At the launch testing site, the observation platform was filled with various monitoring instruments and equipment.
The deep blue Zaku stood proudly inside, with the internal personnel having evacuated to the observation platform after fine-tuning the beam cannon.
"The protective shield has been installed, and all equipment and instruments have been checked. We can start the experiment at any time."
"Are you ready? I don't need to stress the significance of this experiment for our project, right? Focus everyone."
"Yes!"
The members of the beam weapon team were exceptionally excited.
"Now, countdown begins: ten, nine, eight, seven—beam weapon preheating begins."
"Preheating successful! Readings normal!"
As the testing commenced, the air around the beam weapon component on the Zaku began to shimmer and distort.
"Fire!"
A flash of green light shot forth, striking the anti-beam coated armor before them.
"Observation team, report data!"
"Temperature, power, and component stability are normal. Test successful!"
He Kui's experiment was a success.
Even with nearly a hundred percent assurance, He Kui couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"It worked!"
Shi He tightly hugged He Kui, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Yeah, it did."
"Director He, someone is looking for you."
Before they could say anything further, a staff member responsible for managing the testing site approached them enthusiastically.
"Alright."
Following the staff member deeper into the facility, they soon arrived at a room that looked like any other meeting room.
A middle-aged man was seated inside.
"Director, hello."
The man was the deputy director, effectively the second-in-command of the Hailan Design Bureau.
"Director He, congratulations!"
The deputy director smiled warmly.
"Just lucky."
"Luck alone doesn't bring about this level of success. The Sara faction has been eager to have young talents like you join our ranks."
"...I'm sorry, but I prefer my freedom, though I am open to collaborating with the Sara faction."
He Kui knew he couldn't join the Sara faction; he had too many secrets, and he had recently owed a favor to the Klein faction. Burning bridges could lower his favorability, and given his many secrets, it would be better to remain independent. If they called upon him for future research and he couldn't deliver, it would only lead to trouble.
The deputy director paused, surprised that He Kui was so straightforward instead of dragging the conversation out.
"That's fine, regarding the nominal research position here…"
"I'll split it with Shi He."
"Great! Congratulations on officially becoming a director."
At least one of them in this arrangement would be from the Sara faction, and having Shi He onboard would strengthen their relationship.
Exiting the meeting room, He Kui let out a long sigh.
He had successfully stabilized his relationship with the Sara faction; now he needed to focus on the Klein faction.
Just a day later, news of the successful development of the miniaturized beam weapon circulated among the senior ranks of the Hailan Design Bureau.
As the primary researcher on the miniaturized beam weapon, He Kui gained a certain level of recognition among the upper echelons, though the mid-level staff remained unaware due to confidentiality.
On the other hand, due to the recent setbacks on the lunar battlefield, ZAFT's offensive against the Earth Alliance had slowed.
Kin and Dean were working tirelessly to ramp up production.
Meanwhile, He Kui's days were fulfilling; aside from working on Haro, he was also fulfilling the orders he had received from Da Costa.
Having already paid a deposit of ten thousand, he wasn't worried about the client backing out.
The day arrived when Su Lei returned.
As she stepped out of the port, Su Lei spotted He Kui waiting outside to welcome her.
"Congratulations on becoming Director He!"
Handing her luggage to the robotic porter beside He Kui, she teased him.
"Thanks to Director Su! Why are you so late?"
"I went to help with the dismantling of the Lorenz Base. Material prices should stabilize a bit now. Want to check it out?"
While the overall demand to produce Kin might raise prices, materials of a lower tier should decline.
"Don't you want to head back first?"
The scrap merchant guild was not far from here, and He Kui certainly wanted to check it out, but he figured Su Lei had just returned from the outside.
"It's fine; I want to buy some things too."
"What do you want to buy?"
"None of your business!"
Faced with Su Lei's playful retort, He Kui wisely chose not to press further and instead pulled out a necklace.
"This is for you."
"What's this?"
While it looked like a beautiful necklace, He Kui wasn't the type to gift trinkets.
"It's a connector for Haro, with an enhanced radar. It'll make Haro more sensitive to danger and has a door-cracking function, though it won't work in complex situations."
To be honest, the door-cracking feature was somewhat useless; it was merely a chance taken when the Archangel was in chaos due to a lack of personnel, which allowed Lacus to seize the opportunity.
To rely solely on this for survival in the future was far from enough.
"This really seems like something you would make."
Though Su Lei sounded slightly dismissive, He Kui noticed her affinity had increased by two points, making him smile.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Thanks!"
The port area resembled an airport terminal of the past, bustling with shops.
There were clothing stores, accessory shops, bookstores, general goods, and places selling Haro and other robots.
"I haven't been out shopping in ages."
Su Lei looked around like a curious child, and upon closer inspection, He Kui noticed she had put on slightly more mature makeup today, giving her a charm that contrasted with her usual cuteness.
"Because of the assassination attempts?"
"That's one reason, I suppose."
In truth, she just didn't enjoy shopping, but walking here with He Kui made her feel happiness for the first time.
"Want to go inside and browse?"
He Kui asked in front of a clothing store.
"Hmm, can we afford the costs of the beam weapons?"
In front of the cute clothes, Su Lei's words were entirely out of sync with the atmosphere.
"Looking at the mass production line, it's impossible to directly replace standard weapons with beams at this stage."
"And if captured, they could easily reverse-engineer them, so priority should be given to the commander's unit."
"That makes sense. Have you thought about the direction for future weapon development?"
"Not yet."
"That line-controlled gun could be worth looking into; copying it shouldn't be too difficult."
"But there are too few people who can operate it."
"Take your time; I'm just giving you some direction. If it's to be implemented, it will first require spatial awareness tests within ZAFT."
"I'm going to try on some clothes now."
Without giving He Kui a chance to respond, Su Lei pic
ked up a white dress and headed for the fitting room.
"Okay."
He Kui felt like today would be a long one as he watched her retreating figure, his legs feeling a bit weak.
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