Chapter 246: The District Chief’s Gathering

The next day, He Kui exchanged opinions with Serena in the radar room regarding the mastermind behind the recent attack.

They reached no concrete conclusions.

For now, He Kui chose not to reveal the existence of the Clan.

Firstly, he couldn't explain it; secondly, knowing too much might be dangerous for Serena.

"Oh, by the way, your pink-haired 'friend' seems to have left today," Su Lei suddenly remarked while they ate together at the table.

"She's just a guest," He Kui explained helplessly.

"A guest you let work at your company?"

"She's just curious, and besides, free labor," He Kui shrugged.

"Hmph, so mysterious and always wearing a mask. Not as cute as Meyrin," Su Lei huffed.

"Right, Shi He?" she turned to Shi He.

"Mm." Shi He only smiled, placing a piece of braised meat on He Kui's plate. "Eat up."

"Thank you."

Watching the two subtly showing affection, Su Lei, not one to be outdone, added two pieces of meat to He Kui's bowl as well.

"Eat up—don't choke on it."

"...Thank you." He Kui gave a slight smile, popping the meat into his mouth.

"Shi He's cooking is as good as ever."

"This time, Lei Lei helped too."

"Hmph."

After their usual warm interactions, He Kui woke up earlier than usual the following morning. Bidding the two farewell, he quickly arrived at a luxurious restaurant near the botanical district in District One of May City.

The restaurant, opulently decorated, was reserved by the twelve district chiefs of May City. Food lined both sides of the banquet hall, and a dance floor sat in the center, where people mingled and danced, the scene one of extravagant indulgence.

It was hard to tell they were still in the midst of a war.

"There are more people here than I expected," He Kui remarked softly to Kladis beside him, dressed sharply in a suit.

The gathering wasn't limited to familiar faces like Erin and Yuki. Many senior figures from May City's design bureau were also present.

"It's more of a semi-public banquet we're hosting," Kladis explained. "This turnout is normal. Ready? I'll introduce you to a district chief I'm close with."

"Ah, he has a background in nanorobot research and is quite interested in your nanobot project," Kladis adjusted his impeccable black suit as he spoke.

"No problem."

"Then, follow me."

Trailing behind Kladis, He Kui soon saw the person he had mentioned—a middle-aged, bald man who stood out in the crowd.

Since Coordinators, apart from the initial generation with flaws, could now eliminate genes for hair loss, baldness was rare.

Of course, even if one had balding, they could opt for hair transplants or wigs.

This man's proudly bald head suggested a unique sense of personal style.

Avoiding the impropriety of staring, He Kui bowed slightly.

"He Kui, this is District Chief Sha Zhengming of District Three."

"Chief Sha, a pleasure to meet you."

"Director He, the pleasure is mine," Chief Sha replied warmly.

But anyone who held the title of district chief was likely not as simple as they appeared.

"The honor is mine," He Kui replied politely.

"Director He, you came from the East Asian Republic, correct?" Sha Zhengming asked, switching smoothly to fluent Chinese instead of the official PLANT language.

"Yes, though it's been a while."

"But your Chinese is excellent," Sha Zhengming continued, seamlessly switching back to PLANT's language with a smile.

"A lot of memories, still," He Kui thought to himself, recalling his past life.

"It's a wonderful place," Sha Zhengming's eyes reflected a touch of nostalgia.

He Kui nodded, reflecting on how the East Asian Republic might have been a safe path, without the dangers of PLANT.

Then again, if he'd stayed there, his unique talents might never have been activated. Dwelling on "what-ifs" served little purpose now.

"Yes, it's a good place," he replied with a humble smile.

"Well, Director He, I've reviewed your nanobot research. Your theory is currently leading the field here in PLANT," Sha Zhengming's face took on a serious look, the kindly smile fading as he shifted to business.

"Do you have plans to set up a dedicated research team? You could get some help on the project."

"The report's not finished yet; it'll take a bit more time," He Kui replied truthfully. It was about time to start forming the research group. Even Durandal had prodded him about it recently.

"That's understandable. Once your project is approved, I'll likely be the primary contact overseeing the collaboration. So, I'll be counting on your support," Sha Zhengming's face relaxed slightly, pleased with the answer.

"Alright, let's leave work aside for today. Director He is already busy enough," Kladis interjected with a chuckle, sensing the conversation had wrapped up.

"Indeed," Sha Zhengming laughed, and the three let the topic drop.

"Fortunately, thanks to an anonymous tip, we managed to root out a network of spies recently. Otherwise, we wouldn't be enjoying ourselves so freely here," Sha Zhengming said, taking a sip of his drink as he looked over at the lively dance floor.

"Indeed."

"Has there been any clue on the informant's identity?" He Kui asked, feigning curiosity.

"Not yet, but whoever it was must have had intimate knowledge of the colony's infrastructure."

"Could it be someone from the Clyne faction?" Sha Zhengming speculated.

"Doesn't seem likely. If they had such information, why go to such lengths to remain hidden?" Kladis replied, troubled.

While they had uncovered many spies, the organization that exposed them was also likely formidable. Heaven knows if they had any spies of their own in PLANT.

If they could expose others, they might just as easily infiltrate here.

"Could it be that group called 'Palas'?" Hearing the name he had coined spoken aloud, He Kui's ears perked up.

"No idea. Too many possibilities."

"Stay cautious, He Kui," Kladis chuckled. "But with your little base, you're probably pretty safe."

An asteroid base wasn't standard in PLANT; it was more akin to Clyne's estate. Even PLANT representatives usually only had luxury villas, like the Amalfi family.

Though asteroids used to be cheap, not everyone could afford one.

And even if they bought one, not everyone had the money to outfit it.

"My asteroid's defenses aren't particularly strong," He Kui replied with a lighthearted smile.

On the surface, his asteroid wasn't heavily fortified; even the main gate couldn't withstand a single shot from a battleship's primary cannon, let alone positron blasters.

The two nodded in agreement.

"If your asteroid were any better, I'd be tempted to move in," Kladis joked, loosening up.

He Kui gave a faint smile.

They didn't know that he'd sold a block of rare metals to secure the base. Its internal defenses were several times stronger than they appeared, even the radar's

performance had been overhauled.

But he wasn't about to reveal that. Otherwise, he'd have a hard time explaining where the money came from.

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