Chapter 128: Move Up a Little

Testing was still necessary, so despite being cautious, setting sail was essential.

There were two objects serving as receivers, one onboard the warship itself and the other He Kui's Haro.

This posed yet another challenge to He Kui's micro-engineering skills.

Fortunately, he was almost maxed out at A-Level, allowing him to barely fit the entire receiver into a single Haro body.

This receiver also had a built-in transmitter to provide simple video and audio feedback, though it made the Haro quite large.

It was as big as three Haros combined.

Holding it felt like cradling a giant plush toy.

But He Kui didn't want to hold it; it was too heavy.

Watching Earth gradually recede behind them, He Kui breathed a sigh of relief.

They were heading towards the somewhat desolate L3, the far side of the Moon's orbit.

There, the familiar Artemis Umbrella and Orb's Heliopolis resided, though they wouldn't approach them.

That area wasn't their strategic point, leaving even Orb's Heliopolis seemingly peaceful.

"I heard our route has some space pirates, with a temporary base in a converted asteroid."

"Space pirates, huh?"

Hearing Tie Bi's words, He Kui wasn't too worried.

He feared enhanced humans more.

Space pirates were not a formal military; even if they had Coordinators, few were at redcoat level.

After half a day of travel, the ship finally reached the vicinity of the L3 area.

"Let's start the communications test."

He Kui got up from bed, had breakfast, and focused his mind.

"Alright."

As the receiver activated, the starmap on the screen showed a faint glow in the Boaz area.

"Can you hear me?"

"Can you hear me?"

Sulei's voice gradually became clearer through the communication.

"Yes, the receiver is working fine, no data issues. How about your side?"

"Everything's normal. Let's start the interference test."

Sulei nodded happily.

"Starting interference test, activating the neutron jammer."

He Kui pressed a button on the control panel in front of the screen.

Suddenly, their communication experienced strong interference, and what was once smooth started to stutter.

It was like a network disconnection.

Even with expectations, He Kui shook his head at the situation.

With the neutron jammer active, direct control became difficult.

A backup offline management system was necessary.

Yet, the AI's intelligence was limited.

Having them obey orders like Haros was no problem.

Expecting them to find their way back to PLANT from space after going offline was asking too much.

"Increasing power, can you hear me?"

"Yes, but interference is still strong. Data transmission is heavily affected by the neutron jammer, leading to excessive data loss."

As they spoke, blue ghostly lights resembling will-o'-wisps suddenly appeared not far away in the pitch-black space.

"A Laurasia-class ship and two Drake-class ships—space pirates."

"Probably attracted by the neutron jammer."

The captain commented, shutting down the neutron jammer and activating the communicator.

"This is a special ZAFT unit. Suspicious vessels ahead, cease approach immediately."

The opposing side didn't respond verbally, merely stopping their thrusters and slowly turning away.

Initially thinking they had found a lone prey, the sight of that ship's brand-new appearance made it obvious it couldn't be alone.

Those who understand the situation are wise. This wasn't something they could handle; running was the only option.

As long as one had enough strength to create sufficient deterrence, unnecessary battles in space could be avoided.

Without it, one would be at others' mercy.

Ultimately, the universe still followed the law of the jungle.

As long as the cost of killing oneself exceeded the value created for the opponent, one was safe.

"Is this okay? If they run, our information will leak."

Tie Bi frowned, disapproving of the captain's decision.

"It's fine. The Nazca-class is fast enough to leave this sector quickly."

"Moreover, engaging them would only waste time."

The captain then turned to He Kui.

"Director He, how's the testing going?"

"It's fine. We've collected enough data already. The rest can be done en route."

"Then let's head back."

Once the work at Boaz was completed, He Kui smoothly returned to PLANT.

"Congratulations, Director He, on another successful experiment."

At Erin's home, the deputy director smiled.

"Most of the credit goes to Director Su."

"You both speak similarly. It's a pity the radar can only handle three simultaneous communications and only with specific receivers."

But it has its uses.

This way, they could bypass the relay stations near Earth when contacting bases there.

Those relay stations were always key targets for the Alliance.

Bypassing them could achieve strategic surprise on a tactical level.

"We'll work on improving it."

"That's for Director Su. We have a project that needs Director He's involvement."

"What project?"

"Antimatter weapons, at least for use on warships. The strongest spear and the strongest shield should both be in our hands for peace of mind."

"I understand, but I don't have any ideas yet."

"No problem, take your time, Director He."

"There's another thing—May City's District One governor's term is up, and the AI-selected candidates include the director's name."

What does this mean? It means if the director becomes the governor, they could move up.

Whether he, as a reserve member, could advance depended on performance.

That's why Erin mentioned the antimatter weapons.

As for whether the AI really selected it, it's up for debate.

If someone told him Athrun and Lacus's engagement was AI-selected, a union of prince and princess, he'd never believe it.

"The director is currently very popular in the district and should be elected."

Erin said wistfully.

It seemed like a promise, but also like a distant promise.

Understanding Erin's hint, He Kui smiled, bid farewell, and returned to his garage at home.

The workshop was cluttered with various parts, and a robot's upper body lay on He Kui's workbench.

Though it was just the upper body, its streamlined form was evident.

Exposed electronic circuits gave it an eerie technological beauty.

The choice of a female form was to minimize others' wariness.

A petite frame also reduced the likelihood of injury.

But before becoming the director, this robot needed to be completed quickly.

For safety and strength—these were the fundamentals, and fame and power followed.

He couldn't put the cart before the horse.

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