After finishing their meal, He Kui and Shi He left the office side by side. Outside, the sky had completely darkened, illuminated only by the bright streetlights that lined the busy road.
Due to the recent redeployment of personnel, there were only a few pedestrians on the street.
"Well, I'll head back now."
At a crossroads, one path led outside while the other led to the A-Level employee residential area, which was guarded by a security officer.
"Okay."
Just as He Kui finished speaking, a familiar face approached—one of his colleagues who had previously been so cheerful.
"What are you doing here?"
He Kui asked, noticing the colleague's usual smile. At the same time, he felt Sule tugging subtly at his sleeve from behind. Their eyes met briefly, communicating their understanding without raising any suspicion, and they quickly returned to normal.
"I just wanted to thank you for the beef! I was about to head to the office to find you. Did you just leave?"
The young man first greeted Sule before flashing a smile at He Kui.
"I see."
"Yep! Look, I brought you a freshly baked cake!"
The young man said, reaching into his bag.
Before he could pull anything out, He Kui reacted quickly, pulling out a small Haro from his waistband and turning to envelop Sule in a protective embrace as they rushed toward the guard station at the A-Level residential area.
"Activate combat stance! Deploy shield!"
As the Haro announced, the young man had already drawn a handgun from his bag, firing several shots at the small shield. Suddenly, thick smoke began to pour from the Haro's arm compartments.
On the other side, a pair of guards noticed the commotion and rushed over with submachine guns.
"Assassin!"
He Kui shouted, pointing behind him.
"Haro, absorb the smoke!"
"Understood!"
With a crisp electronic voice, the Haro's internal absorption device activated, drawing in the smoke and leaving the young man surrounded by the guards.
"Put down your weapon!"
"For the sake of a clean blue universe!"
Without further ado, the young man's sunny demeanor transformed into one of cold hatred as he glared at the two before raising his gun.
Unsurprisingly, the young man was swiftly shot dead by the guard standing in front.
After the scene was secured, the details quickly emerged.
It seemed the young man had targeted two A-Level employees in what he thought was a perfect opportunity, using the cover of night and the reduced number of people on the road due to the recent personnel adjustments.
However, he hadn't anticipated that He Kui's Haro would possess such extensive functions, which led to his swift demise.
"For security reasons, we'll need to collect the design schematics for your Haro," one of the agents from the special operations team said, dressed in a crisp suit and maintaining a professional demeanor.
"I'm sorry, but I can't hand over those schematics. They are confidential," He Kui replied firmly.
"Exactly!"
Sule chimed in.
The two exchanged silent glances for a moment.
"I understand. I'll report this matter as is," the agent said before leaving the scene.
"Why did you refuse?"
Sule asked curiously.
"Why give them something they could easily replicate? I've sold enough of these Haros; although the structure isn't overly complex, it wouldn't take an A-Level engineer long to reverse-engineer it. If I share it willingly, I might gain some recognition, but handing it over for nothing doesn't make much sense."
"You're quite sharp."
Sule felt reassured by He Kui's reasoning.
There was no doubt that after today's events, his Haro would likely gain prominence within PLANT.
Although it hadn't played a major role in battle, the Haro had been effectively crafted by He Kui to serve as an anti-assassination tool, integrated with various life-saving functions.
Not only could it absorb smoke, but it could also eliminate toxic gas, provide physical protection with its shield, and follow its user automatically without impeding their escape.
Others had quickly realized that possessing the design schematics would allow them to gain fame as well.
"Once you return home, let the incident simmer. You can post the design on the forum; they won't be able to reverse-engineer your Haro anytime soon."
"I understand."
That had been his plan all along.
"Also, be cautious. This incident isn't simple. He must have known about your research on the oscillation component on the forum. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a risk to act now."
That young man was one of the radar team's engineers; to be involved, he must have had a clean background and considerable talent, which likely meant he had been lurking for years.
"But if that's the case, doesn't it imply that they might have informants higher up as well?"
"Possibly."
He Kui felt a weight settle in his chest at Sule's response.
If that were true, then aside from the risk of his beam weapon being stolen, he also faced the threat of assassination.
"How is the progress on beam weapons lately?"
"Not much."
They genuinely hadn't made much progress. He had to devote most of his time here, and it would likely be over a month before he could successfully unlock the power component.
"Just be careful. I'll request a guard to accompany you during the assessment here in the future."
"You don't need to worry so much. This is just my suspicion. I believe the design bureau will soon begin an internal purge. Perhaps the spies will be caught quickly."
Seeing He Kui's serious expression, Sule added a few more words of reassurance.
The incident involving the blue Persian flower had created quite a stir. While a natural person couldn't operate an MS, if the data on various units were leaked, the Alliance could pose a more significant threat with targeted attacks.
"Okay."
"By the way, I didn't expect your Haro to be so useful. I might need to take one out myself."
Thinking about how the director would also need a Haro in the future made Sule smile.
"I didn't expect it either."
He had designed it primarily for self-preservation, but it coincidentally matched the needs for thwarting assassinations.
"Well, it's getting late. You should head back to rest now, especially since you still have a transport vehicle to take you home."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
He Kui nodded.
"See you tomorrow, and thanks for protecting me."
"According to what you said, I'm a target too."
"No, it's different."
Imagining that timid He Kui would put himself in front of her to shield her from gunfire filled Sule's heart with warmth, as if it were overflowing.
[Sule's Favorability: 100]
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