"Is this your small MS?"
In a private area on the second floor of the music hall, with Lacus's sweet singing in the background, Su Lei pulled out her computer to look at the design drawings He Kui had just sent over.
"That's right!"
"Pretty streamlined. Can you control the costs?"
Su Lei observed the drawings for a moment before asking.
"One million per unit. In extreme cases, we can remove the reinforced glass from the cockpit, cut the battery pack in half, and switch to using energy tanks for power, which could lower the cost even further."
Currently, the standard power suit cost seven million, but considering the kinetic energy and modular design the small MS could provide, it certainly had the potential to compete in the market.
"No cockpit glass? How will you pilot it?"
He Kui's design relied entirely on visual piloting, leaving half of the cockpit exposed to the vacuum of space without glass.
"We can wear pilot suits, and the oxygen supply can connect through the body, similar to the design of the power suits."
"That's true."
Su Lei, who had initially wanted to advise He Kui to rethink his design, was momentarily taken aback.
This machine, combined with mineral radar and mining lasers, might genuinely improve the current mining situation.
"Then I'll need to review the data back at the bureau. By the way, how much funding are you looking for?"
"Starting at two billion. PLANT's MS technology is already quite mature, so further funding may be necessary later."
".How much do you expect to need in total?"
"If everything goes wrong, it could reach ten billion."
If everything fell apart—tests failing, or if the mining laser couldn't even be assembled—the costs would stack up quickly, and he'd need that amount as a backup.
"Ten billion? That makes it difficult to break even. We can only offer five billion."
"And you know the consequences if you can't deliver or if the data doesn't meet expectations, right?"
"I understand."
He Kui had anticipated this; ten billion was the worst-case scenario, and five billion would suffice.
This plan was essential, not just for lowering material costs.
It could also help him establish good relationships with mining companies so he wouldn't have to rely on the Junk Guild for second-hand materials.
He had already conducted numerous simulations with Shihe; unless the principles of physics were completely different here, they were likely to succeed.
"Then I'll inform you later."
Su Lei said as she closed her laptop. Meanwhile, on the main stage below, the spotlight shone down on the angelic figure of Lacus.
"How did it go?"
As soon as He Kui returned home, Shihe popped her head up from the living room sofa.
"It went well; the sponsorship seems promising."
"That's good~ But is it okay to juggle several projects at once?"
He Kui was already handling two jobs. While the anti-beam shield was a success, he still had the composite gun and high-energy pulse cannon on his plate.
"We can continue trying the composite gun."
"What about the monophasic lightwave shielding system you mentioned?"
"It's still in the conceptual phase. Bringing it up now wouldn't convince anyone to invest."
Currently, he had only made 1000 progress on the monophasic lightwave shielding system. Some basic ideas were forming in his mind, but he was still far from completion.
If he mentioned it now, the Defense Council would likely disregard it, thinking he was spreading himself too thin with unrelated research and not following orders, putting his position at risk.
"By the way, you were with Su..."
Before Shihe could finish, He Kui noticed her pensive expression and, fearing a deeper conversation might lower her favorability, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her soft waist.
It was a more intimate and assertive kiss than usual, igniting the flames of their hearts.
Gradually, their soft sounds drowned out the volume of the television, and He Kui pulled Shihe down onto the soft sofa.
"He Kui."
After a long moment, they finally parted.
Shihe's face was flushed, resembling a ripe apple, unsure if it was due to lack of oxygen or shyness.
To avoid losing favor, He Kui had pulled out all the stops, recalling every memory from his past life.
The results seemed quite impressive.
Or perhaps, a bit too impressive.
- [Shihe Hanefis is very satisfied with your kiss.]
- [Shihe Hanefis Favorability: 140]
- [Unlock Academic: High-Energy Pulse Cannon (0/10000) (Reverse)]
- [Unlock Academic: Hydraulic Mineral Purification (0/10000)]
Looking at the notifications, He Kui was momentarily stunned.
According to the system, as long as Shihe gave him gifts, her experience would also increase, meaning she could reach A-level too.
"Thank you."
Taking Shihe's report, He Kui hesitated, wanting to say something.
"Um, Shihe, have you ever thought about advancing to A-level in micro-processing?"
"A-level? Of course, I've thought about it, but I haven't made any progress in a long time."
The adjusters didn't progress not out of laziness but because their genetic potential had been nearly fully tapped.
In other words, they had hit their ceiling.
"I see. Maybe I can help you. How about this: when we go back, you can make an explosion-proof Haro for me, and we can set aside reports for now."
"But..."
"But you might not progress otherwise."
"I believe in you, Shihe! Just give it a try!"
Seeing Shihe hesitate, He Kui stood up quickly and l
ooked into her eyes earnestly.
Somehow, Shihe was convinced by He Kui's determination.
She gently nodded her head.
"Okay."
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