Modified Mobile Suit

(There will be another chapter later. Yi Zui is currently a full-time dad, and sometimes due to his child, he doesn't have time to write. However, this is rare. I apologize for not updating yesterday. Today's two chapters are to make up for yesterday's.)

Leaving Mwu's captain's room, Xiao Ran walked towards the hangar seemingly calmly, but his heart was pounding. He wondered if seeing Lacus had made him a little too excited, causing him to blurt out things he shouldn't have, almost revealing something to others. Mwu's suspicion was the most direct proof.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran had no ill intentions towards the Archangel. His life was now closely tied to the Archangel, and since boarding, he had been playing the role of someone forced into the situation. Although Mwu suspected Xiao Ran's origins, she firmly believed he had no ill will towards the Archangel.

Xiao Ran reminded himself not to speak too much in the future. As he passed the mess hall, he happened to hear a sharp female voice: "Forget it. Don't joke. What reason do I have to shake hands with you? You're a Coordinator, don't come over here trying to get friendly!"

Frowning, Xiao Ran recalled the scene in his mind. He quickened his pace and hurried over. When he saw the awkward expressions of the people in the mess hall, especially Kira's unpleasant look, Xiao Ran angrily shouted, "What are you saying!"

After Xiao Ran spoke, he secretly praised himself, "Thank you, Frey, for giving me an opportunity to improve my favorability."

"Ah, Teacher," Kazui and Miriallia called out awkwardly as they saw Xiao Ran enter. Frey also seemed to realize her words had included Kira, but her proud and stubborn nature made her completely unwilling to admit she was wrong. After Xiao Ran's shout, she turned her head away.

"Teacher?" Lacus tilted her head slightly.

Xiao Ran nodded gently at the two of them, walked over to Kira, gently patted his shoulder, and softly comforted him, "Kira, don't take what she says to heart. Frey is just a little girl with a temper. She might be a bit unstable due to the stress of recent events."

"Yeah," Kira nodded with a forced smile.

Xiao Ran glanced at Frey. He couldn't see any hint of apology in Frey's expression or eyes. Even so, Xiao Ran couldn't be bothered to argue with Frey. This girl wouldn't mature unless she encountered difficulties; she was simply a spoiled rich girl. Talking to her would be pointless and only make people dislike him.

Xiao Ran also thought that as long as he maintained his irreplaceable position in Kira's heart, acting as an elder, mentor, or older brother figure, it wouldn't matter. Even if Frey and Kira got together as in the original plot, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Xiao Ran. It would also avoid the threat of plot changes and allow Kira to unleash his extraordinary potential. In that sense, it wasn't a bad outcome.

As for Frey, when he watched the anime, her death had genuinely moved Xiao Ran. He felt that Frey wasn't truly malicious, but her father's death had hit her too hard, leading her to make a series of immature decisions that almost caused many problems.

Furthermore, Xiao Ran had a bit of a mischievous streak. He wanted to see if Frey, who seemed annoying but was actually just innocent, and Lacus, who appeared innocent and pure but was actually not that simple on the inside, would end up fighting over Kira or reaching a truce.

Smiling inwardly, Xiao Ran said apologetically to Lacus, "I'm very sorry, Miss Lacus, for letting you witness this. If possible, it's best if you don't leave your room to avoid further conflicts. Kira will be responsible for delivering your meals from now on. As for Pilot Moriya, I will take care of that. Please rest assured."

Before Lacus could refuse, Xiao Ran turned to Kira and said, "Kira, can you escort Miss Lacus back to her room?"

"Yeah," Kira nodded gently, walked to the table in front, picked up a plate full of food, and headed out of the mess hall. Lacus politely bid farewell to everyone present and followed behind Kira.

Xiao Ran glanced at the remaining three, shook his head, picked up a plate of food, and after inquiring about Pilot Moriya's location, he left. After spending more than ten minutes delivering the food and calming Moriya's somewhat agitated emotions, especially reminding her that Lacus was still on the Archangel, Xiao Ran headed directly to the hangar.

Before even entering the hangar, Xiao Ran could hear the sounds of various activities. Upon entering, he couldn't help but show a hint of excitement.

The Recon Ginn that had been lying on the ground had somehow stood up. Its blown-off head had been reattached, likely salvaged by Sergeant Maddox and his men from a sunken ZAFT ship or a scrapped Ginn. The two large arms, one intact and the other shattered at the shoulder, were disassembled on the ground. The armor plates on its chest and back had been stripped down to the frame.

The once spacious floor was now covered with parts whose functions Xiao Ran couldn't comprehend. More than a dozen people were gathered around the disassembled arms, modifying and repairing them. Xiao Ran also spotted the metallic hand and shoulder armor of the Strike Gundam among the parts.

Xiao Ran's arrival didn't attract much attention, but Sergeant Maddox, who was in overall command, was clearly not among them. The moment he saw Xiao Ran, he waved him over.

As soon as Xiao Ran approached, Sergeant Maddox directly said, "It's good you're here. I have some things to discuss with you."

Xiao Ran: "Please tell me."

Sergeant Maddox rubbed his head and turned his computer towards Xiao Ran so they could both see the screen. "Although the Ginn is technically inferior to the Strike Gundam, repairing this behemoth is no problem for us. We've also recovered many Ginn parts from the Debris Belt. However, simply repairing it is likely not what you need. The Recon Ginn doesn't have much combat capability, so we've started modifying this Ginn."

"First is the weapon system modification. This Ginn originally used long-range projectile weapons, but our pursuers are Gundams, making projectile weapons useless. So, we have two ideas. The first is to directly modify the Ginn's shoulders and energy interfaces to allow it to equip the Strike Gundam's spare backpack. However, if it gets damaged in combat, repairs will be very troublesome. Besides weapon accessories, Strike Gundam's unit parts are also quite scarce, so you'll need to be very careful in combat and must equip the backpack when deployed."

"The second is to disassemble the Strike Gundam's spare backpack and reassemble it. However, this modification will take some time, and it might even result in a long charging time before it can be used, or excessive energy consumption. Although repairs and replenishment in case of combat damage will still be difficult, it's better than the previous option."

Xiao Ran listened and nodded slightly, considering the drawbacks of both options. As he thought, he looked up at the black Ginn and had an idea. He turned to Sergeant Maddox and said, "I think it would be better to combine both methods. Modify the Ginn's shoulders to be similar to the Strike Gundam's, allowing it to directly equip the Strike Gundam's backpack. Remove the small gliding components at the rear and modify them, and also modify the energy systems."

"Since the Ginn doesn't have PS Armor and doesn't consume as much energy as the Strike Gundam, even in combat, you don't have to worry too much about excessive energy consumption and the inability to swap it out. Therefore, you only need to choose a fixed backpack. Of course, having an extra battery would be even better."

"However, the Ginn's armor is too fragile compared to the Gundam. I don't think this problem can be solved, so we must improve its mobility. I hope this fixed backpack can be primarily modified into a Flight Pack, and adding some small thrusters is also acceptable. Don't worry about my body's ability to withstand it; you can consider my physical capabilities to be two to three times that of a normal human. When necessary, you can also use the Strike Gundam's Beam Saber and Hyper Impulse Cannon."

"For conventional weapons, I'll primarily use two Beam Sabers, one Beam Rifle, and an Anti-beam Shield. If a small mechanical arm can be added, the shield can be fixed to the left shoulder. Even shrinking the shield a bit is fine."

Xiao Ran spoke as he thought, while Sergeant Maddox wrote and drew on his computer, wiping the sweat from his forehead. After Xiao Ran finished, he shrugged helplessly, "Don't worry about the interface for changing backpacks; it's indeed much simpler. Just remove the original backpack and attach a modified interface. As for the Beam Rifle and Beam Saber, luckily we made preparations before you arrived. The Ginn's hands don't have weapon interface ports, so I had someone prepare spare Strike Gundam hands. This aspect is also easy to handle."

"However, the modification of the backpack and the small mechanical arm will be a bit more difficult. In this case, the left shoulder armor cannot be modified to resemble the Strike Gundam's. But if we use the Ginn's original right shoulder armor, there will be no problem at all."

Xiao Ran turned to look at the original shoulder armor of the Ginn. Since it was removed as a whole, its original appearance was still quite clear. Coincidentally, the Ginn's right shoulder was where the reconnaissance device was mounted, and the reconnaissance device could rotate left and right. With a slight reinforcement, the shield could be mounted.

Closing his eyes and imagining the operation of the shield in his mind, Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, "Then, as you say."

"Then it's decided. I will do my best to modify it according to your requirements." Maddox patted his computer. He had compiled all of Xiao Ran's requests into the computer. With appropriate modifications, it would be quite easy without altering the Ginn's main body in a large way. In fact, even the Ginn's original power source wouldn't need modification; only minor adjustments to the backpack and energy interface would be needed.

"Then I'll trouble you." Xiao Ran was about to leave with an expectant smile when he heard Sergeant Maddox mutter somewhat helplessly, "Sigh, when will this kind of life ever end?"

Upon hearing this, several scenes flashed through Xiao Ran's mind: the rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet's advance fleet, a sudden battle during the rendezvous, and Frey's father's sacrifice during that battle.

"It seems to be around this time," Xiao Ran frowned, turned back to Sergeant Maddox, and said, "Brother Maddox, I have something to ask of you regarding the modification of the unit."

"Are there other requests?" Maddox felt a headache coming on and unconsciously rubbed his head again.

"No, it's not that," Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh at Maddox's actions. Seeing the other party relax, he shook his head and said seriously to Maddox, "No matter what happens, you must complete the modification of this unit."

Hearing that it was this request, Maddox laughed heartily and patted Xiao Ran's shoulder, "Don't worry, we will definitely work overtime to get it done for you as soon as possible."

Xiao Ran opened his mouth, wanting to remind Maddox of the upcoming fierce battle, but in the end, he just nodded and emphasized again, "Then I'll leave it to you. Please remember, no matter what, do not stop the unit's modification. No matter what."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Maddox patted Xiao Ran's shoulder and left. Xiao Ran's series of requests primarily involved the backpack issue. Although it seemed simple, it was also a tiring task, requiring recalculations and adjustments in many areas, so he didn't have time to chat with Xiao Ran anymore.

Xiao Ran watched Maddox's retreating back, shook his head helplessly, and then left the hangar. Xiao Ran didn't see Maddox look up as he left.

Watching Xiao Ran leave, Maddox smiled, "This kid, really. Even if it's to thank you and the little ones, we'll still get this unit modified. Come on, lads, let's put in the effort and not let anyone look down on us!"

"Alright, Chief!"