In the grand hall of May City, which also served as the mayor's office, the architecture exuded a sense of technology compared to the solemn and austere style of the capital in April City.
The tall dome emitted a soft light, evenly illuminating everyone present, while the arc-shaped seating arrangements resembled those of the Supreme Council, except that there were over three hundred additional seats, tightly packed in five concentric circles. Each seat was equipped with a corresponding virtual screen to display real-time data and facilitate voting.
At the center of the stage, the brightest spot in the venue, stood the main speaker of the event, Yuri Amafi, a committee member of the Defense Committee and the mayor of May City.
As a polymath in the field of engineering, Amafi was undeniably the most accomplished individual in May City, having been elected by the citizens based on his numerous achievements.
Security here was also not a concern; preparations began three months in advance, mobilizing a significant police and military presence, rivaling even the Supreme Council's security measures.
After all, if this place were to be bombed, the entire industrial and technological level of PLANT could regress by decades.
"Mayor of May City,"
He Kui sighed as he looked at the virtual nameplate in the center while walking alongside Su Lei.
"It's your first time seeing him, right? But Mr. Amafi is a good person, so there's no need to be nervous,"
Su Lei comforted him, noting that the man would soon take the stage to present awards, which likely made He Kui a bit anxious.
"...Yeah."
However, unlike Su Lei's assumptions, He Kui was merely lost in thought, trying to recall the storyline.
He indeed remembered Amafi, especially since the death of Nicol was a significant event that led to everything that followed.
Nicol had been cut down by Kira; He Kui felt he could have easily been chopped up too.
Wait, if a small knife could take down a tiger, that means... the Gauss Cannon?
"So, as I said, Mr. Amafi is a good person!"
"Right."
Shaking off his thoughts, He Kui shrugged and continued asking, "Where is the director of the asteroid mining research group you mentioned?"
"The gray-haired man in the second row, Schaefer Dali."
"That's him."
He Kui vaguely recalled seeing the man's name in previous papers related to beam mining.
Given his age, he seemed to be from the first generation of Coordinators, likely a peer of several mayors.
"The meeting is about to start; we can talk after it ends."
"Okay."
As everyone settled into their seats, the dome above dimmed, and the light gradually focused on Yuri Amafi, who had just entered.
He moved to the center of the podium.
"Experts, scholars, and comrades of PLANT, welcome once again to the fifth annual joint conference of the five major design bureaus. I, Yuri Amafi, am honored to serve as the representative of May City and to have this opportunity to discuss cutting-edge scientific fields with all of you, as well as witness the achievements we have made over the past year alongside the directors of each group."
A wave of warm applause filled the hall as the agenda progressed under Amafi's guidance.
One hour later...
"Next, we would like to express our gratitude to Director He and Director Hanifus of the Miniaturized Beam Weapon Research Group for their contributions. Director He, is there a story or insight you would like to share behind this honor?"
As Amafi placed the Level One Future Medal around He Kui's neck, He Kui offered a polite smile and stepped forward. Standing in front of about three hundred people was a bit intimidating, but he soon felt a surge of confidence.
"I appreciate everyone's recognition of our work. I am truly honored to receive this award. On this path of exploration, I could not have succeeded without the support and assistance of my team, and of course, the nurturing from Hailan Design Bureau. I am committed to turning this honor into motivation to continue advancing, creating a brighter future for PLANT!"
Meanwhile, the gazes of the directors in the audience were mixed; some were envious, others were ingratiating, some were jealous, and some were indifferent.
Directors were ranked based on the importance of their projects and the funding they received.
He Kui's project was a key research focus for ZAFT, so he didn't have to scramble for funding or worry about minor successes. Other directors couldn't help but feel envious.
Of course, many projects were equally or even more important than beam weapon research; those individuals looked on with mild disinterest.
As the applause faded, He Kui returned to his seat.
The spotlight he had just experienced faded as he became an ordinary person again.
However, the spotlight didn't truly belong to him.
"Not bad, huh? How long did you think about that?"
As He Kui settled back into his seat, Su Lei teased him.
"I just searched online."
"I knew it!"
The remainder of the meeting was filled with discussions about the future directions of technology. Some research groups were doing everything they could to promote their projects to secure more funding, but He Kui didn't need to. The beam group had sufficient funding even before they achieved any breakthroughs. If it weren't for the fear of being captured like the previous director, he could easily become a millionaire.
"This is the He Kui I mentioned to you, Director He."
In a small room outside the conference hall, Su Lei introduced them to each other.
"Hello, Director He. What can I do for you this time?"
Schaefer Dali, the director of the asteroid mining research group, asked curiously.
"I wanted to discuss the impact of miniaturized beams on asteroid mining operations with you."
"Actually, we held a meeting about that recently, but since beam weapons are still in the military testing phase, it won't be delivered to us anytime soon. We cannot begin specific trial-and-error work, and to be frank, your beams may not significantly improve the mining efficiency."
"Please, go on."
He Kui adopted the demeanor of a diligent student as he asked.
"When it comes to resource extraction in mining, your beams can serve as cutting tools, of course, but if the resource processing and refining technology hasn't made breakthroughs, all we'll end up with is a pile of raw materials."
"I understand, thank you."
"No problem; feel free to reach out if you have questions."
Although Dali was also a director at Hailan Design Bureau, his status was not necessarily higher than He Kui's in the eyes of the Defense Committee.
Thus, he wore a gentle smile instead of the serious expression he had earlier in the meeting.
"Definitely."
After exchanging a firm handshake, they parted ways.
"Finished chatting?"
"Yeah."
"How was it?"
"Not great."
The fundamental issue remained unresolved.
"After all, our focus has been on military equipment lately, so there really isn't much funding available for mining research."
Su Lei lightly patted He Kui's head.
"There will always be opportunities."
"Actually, I have another question."
"What is it?"
Su Lei tilted her head slightly, her small mouth curving into a gentle smile.
"How old are you?"
Even though Su Lei appeared youthful, he couldn't possibly be a loli fan, could he?
"He Kui! What do you mean by that?!"
Before Su Lei could tiptoe and grab He Kui's collar to question him, a knock sounded from outside the door.
"Is Director He in there?"
The voice belonged to Yuri Amafi.
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