Haman and Code Amelias remained aboard Char's flagship (Teletha was on a mission, Chang Wufei had returned to New Danuu's Child to pilot the ship), yet these two who had fought to the death five years ago now coexisted harmoniously.
Looking at Haman's current elegant and composed demeanor, Char even thought how wonderful it would have been if Haman had grown up like this back then.
Thus, Char became even more interested in Reid, who had changed Haman. He could see that Haman's current obsession was entirely focused on Reid alone, which explained her indifferent attitude toward everything else.
In other words, Reid Isaac had completely captured Haman's attention, rendering Haman harmless to others.
As for whether there were others within Neo Zeon who opposed him and wished to return to Haman's command, or if Haman intended to borrow his resources to rebuild her own faction, Char believed she had no such intentions at present.
During these days heading to the Side 1 Colony, Haman simply stayed in her room reading books, with food and drink delivered by others.
Amylias, however, scurried all over the ship, asking any robust soldiers if they wanted to join her ranks.
Char merely considered Amylias playing house—after all, she was Haman's daughter, raised as a queen from childhood, wasn't that odd?
Of course, the most crucial point was that Haman quickly provided the promised new technology upgrade plan for the Sazabi.
Actually, if Reid were present, he would surely say Haman's upgrade plan was typical—from a 100-point exam, she raised it from 40 to 59 points. It became stronger, yet still fell short.
But Char, seeing this upgrade plan, felt Haman was genuinely sincere this time.
First, Haman provided a new type of Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor.
The Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor Haman presented here was technology from a century later in the UC era. Compared to current models, it offered greater output than the one on the Sazabi, was smaller in size, and included complementary high-energy conduction and cooling systems.
Moreover, Char was certain this reactor and its supporting systems were iterated from existing frameworks. It seemed Haman had indeed acquired many good things from her husband.
Although installing this system would essentially require stripping the Sazabi down to its skeleton, Char immediately ordered the modification of the Sazabi, redesignating it as MSN-04ff Sazabi.
As the focal point of the modification project, Char was highly satisfied with those two Double Hornet Funnels.
Despite their massive size and the need for additional generators installed on them, they could fire High-Energy MEGA Particle Cannons comparable to warship main guns, and also incorporated High-Energy Beam Saber functions, granting them close combat capabilities.
In truth, Char didn't know that Haman's extensive modifications assistance was solely to ensure he wouldn't be utterly unqualified to face Reid in battle. Char was merely cannon fodder Haman offered to Reid; his value in Haman's eyes was simply to join Amuro in holding off Reid, allowing Haman to focus on dealing with Reid's harem led by Ange.
Currently, the Sazabi's modifications would still struggle against Iron-Blooded Mobile Suits, because Haman hadn't equipped the Double Hornet Funnels with Ramming Horns, nor had she replaced any of the Sazabi's physical weapons.
Moreover, seeing Char grinning like a foolish son of a wealthy landlord after gaining some advantage, Haman also felt a sense of pleasure.
Although Char was no longer qualified to be her opponent, watching a detestable figure step into her trap step by step was indeed an amusing affair.
Meanwhile, after spending several days eating and sleeping on the shuttle, Amuro finally arrived at Anaheim Electronics on the Moon.
His purpose for coming to the Moon this time was to urge Anaheim Electronics to complete his new Mobile Suit as quickly as possible.
However, when Amuro visited the hangar where the RX-93 Nu Gundam was being built, he felt as if the sky were about to collapse.
Before the great battle at Luna V, Amuro had received information that the new Mobile Suit was 90% complete, with only the external armor left to install and operational testing yet to be conducted.
But what did he see now? The new Mobile Suit had been dismantled, reduced to nothing but its skeletal frame lying on the ground, looking as though it had been dismembered.
Enraged, Amuro grabbed the collar of October Saran, the Anaheim Electronics supervisor in charge of developing the RX-93 Nu Gundam, and roared,
"Supervisor October! You've torn apart my new Mobile Suit! Has Anaheim Electronics already decided to fully side with Neo Zeon?!"
October Saran felt this was an undeserved calamity. As a technical specialist, he was utterly powerless against Amuro's immense strength. He could hardly breathe and couldn't utter a single word.
Fortunately, Jane Jean, a technical officer of Londo Bell and Amuro's current lover, quickly intervened to stop Amuro's violent outburst and explained,
"Amuro, stop this at once. You've misunderstood. There's a reason the nearly completed Nu Gundam was dismantled. The original plan was scrapped after new technology became available, and it's now being rebuilt."
Not wanting to appear too violent in front of Jane Jean, Amuro reluctantly released October Saran but continued to complain angrily,
"Even with new technology, you can't just tear apart a nearly finished Mobile Suit! What's the point if it can't be ready in time for the upcoming war, even with the new tech installed?"
Responding to Amuro's complaint was a pleasant, firm yet gentle female voice:
"Don't worry, it will be ready in time for the war. The new modifications can be completed with overtime work in just five days."
Amuro turned to see a girl who only came up to his chest, with beautiful silver hair tied in braids, standing beside a tall, blond man who clearly looked highly educated.
Unfamiliar with the two, Amuro asked in surprise,
"A child? Wearing work clothes—are they also developers?"
Jane Jean quickly stepped in to introduce them:
"Amuro, mind your manners. This is Dr. Teletha Testarossa. Amuro, don't let her age fool you—she holds dual doctorates in engineering mechanics and electronic computing (a fabricated identity by Char). And beside her is Mr. McGillis Fareed, who also holds a doctorate in engineering mechanics and is exceptionally skilled in Mobile Suit operation."
After speaking, Jane Jean walked over to Amuro and whispered softly by his ear,
"The new technology was brought by Dr. Teletha. And in an electronic simulation battle, this Mr. McGillis managed to shoot down your simulation data stored here using only a Jegan in just five minutes."
After speaking, Jane Jean handed Amuro a data tablet containing technical specifications for a new Mobile Suit, codenamed RX-93ff Nu Gundam.
Amuro skeptically began swiping through the tablet to examine its contents.
The more he read, the more astonished he became. He started to understand why Anaheim Electronics had scrapped and restarted the previous construction plan.
While browsing the materials, Amuro also sensed McGillis. This person didn't seem to be a Newtype, but if he could shoot down the simulated version of Amuro based on the data left here in just five minutes, then he would be considered an ace pilot anywhere.
Additionally, this Miss Teletha appeared to be a Newtype, but why couldn't Amuro resonate with her psychically?
Here, Amuro couldn't passively sense Teletha the way Reid had just done when he encountered her because Teletha was deliberately controlling her psychic power.
By this time, Teletha was no longer the same Teletha from Mithril. Apart from her clumsiness—like tripping over cables while walking—which remained unchanged, her other abilities had improved significantly.
Thus, after secretly observing for a while without gaining any insight, Amuro finally had to ask:
"Teletha... Doctor, I've reviewed the modification plan. It's indeed excellent. The new high-output engine and new piping are absolutely world-class. I'm very satisfied with the design of the half-wing Funnel on the left back and the rocket-boosted super MEGA Beam Launcher on the right.
But, can this Mobile Suit really be built in five days?"
This question was answered by October Saran, who had finally caught his breath:
"Don't worry, Captain Amuro. Dr. Teletha has also brought the latest unmanned engineering machinery. That thing can accelerate MS manufacturing speed to ten times the original rate. Combined with workers working in three shifts, your Mobile Suit will definitely be completed within five days."
Only then did Amuro remember October Saran, whom he had roughly handled earlier.
Since it had been a misunderstanding, and to prevent him from sabotaging the Mobile Suit construction out of revenge—like leaving out a couple of parts—Amuro quickly apologized to him.
Afterward, Amuro, with a testing mindset, began discussing MS manufacturing issues with Teletha.
Unfortunately, Amuro had met his match this time. Only heaven knew how many MS modifications and manufacturing projects Teletha had overseen under Code Amelias.
But one thing was certain: Teletha's knowledge of MS at this point was no less than that of any doctor who had long been involved in MS manufacturing. As a result, after just a few exchanges, Amuro was left speechless by her questions.
By the end, Amuro felt as if he were listening to something utterly incomprehensible—things like the connection scheme between the Psycommu System and the Psychoframe, or the Psychic Strength to Sensitivity Conversion Plan. Amuro admitted he simply didn't understand any of it.
Thus, having lost face, Amuro went to McGillis' side to regain his confidence through simulated battles.
In truth, if they were to fight for real in Mobile Suits with identical performance, McGillis would have no chance of defeating Amuro.
But this was a simulation. In simulated battles, all Newtype abilities were useless—it was all about piloting skills.
Moreover, in such simulations, Amuro felt too embarrassed to use the dirty tricks he would employ on the battlefield.
At most, he could discard his gun or shield to trick lock-ons, but operations like placing Space Mines inside Decoy Balloons couldn't be set up.
In a pure contest of piloting skills, McGillis was no weakling. Amuro couldn't defeat him easily in a short time.
Moreover, once the battle entered close combat, Amuro discovered that McGillis seemed to be slightly more skilled in melee than himself.
In the end, Amuro, growing increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed, lost the simulation battle. At the cost of severe damage to his Mobile Suit, McGillis defeated Amuro in a one-on-one simulation using a Jegan.
It must be said that the loss of Newtype abilities would undoubtedly significantly impact Amuro's combat effectiveness.
Not just Amuro—if Reid were stripped of his Newtype abilities, his pilot rating would likely drop from master level directly to ace, and even then, only to a mid-tier ace level.
And Amuro had chosen to engage McGillis in close combat.
Although Amuro is a well-rounded pilot with no weaknesses in any aspect of Mobile Suit operation, strengths and strengths can still vary. As someone from the Iron-Blooded universe, McGillis is undoubtedly more specialized in close combat. By choosing to fight in his opponent's strongest area, it's no surprise Amuro lost the simulation.
Thus, after successfully achieving the feat of "defeating Amuro, the strongest pilot in the UC universe, in a simulation battle," McGillis emerged from the training pod to cheers from the onlookers.
As for Amuro, he felt like he had been making a fool of himself in circles all day.
However, this was just a simulation battle, and Amuro was not one to be a sore loser. Instead, he acknowledged McGillis's combat prowess and sought to recruit him for Londo Bell.
McGillis, who always carried himself with the demeanor of a refined gentleman in social interactions, hit it off with Amuro. The two even went for a drink together, appearing as good friends.
The scene then shifted to Reid's side. The Gran Chaos, which had been stealthily coasting on inertia without daring to activate its thrusters, finally arrived near the Side 1 Colony just as both the RX-93ff Nu Gundam and the MSN-04ff Sazabi were completed.
Reid did not involve himself in the ongoing battle between Londo Bell and Neo Zeon here, as he had no desire to be ambushed by the elusive New Danuu's Child.
Reid's current objective was clear: infiltrate the Side 1 Colony, hack into its network, and use the UC's interstellar network to locate the Code Amelias squad.
However, when Reid saw the RX-93ff Nu Gundam appear, he immediately understood what the Code Amelias squad had been up to.
The original RX-93ff Nu Gundam only had Long-Range Wing Funnels, but this one also retained the original Half-Wing Six-Pack Wing Funnels.
Given that the Sazabi's earlier equipment had already confirmed that this universe was not the Fukuoka UC universe, such a sudden modification could only be the work of the Code Amelias squad.
So, instead of heading to the Side 1 Colony or the Sweetwater Colony, had the Code Amelias squad gone to the Anaheim Electronics facility on the moon?
Reid quickly had Hoshino Ruri forge an identity for him to enter the Side 1 Colony, then hacked into the Anaheim Electronics network on the moon through the Side 1 Colony's network.
Soon, Hoshino Ruri uncovered activity logs for Teletha and McGillis.
However, just as Amuro hastily sortied in the freshly completed, untested RX-93ff Nu Gundam, Teletha and McGillis disappeared aboard a shuttle.
Here, it was possible to check that Teletha and McGillis's shuttle destination was Side 1 Colony, but Hoshino Ruri searched through all of Side 1 Colony's databases and couldn't find any entry records for these two, nor did she find them appearing in any surveillance footage.
In fact, upon investigation, that shuttle never even approached Side 1 Colony.
Clearly, Teletha and McGillis never went to Side 1 Colony; otherwise, the various passageway and road surveillance cameras on the satellite would have captured them at least once.
It's worth noting that while investigating Teletha and McGillis, Hoshino Ruri discovered what appeared to be Haman and Loli Amelias appearing within Side 1 Colony alongside Neo Zeon forces.
Upon learning this news, Reid suddenly felt a tinge of green on his head and almost considered leaving Side 1 Colony first, then ordering it to be blown up directly.
Of course, Reid ultimately didn't issue such an order that would have resulted in five million innocent people on Side 1 perishing alongside them, as Reid still had a sense of humanity.
However, upon careful thought, Haman probably wouldn't be interested in Char anymore, so Reid immediately decided to venture deep into Side 1 Colony to confront Haman.
Besides, he remembered that Amuro and Char would have a fight inside Side 1 Colony, and Reid wanted to see if defeating both of them in real-life hand-to-hand combat could trigger a skill upgrade.
(End of Chapter)