"Has the battlefield for the practical tests been decided?"
As He Kui stepped into Su Lei's living room, she asked softly.
"It has been decided. The only places still fighting are the Earth Army supply points near the Moon and the African front," He Kui replied, his curiosity wandering around Su Lei's living room.
Her room was laid out similarly to his but, compared to the somewhat dreary colors of his home, Su Lei's sofa was filled with pink hues, radiating a strong sense of femininity.
At first glance, it didn't seem like a space that could accommodate two families, even though there was indeed a staircase that separated the first and second floors.
"Why here?"
"You haven't been able to come over, so I just changed places," Su Lei explained.
"Oh, I didn't think you would."
Before He Kui could finish his sentence, Su Lei playfully stepped on his foot.
However, her cute rabbit plush slippers barely hurt; instead, they tickled, like a gentle tease.
"Are you brave enough to say that out loud?"
"Not daring at all."
He Kui raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Hmph, find a place to sit. What do you want to drink?"
"Just tea will be fine."
"Only black tea!"
"You're quite particular."
"Bang!"
Before He Kui could finish his sentence, a loud crash echoed from the kitchen as a cup fell to the floor.
"Then it's black tea~"
Teasing Su Lei lightened He Kui's mood a bit.
"Are you going to both locations for the tests?"
Su Lei slammed the European-style tea cup down in front of He Kui with a huff.
"Yeah."
He explained that they were testing the differences between atmospheric and space environments.
However, they had already simulated these tests previously.
Of course, the Defense Committee was likely being cautious.
"But I heard that the accompanying team will also include special forces personnel, so there shouldn't be any worries."
"Who's worried?"
As they spoke, a tablet on the coffee table suddenly lit up.
"Lacus is calling."
Su Lei picked up the tablet and placed it in front of He Kui before answering the call.
"Miss Lacus."
"Director He, I haven't congratulated you yet on the smooth progress of your weapon development~"
Lacus's voice from the screen was still friendly, yet tinged with an almost invisible distance.
"I received your gift too! The owl that can unlock is quite interesting, little cat blue~"
Hearing the peculiar name, He Kui couldn't help but smirk, even though his own naming skills weren't much better.
"I'm glad you like it."
In addition to that, he had sent two more owls and two Haros, temporarily gifting everything he had recently completed to Lacus.
This time felt different, though.
With the pretext of investment and perhaps a mutual desire to establish a good relationship, He Kui found it much easier to connect with Lacus.
The gifts could also be sent directly to Lacus's home rather than needing to go through the support association.
Of course, gifts sent to Lacus's house still had to go through inspection, but the speed was significantly faster than before.
He was grateful for Lacus's trust, but he remained calm.
He couldn't be foolish enough to let small favors lead him to serve Lacus blindly.
"So, Director He, how is our progress going~?"
Her use of "Director" felt like an attempt to bridge the gap, as if they were already close collaborators.
"Very smoothly, currently."
After talking for over an hour, He Kui finally wrapped up his explanations, feeling as if his mouth was about to dry out.
"I think I understand now~ But next time, please make it simpler, Director He~ After all, Lacus doesn't quite understand technical jargon. Simply put, everything is going smoothly, right?"
"Exactly."
"Then please keep up the good work, and stay safe out there~"
"I will, thank you."
Knowing that Lacus accepted the gifts made He Kui feel a bit safer, especially with the various Haros he carried and the Zaku he took along with Shi He.
At least he had some assurance of safety.
After hanging up, He Kui let out a sigh of relief.
Communicating with the pink-haired girl always required him to be on high alert to avoid being led astray.
"Actually, Lacus is a good person," Su Lei remarked helplessly.
"I know."
"I just don't understand why you're pretending to be a Lacus fan."
"I never said I was a Lacus fan," He Kui replied.
"Giving gifts doesn't count as being a fan?"
"I gave you a gift too~" He Kui smiled.
"Then why did you give it to me?"
Su Lei sat beside He Kui with her cup, her delicate legs swinging restlessly.
Suddenly, her plush bunny slippers were kicked off, spinning in the air before landing on the soft carpet, breaking the slightly flirtatious atmosphere.
As her toes touched the cool air, they curled up in shyness, the neatly trimmed nails glimmering softly against her fair, delicate skin, creating a translucent effect.
Feeling He Kui's gaze turn almost tangible with heat, Su Lei's face turned crimson as she wrapped the blanket around her legs.
"Are you a pervert!?"
"Cough, cough."
He Kui awkwardly averted his gaze.
"I think I should take my leave."
"Stop right there!"
Su Lei firmly grabbed He Kui's sleeve.
Her commanding tone, coupled with the rosy hue creeping up her cheeks, was endearingly unthreatening.
"What's up?"
"It's cold on the ground; pick up my shoes."
Looking at the pale yellow carpet, He Kui complied, walking over to retrieve the warm slippers and placing them in front of Su Lei.
"Put them on for me."
This time, Su Lei's tone had shifted to one of softness.
"Okay."
He Kui smiled and didn't refuse, nor did he have any reason to.
In the following days, He Kui was preparing meticulously.
Of course, he also took the time to upgrade his computer; to pursue faster data input speeds, he spent another thirty thousand.
With that, he barely got the auxiliary targeting Haro's AI to a usable level.
Though encountering elite units would likely still be perilous.
"Director He, hello. I'm the commander of the weapon testing team, code-named 'Iron Wall.'"
"Hello, nice to see you again."
He Kui responded through the ship's communicator, still unable to see the face of the other person, which was standard procedure for the special forces.
"Yes, it's an honor to participate in your project again. I believe with the weapon developed by Director He, we will surely lead ourselves to ultimate victory!"
"Too kind."
This time, the person known as 'Iron Wall' spoke more than before, his tone filled with genuine admiration.
He seemed to be from the Sara faction, which made sense, given that the special forces were largely managed by them.
However, his reputation within the Sara faction was noteworthy.
"Although you haven't made an official statement, you've already gained some prestige among the Sara faction."
Just as He Kui ended the call, Shi He piped up from the adjacent room.
"Yeah."
Gaining prestige from the Sara faction wasn't necessarily a good thing; he couldn't command those soldiers.
His reputation was entirely based on his research.
If he were to make any pro-Klein remarks, that reputation would evaporate in an instant.
Not taking a firm stance meant he was walking a tightrope.
While it appeared he could curry favor with both sides, it was a precarious balancing act.
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