Abandoned Child

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After Xiao Ran left the bridge as if nothing had happened, he clenched his fist and swung it the moment the elevator doors closed. "YES! Even if the Archangel's landing spot isn't exactly the same as in the original plot, such a massive disturbance will definitely attract the attention of ZAFT and Desert Dawn. That way, it won't be much different from the original plot."

Feeling immensely relieved, Xiao Ran's head no longer felt dizzy, and his steps became much lighter. This was thanks to the Archangel's artificial gravity system. Without it, not only Xiao Ran, but everyone on the Archangel would have been stumbling around.

As Xiao Ran reached the hangar and met up with the maintenance crew, the Archangel slowly landed on the ground with a slight tremor. Honestly, with Xiao Ran's level of understanding, he found it hard to imagine how such a massive ship like the Archangel could float in the air without any obvious hovering devices in reality.

Once the Archangel was stable, Xiao Ran and several others from the hangar climbed onto the Archangel's roof. Looking at the Strike Gundam, whose shield was completely destroyed, the maintenance crew gasped. Not only the shield, but the Strike Gundam's body also showed signs of melting due to high temperatures. The most obvious were the two sharp horns on the Strike Gundam's head, which were more than half melted. It was already night and they were in the desert, so despite the expected cold, they could only feel waves of heat washing over them.

"This is going to be troublesome to repair," Sergeant Maddox, who had been promoted to sergeant, sighed and performed his usual gesture, scratching his head. After a perfunctory complaint, he immediately ordered the Strike Gundam's cockpit hatch to be opened. Just as Xiao Ran had said, Kira had indeed fainted. If he hadn't been secured by the safety harness, he would have collapsed into a heap.

After the maintenance crew carefully brought Kira down, they quickly sent him to the ship's infirmary. There, due to the shortage of personnel on the Archangel, a new medical officer had been transferred from the Eighth Fleet. Not only the medical officer, but after the Archangel rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet, they had received not only supplies but also a significant personnel replenishment, allowing the Archangel, which had always operated with minimal crew, to finally have over a hundred crew members for the first time.

Seeing Kira off, Xiao Ran climbed into the Strike Gundam. The moment he sat down, the heat almost made him faint. He quickly turned on the cockpit's air exchange system, which made him feel a little better. However, he didn't close the cockpit hatch until he had piloted the Strike Gundam back to the hangar.

After parking the Gundam, Xiao Ran specifically found Sergeant Maddox. "This area is enemy territory. There's no way ZAFT wouldn't see something as large as the Archangel landing. Speed up the maintenance and repair of the Strike Gundam. The enemy could arrive at any moment."

"I understand that," Sergeant Maddox said, looking at the slightly damaged Strike Gundam. "Although it looks quite serious, the internal structure is undamaged. The repairs will be quick. But your unit..."

Xiao Ran nodded. "I know. This Ginn hasn't been specially configured for ground combat. Besides Kira, no one understands its OS. And due to its first sortie, its lower limbs have structural damage. It's fine in space, but it probably won't last long in ground combat before it falls apart. At that point, it won't be a combat asset but a liability."

"It's good that you understand," Sergeant Maddox picked up the tablet computer beside him and brought up the Ginn's data. Pointing to the information, he said to Xiao Ran, "It's not just that. Besides the lower limbs, the Ginn has undergone extensive modifications, especially the backpack, which completely exceeds the maximum weight the Ginn can handle on Earth. You didn't allow for frame reinforcement earlier. Now, if you engage in strenuous activity, either the backpack will disintegrate and you'll lose power and be unable to fight, or the frame will break and you'll become a target. In short, your Ginn is now useless."

Xiao Ran smiled. "It's okay. I was prepared for the Ginn not being usable on Earth. When there's time, take the original Strike Gundam's parts off. If Kira can capture a Ginn, I don't think it will be a problem to capture another Ginn on Earth. I'll have to trouble you all to modify the unit. I think our future journey might be even more dangerous than our time in space."

"Hearing you say that, I really feel it's troublesome," Sergeant Maddox sighed repeatedly. "Never mind. Let's hurry and fix the Strike Gundam, and we still need to debug the Skygrasper. Speaking of the Skygrasper, I think you can pilot it for combat."

"The Skygrasper is a fighter jet, which is completely different from operating a Mobile Suit. I haven't learned to pilot one, so forget it," Xiao Ran quickly waved his hand, refusing Sergeant Maddox's suggestion.

After leaving the hangar, Xiao Ran went directly to the captain's room where Mwu was. When Xiao Ran entered, he saw three people already waiting for him.

Before Xiao Ran could sit down, Bargyll asked directly, "Major Xiao Ran, what did you mean by what you said on the bridge just now?"

"Exactly what I said," Xiao Ran shrugged, greeted Mwu and Mwu, and then plopped himself onto the only available seat, Mwu's bed. Mwu was taken aback by Xiao Ran's action and was about to speak when she acted as if nothing had happened and looked at Xiao Ran, hoping to get an explanation for his earlier statement.

Bargyll said, "I don't understand."

Xiao Ran shook his head and pointed to the display screen on the wall in front of him. "The red area is where we are, North Africa. The blue area is our destination, Alaska. As you can see, we're separated by almost half the globe. Even without enemy interference, it will take us quite some time to get there, as the Archangel doesn't have the speed of an airplane."

"And for us to go to Alaska while in enemy territory, we'll have to face not only ground enemies but also sea enemies. We'll be fighting one battle after another, or even taking detours to avoid combat. We'll have to break through the enemy blockade. How much time will that take?"

"It's almost funny. The place where the Archangel landed is too convenient, saving many people a lot of peaceful sleep. A warship that ZAFT is determined to sink is now rampaging in their territory. How much of ZAFT's military attention do you think we'll attract?" As Xiao Ran spoke, he looked at the three with great interest. "If General Harborton sent the Strike Gundam's data to the moon, I have to ask you, what is the Earth Force currently lacking the most? And without General Harborton, do you think anyone else would spare no expense to send troops to rescue us?"

After hearing Xiao Ran's words, Mwu and the other two fell silent. The meaning behind Xiao Ran's words was crystal clear: they had become pawns abandoned by the Earth Force to ZAFT in order to buy time. They couldn't deny what Xiao Ran had said, as it was highly likely to become reality.

"What you're saying is not certain; it's all speculation," Bargyll suddenly raised her head and said with doubt. "Besides, this is already ZAFT's territory, and the Earth Force doesn't have the capability to come here to rescue us! Even if they wanted to rescue us, they couldn't contact us due to the N-Jammer. What is your purpose in saying these things to shake morale!"

"Of course, it's to deepen your dislike for the Earth Force and increase your reliance and favor towards me. It's also to save you, Bargyll," Xiao Ran thought to himself, shaking his head. Then, he spread his hands and said to Bargyll, "Then let's say I was talking nonsense. You're right. In any case, leaving this place is the most important thing. As long as the Archangel holds on, there will be a day when everything becomes clear." (A great event where pies fall from the sky, and cool phones await you! Follow the Qidian Chinese Network official WeChat account (add friend, search for "qdread"), and participate now! Everyone wins, so follow the qdread WeChat official account immediately!)