After an intense night, He Kui, enjoying a rare day off, was not in his workshop but in the living room watching TV. More accurately, he was watching TV while discussing his balance with Shi He.
Recently, the funds had finally been transferred to He Kui's account.
Of course, such a large transaction would be tracked, but the money came from legitimate war bonds.
The story from Gibraltar was that it was a consolation payment, taken from the commander's personal assets.
No one could really argue with that justification.
He Kui was, after all, a researcher who had gone to the front lines for the base.
Perhaps they even hit it off at first sight. In any case, there were no explicit interests involved, and the commander was firmly with the Zala faction, so it didn't attract much attention.
Some within the Zala faction speculated something was amiss, but no one mentioned it. Since both sides tacitly chose to cover up any scandals, there was no point in stirring trouble.
After all, elections were nearing, and any mistakes would surely incur Patrick Zala's wrath.
However, none of this concerned He Kui. Now that he had the money, it was time to invest.
Two million, although a large sum, was far from enough to buy property or start a business full-scale.
He couldn't convert the money into small objects quickly, so investing it to generate more money was the best choice.
Safe investment was, however, an issue.
Speculating on materials was too complicated; he didn't have that much time. The stock market was also closed due to wartime conditions.
Moreover, he was genuinely afraid of turning into a "little green man"—someone with financial woes.
This left investing in a company.
But without connections, He Kui was at a loss.
"Your hydraulic mineral purification theory recently completed, right? Why not use the money for that?" Shi He suggested.
"But it's still far from enough."
While he was eager to invest in himself and potentially earn big with a patent, two million was insufficient for such a new technology.
Just the initial hydraulic classifier was beyond his reach, not to mention the subsequent cyclones, shaking tables, sluices, and wastewater filtration systems required.
"True, but…"
Shi He sighed, just as the news on TV caught He Kui's attention.
**[According to reports, the wartime loan program will focus on industries and individuals heavily affected by the war, such as defense industry employees, frontline medical staff, and civilians who have lost jobs or income due to the war.]**
"Loans…"
Yes, if he could secure a loan, he could start his own research on mineral purification. With his experience, he knew the theory was foolproof.
Not only did it have lower maintenance costs and higher purification efficiency than existing methods, but building it was also the main challenge.
Considering the rapid adoption of mineral radar technology, if he developed it himself, he could capture a significant market share.
If he lacked time, he could package and sell the technology.
This was far more reliable than becoming a "little green man."
Moreover, as a ZAFT hero, his credit evaluation was favorable during wartime.
Although wartime economic resources were scarce, making interest rates and collateral requirements high, it wasn't impossible.
Determined, He Kui mentioned it to Shi He and headed to his workshop.
First, he needed to assess the minimum funds required for a complete hydraulic purification system.
Labor costs could be ignored, as he and Shi He could handle engineering. If needed, they could enlist team members.
For research equipment, his acquaintance from the asteroid mining research group, Shafer Dali, might help.
Next was intellectual property. A legal advisor could likely be found among his team members, as current Coordinators were multi-talented.
The most critical issue was equipment.
Estimated costs were around twenty million.
With a buffer, the final budget might reach thirty million.
This was assuming team members worked without pay, with profits shared based on contributions later.
Fortunately, unlike miniaturized MS, this project didn't require trial and error, so costs were lower.
But what could he use as collateral?
He didn't possess anything worth thirty million. The ZGMF-X10A wasn't his to mortgage.
Staring at his budget evaluation, a thought struck him: if the miniaturized MS development succeeded, he'd receive a 3% share for ten years, per the agreement.
Previously, he focused on short-term gains and reducing material costs, overlooking this. But now, this share could serve as collateral for a loan.
Thirty million… it seemed feasible.
The basic tests for the miniaturized MS were complete. Practical testing should soon conclude successfully.
It was time to resolve matters there.
The destination wasn't far, yet He Kui donned a baseball cap, stuffed his clothes with inflatable pouches, and brought along his newly made radar-specialized Haro, defense-specialized Haro, and AI-command Haro before stepping out.
On high alert, He Kui finally reached the Industrial Design Bureau's entrance.
"Director He?"
Director Bao, whom he'd met before, saw He Kui removing his cap to swipe his card and enter.
"Director Bao, hello."
"Haha, Director He, long time no see. We saw the news. We're all very impressed!" Director Bao warmly opened the door, seemingly oblivious to He Kui's disguise.
"I was just doing what I should for PLANT."
"No wonder you're Director He, so aware!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
The barrage of flattery left He Kui speechless.
Director Bao seemed to get more excited, but his words were awkwardly complimentary.
Listening felt uncomfortable for He Kui.
"I'll head to research now. See you later."
Seeing the elevator, He Kui quickly excused himself.
"Alright!"
Finally separated by the heavy elevator doors, He Kui breathed a sigh of relief.
In his research area, He Kui turned on the underground lights.
Everything remained as it was when he and Suli completed the basic function tests.
As he prepared to resume work, Suli's lively voice accompanied the sliding door's opening behind him.
"Next, we have armor impact tests and communication system tests."
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