Chapter 129: Let's Call You Aegis

Life at PLANT passed quickly.

By November, He Kui's space industry contractor had successfully obtained certification and secured a contract.

"The paperwork is basically done. Please take a look. We have the mining rights to asteroid 700506 Denning. According to the contract, as long as we complete the excavation within a month, we'll receive a ten million reward."

Listening to Hoss's report and looking at the asteroid about the size of half a basketball court, He Kui nodded in satisfaction.

With all the preliminary work done, they were left with five million. Fuel and machine wear and tear were manageable, but Hawk's salary wasn't. 

Although ten million would be taxed and bonuses would be given, He Kui would end up with a few million, which wasn't too bad.

After carefully reviewing the contract, He Kui signed his name on the screen without much hesitation.

Hoss's presence spared him the headache of managing the company, making He Kui a proud hands-off boss.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Hearing He Kui's words, Hoss gave him a knowing look but quickly turned serious again.

"Our sudden rise has upset some people."

"I've heard from the miners we hired that there are some with very hostile attitudes, possibly intending to sabotage our work."

He Kui's connections in the mining industry were still shallow, so bullying was inevitable.

Those causing trouble usually had ties with the PLANT mining union, which wouldn't intervene or would only offer superficial help.

"Is it serious?"

"Verbal provocations."

"Ignore it for now."

His reputation carried some weight, so the opposition wouldn't dare be too blatant.

Once he gained more power and strength, those people would naturally shut up.

Therefore, instead of spending time managing the company, it was better to unlock more technologies through goodwill.

"How's the antimatter weapon project going?"

"Well, the positron cannon you mentioned is theoretically feasible, but we're stuck on focusing positrons with magnetic and electric fields."

In other words, part of the theory was there, but they were stymied at the first step of development.

Seeing Hoss's difficulty, He Kui could only lament how advanced Morgenroete and the Atlantic Federation were.

All sorts of black technologies were piled into the Gundam project.

Even with his advantage, he couldn't match their pace.

After discussing with Hoss, He Kui had dinner and returned to his garage.

A humanoid girl stood elegantly in the corner of the hangar.

Her short golden hair shone like sunshine, with round red and white signal receivers on her ears, connected by a black and gold headband resembling headphones. Beneath her lovely flesh-toned features, her body was covered in white composite armor.

From the calves down were black power components, resembling knee-high socks from a distance.

She was aesthetically pleasing, with structural strength inside, equipped with small thrusters for minor space maneuvers. On Earth, they only allowed her to jump slightly higher.

"Power on."

With a hint of anxiety, He Kui pressed the power button on her chest.

The robotic girl soon opened her eyes.

The deep blue surveillance monitors, like oceans, locked onto the boy in front of her.

"Take a few steps."

Following He Kui's command, the girl took three mechanical steps forward.

For the sake of the radar, he had minimized the processor's size.

Naturally, performance wasn't high.

Her intelligence was somewhat inferior to Haro's.

"Walk circles along the wall."

He had to simplify the commands a bit more.

Soon, the girl began to move.

With previous experience in developing small MS, the girl could walk freely, though her gait was somewhat robotic, creating a comical contrast with her slender body.

Still stiff, AI training could be conducted on his computer and then transferred to the machine.

But ultimately, she would only be capable of simple operations.

Manual control was fine, as the system used was similar to small MS, and he was a redcoat.

He could run and jump with his eyes closed.

As for controlling the MS, it couldn't be done manually; it would connect directly to the internal circuits.

"Let's call you Aegis."

Turning off Aegis, He Kui's tension eased.

Next, he only needed to fine-tune the AI.

However, aside from Aegis, there was another issue.

How would he get to Julius 7?

Though still at L5, it was nearly drifting to the edge of L3.

Aegis's propulsion alone couldn't make it.

If only Haro could pilot a ship, or if he had money to buy one...

Though these were future goals, they weren't practical now.

Hiring mercenaries or junk dealers involved financial transactions, easily traceable.

He Kui quickly thought of Hawk, who still worked at his company. Hawk had experience running ships and likely knew others in the business.

If that didn't work, he could attempt a nuclear engine test near Julius 7, though that proposal was daunting and required effort.

However, breaking the storyline was safer than letting Lacus be attacked or facing the uncertainties of the Archangel.

After all, it wouldn't be his first time.

Planning his next steps, He Kui returned to the room on the third floor.

"Not done yet?"

Seeing He Kui return to the living room, Shi He looked up from her computer.

"Almost."

"Then why the frown~"

Shi He laughed softly, smoothing He Kui's furrowed brow with her hand.

"Nothing major. Is the nuclear engine data ready?"

"Yes, it's prepared. We're halfway through, faster than the neighboring nuclear group, but with the neutron jammer, this technology might not be highly regarded."

Shi He turned her computer to show He Kui the data.

It's useful but mainly for bases like Boaz, improving energy reserves.

"No worries, let's just finish it first."

According to the timeline, it should be ready by February next year, coinciding with the Gundam's schedule.

"By the way, I'm taking a day off tomorrow, so I'll leave the team to you, Shi He."

He Kui said, sitting next to Shi He.

"Where are you going~?"

"Just to check on the company."

Having just signed the contract, he also needed to ask Hawk about the shipping business.

"Don't overwork yourself~"

Shi He said, gently kissing He Kui's brow.

"I won't, but we'll have to call it a night tonight."

He Kui replied with a wry smile.

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