Simulated Combat

After clearly identifying the person approaching, Xiao Ran showed a faint smile. He had spent many consecutive days using the virtual training machine in the hangar, and he knew it was only a matter of time before his MS piloting skills were discovered. Moreover, he had no intention of hiding anything, so he openly showed no abnormality on his face.

It was just that the maintenance crew had never paid much attention to him monopolizing the virtual training machine. The machine was also placed in a corner, and without getting close, no one could see if someone was inside. Although they knew Xiao Ran was sometimes in the virtual training machine, they didn't know if he was learning MS piloting or doing something else. Perhaps someone guessed that Xiao Ran could pilot an MS, but they only assumed he was at a beginner's level. They had no reason to pay attention to him, let alone report it to anyone.

Xiao Ran looked at Mu, who was wearing a white military uniform, and stood up with a smile. "Captain Mu, you called me a teacher. As a teacher at the Industrial University, I can still pilot industrial MS, so naturally, operating combat MS won't be a problem."

"Is that so?" Mu smiled noncommittally, walked over to where Xiao Ran had been sitting, and sat down. He quickly began typing on the training machine's keyboard, and soon a string of data appeared in Mu's eyes. After reading everything, his eyes couldn't help but show a hint of shock.

What shocked Mu wasn't that Xiao Ran could pilot an MS. For someone who could pilot an industrial MS, using the simplified learning mode on the virtual training machine for piloting and combat wasn't a big issue. Although there weren't many Naturals who could pilot industrial MS.

From his perspective, having participated in many battles, Xiao Ran's skills weren't particularly impressive. In the virtual machine, he was at most slightly better than a regular ZAFT soldier. While it wouldn't be a problem in a one-on-one situation, in a one-on-two or a real battlefield with many opponents, Xiao Ran's piloting skills would only be enough for self-preservation. If he were unlucky, failure would be more likely.

What truly shocked Mu was the mode and the unit Xiao Ran had chosen. Mu hadn't expected Xiao Ran to choose the combat training mode instead of the simplified learning mode he had assumed. This meant that every action of the MS had to be manually operated by Xiao Ran to be considered valid and reflected in the virtual training machine. Being able to operate like this in the virtual training machine meant that Xiao Ran could also perform in actual combat.

The second point was the unit Xiao Ran had chosen. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT had been at war for a long time, so capturing a few GINNs was normal. Therefore, the virtual training machine also had the standard data and settings for GINNs.

However, in the virtual training machine, the GINN's unit settings were completely unchanged according to the Coordinators' configurations. Unless one modified the OS themselves, Xiao Ran had chosen the standard configuration GINN. Even Mu wasn't sure if he could naturally maneuver such a GINN in the virtual training machine. Furthermore, Xiao Ran could also pilot the Strike Gundam data modified by Kira's OS, which was why Mu appeared somewhat shocked after seeing this.

Mu turned his head and looked at Xiao Ran with surprise, tilting his head. "Are you a Coordinator?"

"You should know my information better than I do, right?" Xiao Ran retorted with a smile. After agreeing to become the midshipman in charge of firepower control and staff officer on the Archangel for Mwu, Xiao Ran's personal information would naturally be seen by those on the Archangel. Mu was one of them and naturally knew that Xiao Ran's identity was that of a Natural.

Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then why can you use an OS that only Coordinators can use?"

"Huh?" Xiao Ran was slightly stunned by Mu's words and asked doubtfully, "Aren't the unit OS in the training machine for Naturals?"

"You don't know?" Mu stared at Xiao Ran in disbelief. "Don't tell me you didn't feel anything?"

Xiao Ran shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "I really didn't know."

Mu sized up Xiao Ran from head to toe, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes from time to time. Xiao Ran's personal information was very clean. He had lived in Orb since childhood and then went to Heliopolis to become an assistant professor at the Industrial University. He had lived in the colony for years, with no strange details.

Moreover, Mu had also quietly asked Kira and Sai and learned some things about Xiao Ran. Although Xiao Ran himself didn't know these so-called details, they allowed Mu to rule out the possibility of Xiao Ran being a ZAFT spy. Yet, such an ordinary person could operate an OS that only Newtypes could use, which naturally made Mu feel strange and confused.

Mu shook his head and said to Xiao Ran with great interest, "Are you interested in having a match with me?"

"Of course." Although Xiao Ran saw the suspicion flashing in Mu's eyes from time to time, he believed that the identity arranged by the system was flawless, and he nodded enthusiastically.

The commotion between Xiao Ran and Mu also drew the attention of others in the hangar. After hearing that the two were going to have a virtual confrontation using the virtual training machines, a crowd had already gathered around the machines before they could even officially begin. This included Kira and his group, who rushed over after receiving the news.

When Kira and the others saw Xiao Ran and Mu sitting face-to-face in front of two virtual training machines, they showed surprised expressions.

Miriallia asked confusedly, "What is Teacher doing? Can Teacher also pilot an MS?"

Sai thought for a moment. "Teacher can probably pilot industrial MS, but I don't know about combat ones. Kira, you've been spending a lot of time with Teacher lately, hasn't he told you anything?"

"No, he only told me to study MS piloting well." Kira shook his head and focused his attention on the battle that had already begun.

"Look, it's starting. Teacher actually chose the Strike Gundam!" Tolle exclaimed softly, seeing Xiao Ran's choice.

Sai put a finger to his lips and said softly, "Quiet."

Xiao Ran, sitting in the virtual training machine, also saw Kira and the others. He chose his unit and the battlefield, and even took the time to smile and nod at Kira and the others before focusing all his attention on the confrontation.

Perhaps due to some nervousness, Xiao Ran felt as if he were truly in the cockpit of the Strike Gundam. All sounds around him faded away with this feeling.

Piloting the Strike Gundam equipped with the Sky Striker Pack, Xiao Ran flew out of the launch bay. Through the monitor in front of him, he saw a bright light in the distance shoot out of another Archangel at an even faster speed and quickly fly towards him.

His eyes glanced at the radar in front of him. The radar clearly identified this fast-moving light spot and displayed its unit model.

"Moebius Zero. MA speeds are indeed a bit faster than MS," Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow and thought, "No wonder Mu could fight several ZAFT Gundams with the Moebius Zero. Of course, Mu's piloting skills are also a key factor."

"Beep! Beep!"

The urgent alarm sound brought Xiao Ran back to his senses. Having gone through many simulation battles, Xiao Ran naturally knew this was a lock-on warning. He instinctively piloted the Strike Gundam to block the incoming fire with its shield and performed a standard evasive maneuver while the Strike Gundam was in high-speed assault.

Just as he completed the maneuver, Xiao Ran felt a flash of light in front of him, followed by a slight vibration of the chair he was sitting on. Even the Strike Gundam's forward momentum slowed down slightly.

"As expected, fighting against a real person is much more difficult than against a computer," Xiao Ran thought, then a excited smile appeared on his face. "If I can have confrontations like this often, my proficiency will increase incredibly quickly."