed you because I was scared of the fighting up front."
"Oh, it's just you, white-haired kid."
"Why did you follow me?"
"I'm not very good at fighting multiple opponents. I prefer focusing on just one."
"Fine then. Can you handle that guy over there?"
She pointed to one of the Armors guarding the port. There were two guards—one inside the ship and one closer to the exit.
"I think I can. I'll try."
Xin piloted an orange Delta-type robot with laser swords on his back and a blaster in hand.
He positioned himself on a meteor and launched forward at high speed, spinning like a top.
The guard blocked his spinning attack with a shield, but the shield was heavily damaged.
Xin fell backward, defenseless, and the guard prepared to shoot him with a blaster.
But Camila saved him with a precise sniper shot to the soldier's neck, forcing him to notice her presence. The soldier threw his axe at her, and she defended herself by hiding behind the meteorites.
Xin flipped backward, regaining control of his Armor.
It was two against one. He had to act fast. Both enemies attacked him simultaneously—one from the right, the other from the left. Xin jumped and delivered a double flying kick, just like in Kung Fu movies.
He quickly pulled one of his laser swords and stabbed one of the fallen robots directly in its energy core.
Xin hated the idea of killing people. He had studied the vital points of Armors.
They had weak spots located either in the neck or shoulder—small generators that allowed them to move. Like acupuncture points, these weaknesses could disable them. Most pilots protected them with shields, but since Xin had broken one guard's shield, he had left him exposed.
Now only one enemy remained. This one wielded a staff with electric energy at its tip.
He thrust the weapon repeatedly at Xin, who dodged every strike until the staff got stuck in a wall. Xin ran along the staff and kicked his opponent in the face with both feet, launching him backward. The enemy slammed his head against the cockpit control panel and passed out.
With the enemies defeated, Xin signaled Camila. She flew over to him.
They found a thick door locked by a code. It looked too strong to be destroyed by grenades or any explosive.
"Tony, can you open it for us?"
"No, but I can send someone to help. Just be patient."
Suddenly, the door slowly opened.
Standing there was a black Armor with a single eye and purple details on its chest and visor. On its back was a curved purple energy sword shaped like a hook.
Camila quickly hid behind a container.
Xin was attacked. He managed to cut off the Armor's head, sending it flying—but the pilot was located in the chest, not the head.
The black Armor was extremely fast. It struck Xin repeatedly in the chest, as if trying to break it open.
Camila faced a terrible dilemma: either kill the black Armor and save Xin, or let him die to avoid killing anyone.
It was a very difficult choice.
She looked at the fallen sword on the ground, grabbed it without hesitation, and tried to strike the black Armor from behind.
The Armor caught the blade and turned toward Camila, staring at her with what felt like pure hatred.