Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran encountered Basak again and accepted him into his team after laying out its strict rules. Basak joined without realizing the team’s many Followers would share in its resources, and Cruze warned him not to betray the team.

• Xiao Ran realized he already owned the Weakness Identification skill Basak was selling, though Cruze could have used it with his Weakness Break awakening skill.
• Basak recognized Xiao Ran and explained that Luo had led him to believe Xiao Ran would make a suitable teammate.
• Xiao Ran told Basak that team resources were shared, Xiao Ran made the decisions, and members had to follow his mission arrangements; Basak agreed to join.
• Basak accepted Xiao Ran’s invitation, then saw the team’s long list of Followers and realized they would share the resources he contributed.
• Basak merged his Living Zone into Xiao Ran’s, and Cruze warned that he would kill Basak if he turned his gun against the team.

Xiao Ran learned that Basak’s Berserker bloodline and skills could make him lose control, so he ordered safeguards for Basak’s unit. Basak also revealed that he had obtained his powerful Huckebein in a terrifying Special Mission, leaving Xiao Ran worried about the dangers of such worlds and eager to secure a MACROSS-class Battleship.

• Cruze sensed the dangerous Berserker weakness within Basak and warned him to keep it under control.
• Xiao Ran read Basak’s information and discovered his Frenzy and Rampage skills, along with his modified Huckebein and Destruction ability.
• Basak admitted he had concealed his bloodline and skills because he feared Xiao Ran would reject him, and said Aura Sensing helped him avoid attacking teammates.
• Xiao Ran told Luo to install a lock on Basak’s unit and considered adding a Haro to take control if Basak went berserk.
• Basak explained that he had acquired the Huckebein during a Special Mission in a world filled with units from many different worlds.
• Xiao Ran recognized the world as resembling Super Robot Wars and worried that the Archangel would be vulnerable there, making him want a MACROSS-class Battleship.

Xiao Ran welcomed Basak into the team, secured his Vulture with safeguards, and distributed skills and equipment among the members. The chapter ended as Luo’s newly built Red Astray appeared in the hangar, outfitted with upgraded armor and weapons.

• Xiao Ran brought Basak into the team, and Luo modified the Vulture with a teammate-targeting safeguard, a hidden compartment for Haro, and an AI Chip.
• Old Luo approved Xiao Ran’s decision, and Basak met the team before placing his possessions in the public warehouse.
• Xiao Ran gave Weakness Identification to Cruze and Mecha Combat Technique to Graham, then gave Basak the Berserker Skill Book and had Luo install the Calamity War God Sword on the Vulture.
• Basak and Luo worked through the night modifying the Vulture and adapting the Calamity War God Sword into hooked blades.
• Luo watched a new Red Astray materialize in the hangar, equipped with strengthened armor, two Physical Swords, a modified Tactical Composite Weapon System, a Solar Furnace, PS Armor, two engines, and GN-BITs.

Luo revealed his upgraded B-class Red Astray, and Xiao Ran organized the Second Archangel and its crew for their next mission. Xiao Ran used a Random Mission Card for the Super Dimension Fortress Frontier world, beginning their return to a Mission World.

• Luo explained the Red Astray’s upgraded weapons, armor, interchangeable backpacks, and Red Dragon repair system, and said Little Eight would help him pilot it.
• Xiao Ran agreed to repay Old Luo the 100,000 Merit Points owed for the Red Astray’s materials and work.
• Xiao Ran asked Luo to design additional backpacks, including one that combined into a Meteor-like system and separated into drones, and Luo agreed to develop the idea.
• Xiao Ran ordered everyone to move the units, Haros, and Mechanist Equipment into the Second Archangel and prepare for a mission focused on obtaining a battleship and supporting Luo’s research.
• Xiao Ran showed Basak a Random Mission Card for the Super Dimension Fortress Frontier world and used it from the Second Archangel’s bridge.

Xiao Ran used a Random Mission Card to take the Second Archangel and his team from Prometheus into the Super Dimension Fortress Frontier world. After discovering the ship had received a one-use FOLD Jump Engine and several destination options, he considered where to go as the mission objective remained unknown.

• Xiao Ran selected the Second Archangel for the random mission, and the ship vanished from Prometheus with everyone aboard unconscious.
• Xiao Ran awoke aboard the Second Archangel, assembled Cruze and Basak on the bridge, and assured Cruze he could find a route to human-inhabited space.
• Sheryl took command of the bridge and had Luo steer the ship while Xiao Ran piloted the Black Hawk outside to determine their location.
• Xiao Ran discovered two enlarged FOLD devices attached to the Second Archangel and learned the ship had gained a one-use Space Jump option.
• Xiao Ran examined the star-region map, which offered Earth, the 25th Fleet's Bug homeworld, and other destinations, then asked the team where they should go.

Xiao Ran returned to the 25th Fleet with Sheryl and learned that Earth had issued orders that threatened the fleet’s autonomy and its peaceful relationship with the bugs. He headed to meet the Great President while considering what Earth intended to do.

• Xiao Ran chose the 25th Fleet as the Second Archangel’s destination, and Sheryl explained the world’s history to the crew during the jump.
• After the ship arrived, Sheryl identified herself to the patrol, and Xiao Ran told the Unified Army to stand down and send his military identification code.
• Xiao Ran reunited with Moses and Billy on the planet and asked them to explain what had happened to the fleet.
• Moses said most of the bugs had left to reproduce, while Earth ordered the fleet to continue its voyage, hand over people cured of the virus, and surrender command of its Unified Defense Force.
• Moses explained that Earth might want the bugs’ power or the Bug Queen, and Sheryl angrily condemned the orders.

Xiao Ran learned that the Earth Unified Army planned to seize Sheryl, Lanka, and the V bacteria carriers, putting the 25th Fleet at risk and triggering a mission to protect them. President Glass explained the fleet’s worsening standoff with Earth, and Xiao Ran considered how to win support before the conflict began.

• Xiao Ran received a mission to protect Sheryl Nome, Lanka Lee, and the 25th Fleet from the Earth Unified Army’s plot, with failure threatening his bond with Sheryl.
• The 25th Fleet’s leaders and Xiao Ran’s allies reacted to the mission’s stakes, while Luo handed ship operations to Little Eight and went to work.
• Xiao Ran arrived at the Presidential Palace and met President Glass, who welcomed him and explained that Earth had demanded the surrender of Lanka, Sheryl, the V bacteria carriers, and the fleet’s military authority.
• President Glass told Xiao Ran that the Bug Empress had fallen asleep, Earth had declared Xiao Ran a deserter, and frontier forces and S.M.S were offering support while other fleets remained neutral.
• Xiao Ran recognized that winning over neutral fleets could be vital, and President Glass raised the possibility of gaining support from the Seventh Fleet, prompting Xiao Ran to ask if he meant the fleet that fought the Primal Demon.

President Glass explained why he hoped to contact Max Sterling’s Seventh Fleet and its Primal Demon allies, while Xiao Ran rejoined the 25th Fleet. Earth Force arrived to take over military authority, prompting Xiao Ran to prepare to meet its envoy.

• President Glass told Xiao Ran that Earth had sacrificed the Seventh Fleet against the Primal Demons, but Basara ended the fighting and the fleet later cut contact with Earth.
• President Glass said Earth would not wait for the insects to return and that the fleet had to delay Earth while seeking reinforcements and Seventh Fleet support.
• Xiao Ran tactfully offered to rejoin the 25th Fleet, and President Glass reinstated him to his former position after Earth Force’s fleet arrived to confront the defenses.
• Xiao Ran contacted Cruze and summoned him, Billy, Graham, Naluo, and Mwu, while instructing Luo and Basak to watch over the Archangel.
• Xiao Ran returned to his apartment, put on his Unified Army uniform, and placed a white mask over his face.

Xiao Ran arranged protection for Sheryl and Lanka while preparing to face an Earth Unified Army delegation seeking control of the fleet’s Defense Unified Army. As the delegation arrived, he planned to use its general and the visit to pursue a MACROSS-class Battleship.

• Xiao Ran assigned Nalo to protect Sheryl and Lanka, sent Mwu to study at S.M.S., and kept Cruze and Graham with him.
• Billy took Mwu and Nalo to S.M.S., where Sheryl had hired the organization and met with Lanka.
• Xiao Ran went with Cruze and Graham to meet President Glass, who warned that an Earth Unified Army general and other high-ranking officers had come to pressure the fleet.
• Xiao Ran told President Glass he intended to take advantage of the general’s arrival to obtain a MACROSS-class Battleship.
• A blue-and-white New Unified Army shuttle descended to the municipal building under fighter escort.

President Glass confronted Earth Unified Army General George over the Fleet’s independence and declared Xiao Ran his successor despite Xiao Ran being wanted by Earth. The meeting ended with George demanding to know whether the Fleet rejected Earth’s orders, and Glass comparing those demands to a butcher’s blade.

• President Glass and Xiao Ran welcomed General George and his delegation, while Cruze and Graham noticed suspicious movements among the black-clad guards and armed themselves.
• Glass mocked George’s dependence on Earth and said the Fleet’s people intended to stay rather than return there.
• Glass named Xiao Ran as his successor and revealed that Earth Unified Army Headquarters had issued a warrant for him.
• George challenged whether the Fleet still respected Earth Unified Army Headquarters, and Glass said it would reject unreasonable orders.
• George asked whether Glass was refusing Earth’s previous demands, and Glass called them more like a butcher’s blade.

Xiao Ran’s negotiations with General George erupted into a shooting attack, but Cruze and Graham helped him stop the attackers and take George hostage. With reinforcements on the way, George ordered the Earth Unified Army forces to lower their guns.

• A lieutenant general defused the confrontation between President Glass and General George as Xiao Ran tried to stall for time during the negotiations.
• Xiao Ran shoved Glass down after spotting a flash from city hall, saving him from the shot that killed the lieutenant general.
• Cruze and Graham killed the black-clad guards while Graham charged into city hall, and the Earth Unified Army and Fleet Defense Force fighters surrounded the scene.
• Xiao Ran disarmed and took General George hostage, then shot several Earth Unified Army officers in the legs when George threatened him.
• Xiao Ran told George that reinforcements had departed from the Archangel, and George ordered everyone to lower their guns.

Xiao Ran captured General George and the Earth Unified Army forces who had ambushed him, then prepared to seize their MACROSS-class battleship. He sent Basak to install the Mirage System on the Huckebein and planned to lead the operation himself, leaving the story on the eve of the assault.

• Xiao Ran persuaded George and the ambushing soldiers to surrender, and Fleet Defense Force troops took the Earth Unified Army personnel into custody.
• President Glass left Xiao Ran in charge, and he ordered communications jammed, prisoners detained, and Fleet personnel assigned to replace the captured crew.
• Xiao Ran sent Basak to have Luo install the Mirage System on the Huckebein, while Cruze and Graham prepared to travel into space.
• After Basak returned three hours later, Xiao Ran ordered the force to prepare to seize the MACROSS-class ship and warned that they would attack other Unified Army vessels if they refused to surrender.
• Basak concealed the Huckebein inside the Shuttlecraft's cargo hold using the Mirage System.

Xiao Ran forced a Shuttlecraft pilot to bring him and the Fleet Defense Force soldiers to the MACROSS-class Battleship, using General George as a hostage. The chapter ended with Xiao Ran’s forces surrounding the battleship’s officers in the hangar and the Raven disabling several fighters.

• Xiao Ran threatened the Shuttlecraft pilot and promised him wealth and a new identity in exchange for cooperating.
• The pilot contacted the MACROSS-class Battleship and arranged for the Shuttlecraft to enter its hangar, claiming General George was injured.
• Xiao Ran encouraged the Fleet Defense Force soldiers before the Shuttlecraft landed at the battleship.
• Xiao Ran took George hostage and ordered his soldiers to seize everyone in the hangar.
• The Variable Fighters transformed into Guardians mode and surrounded the battleship’s officers, while the Raven emerged and smashed several fighters’ cockpits.

Xiao Ran seized the Earth Unified Army flagship and forced the fleet to surrender, then began organizing its takeover. President Glass announced that Xiao Ran would succeed him as Great President, while Xiao Ran learned the fleet had been sent to take control of the 25th Fleet.

• Xiao Ran and the Variable Fighters forced General George, the flagship’s officers, and its crew to surrender inside the hangar.
• Captain Jehad announced the fleet’s surrender, and Xiao Ran ordered the Fleet Defense Force to take over the Earth Unified Army warships while avoiding unnecessary casualties.
• After the flagship fell and its commanders were captured, the rest of the fleet abandoned resistance and submitted to the Fleet Defense Force.
• President Glass celebrated Xiao Ran’s success and ordered that he resign as Great President, with Xiao Ran taking authority over the government and military.
• Xiao Ran arranged the captured fleet’s personnel and ships, while reports revealed that Earth Unified Army Headquarters had planned to seize the 25th Fleet.

Xiao Ran discovered that the bugs remaining on the planet numbered far more than anyone had expected, but concluded that they could not secure victory against the Earth Unified Army without outside allies. He returned to the fleet still seeking a path to complete the mission, where Sheryl and the others were waiting.

• Xiao Ran left the captured Unified Army fleet as bugs covered its ships and terrified the prisoners.
• The 25th Fleet's personnel realized that the bugs' numbers on the planet were vastly greater than their estimates, though the fleet still feared the Earth Unified Army's superior forces.
• Xiao Ran considered whether the planet's bugs could help fulfill his mission, but decided the Seventh Fleet, the Primal Demons, or other allies were essential to victory.
• Xiao Ran returned to the main island at night and found Sheryl, Cruze, Graham, Nalu, Mwu, Billy, and Moses at his residence.

Sheryl surprised Xiao Ran with two Macross-class warships, while Moses revealed that President Glass planned to resign and make Xiao Ran the fleet’s next Great President. Xiao Ran agreed to accept the role despite worrying it could complicate his mission, and the chapter ended with the fleet preparing for an uncertain week and a black shadow dropping near Ozma’s car.

• Sheryl told Xiao Ran she had sold her assets, hired S.M.S, and bought two Macross-class warships for him.
• Moses told Xiao Ran that President Glass had announced his resignation and Xiao Ran’s succession, which the fleet’s citizens, military, and government unanimously supported.
• Sheryl and Cruze urged Xiao Ran to accept the Great President position, and he agreed to use it to strengthen the fleet against the coming crisis.
• Xiao Ran and Cruze privately discussed the risk that the new position could trigger a harder mission, while the fleet’s personnel spent a restless night preparing for the transition.
• Ozma drove away from S.M.S with Bobby to gather supplies for Lanka, but a howling black shadow dropped from the sky and nearly sent his car off the road.

Ozma and Bobby discovered a videotape delivered by a giant bird, and S.M.S watched footage of Basara and the Seventh Fleet. As Ozma and Sheryl set out to investigate the tape, the bird returned with another one, and Sheryl tried to command it to hand over all the tapes.

• A black bird crashed into Ozma and Bobby’s car, then flew away and left a videotape on the dashboard.
• Ozma and Bobby brought the tape to an antique dealer, and the next morning Sheryl, Lanka, Ozma, and others watched footage of Basara and the Seventh Fleet.
• Ozma asked Luca to investigate the Seventh Fleet and Vocal Weapons, and Luca revealed that the fleet was already trying to contact the Seventh Fleet.
• Ozma took the tape to show Xiao Ran, and Sheryl joined him while Brera and Alto stayed behind to watch Lanka.
• The giant bird swooped down outside S.M.S with another videotape, and Sheryl demanded that it hand over the tape and bring the others.

A huge bird delivered videotapes of Bashin and the Seventh Fleet to Ozma, then flew away before Xiao Ran could meet it. After recognizing the bird from his memories of Super Dimension Fortress FB7, Xiao Ran identified it as a legendary Primal Demon.

• Naluo shielded Sheryl from the bird and asked it to meet someone who could understand it, but it flew away.
• Sheryl called Xiao Ran, who sent Graham and Billy to escort her and the others to headquarters.
• Ozma told Xiao Ran about the bird and showed him the two videotapes it had delivered.
• After watching the tapes, Xiao Ran recognized the bird from Super Dimension Fortress 7 and Super Dimension Fortress FB7.
• Xiao Ran guessed the bird had been drawn by Bashin's songs and revealed that it was a Primal Demon, shocking Ozma and Sheryl.

Xiao Ran explained how the Primal Demons and the Seventh Fleet could help protect his fleet, then planned a concert to contact the insects that had left. He visited the Presidential Palace to report something to President Glass amid preparations for Glass's resignation and Xiao Ran's move into the residence.

• Xiao Ran told Ozma and the others how Bashin had reconciled with the Primal Demons and explained that the insects could deter humanity from attacking his fleet.
• Xiao Ran ordered Billy and Moses to contact LAI and entertainment agencies, compile a list of people who had recovered from V-bacteria infection, and help Cruze organize a concert to reach the departed insects.
• Xiao Ran told Ozma to seek out the Primal Demon and pass along his request for a meeting, then assigned Cruze officers to liaise with senior Unified Army fleet officials.
• Sheryl kissed Xiao Ran goodbye before she, Graham, Naluo, and Ozma left for S.M.S, while Xiao Ran set off to visit the Great President.
• At the busy Presidential Palace, Catherine mistook Xiao Ran's visit for an inspection of his future residence, and Xiao Ran found President Glass in his study preparing to vacate it.
• Xiao Ran told President Glass that he had come to report something.

Xiao Ran organized a fleetwide concert led by Sheryl and Lanka, ordering the entertainment companies and L.A.I to prepare it within three days. On his way to visit Luo and Basak, he met the Primal Demon in its birdman form and asked whether it would help the fleet.

• President Glass told Xiao Ran that the fleet would follow his orders, while planning to assist him after stepping down.
• Xiao Ran ordered the fleet’s entertainment companies to make their artists join Sheryl and Lanka’s concert, and Angelo agreed to arrange the technical work through L.A.I within three days.
• Xiao Ran tasked Moses with helping Sheryl and Billy with finding talented singers among the V-virus survivors, especially the children.
• Xiao Ran drove alone toward the Archangel to visit Luo and Basak, but a huge bird landed on his vehicle.
• The bird transformed into a birdman, asked how Xiao Ran had identified it, and heard him propose requesting its help or making a deal.