Chapter 242: He Kui is Too Dumb

The improvements on Odin's Spear proceeded smoothly thanks to He Kui's force field modulation adjustments.

There weren't many technical bottlenecks to begin with.

It was just a time-consuming process that left him little time to work on the Z Gundam.

Still, his hard work paid off.

The Odin's Spear in front of He Kui now was completely different from the one in the original storyline.

First, its design was much closer to that of a spear.

Its size was also significantly reduced.

It could now be directly mounted on a GaT-X unit.

He had successfully miniaturized the electromagnetic pulse weapon and installed it on a mobile suit.

Of course, it required a suitable power supply for the suit.

"After modifying the GaT-X's power system, it can fire two shots; three at most, but the third shot will cause the unit to completely shut down," He Kui explained to Joule, who had come to observe.

"The power can't keep up. After forcing a third shot, the system will shut down completely, and a standard GINN would shut down after just one shot."

"What if the GINN were connected to a base power source?"

Although this weapon wasn't as powerful as the original Odin's Spear, it was portable and easy to use, essentially functioning like a regular gun.

The front end could even serve as a spear in an emergency.

Its cost-effectiveness wasn't ideal, but producing a few hundred as a precaution was worthwhile.

"The frame strength wouldn't be enough. It might work in space, but after three shots, the unit risks disintegration."

With current technology, the GINN was already an outdated model.

Using this weapon, which demands high structural integrity, meant it could only fire a limited number of shots.

"So, two shots, then. Will the EMP effect delay or even prevent nuclear detonation?"

Joule raised an eyebrow as she looked at the captured Dagger that had been completely disabled by the EMP blast.

"It depends on the EMP shielding of the nuclear missile. If the critical electronic components in the warhead are disrupted and the propulsion system is disabled, it's possible."

"But we don't currently have any of the Alliance's nuclear weapons to test."

The Dagger outside the window was one of the few they had captured.

This was too big of an issue, and He Kui couldn't make any guarantees.

"I understand."

"Is there an issue with our anti-neutron jammer?"

He Kui asked with a hint of nervousness.

"No, just a precaution."

"That's something you should understand best, Director He," Joule said with a rare smile.

As a recognized S-rank talent, she naturally had more tolerance for He Kui than for most people.

He Kui had shown remarkable foresight by purchasing the asteroid early on.

With abandoned asteroid prices having multiplied several times due to demand for secret bases, it was a smart investment.

Though many in PLANT lived modestly, there were also wealthy individuals.

"True enough."

He Kui nodded, neither denying nor affirming, and continued.

"But production will likely be limited."

"That's fine. A standard load of 200 units is sufficient."

With the 100 units needed for this operation, a total of 300 EMP guns were required.

That hefty production responsibility would fall to the factory; this part wasn't something he, as the design bureau's director, needed to worry about.

"Now that this is settled, focus on the nanomachine project. If successful, it will significantly reduce our casualties."

"Understood, but…"

"Don't worry, your company's security operations will be supported."

"Thank you."

With Joule's assurance, He Kui smiled and gave a slight bow.

"But, Director He, I suggest you refrain from visiting the DSSD this month. Given the current situation, we can't guarantee safety outside of PLANT's orbit."

"…Understood."

After a moment of thought, He Kui agreed.

After all, Joule was his superior, and if he couldn't go himself, he still had Haro.

Besides the DSSD, he had too many other tasks; Serena's project would have to wait.

However, he could consider upgrading the AI.

Selling the owl drones had given him enough funds to upgrade the Aegis.

Originally priced at five million, he could now afford a ten-million upgrade.

In general, though He Kui had earned a lot from the owls, that money quickly returned to the junk merchants.

According to Setona, Matthias seemed rather pleased about this.

While He Kui felt a bit of pain parting with his money, he was confident that the Aegis upgrade, which would add bulletproofing, reduce delay, and improve battery life, was worth it.

Of all his funds, the five-million bonus from ZAFT was ironically the least helpful.

Still, it was better than nothing.

"Shi He, Su Lei, we can go home now~"

After being escorted back to his home at the design bureau by military vehicles, He Kui announced cheerfully as he opened the door.

"Is the work done~?"

Shi He asked happily.

"Judging by that silly grin, it must be finished," Su Lei said bluntly, though she also had a slight smile.

"I just finished upgrading the radar for your Liberator unit."

"But who's going to pilot it?"

"I don't know. No one's been chosen yet."

In the original storyline, he recalled that the Covenant unit was stolen from the mini Genesis facility.

"You'd be a good fit, honestly."

Su Lei shrugged.

"I'm a researcher, you know."

"But that unit is meant to be a mass-production prototype, right?"

"Like the Warrior Gundam, it's not intended for frontline combat."

"Mhm!"

Shi He nodded vigorously at Su Lei's words.

"And while it doesn't have much weaponry, you've studied backpack systems before, right?"

"We still have data on Destiny 00, the Elastic Wings, and the DRAGOON system."

"…"

He Kui lowered his head in thought; Su Lei's words were certainly tempting.

He hadn't even mentioned to her that, besides the Lightning Pack, he also had access to all the backpack system data for Strike and Astray.

Initially, it was intended for long-range attacks.

But now it seemed to have other uses.

Besides the Freedom and Justice packs, he could even recreate the DRAGOON system.

"I could justify it to the Defense Committee as an experiment."

He Kui muttered to himself.

Though the Freedom and Justice packs were expensive, PLANT could afford them, and they weren't one-time-use.

Given his current status, he had a good chance of getting approval.

The other packs were minor; the DRAGOON system was the most critical.

With the light shield generated by the DRAGOON system combined with an anti-neutron jammer, he'd be safe against most opponents.

He could keep the Liberator for a long time. Even if the war ended, arms development would continue, and the Liberator would naturally continue its mission as a prototype.

"Thank y

ou~ You're so clever, Su Lei."

He Kui hugged the petite Su Lei tightly, his grip so strong it felt like he was trying to meld her into his body.

"Hmph, He Kui is just too dumb."

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