Chapter 75: Journey through the Asteroid Belt

As soon as he got home, He Kui eagerly pulled out the materials for the Haro he had been saving.

Since the rewards for C and B-level gifts had diminished, he had rarely made Haros.

While they could be classified as A-level gifts, giving too many of the same item would become monotonous.

Besides, having Su Lei return the gifts he gave her didn't seem feasible.

One of the requirements for those gifts was that they had to be handmade, meaning he had to create them himself.

Although he could prepare meals and reports, those also needed to be his own work—no extra hands allowed.

So, He Kui could only guide from the sidelines.

"Let's start with a Haro that combines explosion-proof features and smoke generation. This will be a sample, and I'll gift it to you."

He Kui smiled.

Currently, he was working on the monophasic lightwave shielding system and hydraulic mineral purification technologies with Su Lei.

Necessary gifts were still essential.

"Okay."

In He Kui's workshop, surrounded by components and design blueprints, Su Lei nodded seriously.

Su Lei's component processing was already at B-level, and with He Kui's experience, they managed to finish a B-level Haro by late at night.

"How does it look?"

Su Lei asked nervously, her fingers intertwined tightly.

"Let me see..."

After examining the Haro for a while, He Kui said softly, "Can I have it?"

"Sure!"

Though a bit puzzled, Su Lei agreed.

Soon, feeling a strange sensation, Su Lei looked down at her hands.

"I feel like my skills have improved?"

Su Lei murmured.

"That's a good thing."

Indeed, it was an improvement. It seemed that giving him gifts didn't have any anti-cheat measures, so her experience was boosted significantly.

After making one for him, she received a sevenfold bonus, adding 350 experience points to her total.

His system was starting to resemble a nurturing mechanic.

"Alright! You should sleep first, He Kui~ I want to make a few more!"

Seeing Su Lei's evident excitement, He Kui didn't object.

He figured even if he told her to sleep, she wouldn't be able to. Staying up a little longer was fine.

With that thought, He Kui gave her a few more reminders before returning to his room.

Over the next two days, Su Lei made several Haros.

She figured out the reason for her rapid improvement.

It was because of He Kui. Perhaps their wavelengths resonated or for some other reason, whenever He Kui was around, she felt she could make progress.

Meanwhile, He Kui, while wanting to unlock the high-energy pulse cannon, wasn't in a rush.

Currently, his personal growth was more important, and he had two pieces of academic work that required him to give gifts.

So from then on, he only guided Su Lei every couple of days, and they made a Haro together.

In the meantime, after a week, He Kui's mineral radar was officially completed and ready for field testing.

"You seem busier lately."

As He Kui entered her office, Su Lei remarked with a shrug.

"Just a bit."

Balancing Su Lei's progress had indeed made him busier, but it wasn't without benefits.

At least in their interactions, Su Lei's feelings for him were deepening.

"That's good. A few nights ago, I heard noises from your place and thought you were fighting."

"Well..."

He Kui recalled the thrilling time just after they returned from the concert when they had energetically tussled from the living room to the second floor.

Considering the teasing look on Su Lei's face, he decided to hold back his words.

Su Lei, noticing his hesitance, playfully rolled her eyes at him and continued, "I was talking about the sounds from your workshop."

"And soon, we'll be testing the mineral radar's actual application in the asteroid belt around Earth. Although ZAFT has already done preliminary reconnaissance, the Earth Alliance forces are currently concentrated around Earth, the Moon Base, and near Nova, there are still dangers. How do you feel about it?"

"Let's go!"

Seeing He Kui's lack of hesitation, Su Lei smiled and nodded in approval.

"But how long will it take?"

He Kui asked.

"Two days should be enough. As long as we gather sufficient data, we can return for dinner the next evening."

"Sounds good. When do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"I'll make the arrangements."

"Also, here's the funding for your small MS project. Take a look at this contract."

He Kui took the contract seriously, knowing he couldn't afford to slack off. Even though it was Su Lei, the Klein faction was behind it, so he needed to read it carefully to avoid being taken advantage of.

After going through the pages, an hour had passed.

If the research was successful, he would receive 3% of the profits for ten years; there were no other significant clauses.

Su Lei didn't rush him but occasionally glanced at him while working on her tasks.

"Everything looks good."

"Then let's sign it. Your two billion will be deposited into the public account within a week. However, if there are no research results within six months, you'll have to comply with our requirements."

"Are you sure? This is akin to a betting agreement. If you lose, it's not just about research; there are additional clauses. As long as it doesn't threaten your life, you'll have to comply with our requests."

At this moment, Su Lei's expression conveyed the seriousness expected from a director.

"No problem."

"Then let's sign."

After all, Lacus wouldn't be so cruel. If her heart wasn't in it, there would be no use in forcing her.

Even if he failed, he suspected Lacus would treat him gently.

Five billion might sound like a lot to the Klein faction, but it wasn't something they couldn't manage.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing He Kui hesitating to sign, Su Lei asked curiously.

"If you're scared, you don't have to sign."

"No, I just want to sign when I get back. Otherwise, it feels like I'm wasting two days."

".That's acceptable."

Two days later, He Kui arrived at the ship with a large backpack.

Since it wasn't a collective mission, they were only on a Naska-class ship, with a small red squadron providing escort.

The red squadron's members were never seen; they only reported to He Kui and Su Lei and then fell silent on the communication channel.

"These are direct agents of ZAFT's Defense Council. You can trust them."

Su Lei said.

Direct agents

The name sounded impressive, and indeed it was; they specialized in various secret missions, answering directly to the Defense Council rather than the chairman.

With three city representatives as council members, they counterbalance each other internally, so there was no worry about a coup.

"Why did you bring so much stuff? Didn't you say you'd be back soon? This is more than what you usually take on expeditions."

Walking down the corridor to the officer's cabin, Su Lei looked at He Kui's large backpack with a hint of disdain.

If this were a military expedition, he would have been prohibited from bringing so much.

Even dressed in a crisp white uniform, he looked more like Santa Claus than a ZAFT soldier.

"I'm cooking for you! I asked the captain, and we'll have lunch before we arrive."

He Kui was determined to please Su Lei with food. If her favorability didn't increase, it was definitely because he hadn't fed her enough.

If he had given her food and she still didn't like him, that m

eant he hadn't given enough.

"Oh."

As expected, upon hearing He Kui's words, Su Lei's eyes lingered on his backpack, and her pace quickened, whether out of eagerness or impatience.

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