Gundam UC Hunting Time

Running away... we can't get far, so we have to fight. But how can we turn this unfavorable situation around?

His mind raced, and he was alert to everything around him. Suddenly, he spotted a possible opportunity—a Salamis-class destroyer was floating ahead, only half of it remaining. The rear half, including the thrusters and reactor, was missing, but the broken front half revealed its missile launch mechanism. Inside the rotary loader, there were still unlaunched missiles!

Want to take a gamble?

Between possibility and certainty, Lin Xingyuan made a decisive choice. He controlled the machine to fire a shell at random, grabbed the hot shell casing, controlled the force, and threw it at the Salamis-class wreckage not far away, creating a moving heat source. Then he corrected the machine's course, choosing to let it drift by inertia. He then opened the cockpit door and crawled into the shadows behind the shield, thus making it appear as if he had run out of fuel and was abandoning the machine.

What are they trying to do?

[They don't seem to be surrendering.]

I can't understand it at all.

Will Char come?

As viewers speculated in the live chat, Lin Xingyuan waited patiently. Sure enough, less than half a minute later, the battered red Zaku caught up. Half of its thrusters were malfunctioning, the rocket launcher and its gripping arm were gone, and the damaged power pipe was leaking, making it look extremely disheveled. It cautiously approached, holding the machine gun in one hand, and scrutinized the drifting black Zani with its single pink eye.

[As expected, everything's fine. No wonder you escaped the NT!]

Will he fire?

No, Char is a perfectionist. When he launched his counterattack, he didn't fire on the Nu Gundam, which wasn't with Amuro present.

That's because the opponent is Amuro, right? He never holds back when fighting the Federation.

The comments section was buzzing with debate, but Lin Xingyuan had no interest in watching. He was just holding his breath in tension, and his palms were soon covered in sweat.

Finally, the red Zaku approached the black Zani, its pink single eye pointed at Zani's propulsion backpack, which had a signal light used to indicate the remaining fuel to the ground crew.

Inside the cockpit, Char stared at Zani's open cockpit doors, smacking his lips in displeasure.

"Tsk...did they run out of fuel and abandon the plane?"

He thought he could settle the score before the opponent ran out of fuel, but he didn't quite manage that. Although he ultimately won, Xia didn't feel particularly happy; instead, he felt a little regretful. He turned his head, looking around, and quickly spotted a small heat source flying towards the Salamis-class wreckage—in the cold, dim universe, it was so conspicuous that it was impossible to ignore.

"Want to exchange greetings?"

Still excited, he couldn't suppress his curiosity, and the red Zaku immediately sprang into action, chasing after the small heat source.

"It's done!"

In the shadow of the shield, Lin Xingyuan excitedly clenched his fist, swiftly leaped into Zani's cockpit, rapidly activated his machine, and aimed at the wreckage in front of the red Zaku. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly remembered the condescending, disdainful look of the Crimson Comet before the battle began. Inexplicably, he moved the cannon muzzle, aiming it at the red Zaku. He knew this was war, and he shouldn't do this, but—

He just wanted to tear off Xia's arrogant, disdainful face and throw it back at him!

However, the moment he pulled the trigger, he regretted it and couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Have I also developed that damned, so-called warrior's pride?

What is PL doing?

[Incomprehensible operations]

Most people in the live chat didn't understand Lin Xingyuan's actions, but a few did.

[This player is of the Yzak type – confirmed]

[She's starting to show signs of being a master]

"Drip-drip-"

The red Zaku flew towards the Salamis-class, completely unaware that the Zaku behind it suddenly woke up. The moment the alarm sounded, Char also saw the true face of the heat source.

It wasn't the driver of the black Zani, but a bullet casing!

Oh no! We've been tricked!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He frantically maneuvered the machine to dodge, watching as the high-speed rocket passed through its original position and hit the wreckage, followed by a second one!

The surviving missiles within the wreckage were detonated by rockets, exploding violently. The red Zaku narrowly avoided the shrapnel and burst out of the smoke. Char, still shaken, looked back and saw the black Zani shake off the rocket launcher, raise its machine gun, and aim at him. Without a word, it accelerated at full speed until it was out of the Zaku's machine gun's firing range. Only then did it finally understand everything and burst into laughter.

"What an interesting fellow! Looking forward to seeing you again!"

The red Zaku left a dazzling trail in the wreckage and quickly returned to the mothership's position. Char glanced at the still burning Tibe-class and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"what happened?"

He connected the communication and asked, and the mothership replied with a sullen voice.

"The enemy sent fighter jets to launch a surprise attack. We were careless and are very sorry."

"Really? They even had such a backup plan? Well done..."

Char couldn't help but sigh, further elevating his opinion of the black Zani pilot.

What was his name again? He recalled the federal propaganda; it seemed to be Captain Lin Xingyuan.

"Major, how's the situation?"

"The entire Royal Guard has been wiped out. My machine has been hit and I'm about to return to the ship!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing the communication and seeing the images captured by the optical equipment, the pilots of the two Zaku tanks on high alert and the officers on the bridge were all astonished.

Not only did none of the Zaku from the Royal Guard return, but even Major Char's mobile suit was damaged. Was the enemy really that powerful?!

"Prepare the barrier net!"

The red Zaku returned to the hangar in a rather disheveled state. Char climbed out of the cockpit, looked back at his battered and bruised machine, and couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"I really hate to admit that I made a mistake because I was too young and impetuous."

At the same time, Lin Xingyuan, whose coolant had run out and whose machine had completely stopped, sent out a distress signal. A moment later, a small cargo ship emerged furtively from the wreckage and cautiously approached.

……

Author's message

……

……

I'm probably going to get yelled at again...

When I finished writing it, I was still thinking, maybe I should just capture Char and bring him back; it might lead to an interesting development. If Char reveals his identity, the Federation won't make things too difficult for him and will even treat him well. But when the war ends, it will most likely be his death day.

However, Char is a guy who never hesitates to fight the Federation, so he might not be willing to reveal his identity.

Furthermore, judging from individual character strength, Lin Xingyuan's skills at this point were indeed inferior to Xia's. Without the firepower of A.F., that's about it.

This book is planned to extend beyond UC 100, but to avoid a power imbalance, let's be patient for now.

However, I might have set a trap for Amuro... Oh well, he's strong, he can withstand it.

Chapter 56 Cargo Ship and Battle Evaluation (First Subscription Requested)

"You...you are...!?"

"The Black Reaper!?"

The cargo ship took in the black Zani, which had run out of fuel and coolant. Lin Xingyuan opened the cockpit, passed through the airtight compartment, and entered the passenger cabin. The passenger cabin was packed with all sorts of people, including officers and soldiers in Federation uniforms and civilians, all staring at Lin Xingyuan with curiosity and inquiry. But when he took off his helmet and revealed his face, the curiosity and inquiry immediately turned into shock and disbelief.

"It's true!?"

Black Reaper was the name given to Lin Xingyuan by the Federation Army. Although he himself didn't like it very much and always felt it was a bit low-class, it was too late to change it after the extensive publicity.

He stood still, helmet tucked under his arm, and his gaze swept over the astonished crowd in the cabin. The federal soldiers among them finally reacted and saluted him.

"Captain! You've worked hard!"

"Thank you for your rescue!"

"I'm the one who should be saying thank you, not you?"

He looked at one of the lieutenants and asked, and the officer quickly answered.

"We are part of the garrison at Side 2. Our unit was scattered by the Zeon forces, so we had no choice but to report to Luna 2."

His tone grew softer as he spoke, and the other officers and soldiers also showed signs of frustration and anger.

“Damn Zeon…”

"Thank you for your hard work. Where is the captain?"

Someone muttered a curse. Lin Xingyuan understood how these people felt, but not wanting to make the atmosphere too heavy, he ended the topic and asked instead.

"Over here!"

Soldiers and civilians immediately made way for the cockpit. Just as Lin Xingyuan was about to pass, the hatch opened by itself, and a red-haired woman in a red jacket and headphones stepped out. She was about twenty years old, with neat, short hair, fair skin, and bright eyes, giving off an impression of both reliability and heroism. Just as Lin Xingyuan was surprised, the previously quiet comments on the live stream suddenly reappeared.

【Huh? Could it be Allen Willard?】

Who is it?

[That female co-pilot/navigator who appeared in the first episode of the 08th MS Team series]

No wonder this ship looked familiar.

Looking at the comments, Lin Xingyuan matched the person to the real name and recalled that when the character first appeared, everyone thought there would be further developments, but there weren't.

"I am Sergeant Alan Willard, the ship's first officer and navigator. Thank you very much for your rescue."

Ellen stepped forward, saluted, introduced herself, and then made way for the hatch.

"The captain is at the helm, please come in."

Lin Xingyuan nodded and went into the cabin. The captain was an elderly navigator wearing a peaked cap. As soon as he saw Lin Xingyuan, he immediately apologized to him.

"I'm very sorry, Captain, because of our actions, you and your troops have fallen into a Zeon trap..."

"It's only right that we rescue you when you're in danger. What I'd like to know is, what exactly happened to you?"

Lin Xingyuan said solemnly, and then learned what had happened from the captain.

It was Char who forced them to send out a distress signal, and he was also the one who set up the trap. Char had originally also set up mine traps, but his personal guard intervened halfway through, seized the initiative, changed the battlefield position, and caused all his previous arrangements to fail.

"……I see."

Unexpectedly, there was such an inside story, and Xia even set up mines. Lin Xingyuan was both shocked and relieved, and his mood was very complicated. Seeing the old captain's guilty expression, he immediately relaxed his furrowed brows and comforted him.

"It's a good thing you're all alright."

“After the battle started, nobody paid attention to us. Luckily, Sergeant Allen was alert and we managed to hide.”

The old captain looked at Ellen, who shrugged.

"It should be said that the Black Reaper is too famous. Compared to him, we are nothing. Captain, would you like some orange juice? It's a specialty of Side 2."

She tossed Lin Xingyuan a can of drink. Lin Xingyuan was thirsty, so he opened it and took a big gulp. His body and mind, replenished by the sugar, finally relaxed.

"Thank you, please navigate to these coordinates."

The longer the night, the more likely things will go wrong. To prevent Xia from making a comeback, Lin Xingyuan immediately provided the Republic-level support position. While the two were operating, he casually asked a question.

"By the way, what's in the container?"

"Electronic components of Space Force standard."

"is it?"

Lin Xingyuan raised his eyebrows. This was a much-needed item for Luna 2, no wonder they took such a big risk to send it over.

The cargo ship quickly began to accelerate, and only after leaving this space did Lin Xingyuan feel completely at ease. He leaned against the bulkhead, closed his eyes and pretended to doze off, recalling the battle while opening the settlement panel.

In the previous interception of a Zeon transport convoy, he captured six Ground-type Zaku, but because the mission was too easy, he only received a D rating. Later, he intercepted a surprise attack by Johnny Raiden (Crimson Lightning) and received a C rating. In these two operations, he earned three chances to win prizes. This time, he shot down six Zaku units from the Royal Guard and repelled Char's attack, earning him a generous B rating from the GM, which was truly impressive.

In terms of experience, the three battles added 3600 points, of which Char and Jonny contributed 1800 points and the seven Royal Guard Zaku contributed 1800 points (300 points per unit, but halved when destroyed together). Thus, I am only 200 points away from becoming an elite pilot. However, thinking about it carefully, since the start of the war, I have shot down 16 mobile suits, destroyed or damaged 7 battleships and 1 transport ship, and fought against Char, Jonny, and White Wolf and other Zeon aces. I am definitely an elite pilot. In this light, the system's classification is in line with the facts, but it is a bit redundant.

Next came the thrilling card-drawing segment. Encouraged by the comments, Lin Xingyuan went all in seven times in a row. Soon, seven cards appeared in his field of vision. Clicking on them one by one, the cards were: Charisma 1, Spirit 1, Insight 1, Eagle Eye 1, Concealment 1, Critical Hit Penetration 1, and a Zaku Warrior Wizard Backpack blueprint. Although he didn't get any more character cards, his luck was still off the charts. This brought his six stats to Strength 10+5, Agility 10+7, Constitution 10+6, Intelligence 9+7, Charisma 8+6, and Spirit 10+6 (he'd forgotten this one before). His skills upgraded to Insight +4, Eagle Eye +3, Concealment +2, and Critical Hit Penetration +2, while Quick Defense remained at +2, and Luck was still +3—highlighting how rare and difficult it was to obtain these cards.