A few days later, after successfully advancing his information engineering to A-Class, He Kui submitted his application for the promotion of A-Class information engineering technology to the Skill Rating Center.
Coincidentally, the supervisor assigned to him was Su Lei.
"Director He, you're back!"
The radar team members, who were just finishing their shifts, were pleasantly surprised to see their former colleague.
They had heard that after He Kui's departure, the miniaturization of the beam weapon had inexplicably completed.
It seemed that he had encountered a benefactor. Those who were favored by such benefactors also tended to become benefactors themselves, so the expressions of the employees were noticeably more eager than before.
"Hello, I'm here to see Director Su."
"Director Su? She should still be busy. Please, have a seat."
Facing the enthusiastic welcome, He Kui smiled.
"I'll just go find her in her office; no need to trouble yourselves."
He said this and walked past the group toward the deeper part of the office without waiting for a reply.
"It was lively outside just now."
As soon as he entered Su Lei's office, he was teased by the young woman in front of him.
"You could hear that?"
"I guessed."
"...I didn't expect that even as a director, I still need to report to you as a supervisor."
Ignoring Su Lei's playful remarks, He Kui helplessly replied.
"Less chit-chat; it's the rules. Can you break them?"
"Well, I can't. Fortunately, this time I don't have to wait a month."
As a director, he had some privileges; the advancement to A-Class could be completed in just a week.
"Is my radar team unable to accommodate you anymore?"
"I never said that."
While speaking, He Kui skillfully took out a lunchbox.
"I didn't say you had to bring that."
Taking the lunchbox with a serious expression, Su Lei remarked.
"I wanted to bring it myself."
"Oh."
Su Lei looked at the lunchbox in silence for a moment before speaking softly.
"I heard that the Defense Committee has given your team a new research direction?"
"Yeah."
Though her voice was quiet, He Kui still heard her clearly.
"What is it?"
He lifted his gaze to look at Su Lei.
"You don't have to say if you don't want to."
Su Lei turned her head, slightly flustered, avoiding He Kui's gaze.
"They are researching the energy supply issues for long-range beam cannons and the verification of related technologies for high-energy pulse cannons."
Even if he didn't say anything, it wouldn't be long before the Klein faction learned about it through their channels, so it wasn't something to hide.
"Why did they assign you the high-energy pulse cannon?"
Su Lei asked in surprise.
The former project made sense; a long-range beam cannon was excellent for both long-distance strikes and sieges. For their ships that couldn't fly in the atmosphere, it meant having the firepower of mobile battleships on Earth.
However, the high-energy pulse cannon didn't seem to relate closely to beam weapons. Although both were weapons and appeared to be beams, the underlying technologies were quite different. High-energy pulse cannons relied on energy fusion and compression, while beam weapons focused on concentrated laser optics.
There were already research groups responsible for pulse weapon studies.
"I don't know; I heard this task is a competition with the pulse group."
Although He Kui understood the principles of pulse cannons, he didn't grasp the specifics and was unsure how this task had come to him.
Of course, the rewards for completing it were substantial.
"Director He~ so impressive~"
The Haro that He Kui had given to Su Lei earlier was now bouncing around their feet.
"Thanks!"
"Though your Haro's system has been written more intricately."
Su Lei playfully patted the Haro's head as if to scold someone.
"It's A-Class, after all. This black Haro is a defense-specialized type; it has removed other structures and equipped three alloy extension shields."
It was far more expensive than ordinary blast shields, definitely A-Class. Each could add fifty experience points, a product of He Kui's reflections.
"Thank you. You should also know about the new resource satellite situation, right?"
"I do. ZAFT will be using beam guns there for the first time, and I'll be going along."
Though she wouldn't be on the main battlefield, like before, Su Lei would be there to support the beam weapons to prevent any accidents.
"I'm going too; after all, the radar station hasn't been completed yet."
"Still coming?"
"This time, it's the improvement of onboard radar, unlike some people—we're quite busy!"
"Alright, just be careful."
"You should be the one to be careful; you're so afraid of dying."
"Haha."
He Kui chuckled helplessly, steering the conversation away from that topic.
Meanwhile, during the few days He Kui had regained some tranquility, the prices of materials from ZAFT continued to rise.
The Mechanical Maniac had finally increased the purchasing prices for high-level machines following protests from various technicians.
Although the increase wasn't substantial, it was at least some improvement compared to before.
"Director He, you're here~"
The boss greeted the big client warmly.
"Yeah, I previously mentioned the braking materials for the maglev vehicle."
"Everything is ready for you—totaling eighty thousand, but with a seventy percent discount, it comes to fifty-six thousand."
"Okay."
The reason he was only buying braking materials could be seen from this price; he could only afford the brakes, which were definitely high-level materials.
As for the outer shell, given his high standards, he wouldn't be able to get it for under a hundred thousand.
Soon, the remaining money was exchanged for materials.
"Director He, the material costs have indeed risen quite a bit. Are you sure?"
Most people would stop at this point and temporarily halt their mechanical work because making these now would waste energy and yield little profit.
Even as a businessman, the boss was baffled by He Kui's reverse strategy.
"Yeah, it's fine."
While feeling the pinch, He Kui replied.
It really was fine; he just needed to upgrade. Time was of the essence; no matter how expensive, he had to consume.
"Alright, the materials will be delivered within three days, but our people can't currently access the A-Class area."
The boss smiled apologetically, never expecting He Kui would rise to director status so quickly.
"No problem; I'll come out to pick them up."
He didn't lack for transport robots.
"Okay, looking forward to our cooperation."
"Yeah, looking forward to it."
After He Kui handed over so much money, he didn't know if he was happy about the cooperation, but the boss surely was.
Returning home, He Kui saw that Shi He had prepared a meal; the delicious aroma of meat wafted through the air, tantalizing his appetite.
"Welcome back! Tomorrow is the director's meeting, right?"
Shi He smiled affectionately as she placed a plate of egg rolls on the dining table.
"Yeah."
The annual director's meeting would gather all the directors from the five major design bureaus in May City at the grand hall for a collaborative event.
They would discuss the direction of technological advancements and also award honors to scientists who had made significant contributions.
"It's a pity I can't go."
Shi He said regretfully.
"There will be opportunities in the future."
"But I won't be able to see you receive your award!"
As a key figure in the miniaturization of beam weapons, He Kui would indeed receive an award this time. Although it wasn't the Nebula Medal, it would still be the well-known "Future" medal within the PLANT scientific community.
However, this was graded; He Kui would receive a Level One award, with Level Two and Level Three awards leading up to the main Future Medal.
"Perhaps there will be another chance."
He believed that as long as he continued to strive forward, he would be recognized again, even if it was just a nominal title, and not many would know about it.
But as long as Shi He was happy, that was enough.
"Yeah! I believe there will definitely be another opportunity!"
Shi He's eyes sparkled with warmth, providing a sense of reassurance.
After finishing dinner, He Kui returned to the studio, where a Haro lay lonely on the table, connected to the computer by a data cable.
Watching the slow stream of data rolling across the screen, He Kui sighed.
The learning process for the targeting assist device was indeed too slow.
He needed to upgrade his computer; otherwise, he feared it wouldn't keep up with the upcoming New Star War.
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