"Ailina, how have you been lately?"
Aegis asked the girl with a smile in his voice.
"I've been great~"
"No one from the Atlantic Federation has come by recently~"
Ailina beamed a big smile and immediately hugged Aegis.
Although he couldn't feel it, he could imagine the sensation just by seeing the girl's fair skin being pressed against him.
"By the way, my family is here~"
Saying this, Ailina took Aegis's hand and walked into the house.
After Luo's upgrades, although the house looked quite similar to before, the number of hidden cameras installed was unknown.
Each room was separated by newly laid armor plates.
If it weren't for the advanced technology here, it would have taken Luo years to accomplish this alone.
Of course, the most secure area was the underground, where not only was his menacing Assault PLUS parked, but there was also a workshop resembling a military factory.
The equipment inside couldn't be compared to what Aegis had at PLANT, but in terms of South American technology, it was definitely top-notch.
Just one set was worth a hundred million in cash for him in South America.
Satisfied with the current state of his home, Ailina quickly led Aegis to one of the secondary living rooms on the first floor.
Inside, her parents seemed to have just gotten off work and were preparing to cook.
"Mom and Dad~!"
"Look who I brought over~!?"
Ailina boldly opened the door and dragged Aegis in front of them.
Ailina's parents, like her, were mixed-race, and upon seeing Aegis in his cloak, their eyes lit up.
"You must be Aegis!"
"Our daughter has been in your care!"
As one of the participants who had built PLANT in space, Ailina's parents appeared quite knowledgeable.
They were said to be directors at the factory.
Seeing Aegis wearing a mask didn't surprise them.
Aegis slightly bowed in response.
"Hello."
"Sorry for staying at your place without properly greeting you."
Although Ailina had repeatedly said it was no problem, there was still a hint of awkwardness on both their faces upon meeting.
"It's fine; it's my fault for not coming out."
"If you need anything, feel free to contact me."
After chatting for a while, Aegis left the living room without eating.
Returning to the underground facility, Luo was still tinkering with something at the main control console.
The entire underground base had undergone a significant transformation; the walls were now made of hard alloy plates. While they couldn't withstand beams, they could hold up against ordinary 75mm shells for about ten seconds.
"Can't we get more PS Armor?"
Aegis approached Luo and asked.
"Not possible. The equipment here in South America is too outdated to produce PS Armor; even the anti-beam coating is limited."
Luo turned his head and said helplessly.
PS Armor was a strategic resource, and everyone strictly controlled its import and export.
Finding a factory capable of producing PS Armor wasn't that simple.
Of course, if PLANT assisted in establishing a production line, it would be possible, but PLANT wouldn't just hand over PS Armor for no reason.
"Well, let's leave it at that for now. The Backpack System is complete and ready for production; we should head back."
Luo stretched and said.
"Take care, here's your payment."
Aegis didn't try to keep him; he simply took out a card given to him by the South American president.
"Fifty million, net."
After placing the card on his wristband to check, a satisfied smile appeared on Luo's face.
This amount covered not just the modifications but also the material costs.
For such a large estate, fifty million was quite a bargain.
While they were still talking, a red light appeared on the main control console, and the main screen automatically zoomed in on the scene outside.
It seemed a few South American youths were trying to climb over the wall to get in.
"I've lost count of how many times this month."
Luo looked at the screen helplessly.
"Didn't you just drive them away before?"
"Yeah, so I didn't bother you."
Luo nodded.
"Then it's normal for them to visit multiple times."
Aegis shrugged.
If someone got caught stealing here, they could very well end up with broken hands or worse.
"Just consider it a test."
"Sure."
Aegis didn't have the leisure to care about a few petty thieves.
As they spoke, a small robotic dog appeared on the screen, starting to chase after the intruders.
Before long, the intruders were driven away amidst their terrified screams.
"If the intruders are detected with lethal weapons, the robotic dog and the estate's offensive weapons will launch an attack together."
"Got it."
"Well, until we meet again, Aegis."
Luo extended his hand to shake hands with Aegis.
Though he said this, the expression on Luo's face seemed to suggest that they might meet again soon.
"Until we meet again."
After exchanging pleasantries, Luo left.
He Kui returned to his small room, locked the door, and then went back to the radar room, just as Hoss's communication finally came through.
"He Kui."
At this moment, Hoss didn't seem to be in much trouble.
That was to be expected; after all, he had only been knocked out by the impact, so how serious could it be?
"Glad to hear you're okay."
"Yeah."
"Are you coming back? I can find someone to take your place."
This time, the opponent's operation was meticulous. If it weren't for his Haro, although the squad likely wouldn't suffer any losses, Hoss and those miners would be in grave danger.
After all, no matter how strong his firewall was, it couldn't withstand a powerful bombing.
They just didn't have the time.
"No need, I can handle it."
Hoss straightened his expression and said seriously.
"Also, thank you."
The line wasn't necessarily safe; Hoss spoke vaguely, but he understood that it was impossible for him to single-handedly wipe out an entire squad of the enemy.
That left only two possibilities.
One possibility was that the Haro developed by He Kui had extremely high artificial intelligence; the second was that Aegis had remote control capabilities.
Of course, this was from a scientific perspective; from a non-scientific perspective, there could be even more possibilities.
But no matter which it was
, he wouldn't speak of it.
Following He Kui, he had witnessed too much. Although they often joked around, it was precisely because of this that he stood firmly on He Kui's side.