"What the hell is going on? Since when did the Long Family develop such a powerful MS?" A middle-aged man stared in shock at the video footage of the RX-78-2 Gundam's battle playing on a screen in a bridge control room.
Beside him, a younger man frowned deeply as he watched the same video.
The older man was named Guo Fengmao, and the younger was his brother, Guo Fengyu. Both were members of a prominent family in the Hanxia Empire. The Guo Family was on equal footing with the Long Family, and the two clans were fierce competitors in many business sectors, often clashing relentlessly.
This time, they had hired a pirate group intending to kidnap Long Huijuan, forcing Long Dingkun to withdraw from the upcoming Military MS bidding competition.
To avoid leaving any traces, they had secretly purchased MS and Fighters from the United States to cover their tracks.
But they never expected that the operation to capture Long Huijuan would draw out an MS secretly developed by the Long Family. It seemed the Long Family Patriarch truly doted on his precious daughter, deploying their most powerful MS to protect her.
Guo Fengmao turned to the operator and asked, "That Special MS—how many Pirate MS and Fighters has it shot down so far?"
"Current estimates put it at over thirty MS and nearly ten Fighters, most of which are from the United States."
"Continue collecting combat data on that MS."
...
Long Fei remained fully focused, piloting the RX-78-2 Gundam in intense combat. The cockpit was filled with constant alarm blares.
Attacks came from all directions; most of the Pirate MS and Fighters had locked onto him.
The 380mm Hyper Bazooka rounds had long been depleted and discarded. Now, the Gundam's remaining weapons were its Beam Rifle, 2 x Beam Sabers, the 2 x 60mm Vulcan Guns beside its head, and a Heavily Damaged Shield. The Mobile Suit's body was pockmarked with dents and scars.
While dodging enemy fire and counterattacking, a Pirate MS wielding a Physical Sword charged toward the Gundam.
They were too close for Long Fei to evade. He raised the Shield to block, but the already Heavily Damaged Shield shattered on impact. The Physical Sword slashed into the Gundam's left arm, sparking flames.
Long Fei maneuvered the Gundam to kick away the attacking MS, then immediately fired a shot through its cockpit. He quickly checked the Gundam's damage status.
The left arm had sustained minor damage—nothing critical.
Long Fei pressed the button to draw a Beam Saber. The Gundam now held a Beam Saber in its left hand and the Beam Rifle in its right.
Another MS rushed up behind the Gundam. With a swift turn, the Gundam swept its left Beam Saber horizontally, slicing the sneaking attacker clean in half at the waist.
Long Fei stomped on the pedals, accelerating forward while firing and evading.
By drawing the enemy's fire, Long Fei greatly reduced the pressure on the others, allowing them to counterattack the Pirate MS and Fighters.
"Captain, we should retreat! That MS is terrifying—we've lost so many brothers to it!"
"Captain, save us!"
"Captain, I don't want to die!"
Le Tai listened to the near-sobbing pleas from his men. Watching the radar, he saw the green dots representing his forces dwindling with each passing moment.
His heart bled. This battle was devastating the life's work he had built. Unwilling to suffer further losses, Le Tai finally issued the retreat order.
A retreat flare shot into the sky, and the Gunwolf Pirates MS and Fighters hurriedly fled back to their ships.
In just fifteen minutes of combat, Long Fei alone had shot down over fifty of the Gunwolf Pirates MS and Fighters.
Such a feat could truly be called one against a hundred. He had drawn the fire of nearly a hundred enemy units.
But it came at a cost. The Gundam's left arm had been severed—Long Fei had already cut power to it—and the entire frame was covered in dents of varying sizes.
Reflecting on the results, Long Fei concluded that the Gundam had performed somewhat suboptimally in this level of combat.
His success was largely due to the inferior performance of the enemy MS and Fighters. They were far below the Gundam and even lagged behind the GM in capabilities.
Their reaction times and speed couldn't match the GM's.
Long Fei assessed that the most advanced MS in this world was inferior even to the early-model Zaku I.
He piloted the RX-78-2 Gundam back into the Lepanto-class Escort Frigate.
Along the way, he saw his aunt's bodyguards MS, many bearing varying degrees of battle damage.
Inside the frigate, he also noticed Li Xiuming and the others RGM-79 GM Jim MS, some missing arms or legs.
Long Fei exited the cockpit, removed his helmet, and handed it to a technician.
Long Huijuan arrived at the scene, intending to speak with her nephew about certain matters, but Long Fei dismissed her outright, ignoring his aunt completely and returning straight to his room to rest.
For the next few days, they encountered no further disturbances, and the damaged MS were nearly fully repaired.
During this time, Long Fei repeatedly refused his aunt's requests to board his ship. He knew exactly what she wanted.
Long Huijuan was turned away by her nephew day after day. She understood that he had seen through her intentions and was firmly rejecting her. Not wanting to force the issue, she decided there would be time in the future.
Upon arriving in the Ganza Kingdom, Long Fei's group made no stops for rest and headed directly back to the Tianyi Arms Manufacturing Company.
Long Huijuan watched from a window as the Lepanto-class Escort Frigate gradually receded into the distance. She shook her head and went off to conduct her business.
She noticed several of her bodyguards still excitedly discussing the MS her nephew had piloted—the RX-78-2 Gundam. Their expressions were filled with shock and envy. Every bodyguard who could pilot MS wished they could command such a powerful machine.
From the combat data Long Huijuan had obtained over the past few days, the analysis showed that the Gundam's performance surpassed the Long family's current next-generation MS in every aspect.
What shocked her even more was the Gundam's extraordinarily high armor defense. Despite taking so many direct hits, it hadn't been destroyed—a level of armor that even the Long Family Arms Company couldn't replicate.
"Overwhelming attack power, astonishing speed, and jaw-dropping defensive capabilities... MS like this could upend the entire world. If even a few appeared on a battlefield, they could very well shift the tide of war." This was Long Huijuan's evaluation of the MS her nephew had developed.
"Miss, a call from the Master." Qian Tong handed the phone to her.
Long Huijuan took it.
"Xiaojuan, are you alright?" Long Dingkun's voice came through, warm and concerned.
"I'm fine, Dad."
"Good. I received the video and data you sent me. That MS—was it really developed by Long Fei?"
"Yes, Dad. It's the MS Long Fei created. It's codenamed Gundam, and this one is called the Gundam—or RX-78-2."
"Where is he now? Is he with you?"
"He's already left."
"Why didn't you keep him by your side?" Long Dingkun's tone carried a hint of reproach.
Long Huijuan gave a bitter smile. "Dad, Little Fei guards against me like I'm a thief. How could I keep him? He wouldn't even give me his contact information."
"Then find a way to get his technology. Those designs are far too important for our Long Family. With them, our family's power would rise to another level."
"Dad, no matter what, Little Fei is still your own grandson. Why is your attitude toward him so different from your other grandsons?"
"If his mother had been born pure and proper, I might have accepted him. But unfortunately, she was promiscuous and worked in that kind of industry. A bastard tainted with such blood—allowing him to carry the Long Family name is already more grace than he deserves. Expect me to love him? Impossible!" Long Dingkun's voice rose on the final words.
"Dad, if you keep treating Little Fei like this, you'll regret it one day."
"Regret what? Do you think this bastard could ever threaten the Long Family? Not having him killed is already merciful enough."
Long Huijuan took a deep breath to suppress the anger rising within her. "Dad, if you're asking me to trick my dear nephew, then save your breath. I won't hurt him." With that, she hung up and tossed the phone back to Qian Tong.
Qian Tong had served the Long family for many years. He knew the Master doted on the young miss. If any of the other young masters had shown such an attitude, they would have been punished.
"Qian Tong, prepare the car. I'm going to handle business."
"Yes, Miss."