After seeing off the two visitors, He Kui donned his sunglasses and headed to [Mechanical Enthusiast].
"So this is the transaction."
After handing off his parents' packed luggage to the moving company, He Kui placed several Haros in front of the store clerk downstairs.
"And about the house?"
"No problem, we can process your lease termination, and you'll receive a monthly subsidy of 7,000 yuan as a discount."
The store clerk looked at He Kui with bright, intense eyes.
"Alright, thank you."
He Kui chuckled, ignoring the overly enthusiastic gaze, and returned to the car with his parents.
"He Kui, we've seen the recent reports about you. Are you alright?"
As soon as she got in the car, He Kui's mother couldn't help but frown with concern.
"I told you on the phone, I'm fine."
"You should have just stayed a director. Why get involved in research and let those terrorists target you?"
"It's unavoidable."
"Well, our son has grown up."
He Kui's father looked at him with pride and satisfaction.
Living in a director-level villa area was a dream-like concept they still couldn't fully grasp.
Later that night, after settling his parents in their rooms on the second floor, He Kui was in bed with Shi He, getting ready for some intimate moments when a sudden phone call interrupted.
"Deputy Director Erin?"
He Kui asked in confusion once he was fully awake.
"Did I disturb you?"
Although Erin said this, her tone was quite serious.
"No, is there something you need to discuss?"
"Our prototype has been stolen."
"Stolen?"
Hearing this, He Kui was shocked and fully awake.
"What happened?"
The underground factory in May City had security comparable to the director's residential area. How could it be stolen without any noise?
It seemed impossible.
"Tonight, when we were transporting the prototype for extreme testing, it was attacked."
"They must have bypassed Boaz's special forces. We were careless."
With Boaz's shield, they thought the rear was secure, but they didn't expect anyone to bypass it.
"Were there any anomalies detected by the surrounding radar? How did they manage the propulsion?"
"If our internal analysis is correct, they used inertial navigation. Someone seems to have hacked one of our surrounding radars. As for propulsion, they probably added fuel tanks."
"So that means..."
"Yes, time is tight. To drift over using inertia would take at least a month. A month ago, our Light Shield project had just started, and they would need to quickly locate our extreme testing site. There might be a spy at higher levels."
"Am I also a suspect?"
"Blue Cosmos's repeated assassination attempts on you weren't fake. If you wanted to give the technology to the Alliance, you could have joined them for research from the start. Plus, you didn't know about this extreme test, so you're not on the suspect list."
"Let's not focus on that now. They shouldn't have gone far. Our forces are intercepting them on multiple routes back to the Alliance. We must retrieve the prototype."
Erin spoke urgently.
"So why did you call me?"
"As one of the developers, Director He, I'd like you to join the pursuit. You just need to assist; they might already be planning to use that ZAKU in combat."
"I understand."
"Then, thank you."
After hanging up, He Kui sighed.
"What happened~?"
Seeing He Kui return with a serious face after answering the call, Shi He on the bed stood up and hugged him, asking softly.
"The prototype ZAKU has been stolen by someone."
He Kui replied with a wry smile.
"What?!"
Hearing this, the intimate atmosphere between them vanished instantly.
"Really?!"
"Yes, the deputy director just called."
He Kui quickly recounted his conversation with Erin to Shi He.
"So now we..."
"Yes, we need to go. We can't let them take the Light Shield."
He Kui sighed with a wry smile.
But didn't the Eurasian Federation also have the Light Shield technology? The basic technology was the same.
Miniaturization was challenging, but they had researchers too. Once they knew the direction, they could figure it out.
Why bother taking theirs?
Thinking carefully, it was probably the Atlantic Federation.
"Let's head out now."
He Kui said as he donned his white military uniform, and Shi He nodded, quickly opening the wardrobe.
After a simple preparation, they took the dedicated vehicle straight to the naval port.
Without much ado, their ZAKU was ready, but the previous captain was absent, replaced by a team of regular red uniforms.
"Hello, Director He!"
The lead in red greeted He Kui warmly.
"Hello."
He Kui nodded, acknowledging the greeting.
"Any idea where they are now?"
As they walked, He Kui inquired about the situation.
"Not sure, but we have many radar stations on the perimeter. They can't just disappear. Our forces have surrounded the PLANT territory."
This was a radar coverage encirclement. If the ship wanted to leave, it had to find an opening.
The odd part was they chose a time with no significant battles to steal it.
"Let's get going then."
"Alright."
Without needing further prompting, seeing He Kui's arrival had already initiated the launch sequence.
With unmatched speed, the Nazca-class ship shot like an arrow towards the mission coordinates.
All within PLANT's territory.
He Kui and his team quickly reached the designated location, where another Nazca-class and a Laurasia-class were waiting to support them.
"Director He, can you tell us how to tackle the experimental weapon?"
On the bridge, several captains' communications were displayed before He Kui.
In the center was a purple-uniformed officer responsible for the interception operation.
"I've just sent the detailed information to you all."
"The Light Shield can only last five minutes, so don't worry too much. If someone can operate the ZAKU proficiently, I suggest not engaging directly. Once the time is up, they'll run out of fuel, and the prototype will be preserved."
"Alright, thank you, Director He."
Having already reviewed the paper report, the staff officer and other captains nodded at He Kui's lack of objections.
After this brief meeting, He Kui, Shi He, and the red-uniformed team sat inside the mobile suits, ready to deploy.
"What if they don't come here?"
He Kui asked the red-uniformed captain curiously.
Although this was the route most likely according to AI analysis, AI wasn't human. Humans were unpredictable.
"If they don't come, we'll just have to wait."
Just as they finished speaking, the level-one combat alert sounded from the communicati
ons.
"I told you not to jinx it!"
Shi He said exasperatedly beside He Kui.
"I didn't, alright, let's deploy."
With a slight smile, He Kui maneuvered the ZAKU onto the launch pad.
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