Night Raid

The final conversation ended unpleasantly, but Xiao Ran's words gave Mwu and the other two more to think about and question. While they weren't without their own suspicions about Xiao Ran repeatedly stirring up their dissatisfaction with the Earth Force, his consistent behavior—even before joining the Earth Force and from the moment he boarded the Archangel, stating his lack of goodwill towards them—made his actions seem less strange. More importantly, everything Xiao Ran said wasn't baseless speculation; he deduced plausible scenarios from various signs that they couldn't refute.

Even if they couldn't provide evidence at the time, the unfolding events always proved Xiao Ran's predictions to be undeniably true.

Everyone was already worried about the Archangel's current predicament, and with Xiao Ran's words, Mwu and the other two became even more concerned about the Archangel's future. The four's conversation ultimately ended on a sour note, as there was nothing pleasant to discuss. Mwu made the final decision: they would proceed to Alaska as originally planned. Even if they were treated as disposable pawns, they would fulfill their role completely, as one last service to the Earth Force, ensuring General Harborton's efforts wouldn't be in vain.

Conversely, if things didn't turn out as Xiao Ran predicted and they weren't treated as disposable pawns, then upon returning to the Earth Force's Alaska base, the Archangel would surely be hailed as heroes and meritorious officials, inevitably receiving important assignments. They could then continue to contribute their skills, and there would be no doubts or issues.

In any case, even if Mwu had decided not to go to Alaska, Xiao Ran would have found numerous reasons to persuade them. His sole objective was to plant a seed of dissatisfaction with the Earth Force in their hearts. This was especially true for Nataru Bargyll; after all, Xiao Ran had spent a considerable amount of time with Bargyll and naturally didn't want her to follow the same path as in the original story, becoming an enemy of the Archangel and meeting her demise.

Since the decision was made to depart, the Archangel's crew was not idle, nor did they blindly start the engines and rush into action. They had to wait for Kira, who was still suffering from a high fever, to regain consciousness. They also needed to cross-reference their exact location with the Archangel's internal data to avoid any special circumstances upon landing that could lead to the collapse of underground abandoned mines or natural gas explosions.

Moreover, given the Archangel's current condition, it was not suitable for aimless wandering in the desert. At the very least, some equipment and programs needed to be reconfigured for the ground conditions, which would also take some time.

Thus, the Archangel's crew worked diligently from midnight on the first day until the evening of the second day to complete their tasks. Of course, this did not include the idle Xiao Ran. He had visited Kira when he was unconscious, and after Kira's fever subsided, he returned him to his room. Then, seeing Frey busy tending to Kira, he shook his head and left.

One could imagine what would happen after Kira woke up. Regarding this unexpected good fortune that came knocking on his door, Xiao Ran didn't know whether to mourn for Kira or be happy for him.

Not long after landing on Earth, Xiao Ran received the mission completion notification. As expected, the C-class mecha data was the construction data for the Strike Gundam. The sheer 'breadth' of information covered by this data made Xiao Ran repeatedly shake his head. He wondered if it was due to his low completion rate, as he hadn't truly participated in the mission, that the data wasn't very comprehensive.

According to the complete construction system for the Strike Gundam, this data should have included the frame, external armor, weapons, backpack, PS Armor, battery pack, quantum computer, and various parameter data. Only with complete data that could be combined could the Strike Gundam be built according to the specifications.

However, in the data Xiao Ran received, there was no backpack system, weapon system, quantum computer, battery pack, or parameter data. All it contained were the most basic construction parameters for the Strike Gundam. It could be said that if the Strike Gundam were built according to this incomplete data, the final result would merely be a colossal 1:1 Gundam model that appeared imposing but was completely unusable.

Fortunately, perhaps due to the keywords "C-class," while other crucial data was missing, the data for PS Armor was still present. This led Xiao Ran to realize that at least in terms of PS Armor, it was enough to elevate a D+ class mecha to a C- class mecha.

If Xiao Ran had received the same data as the four participants, who might have already become ZAFT members, then this data might not have been as useful to them as it was to Xiao Ran. The PS Armor data had already been acquired by ZAFT along with the four Gundams. It was unlikely that they would specifically manufacture a C-class Gundam for the four individuals because of this data. Without considering whether the four would betray them again, being given a GINN to pilot would be considered good, let alone the current most advanced MS, the Gundam.

Xiao Ran, however, was different. He could use this information to trade with Orb. Orb's production of the Astray MS was entirely a imitation of Gundam's technical data. They lacked PS Armor, and due to technological limitations, their frames couldn't equip overly heavy external armor, resulting in the M1 Astray's various lightweight designs. While lightweight design wasn't an issue, the absence of supporting PS Armor was a significant problem, making its defense incredibly fragile. Xiao Ran's data, however, contained the Gundam frame technology that Orb desperately needed, as well as PS Armor technology. It was easy to imagine the preferential treatment Xiao Ran would receive with this technology.

By midnight, the Archangel was unusually quiet. For the Archangel's crew, who had been busy for almost the entire day, this was a rare opportunity to rest. Everyone cherished this hard-won time, but besides those who had to be on duty, there were several others on the Archangel who couldn't sleep all night. Some were worried, two were excited, and one was waiting.

Around four in the morning, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded, causing those who had finally closed their eyes to open them again. Their first reaction was to put on their clothes and rush to various parts of the Archangel.

Xian Ran, who took a few minutes to leave his room, intended to head to the hangar but involuntarily stopped when he passed Kira's room. Hearing the faint cries and sobs, he frowned and looked towards the door. It was as if he could see through the thick steel walls to the girl inside, who, in her powerlessness, could only lash out with everything she had. He sighed sadly.

"Although your father was destined to die, I could have reminded you earlier to save him. It was a selfish choice, but you made it," Xiao Ran shook his head and continued walking. "I hope you can realize this sooner. If I have the ability, I will also do my best to change your fate."

By the time Xiao Ran arrived at the hangar, the battle had already begun. Besides the sounds of explosions and the feeling of vibrations, he had no way of knowing the situation outside. The Strike Gundam was already in the catapult bay, and Mu and Maddock were standing beside a Skygrasper, talking about something.

Xiao Ran walked over and asked, "What's the situation?"

"You're here," Mu glanced at Xiao Ran and shook his head. "The interference is too severe, so we can't accurately detect the enemy's situation. Currently, we've confirmed the presence of three GOUFs and an aerial squadron. I want to pilot the Skygrasper."

"That won't do. The Skygrasper isn't equipped with any ammunition or weapons right now. Even if we rush to equip it, there won't be enough time," Maddock said, shaking his head beside him. "You can't sortie with an unequipped Skygrasper."

Mu asked confusedly, "The Skygrasper should be the ground support unit for the Strike Gundam, right? Can't it be equipped with the Strike Gundam's spare weapons?"

Maddock explained, "Some parameter settings haven't been completed, so the weapon and equipment system in the catapult bay can't be used. We can only install them manually."

"Damn it," Mu clenched his fist and hit the Skygrasper beside him, saying hatefully, "Just load me with some ammunition, I need to sortie as soon as possible."

"We'll do our best," Maddock replied.