After temporarily bidding farewell to the Shin siblings, He Kui found himself in the underground hangar, facing the two familiar Mobile Suits, Blitz and Strike.
At this moment, both Mobile Suits stood quietly, their gray-black exteriors marked with numerous signs of battle.
It seemed that the reason they brought the Mobile Suits up this time was for a major overhaul.
Soon, He Kui received the inspection reports for the two Mobile Suits from Meyrin and nodded at the two of them.
"A major overhaul will take three days, while the work on the Backpack can proceed simultaneously and will take ten days."
"So fast?!"
Upon hearing He Kui's words, Dearka, who had initially wanted to urge him to hurry, was taken aback.
"Don't underestimate the industrial speed of PLANT, alright?"
He Kui replied, somewhat speechless.
During the war, they had already invested a lot of productivity into military manufacturing.
Building a Gundam in two months, mass-producing it in three months, and even Genesis were all within reach.
The focus was on efficiency.
After all, with limited resources, if efficiency was lacking, they would surely be doomed.
Of course, this efficiency came at a cost.
First, the technicians forced to work overtime would definitely be unhappy; they would all say it was for PLANT, but everyone had their own thoughts.
However, this little concern was currently being silenced by bonuses from the Defense Committee.
For now, there were no issues.
"But has the Backpack been designed yet?"
Nicol asked, following up on Dearka's question, his green seaweed-like hair framing a look of confusion.
They couldn't possibly cut corners, could they? "Of course, it's already designed."
He already had a foundation for external equipment; it was just a matter of turning the IWSP backpack into assault gear.
"But Blitz doesn't use the X100 series frame; it uses the X200, right?" Nicol inquired.
"That's correct, so the loading method for Blitz will be changed. However, the Backpack still needs to cover Mirage particles, which makes it a bit complicated."
"But it can also add a weapon to release Quantum Virus."
"It can be completed within ten days."
He Kui's idea was simple; he was borrowing the technology from the golden machine 'Heaven's' Disaster-Bringing Sword.
However, the ability to discharge electricity seemed unreliable, and in actual combat, it didn't seem to have much effect.
It wasn't like in a mech battle where you could drain the enemy's MP; spending time discharging electricity into the enemy Mobile Suit was less practical than just delivering a direct blow.
Naturally, He Kui ignored the flashy skills, but the design of the Disaster-Bringing Sword as a Backpack was quite interesting.
So he modified the two massive pincers on the back to serve as Quantum Virus release devices mediated by Mirage particles, which could also function as a decapitating weapon when necessary.
As He Kui spoke, the screen in front of him detailed the new functions of Blitz's external equipment for the two.
"What about me!"
Seeing the new equipment in front of him, Dearka couldn't hold back any longer and quickly raised his hand to ask.
"For you, Dearka, as long as the armament is sufficient, that's all that matters."
"So I've added two Beam Cannons to your back, and the foldable wings also have two CIWS Machine Cannons and six Mounted Missiles."
"Using Dean's streamlined design, it can switch to high-speed cruising mode."
"However, there will be balance issues with the Mobile Suit, but I can help you upgrade the system and the computing units inside the Mobile Suit."
Improving the two Mobile Suits was a simple task for him with the assistance of computers.
As for the balance issue, it was merely a matter of output; as long as the system could self-adjust, it would be fine.
"Thank you, Director He, I appreciate your help!"
Looking at the design drawings in front of him, Dearka bowed with satisfaction.
"So short a time…"
Nicol's surprise deepened.
As the son of Yuri Amalfi, although his expertise wasn't in mechanics, he could still understand.
In such a short time, for He Kui to complete the design and development of two Mobile Suits was something only a few in the world could achieve.
Of course, Nicol didn't know that the Backpack was essentially a borrowed concept, not something He Kui had designed himself.
As long as it worked, that was good enough.
Just as He Kui finished explaining to the two and was about to leave, he was stopped by the excited Dearka.
"He Kui, want to spar?"
"You want to ?"
He Kui shrugged.
Although he had already gained enough practical experience from Aegis, the most obvious benefit of sparring with Dearka was to strengthen their friendship.
Moreover, battling against an elite Red Coat of this caliber could indeed serve as experience and reference for him.
"It's a rare opportunity."
As someone well-informed, unlike those young nobles who were already fantasizing about victory, he knew about the news of the rebirth being captured and also knew that He Kui had almost caught the rebirth last time.
So at this moment, he didn't want to let He Kui off the hook.
Last time, they had only used training Jin En, and it hadn't been satisfying at all.
Just thinking about it made Dearka restless.
After all, he had made progress now.
"Alright."
"But it can only be in the simulator; I don't have that much time. Besides your Backpack, I have other work to do."
"No problem!"
Dearka readily agreed, while Nicol opened his mouth but ultimately didn't stop him; he was also a bit curious about He Kui's strength.
Although he had heard the news, Nicol thought it was probably because the Mobile Suit had the advantage, considering that the Mobile Suit He Kui used had the world's strongest shield, the Yuu Shield.
Currently, the second set was just being developed, and only He Kui's Liberator had one.
Of course, they didn't know about He Kui's remarkable accuracy with the Beam Rifle.
On the other side, upon hearing that He Kui was going to duel Dearka, Meyrin anxiously grabbed He Kui's sleeve.
Even though it was just a simulator, Meyrin didn't want He Kui to lose to that carefree blonde.
"Don't worry."
He Kui chuckled and patted Meyrin's head.
Dearka and Nicol, who witnessed this scene, exchanged glances, both feeling a bit speechless.
They couldn't understand how He Kui managed to juggle so many girls while being this busy.
And could a person really have that much energy? Did he complete the development in bed? Thinking about their Mobile Suits possibly being developed on He Kui's bed, the two subtly shuddered.
Meanwhile, Meyrin, realizing there were still two people nearby, suddenly blushed and quickly pulled her head away from He Kui's warm hand, retreating to stand beside Lika and Iron Wall.
"Sister Lika, can He Kui win?"
Meyrin quietly asked the girl who had been silent beside her.
"That depends on the performance of the two Mobile Suits. If their performances are comparable…"
Lika showed a reminiscent expression.
The last time she saw He Kui in action was in space, using the Liberator.
His marksmanship was strong, but it didn't seem to pose much of a threat to elite pilots.
"It's fifty-fifty."
"Is that so?"
With no one else saying anything, everyone made their way to the simulator located in the hangar.
(End of Chapter)