Gundam UC Hunting Time

He boasted with no small amount of pride, but Mei stopped what she was doing, put down her tablet, looked up, adjusted her glasses, and stared at him intently.

“I suggest you don’t have such thoughts. This is war, and people will die…” Her tone became serious, her expression more earnest, and even pleading: “If possible, I hope you only encounter mediocre opponents.”

"That's so unfair to them!"

Lin Xingyuan thought for a moment and couldn't help but feel sorry for such an opponent. As a result, Sergeant Mei glared at him with unusual ferocity and a terrifying aura.

"Huh!? What did you say?"

"...No! I mean, okay! Of course!"

Under her gaze, Lin Xingyuan could only nod in assurance, thinking that perhaps the recent deaths had shaken her usually stable emotions.

She still cares about me.

For a moment, Lin Xingyuan was quite pleased with himself, but then he heard Mei say something.

"If you really want some excitement, you can go find Lieutenant Hillary. She's very interested in you, isn't she?"

She went back to her work, and Lin Xingyuan waved his hands repeatedly in denial.

"No way! I'm not interested in her!"

"Hmph~~~" Mei Tou drawled, without raising her head, "Is that so? She's a rare beauty; it would be a shame to miss her."

Lin Xingyuan's perception skills were almost maxed out, so he could tell that she was being insincere. He rolled his eyes and continued, "Even you say that? Hmm... okay, I'll go find her."

The computer suddenly issued an ER prompt; Mei had pressed the wrong key. Lin Xingyuan was about to tease her when he heard Lieutenant Hillary's voice.

"Lieutenant Lin, Major Wakken wants you to go to his office."

"Oh? You wanted to see me?" Lin Xingyuan leaned out of the cockpit and looked at Lieutenant Hillary at the foot of the aircraft. "Do you know what it is?"

"They said you're going to Earth."

Lieutenant Hillary said that for some reason, Lin Xingyuan felt that she was a little happy.

"Go to Earth?"

Author's message

……

……

The Gundam world lines are a mess... Oh well, let's stick to the original setting, Lara isn't in Flanagan.

In the original novel, the Zeon Newtypes were all selected through screening, and there was no such thing as enhanced humans. Now, it has been completely changed.

Chapter Seventy-Four: Going to Earth

Later, Lin Xing arrived at Wakeman's office. Just as Lieutenant Hillary had conveyed, Wakeman wanted him to go to Earth, to the Federation Army's headquarters in Gabro.

With his hands clasped together, he increasingly adopted the air of Commander Ikari: "...The recent series of battles has provided a considerable amount of valuable data for Project V. Thanks to this, the project is progressing quite smoothly, and the prototype of the new MS is about to roll off the production line. The development of mass-produced mobile suits for mass deployment has also officially begun, including various related support weapons. As one of the key drivers of the project, Gabro is very much looking forward to Captain's assistance in establishing an experimental unit based on the application of the new mass-produced mobile suits."

"Me? One of the key figures behind it? Really?"

Could it be that I've really become one of Gundam's fathers? Oh, one of them?

Lin Xingyuan pointed to himself somewhat embarrassed, and the live chat erupted in laughter with "2333".

"Captain, believe me, you're more important than you think. Even your transfer order was personally issued by General Rebil," Wakken said with a smile, then his expression turned serious. "There was no other way before, but now the Luna 2 pilot training is on track, and we have enough leeway to handle the gap while you're gone. Moreover, the needs of our space forces and ground forces are different in the development of new machines, and no one understands better than you what kind of machines our pilots need."

His last sentence was particularly meaningful—it involved a struggle over military resources. Lin Xingyuan understood immediately and snapped to attention, saluting.

"No problem, I will do my utmost for the Space Force."

The live chat immediately erupted in celebration.

[Let's go to Earth and pilot a Gundam!]

Unit 1 was taken offline in July! Perfect timing to go and receive it!

[Finally, it's not so boring anymore!]

I want to see how Yuanzu was affected.

[In fact, Luna II could completely manufacture Gundam on its own. The mass-produced GM they created with their Mega Technic is a good thing. The output of the furnace and the thrust of the thrusters are on par with the original Gundam. The RGM-79G GM Commander even surpasses the original Gundam—all they need to do is find a way to get some Luna titanium alloy.]

[The one above, Luna 2 doesn't even have the ability to create supertensible steel.]

"By the way, can I bring the mecha with me?"

Lin Xingyuan asked, "My mech was meticulously prepared by Sergeant Mei. I can't bear to let others mess with it. What if it gets blown up one day? Wouldn't that tarnish my reputation as the Black Death?"

“No.” Hua Ken refused without hesitation: “We don’t have the capacity to send rare machines to Earth.”

"……learn."

Lin Xingyuan shrugged, but he didn't feel regretful. The comments were right. With his contributions and Reibil's appreciation, he would definitely be able to pilot a Gundam in Taiwan. He just didn't know which unit it would be. Speaking of which, Bandai treats the setting books like food. They've even started wholesaling the original Gundam.

However, on the other hand, given the production capacity of the Universal Century, it would be perfectly normal to produce more than a dozen Gundams at the same time; there would be no pressure at all.

Also, I was afraid that Yuanzu would have a difficult birth, so I made too conservative demands before. Now that Yuanzu has been born, can I make more demands?

For example, should we propose magnetic coating in advance? Or should we simply let them build their own dedicated machine? Utilizing a full-circle cockpit and linear seats? As for weaponry, should we continue with the current setup? Should we turn the Gatling gun into a beam weapon? Or should we continue with physical weapons? Where should we put the beam saber? On the back? Or should we learn from Freedom and mount it on the waist? Hmm, Freedom, or maybe we should have them research the technology of large wings? What's it called again? Active aeroelastic wings?

Hehehe~ Isn't that too greedy?

There are also mass-produced units. While the original GM boasts performance comparable to the Dom, it's still somewhat lacking, putting it at a disadvantage against the Warrior. Could we perhaps make some improvements? Right, Project V had escape drones, but the mass-produced units are gone, so we crammed in a torture device. Maybe we could start from that and have them make them bigger? If all else fails, even with the specifications used by the Space Force, could we equip them with a spherical cockpit that also functions as an escape route? Not a full-circuit, but a half-circuit would be fine, right? That way, if the Gundam malfunctions, it wouldn't be so unfortunate to have it for emergency use.

Lin Xingyuan was having a blast, imagining what he would do after arriving on Earth, and watching the live stream with the comments. He was having a blast until he got back to the hangar and was about to tell Mei about going to Earth when he suddenly met a glance from Lieutenant Hillary. Although she immediately turned her face away as if nothing had happened, Lin Xingyuan's heart skipped a beat and he had an unpleasant premonition.

What's causing this unease?

Just as Lin Xinyuan was feeling agitated by a strange sense of crisis, Sergeant Mei saw him return.

"Are we really going to Earth?"

"The transfer order was personally signed by General Rebil."

Lin Xingyuan shrugged. Upon hearing this, the maintenance workers around him all showed expressions of surprise and envy. Only Mei remained unmoved, looking down at the PAD connected to the machine.

"How long will it take? What about the machine itself? Should we revert the settings?"

Because there are more pilots than mechs, the Luna 2 Zani uses a combat shift system and there is no such thing as an exclusive mech. Lin Xingyuan is the only exception—his mech is closer to the experimental machine and has undergone too many personalized customizations and modifications, making it difficult for other pilots to control. If the settings had to be modified before each sortie, it would be a huge project, not to mention that Lin Xingyuan himself is already using this mech at a high intensity.

The maintenance crew follows the machine. If Lin Xingyuan no longer uses this machine, then Mei, as the person in charge of its maintenance, will have to consider the next pilot.

"I don't know how long it will be gone, but I probably won't have the chance to drive it again."

Lin Xingyuan was also a little reluctant to part with it, after all, this machine embodied too many of his and Mei's ideas and efforts.

"Really? Then I'll restore it."

Mei brought up the system interface and prepared to restore factory settings.

This woman is too decisive and ruthless!

Lin Xingyuan's eyes widened, both amused and exasperated, and he hurriedly stopped her.

"No! Let me drive it one more time!"

"Oh." Mei finally stopped and looked at Lin Xingyuan: "When?"

"Tomorrow, when we return to Earth."

Lin Xingyuan said that the inexplicable unease he felt earlier made him feel that he needed to stay on the train until the very last moment to avoid being tricked.

May pushed up her glasses: "You should know that we removed the NBC protective armor from this Zaku, so it no longer supports single-unit entry into the atmosphere."

"Hmm...didn't we not support it from the beginning?"

Lin Xingyuan was surprised. He still remembered Amuro's performance when piloting the Original Z into the atmosphere; in comparison, the Zaku fared much worse.

Could it be that because it was an aircraft manufactured after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, it was unable to withstand the heat entering the atmosphere?

"Never mind, it's just a routine notification."

"..."

Besides his tsundere personality, does this guy also have a bit of an eccentric personality?

Lin Xingyuan was thinking about something absurd when Bianca suddenly grabbed him from behind and choked him.

"Captain! I'll do anything for you, please take me to Earth too!"

She clung tightly to Lin Xingyuan's back, chattering incessantly, completely oblivious to the fact that Lin Xingyuan was nearly choked unconscious. Meanwhile, Io, hands in his pockets, not only offered no help but also made sarcastic and cynical remarks.

"We are fighting hard here, and some people have abandoned us to go on vacation on Earth. How unfair is that?"

Chapter Seventy-Five: Ambush (Seeking Support)

After a night of revelry with his colleagues and trainees who came to see him off, Lin Xingyuan embarked on his journey to Earth early the next morning. However, he did not take the shuttle but instead traveled in his own mobile suit, which puzzled many of his close pilots.

"Hey, Captain, at a time like this, stop pushing yourself. Wouldn't it be better to sit comfortably?"

While piloting an 18-meter-tall steel giant might seem glamorous and popular with girls, it's actually a tough job. Aside from the radiation, hair loss, and skin problems caused by being surrounded by electronic devices for extended periods, combat is even more demanding. The constant acceleration and deceleration, and the struggle against G-force fluctuations, put immense strain on the body—the brain, muscles, bones, and internal organs are constantly compressed, often leading to various chronic illnesses, the most common being stomach problems that affect appetite. This is why many pilots drink alcohol. Therefore, whenever possible, pilots want to stay far away from their mobile suits, comfortably sitting or lying down. It's rare to find someone like Lin Xingyuan, who spends all his time in the cockpit, even during times like this.

"Don't judge others with your narrow-minded perspective; that's the mark of a top-notch driver."

Some admire Lin Xingyuan, believing that this is the reason he became an ace, and intend to learn from him.

But in reality, Lin Xingyuan simply believed the reminders from the comments and his own +4 insight.

In short, caution is the best policy.

However, some people were unhappy—watching the three Republic-class escort ships leave port, Lieutenant Hillary looked worried and quietly clenched her fists among the crowd seeing them off.

How could this happen? Was there a problem with the intelligence?

"Don't worry, Captain, the captain is just going to work, he'll be back."

Others assumed she was reluctant to part with Lin Xingyuan and kindly offered their condolences. Lieutenant Hillary, on the verge of tears, could only manage an awkward yet polite smile.

The Republic-class escorted the shuttle as it flew towards Earth orbit. Lin Xingyuan sat in the cockpit, flipping through his personal panel.

Perhaps because he was promoted to elite pilot and no longer enjoyed novice protection, his ratings in the first few battles were D and E, and he gained very little experience. His card draw results were also speechless: four cards, one skill, and three blueprints. At first glance, they seemed good, but the skill was Emergency Repair +1. The other three were Seed's King MA-M3 Heavy Slash Sword blueprint, 00's Iron Man Legal System 155mm×50 Caliber Smoothbore Cannon blueprint, and W's Cosmic Leo's Cylindrical Space Thruster blueprint, highlighting that one of them was completely useless.

[That's more like it, kid!]

[Didn't expect that, did you? Stunned?]

Haha, welcome to the real world!

The live chat was filled with gloating, making Lin Xingyuan's fists clench. He silently closed his personal panel, knowing that the GM was telling him in this way—want good stuff? I've put all the good stuff in the high-rated CB level and above. If you want it, go for it.

In short, people want excitement, fun, and abstract content, not bland, drawn-out plots.

Lin Xingyuan sighed helplessly, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

On the other side, Earth's orbit—

To avoid detection, the MS team's Msa was deployed far beyond the detection range, while the other six MS were hidden among the vast amount of space debris, their thrusters turned off, making them completely inconspicuous.

Inside the bright red MS-06R-1 High Mobility Zaku II cockpit, Johnny Leiden checked the machine's data, but his mind was on the black Zaku II he had encountered several times before.

Can this modified machine hunt down that guy?

For some reason, he felt a little uneasy—the black Zani the other driver was driving was actually just an ordinary Zaku II. However, the other driver's skill and tactics had left a deep impression on him.

That was definitely not an ordinary driver, and—

'Johnny Ridden, what do you believe in and what is the purpose of fighting for? Is it the medals you receive? Is it orders from above?'

The words of the driver of that black Zani were like a curse, tormenting him and making him toss and turn, unable to sleep, and even unable to hate the other party for killing his cherished subordinates and comrades.

The other side was driven by revenge, genuinely trying to stop the Zeon army's atrocities, and proud of it, while he couldn't convince himself that he was fighting for the freedom and rights of space colonists—no matter how he tried to disguise it with words, the Zabi family, no, the Zeon army, had indeed killed billions of people and had no right to claim that. Now, they were resorting to despicable means to intercept and kill him.

"This is war, don't think too much, or you'll die..."

He tried to comfort himself with the same words he usually used to comfort his subordinates, but he couldn't calm himself down.

"Hey Johnny, what are you thinking about?"

Robert Kiriam, the leader of another ambush squad, sent a communication with a distinctly sarcastic tone in his voice.