Gundam UC Hunting Time

Sergeant Mei heard this, looked up at him, and seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, he also spoke seriously.

"You should be able to make it, but don't have too high expectations."

Lin Xingyuan only heard the first half of the sentence before he excitedly clenched his fist, his heart and eyes filled with eagerness to try.

Author's message

……

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Oops, I set the wrong time again.

Chapter 68: The Villain's Battle (Part 1) - Bonus Chapter!

On May 5.22, UC.0079, Earth's orbit—

"The forward-deployed special-purpose iron ball reconnaissance team has detected the Zeon orbital supply fleet; the number is currently being confirmed—"

The communications officer turned around and reported, and the captain of the Columbus-class ship asked with concern.

"We weren't discovered, were we?"

"It shouldn't be that bad. The Zeon forces are preparing to drop supplies, and the entire fleet is orbiting very low. They won't care about a few insignificant pieces of space debris."

"That's good." The captain breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Lin Xingyuan: "Lieutenant, when do you think would be a suitable time to deploy?"

The Columbus-class was the core of this attack operation, and Lin Xingyuan, as a captain, was originally the commander of the mobile force. He thought he could only command a squadron at most, but the base's high command, including Huaken, trusted him very much, so he was forced into the position and became the commander of the mobile force.

When do you think they'll start dropping supplies?

Lin Xingyuan stared at the big screen, stroking his chin as he asked the observer.

The observer manipulated the computer twice and gave the answer: "Judging from the altitude and speed, the optimal time to drop is forty minutes later—"

"Um……"

Lin Xingyuan nodded. At this moment, the reconnaissance team sent back the size of the Zeon supply fleet. Lin Xingyuan calculated their numbers and took stock of the military strength of both sides.

The four M'Sai-class ships are likely on escort missions; if all are equipped with mobile suits (MS), that's over 16 units. There are eight Papua-class ships, mostly carrying supplies, but with the large-capacity Yap-class also present, they may be carrying escort units; conservatively estimated, there should be over 24 units. On this side, there are only four squadrons of 12 mobile suits, aboard the Columbus-class and two other Salamis-class ships with modified forward hangars. The rest are the Special Steel Balls. The 101st Flight Group has a total of 27 units. Excluding the three reconnaissance missions, eight squadrons (24 units) are directly combat-ready.

It doesn't seem like it's impossible.

After assessing the military strength of both sides, Lin Xingyuan made a judgment—this was the first time he had commanded such a large mobile force, and he was a little nervous when making the decision.

The comments section was filled with anticipation.

After glancing at his watch, Lin Xingyuan nodded to the captain.

"Tell the flagship that we will begin our operation in fifteen minutes, engage the enemy in twenty minutes, and withdraw from the battle in thirty-five minutes."

"Understood."

The captain immediately sent a message through the communications unit, and after receiving a reply from the flagship, the battle alarm was immediately sounded on the Columbus-class ships.

"How was it like being a commander for the first time?"

Lin Xingyuan changed into his pilot's suit and sat in the cockpit. Bianca's teasing voice immediately came through the communication channel—taking advantage of having an easy-going superior and being a woman, she was somewhat unscrupulous.

"Nothing special. But you, it's your first time piloting a mobile suit in actual combat. Did you pee? Did you pray? Don't pee your pants later."

"Enough with the chat! This is only my first time operating a MS in real combat, not my first time participating in a real battle. I'm not going to piss my pants!"

Bianca could tease Lin Xingyuan, but she couldn't stand Lin Xingyuan's teasing. Her face turned bright red. Io chuckled mischievously on the communication channel, but didn't say anything, clearly having learned his lesson.

Lin Xingyuan did not give chase, but instead switched communication channels and contacted Hillary of the 101st Flight Squadron.

"Lieutenant, how's the situation on your end?"

"Everything is normal, Captain." The reply was muffled, seemingly tinged with resentment. Lin Xingyuan stared into her eyes through the communication screen, warning her word by word.

"Lieutenant Hillary, this is the 101st Fighter Group's debut. I have high hopes for this unit and don't want any problems to arise. Understand?"

"I understand."

"I can't believe it," Lieutenant Hillary said nervously, looking away and avoiding Lin Xingyuan's gaze. Lin Xingyuan secretly decided that if she messed up, he would submit a report to have her replaced.

Switching to the radio again, Lin Xingyuan made a call to all combat units.

"Antares01 calling all units. Our objective is the enemy transport fleet. Don't waste time on Musai. The fleet and Swordfish will handle them. Maintain altitude at all times during the operation. Don't rush back to Mother Earth. Once the time is up, retreat immediately. Don't linger in the fight. I don't want any casualties in this battle. Understand?"

"Received!"

"Do not worry."

The replies came loosely from the veterans of the MS team. In contrast, the newcomers of the Special Iron Team were much more nervous, but fortunately, their replies were very organized, and their morale was good.

Subsequently, the Republic-class destroyers, specifically tasked with search and rescue, were deployed first from the Columbus-class, followed by the Swordfish information relay units equipped with strong communication capabilities. After this crucial unit arrived, the flagship Magellan-class and its escorting Samiras-class destroyers began launching long-range missiles. Next came the Swordfish attack squadron, responsible for finishing off the Musei, followed by four Zani squadrons tasked with breaking through and suppressing the enemy's Zaku escorts. Lin Xingyuan's squadron also deployed in this batch, flying at the forefront. Finally, the 101st Flight Group's specially equipped Iron Balls were deployed; they were the main force attacking the transport ships. (Here, I have to criticize the MS IGLOO series; what a chaotic arrangement! They're like a disorganized mob, completely lacking in discipline.)

Everything proceeded according to the planned operation without any unexpected incidents, which secretly relieved Lin Xingyuan.

Meanwhile, the Zeon supply fleet finally spotted the approaching Federation forces and immediately began to assemble, simultaneously releasing Minovsky particles. The assembly was intended to utilize a dense formation to unleash stronger defensive firepower and reduce the defensive pressure on the Musei and MS teams. The release of Minovsky particles was to disrupt the Federation's missile attacks.

The four Musei ships immediately released the Zaku forces and turned their main guns towards the location where the Federation forces were attacking.

"Captain."

The blue Earth filled the cockpit screen, showcasing its magnificence and wonder. Io gazed at this miraculous home planet of humanity and suddenly sent a message to Lin Xingyuan.

Why are the bigwigs in the federal government not focused on improving the Earth's environment, but instead on sending humans into space?

"Because environmental remediation costs money, a lot of money."

Lin Xingyuan answered according to the comments, which puzzled Io.

"Wouldn't building colony satellites cost even more money?"

"How can that be the same? Building colonies is an investment, but cleaning up Earth's environment is like throwing money down the drain; you won't see any returns. Instead of going through all that trouble, we should just send people into space, and the environment will slowly heal itself."

As always, the comments expressed Lin Xingyuan's views. He hated Zeon because he couldn't stand the Zabi family's atrocities, but he wasn't a staunch supporter of the Federation because the world under their rule wasn't the future he, a person from the old era, hoped for.

“Capitalism…” Io couldn’t help but sigh.

"What are you saying, you capitalist privileged brat?"

Lin Xingyuan suddenly wanted to complain. Io's father was the mayor of the Moor colony, managing hundreds of millions of people. He was a proper nobleman. But thinking that his father would rather die than surrender to Zeon, he kept quiet. However, the comments section started to get agitated.

Being bald is still too limiting.

That's not a limitation of being bald, it's a limitation of the times.

Every era has its own vision for the future; there's no need to be overly critical.

Even in our time, not everyone feels that the future is bright.

Please don't be too cruel to the future I long for.

A piece of space debris floated across the screen—it turned out to be a Soyuz spacecraft from the CCCP era. Someone posted this comment, and Lin Xingyuan suddenly felt very sad—what would the astronauts of that era say if they saw this scene now?

At least the UC world is certainly not the future they envisioned.

"Muse's beam is coming!"

Monica shouted into the communication channel, and the sudden alarm made Lin Xingyuan realize that something was wrong with him.

Even though it's a tense moment with battle approaching, why am I suddenly so sentimental?

A beam of light swept across the screen, and some amazing person had somehow selected "The Glorious Guide (Слава Впередсмотрящему)," instantly creating a Soviet atmosphere and pulling Lin Xingyuan out of his slump.

Long live farsightedness!

Forward! Comrade!

"Attention all personnel! Prepare for battle!"

Countless wires rushed toward the Zeon supply fleet. Lin Xingyuan shouted the order, raised the beam rocket launcher that Sergeant Mei had worked all night to build, and aimed it at the Zaku that was coming toward them.

"Crush the cosmic Nazis!"

Author's message

……

……

I was planning to update tomorrow, but I'll leave it at that. Please don't scold me if it's late tomorrow, and please support me!

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Villain's Battle (Part Two)

At the boundary between blue and black vacuum, light flashed and intertwined, bursting into bursts of colorful fireworks. Most anti-ship missiles, interfered with by Minovsky particles, lost their targets and were destroyed by interceptor fire, but a very few lucky ones managed to cross the line of fire and embrace their targets.

One Musai disintegrated in the explosion and fell into the atmosphere, while another was damaged. However, this brief setback did not stop the Zeon forces from fighting back. Both sides opened their gun ports and fired at each other, but then, following the missile barrage, the Swordfish rushed in, bypassing the MS team's intercepting fire, and launched a barrage of rockets at the Musai.

Seeing that the mothership was severely damaged, all the Zaku on board were enraged and desperately sent troops to reinforce it. But at this moment, Lin Xingyuan's MS team also arrived at the battlefield. Even faster than them was the first wave of support fire launched by the special-equipped Iron Balls that were working together.

The onslaught of artillery shells and rockets was countless. The Zaku guards hurriedly maneuvered to dodge, but some of the machines were still hit and exploded on the spot, causing complete chaos in their formation. This gave Lin Xingyuan and his team the opportunity to strike first.

Ignoring the sporadic fire from the Zaku, the black Zani took the lead, raising its beam rocket launcher and firing a beam. The beam pierced straight through the fire line, hitting a Zaku in front of it, and then, incredibly, struck the supply ship that was gathering behind it! Immediately afterward, the Io and Bianca units on its flanks also launched attacks, achieving successive victories.

On the bridge of the Magellan-class battleship, watching the invincible MS fleet, the fleet commander—a traditional big-ship, big-gun enthusiast—couldn't help but sigh with regret.

"Why does the commander sigh?"

The adjutant couldn't help but wonder, since our army clearly had the upper hand, after this battle, the Zeon army would surely realize that what they could do, the Federation army could also do, and the time for unilateral domination of the battlefield was over!

"It is indeed an impressive mobile suit... It reminds me of the wave during World War II when battleships were replaced by aircraft carriers."

"If that's the case, then yes..."

This time it was the adjutant's turn to sigh. The MS, this revolutionary next-generation weapon, directly shattered the pride of the Federation Space Force, leaving these traditional officers who believed in giant ships and cannons feeling powerless as if they had been swept into the dustbin of history.

Once upon a time, the Space Force's warships also used powerful information capabilities to empower their giant cannons and missiles, eliminating the space fighters and aircraft carriers. Who would have thought that history would turn around so quickly.

"However, Commander, in this situation, we need to demonstrate the combat capabilities of our ships even more."

But the battle is still ongoing, and this is not the time for lamenting. As his adjutant, he immediately reminded him, with a hint of resentment in his voice.

"That's right!" the commander exclaimed excitedly. "Fleet forward! Gunners, let those Zeon laymen witness the pride of our army!"

A Zaku with captain's livery lunged at the black Zani, its machine guns firing at full power. Lin Xingyuan nimbly dodged the incoming fire, firing back while simultaneously launching shoulder-mounted wire-guided missiles. Taking advantage of the enemy aircraft's evasive maneuver, Io swiftly pounced, its shoulder-mounted Vulcan cannons overwhelming the enemy, and then, as it closed in, swung its tomahawk missile.

After the violent explosion, the captain's machine was split in two. His partner was furious and rushed forward to fight the Io machine, but Bianca seized the opportunity from behind and shot it down with a cannon. The other machine immediately turned around, but was then hit by the returning Io machine.

At this moment, the two MS teams finally clashed, turned around, and began a melee. Bianca immediately fired a volley of wire-guided missiles, and Io also bombarded the area with rockets. Lin Xingyuan took down a Zaku at close range and looked back at the 101st Flight Group, which was being covered by the MS teams.

"Go! 101st Squadron! Target: enemy ship!"

He issued the order, and the 101st Squadron's special-equipped iron ball immediately accelerated, overtaking the mobile suits in the midst of the battle and charging towards the chaotic transport and supply fleet. The Zeon Zaku attempted to intercept, but Lin Xingyuan immediately adjusted the muzzle of the beam rocket launcher, shooting down the Zaku charging at the front and effectively deterring the two behind it.

Seeing a swarm of 'long-tailed tadpoles' rapidly approaching, the Zeon transport and supply fleet immediately opened fire with all its might. However, even though they were clustered together, their anti-aircraft firepower was far from tight. The iron balls were also surprisingly maneuverable, and their small size made them difficult to hit. Even if they were occasionally hit, their shields could spread out the shells.

Soon, the vanguard's special-purpose iron balls began firing, unleashing a barrage of shells, missiles, and rockets. A Papua-class ship was immediately severely damaged; a large hole was torn in its port side by the explosion, ejecting numerous airdrop pods along with flames, and the ship tilted precariously. Following Lieutenant Hillary's instructions, subsequent special-purpose iron balls also attacked their designated enemy ships.

"Christopher has been hit and is unable to sail! Michel has disintegrated!"

"'Bernder' and 'Schulz' have been hit and are on fire!"

The communications of the Zeon supply fleet were filled with cries of anguish. In the cockpit of the special Iron Ball Commander Unit, Hillary gripped the control stick tightly, her face contorted with pain. As a Zeon spy who had infiltrated Luna 2, she had strived to climb the ranks, prove herself, and gain trust, only to find herself transformed into an executioner who would wield a blade against her comrades.

Watching the supplies and crew being thrown into the vacuum of space, she wanted to do something, but there was nothing she could do—during the operation, her every word and action would be recorded and analyzed in the post-battle review.

She was extremely saddened, but she couldn't show it at all. She still had to give instructions actively and promptly, otherwise that despicable Captain Lin would definitely get rid of her from this position, making all her previous efforts go to waste.

Hurry up and do something! The Yap-class doesn't carry any mobile suits?!

As if in response to her plea, the Yapp ship in the center of the supply fleet opened its hatch and released mobile suits. They clung to the broad hull of the Yapp-class ships and opened fire on the approaching special-purpose iron ball.

The two specially equipped iron balls were caught off guard during the attack, hit by bullets, and were shot down. Lieutenant Hillary was immediately excited.