Gundam, Gravity Elegy

What do you think of these photos?

Next, a variety of photos came into view. The woman named Shirley Page posed like a real model, while Ms. Lutz was clearly an excellent photographer, as each photo showed a carefully chosen angle.

"So, which one do you think looks better?"

"It's all pretty good."

Which one do you like?

Of course, in terms of aesthetics, Gao Ren couldn't actually tell the difference.

But they had a specific purpose for this trip, so...

"I prefer this one."

Gao Ren gently pulled out a photograph:

The perfect angle allowed a clear view of the war supplies stored in the warehouse, with boxes even brazenly labeled 'flammable' and 'dangerous'.

"Hey, but I was just standing there normally, I didn't pose at all."

"...Sister Shirley, is it possible that we didn't actually come here for a vacation?"

"But how can you fool others if you don't really treat it as a vacation?"

Shirley simply reached out her hand, causing Gao Ren to feel a tug on his cheek:

"No, I put something in my mouth to make my face look rounder."

"I know, this is a very simple makeup technique."

Although that's what she said, the woman's fingers still gently brushed against his cheek, and the soft padding inside made Gao Ren's mouth feel ticklish.

"It's a pity that we can't use realistic masks in this weather, so we can only work on that aspect."

"I don't really care..."

"So, would you like to take some photos?"

"no need."

Seeing her smiling face, Gao Ren finally couldn't help but roll his eyes:

"Be careful... never mind, have fun."

"OK then."

At this moment, Shirley's face truly showed a visible sense of loss.

Whether it was her acting skills, worthy of being on screen, or simply her thick skin that allowed her to express her true feelings, it's unclear. She simply turned around and waved to Ms. Lutz.

"Metz, let's go over there. I want to take a couple of pictures near those Zaku."

Looking at the two figures who seemed to have completely blended into that free and easy atmosphere, Gao Ren couldn't help but scratch the back of his head.

Although he believed he had honed his acting skills to the point of being able to remain expressionless and unflappable under the 'care' and 'special training' of high-ranking Federation officials and reporters, the thought of him actually walking around like Sherry and the others under the noses of other Zeon soldiers...

Let's just leave him be; it's fine for him to stay on the sidelines for now.

No one paid attention to a young soldier whom Zeon had long considered normal, so he could continue to observe his surroundings by staying in the corner:

"Is that so? Stockpiled ammunition and mobile suits are in the same warehouse... Has Zeon really gone mad with victory?"

Although Gao Ren always finds such things frustrating, they are, on the other hand, very beneficial to their current arrangements.

"forget it."

That's all I can say.

Zion remained in a languid posture, secretly recording everything about this place.

"Hmm, and that white mobile suit, although it looks a bit like a Zaku, it feels a bit different."

Although I could always feel people watching me, it didn't matter. After all, I was just a nobody anyway.

"What's your name?"

"...huh?"

When he came to his senses, he suddenly saw a girl he didn't recognize standing in front of him:

"Hello."

"Hello?"

When I came to my senses, I found that there was nothing in front of me.

"……illusion?"

"Hey, over here!!"

"????"

A strange, stinging pain echoed in his mind, and when the call sounded, Gao Ren instinctively covered his head:

"Why is my head starting to hurt..."

Chapter 44: Ifrit?

Unexpected events can happen at any time—if I could express my thoughts at this moment, that's exactly what I'd say.

Although it's always said that the battlefield is unpredictable, when the unexpected actually happened, even he was caught off guard.

"Where...is the sound coming from?"

Not to mention the headache, what's even more troublesome is that I can clearly hear the sound, but there's no trace of it anywhere around me.

When they came to their senses, they saw a red-haired Zeon woman waving and swaggering over.

There was absolutely no possibility of misjudgment; she really did rush straight towards him.

"Sure enough, I felt a sense of familiarity before. It turns out we're the same age."

Seemingly oblivious to anyone else's feelings, she was filled with excitement and expressed a kindness that could only be described as enthusiasm:

"Hello, what's your name?"

Then, as the same words were spoken, Gao Ren subconsciously frowned.

The voice was exactly the same as the previous one, almost like a duet, but this time the voice came from reality.

Therefore, it cannot be avoided; it must be faced.

"……Benevolence."

"Ok?"

Meeting those seemingly glowing green eyes, Gao Ren slowly spoke:

“Ren Hyman, I am the mechanic of the Sand Lizard Squadron…”

Kana – studying these things is actually quite troublesome.

Considering the extreme situation where one has to come into contact with the enemy and frequently call out names, for a 'non-professional' like Gao Ren, a name that can be linked to his original name and can evoke an instinctive reaction is essential.

The final result is this thing that was created by changing the pronunciation of his original name.

Hyman = high man = a person of great talent or ability.

At first glance, it does sound like an absurd name opening a door for something absurd, but as a name used temporarily, it's just right.

At least, the girl who seemed to have approached him for no apparent reason didn't seem to suspect anything.

"Wow, that's amazing! It's actually someone from the 441st Squadron!"

She smiled brightly:

"My name is Alma, Alma Stirner. I am a test pilot in the 603rd Technical Experiment Unit, and I am currently in charge of testing the new aircraft."

"The new type of aircraft refers to—that white one."

Following her kind directions, a machine stood out prominently in the open warehouse.

It still features the architecture of a one-eyed machine, but both shoulders are equipped with combat spikes, while the iconic shield has been moved down to the arm.

"That Zaku?"

"No, that's not a Zaku. It's the latest design from the Zmad Company, but it seems to have lost to Zeonic. It's a pity it couldn't be mass-produced."

"...It sounds like some stupid failure."

"Not at all foolish, this machine has great potential."

Upon hearing Gao Ren's words, the girl named Alma couldn't help but put her hands on her hips:

"It has the most advanced propulsion backpack to date, and additional rocket engines in its legs, making it much lighter than the bulky Zaku. But I don't know why the military doesn't agree to mass-produce this machine."

"Because of combustion efficiency."

"Huh?"

"I didn't see any extra fuel tanks or anything like that on the legs. You mentioned an extra engine, so it must be built-in. It must be heavier than a regular Zaku."

"...Oh right, it's about 10 tons heavier."

Alma couldn't help but scratch the back of her head:

"But weight isn't a problem, as long as there's a rocket engine..."

"What about conversion efficiency?"

"Huh?"

“I don’t see any heat dissipation structure in the structure, which means it should have built-in propellant or coolant in its legs, right? This is probably to ensure versatility in the space environment.”

"...Is that right? Huh?"

A barrage of words came crashing down on her. At first, the girl tried to say something, but in the end, her mouth started to tremble inexplicably, and her head began to spin.

However, the boy, completely absorbed in the design of that white mecha, seemed unaware of this:

“Nuclear thermal engines require external cooling, and chemical rockets also need to be refueled. In other words, the mobility of this aircraft is time-limited. Once it is exhausted, its legs, which are even heavier than those of the Zaku, will become a burden.”

"what……"

"Also, if I remember correctly, Zeon's mobile suits use fluid pulses as the principle of joint drive. If an engine is added to the legs, even if the power pipes are exposed, there will still be heat dissipation problems, and it may even drag down the conversion efficiency. Moreover, in the Earth's environment, exposing the power pipes will cause very serious wear and tear."

"Uh……"

"What's the name of this machine?"

"Oh, the designer calls it Ifrit... If it officially passes the review and is put into mass production, that should be the name."

"Yes, this Ifrit has a severely limited operational time. Once the propellant is exhausted, the engine overheating and reduced energy utilization efficiency will seriously affect the internal drive, in other words, it may malfunction."

"PD refers to..."

Looking at the girl's seemingly clueless expression, Gao Ren felt his lips twitch:

"Power Down" means a decrease in output across the board.

"Wait, really?"

Upon hearing this, Alma couldn't help but exclaim:

"But I didn't encounter this problem during the testing process."

"After all, the testing didn't require you to do durability testing, did it?"

"Well... I don't think so."

After thinking for a moment, the girl showed a strange expression:

"Think about it carefully, every time we conduct a test, both the engine and the weapons are fully loaded."

"After all, so-called tests, as long as they don't involve actual combat, are always about pursuing perfect data on paper."

Gao Ren didn't say he deeply understood this point, but the thought of his squad still having a steel tank that required two people to fully operate made him feel uneasy.

"So this is the wisdom of a pragmatist?"

"Maybe?"

Although it's unclear whether he qualifies as a combat expert, starting with his support of Mariage, he was essentially brought from the rear to the front lines.

Not to mention we're still in the enemy's base, but if I had to say: