Having completed all the tests, He Kui and Shi He were now officially set to return home.
"Director He, do come back if you get the chance~"
Having nearly annihilated the enemy patrol without any casualties, and with the Earth Alliance now hesitant to patrol the area, the chief of staff was in high spirits, quite different from before. His demeanor was warm, almost as if inviting He Kui to come back for fun.
"Thank you."
"No, it's us who should be thanking you. Thanks to the Light Shield System, our fortress can now defend its territory and ensure PLANT is never threatened again!"
The chief of staff, caught up in his excitement, raised his hand high, exuding the blood-pumping aura of a righteous soldier toward He Kui.
"Then I wish you success in battle, Chief of Staff."
"Haha, Director He, you sure know what to say. We've thoroughly checked this ship, rest assured, it's 100% safe."
The chief of staff said, giving He Kui's shoulder a hearty pat.
"Thank you for your hard work."
As the chief of staff was responsible for his safety, he naturally ensured the return ship was meticulously inspected. At least the ship was certainly problem-free.
Bidding farewell to the now more enthusiastic chief of staff and other senior officers, He Kui boarded the Nazca-class ship back to PLANT.
"It all feels rather surreal."
"What do you mean?" Shi He asked curiously, hearing He Kui's remark.
"Well, I managed to avoid any assassination attempts this time."
"Isn't that a good thing? Don't jinx yourself!" Shi He replied, slightly annoyed.
"It just feels unsettling."
Could it be that Creuset hasn't started betraying ZAFT yet? But wouldn't his death exacerbate tensions between the factions? Or perhaps there aren't enough spies available?
Thinking this, He Kui refrained from getting too close to Shi He and instead deployed two drones to scout the interior of the ship.
However, this time, his caution seemed to be a battle of wits with the air, as the journey back to PLANT was surprisingly smooth.
Unlike before, He Kui was greeted by a crowd as he stepped out of the Nazca-class ship.
Ordinary citizens couldn't enter this military port, so those present were partly journalists and partly military guards ensuring security.
"Senator Ge, I didn't expect to see you here."
He Kui was surprised to see the middle-aged man of Asian descent before him.
He was aware of an interview but didn't expect that a senator from May City would personally come.
Each city has five senators forming a sixty-member council, with one selected from each group as the highest council member. Senator Ge was one of the five.
"We've all witnessed your achievements, Director He, and couldn't wait to come over."
"Senator Amafi also asked me to convey his congratulations."
"Thank you, and please extend my gratitude to Senator Amafi."
Feeling both constrained and relieved, He Kui thought that the senator's presence ensured top-level security, eliminating the fear of anyone stirring up trouble.
Perhaps this senator was also seeking publicity and a positive image, but for He Kui, safety was all that mattered.
"Director He, we've heard you've successfully replicated the Artemis Umbrella of the Eurasian Federation and developed a friend-or-foe identification system. How do you feel about this?"
"Thank you for asking. These indeed are significant recent achievements of our team. We realize it's just the beginning, and more challenges await us. But I believe with the team's efforts and the support of the Hailan Design Bureau and the May City senators, we will achieve even greater success."
Smiling, He Kui briefly chatted with the media before taking the elevator to leave alongside the senator.
"Director He is truly amazing."
One of the team members, originally sent by the deputy director to monitor He Kui, couldn't help but comment.
With senators and media around, this was undoubtedly a hero's treatment, a rare sight for a regular team member.
"You should work hard too."
"Definitely!"
Both team members responded firmly to He Kui's words.
With heightened caution, He Kui returned home without incident.
"See, nothing happened~"
Shi He smiled.
"Yes."
He Kui nodded, indeed feeling that nothing seemed to be amiss.
Now back in the A-Level district, He Kui finally relaxed.
After cuddling with Shi He for a while, he bid her farewell as she went to cook and he sat down at his computer.
He opened it, noticing a new email had arrived, and curiously clicked on it.
"Cooperate?"
Three words and a punctuation mark, but the attached image showed the area outside the A-Level district.
Then, a loud explosion sounded alarmingly close by.
The attack from Blue Cosmos had come after all.
He Kui had never expected them to be able to bomb within the A-Level district.
This meant he wasn't safe here either.
The email... was it a threat, or did they not know his exact address and chose a random target? He wasn't sure.
Hearing the explosion, Shi He quickly entered He Kui's study.
"He Kui..."
"Look."
He Kui motioned for Shi He to see the email.
"This is..."
Seeing the simple yet shocking content, Shi He couldn't help but exclaim.
"It's likely a threat."
He Kui frowned deeply.
"What do you plan to do?"
Shi He anxiously held He Kui's hand, warming him with the touch.
"Cooperation is impossible."
The Alliance had a history of turning on its own.
At least here, he was still a hero, and the PLANT people wouldn't openly target him.
But if he didn't cooperate, and the reward for killing him exceeded the cost, they would surely act without hesitation.
Blue Cosmos had successfully assassinated PLANT senators before, albeit on the Alliance's turf.
Even the previous deputy director was killed.
So PLANT wasn't absolutely safe.
Now, he could only increase his value in PLANT, reduce his value to the Alliance, raise the cost of assassinating him, and create more protective devices.
Achieving a deputy director position was currently out of reach, and moving to the April City capital wasn't feasible. His roots, career, and research were all here, and April City might not be safe either.
Lacus couldn't help in this regard, nor could "Mechanical Enthusiast."
The only option was to seek out Erin and the Zala faction behind her.
"First, let's see if I can apply for higher-level protection."
"If that doesn't work, I'll find Lacus for advice."
After saving the email, He Kui took out his phone to call Erin.
Just as he was about to dial, the doorbell unexpectedly rang.
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