Chapter Forty-Nine: The Armstrong... Cannon

Bobby, relying purely on instinct, had already bolted off in search of an escape pod without so much as a backward glance. It seemed all his skill points had been invested in running away.

Hao Ren, feeling helpless, shot a look at the head maid, but she seemed unwilling to meet his eyes and vanished, taking Sanae and Hong Meiling with her.

…Was that just tsundere behavior?

With the confidence of one who possessed his own “Hawaii,” Hao Ren decided to wander aimlessly for a bit. Whether it was sheer dumb luck or some twist of fate, his wandering led him to the two downed Gundams: “Strike” and “Aegis.” He also happened upon the soulful gaze exchanged between Kira and Athrun, those inseparable friends.

Ah, Murrue’s figure truly lived up to its reputation.

And there it was—a classic scene: Murrue, in a show of force, shoved little Kira into a cramped, pitch-dark compartment and then climbed in herself.

Ahem—a clarification: I mean the cockpit of the “Strike” Gundam.

Oh, oh, oh—the Strike Gundam is standing up!

A Gundam towering over the earth—this moment was worth preserving. Hao Ren whipped out his camera and switched it to continuous shooting mode. By the way, the camera was a Canon 5D.

Thanks to Murrue’s painfully awkward piloting, the unsteady movements of the Strike Gundam made for perfect photography material! Once Kira awakened as the ultimate pilot, it’d be impossible to capture such a rare scene again.

Emulating the enthusiasm of his idol, Hao Ren kept changing angles, snapping shot after shot. Inside the cockpit, Kira watched his classmates flee in terror, calling out their names in desperation. Suddenly, the camera panned to Hao Ren, possessed by the spirit of a renowned photographer, blinding everyone with flashes from his ancient camera. Kira was thoroughly flustered.

Kira could swear he’d never made such a face in his life. He’d met plenty of airheads before, but this was the first time he’d seen someone whose brains could be played like a dulcimer.

It wasn’t until a ZAFT “Ginn” fired two shots at the Strike’s feet that Kira snapped out of it and seized control of the system settings.

The sound of frantic tapping filled the cockpit.

“How envious!” Hao Ren was a dyed-in-the-wool Gundam fanatic.

Then, with a delayed start, Hao Ren remembered: Didn’t he receive a mobile suit and pilot skills as a temporary gift from the Main Brain?

He quietly blended in among Kira’s classmates and checked his own pilot skills first.

Skill: “Energy Fortress” (temporary). When serving as Master (i.e., the fleet’s battle commander), allied mobile suits within command range recover 5% HP and 5% EN per minute.

Hao Ren had become the ultimate healer on the battlefield.

Anyone with such a skill would be in hot demand during combat.

Next, he checked the mobile suit granted by the Main Brain.

Mobile Suit: Unicorn Gundam (basic)
Stats: HP 10,000/10,000; EN 130/130; Attack 19; Defense 19; Mobility 20; Movement 6
Terrain Adaptation: Space B, Land B, Water B
Weapons: Beam Sabers, 60mm Vulcan Guns, Beam Magnum Rifle, Super Bazooka

Wait—wasn’t this the basic version for “loli-cons”?

Main Brain! I only have one loli on my team, Nemesis, and she can change her size at will. The rest are young women or mature ladies! Even the smallest, Kanade, is unexpectedly well-developed—why give me a loli suit?

And it even has the NT-D system, right?

…Wait, no, I got it wrong—it’s the NT-D system, not NT-R.

“I refuse to acknowledge any mobile suit without a V-fin as a real Gundam!” Hao Ren’s howl startled those around him.

Everyone who’d witnessed Hao Ren’s bizarre antics just shook their heads. Kira, having just dispatched the Ginn and climbed down from the Strike, was already nursing a headache.

Miriallia was carefully bandaging the still-unconscious Murrue’s wounds—a truly good girl. Pairing her with Diago later on was such a waste.

Apparently, the Main Brain had set Hao Ren up as one of Kira’s classmates, which explained why he could blend in without suspicion.

But really, that whole string of actions had been far from inconspicuous.

“I’m Murrue Ramius, a lieutenant in the Earth Alliance. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you all disperse like this.” Murrue, revived at last, suddenly leveled a gun at everyone, issuing veiled threats and muttering about classified information.

How dull.

If memory served, Murrue was already twenty-six. Tsk tsk—no wonder she was still single, being this fierce.

A throbbing vein appeared on Murrue’s forehead—she could sense someone having inappropriate thoughts.

The other boys and girls, still in their teens, were visibly shaken.

Hao Ren was still fiddling with his camera.

Sai, the boy who would later be heartbroken after Kira’s betrayal, was busy spouting Orb’s neutrality doctrine. Yet all these G-weapons were Orb’s handiwork—what a slap in the face.

“Hey, Long, quit playing with that antique. Think of something—what are we supposed to do?” Thor, named after the thunder god and currently dating Miriallia (though doomed to be an early casualty), turned to Hao Ren for guidance.

Apparently, Hao Ren’s backstory was that he’d repeated two grades and was two years older, making him the de facto anchor of the group.

Damn it, Main Brain! I’m not that dumb! At least make me a senior, you bastard!

For the record, Hao Ren’s full name was “Blackflame Long.”

What a tangled web.

“I can’t think of any good ideas—after all, she has a gun,” Hao Ren said, spreading his hands.

As much as he wanted to show off his Gundam, he had no idea how to pilot it!

It looked like the “Energy Fortress” skill would remain unused—if he didn’t pilot a mobile suit, the skill wouldn’t activate.

Thor sighed, seeing that it was a lost cause.

Suddenly, a white mobile suit tore through the sky, descending with a roar.

That must be Rau Le Creuset’s “Zieg.”

At the same moment, the “Archangel” blasted its way through the obstacles, bursting from the shattered base.

Mu La Flaga’s heavy fighter, the “Mobius Zero,” had all four of its wire-guided gunpods blown off by the Zieg and was now little more than a useless hulk.

Outfitted with artillery gear, the Strike hoisted its massive, long-barreled impulse cannon and began firing relentlessly at the Deins overhead.

Wasn’t this the Armstrong Rotating Accelerating Jet-Propelled Armstrong Cannon? The authenticity was uncanny!

Soon enough, Orb’s defenses were left in ruins under the barrage.

Rau Le Creuset, battered and reeling, decided to withdraw rather than face the onslaught.

Hao Ren seized the opportunity to board the Archangel with Kira and the others.

Up close, the Archangel was truly magnificent!

“So happy! I don’t have to rely on model kits to satisfy myself anymore!” Tears streaming down his face, Hao Ren once more pulled out his beloved antique camera and started snapping away.

And then…

Murrue promptly detained him for “leaking military secrets.”

Glaring furiously, the formidable lady watched as Hao Ren produced his long-unused Sharp phone.

“Why did you lock me in a dark room for over a week!” came the first words from the reappearing Sharp.