Under the cheers of his colleagues, He Kui, along with Shi He, arrived at the beam weapon development team's office the next day.
Located on a higher floor in the same building as the radar team, the office for the director was currently empty. Most of the documents had been taken away, leaving only basic research books quietly resting in a metal filing cabinet.
Looking out from the director's office window, there was no picturesque scenery, just the industrial park of the Hailan Design Bureau, where He Kui had once worked as an assembler.
Below, sparse figures in factory uniforms were slowly making their way toward the factory area.
It felt good to overlook everyone, especially when those below were in a much lower position than him. Perhaps the previous director had become intoxicated by this very sight, leading to his inflated ego.
"There's currently no director here, so you're our highest authority," Shi He reminded him seriously.
"I know, you've mentioned it multiple times."
After organizing some materials, the two made their way to the main office.
"Good morning, Director He."
"Director He!"
The office was sparsely populated; aside from He Kui, there were only five others, making it three men and two women, including Shi He.
Typically, an office would have ten members, including the director and deputy director, meaning they were currently operating at a standard number of staff.
He Kui had familiarized himself with the names and backgrounds of his team members in advance.
"As your deputy director, I don't have many demands. Just be steadfast in your beliefs, remain loyal to ZAFT, and diligently serve PLANT," He Kui stated.
"Fight for ZAFT!"
"Fight for ZAFT!"
The atmosphere became solemn, and the conviction displayed by his colleagues seemed even stronger than his own. Although they were unaware of the specifics of He Kui's past achievements, there was no hint of dissatisfaction with his ascension to this position. It was evident that these were soldiers who followed orders.
"Cough, cough. I believe you all know that our project will officially begin testing on the Moon tomorrow. Shi He and I will be in charge of this experiment, while data collection and organization will be your responsibility."
As soon as He Kui finished speaking, a burly employee jumped up excitedly.
"Director He! Let me come along!"
"Me too! I want to wipe out those naturals!"
"Count me in!"
"Same here!"
As the enthusiastic voices erupted, He Kui could feel the intensity of their fervor. Sule's earlier description of the beam weapon team as battle enthusiasts had proven accurate.
The enthusiasm they displayed made it seem as though He Kui had entered a combat division rather than a research team.
This peculiar state of mind was likely a significant reason why the beam weapon research had stalled for so long. They were all too eager to engage in battle.
"We are here to complete an experiment, not to participate in a war. Considering the recent shortage of personnel in our group, I cannot approve your requests this time. However, I will prioritize your willingness for future opportunities when the time is right."
Though he said a lot, the summary was simple: next time, for sure.
Hearing this, the team members sat back down, disappointment evident on their faces.
"They're all good people," Shi He said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"I can see that."
After finishing various paperwork, financial reports, and project progress assessments with Shi He's assistance, the two left the office area and boarded a transport vehicle to the factory.
Walking through the engineer-only passage, they passed a few employees who exchanged nods but kept their conversations to a minimum.
This wasn't He Kui's first time here; he had come with Sule to debug the warning system for the Dean unit before.
Using his ID card, He Kui activated the elevator.
The elevator whisked them downward at high speed. Their IDs only allowed access to specific floors, and this area was the most secure part of the colony satellite, essentially a natural shelter.
Once they exited the elevator, the tall corridor was deserted, and following the guiding lights, they soon arrived at a hangar.
"This is it."
Shi He approached the main control computer and powered up the hangar. As the massive lights flickered to life, a brilliant beam illuminated the center of the hangar, revealing a Sig model standing proudly in the spotlight.
The imposing figure, with its powerful combat aesthetic and pale metallic surface, reflected the harsh lights, looking much more intimidating than the Kinn. Unfortunately, part of it was missing—the thruster unit had vanished.
"So, this is the experimental model of the beam weapon Sig?"
He Kui couldn't help but feel it was a bit different from what he had imagined.
"The beam component is still underneath," Shi He replied, pointing to an inconspicuous H-shaped weapon component at the Sig's feet, which was presumably meant to be mounted on its missing shoulder.
"Is it still not ready?"
With the departure tomorrow, it was surprising that the unit wasn't finished yet.
"Time has been tight, and with the director's incident, the project was temporarily stalled for a few days. However, it's mostly just assembly left, and it's expected to be completed in half a day."
"Let me see the design schematics."
"Sure."
Shi He operated the main control computer, and a complex blueprint appeared before them, subtly overlapping with the physical Sig in front of them. The design exuded a strong sense of technology, with the model number YFX-100 DEEP Arms prominently displayed at the top.
YFX was the unified code for weapon prototypes, while DEEP referred to the experimental beam pointing weapon.
"The overall completion rate is only 78%."
"Hmm."
While this weapon utilized He Kui's theories, Shi He, who was responsible for the weapon's direct development, had made several modifications to various functional components.
"The issue with the cooling system hasn't been resolved yet, so it will rely on gas heat dissipation, making it significantly larger than typical firearms."
"That's not a problem."
As long as the pipelines were connected, it could be used. It should be manageable as long as they weren't in a major battle.
"The thruster at the back was replaced with the weapon component, which is complete but hasn't been assembled yet."
Shi He continued, her eyes flashing over the design schematics rapidly. Without the exceptional dynamic vision of an Adjuster, one would struggle to keep up.
"Let's get started quickly. We'll debug the specific parameters of the beam weapon once we reach the Moon. Also, the efficiency of the head's sensors is too low. I'll borrow one from Sule."
As a former member of the radar team, He Kui was well aware that the head sensor performance of the Sig was definitely not among the top-tier in ZAFT, even inferior to the reconnaissance Kinn. It wasn't surprising; each field had its specialization.
However, for an experimental beam weapon that fired limited shots, accuracy was crucial. If they couldn't hit the target, they might as well be waiting for death. Of course, equipping a standard machine gun and adding two melee swords at the waist could also work in a pinch.
The versatility of the Kinn model was becoming apparent at this moment.
"I had that thought too; I just kept putting it off until today. I'll have the engineers come over to start assembly right away."
"By the way, should we change the color scheme?"
Shi He eagerly suggested.
"Color scheme?"
He Kui wasn't particularly interested in customizing the special color, but Shi He seemed especially fond of it. Her eyes sparkled with youthful anticipation, making it hard for him to refuse.
"How about deep blue? It would blend nicely with the cosmic background and
the Moon!"
"Alright."
He Kui continued to examine the schematics before him.
The cockpit is designed to accommodate two pilots, huh?
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