met free Chapter 8: Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu? No, it's a beginner's tutorial!
Chapter 8: Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu? No, it's a beginner's tutorial!
The red alarm light, like the frantic heartbeat of a dying person, convulsed, casting a deathly pale light on everyone's face in the office.
"ZAFT's mobile suits! Three of them! They've breached Umbrella's defenses!"
One of the guards' voices trembled with fear.
Commander Gerard Garcia's face was colder than the alloy deck beneath his feet. His prized "Invincible Fortress" was as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of the enemy. He whirled around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Ling Yu, as if he wanted to torture this "messenger" who brought bad news to pieces with his gaze.
But Ling Yu didn't even glance at him.
His gaze swept over everyone else and landed precisely on Maru Ramias.
"Captain," his voice was unusually clear amidst the piercing alarm, tinged with amusement, "now, it's your turn to draw a card. Option A: trust this terrified commander, and let's all wait to die in this tin can. Option B: trust me, this professional 'game booster,' and fight for a chance to survive."
He held up two fingers and waved them in front of Maru.
"Friendly reminder: According to my calculations, the survival rate for option A is zero."
Maru's lips were pressed tightly together. She glanced at Garcia, whose face was ashen, and then at the cynical young man who was almost insane.
"Mu! We must retake the Archangel! All those who disobey orders, disarm on the spot!" She finally made the decision.
"It's my pleasure, madam!" Mu la Frada's smile held a sense of relief. He and several crew members of the Archangel acted instantly, taking control of the still-stunned fortress soldiers.
"Well done, Captain Murrue." Ling Yu snapped his fingers, turned, and rushed towards the hangar. "Lend me your rookie jet, I'll settle the rental fee with you after this battle!"
His figure disappeared around the corner of the passage.
Garcia slumped to the ground, muttering to himself, "Madmen...they're all madmen..."
Inside the hangar, Kira Yamato was already seated in the cockpit of the Strike Gundam. Sweat beaded on the boy's pale face, his hands trembling as he struggled to start the steel behemoth that had devoured his peaceful life.
"Kira!" Ling Yu's voice came from below.
Kira poked his head out and saw Ling Yu standing below the elevator platform, looking up at him.
"Ling...Ling Yu? Get on the boat quickly! It's dangerous here!" Kira shouted anxiously.
"Don't be nervous, fighting a war is just like playing a video game," Ling Yu grinned, revealing eight pearly white teeth, "except you can't reload saves, how exciting!"
Kira was momentarily dazed when he saw Kira's carefree smile, as if the gunfire and death before him were all an illusion.
"Get down, Kira." Ling Yu's tone became unquestionable. "You can't handle this machine right now. Unlock the OS for me, then go back to the bridge, have a coffee, and watch me perform."
"But……"
"There are no 'buts'." Ling Yu pointed to the continuous explosions outside. "Do you want to see me die, or do you want to see everyone die together?"
This choice was more agonizing for Kira than any complex OS programming problem. He gritted his teeth and finally climbed out of the cockpit, his fingers trembling as he operated the external control panel.
"OS... unlocked."
"Good boy." Ling Yu patted his shoulder, brushed past him, and nimbly leaped into the cockpit. "Go on, the wind is quite noisy today, not suitable for an innocent boy like you."
The cockpit door closed, shutting out Kira's astonished expression.
Ling Yu sat in the pilot's seat and took a deep breath. The unfamiliar operating system, the flashing parameters, and the vibrations from the bullets hitting the fuselage were all stimulating his nerves.
"System, get to work!"
[System notification: During the new player trial period, you will receive one free single draw from the 'Pilot Summoning Pool'.]
[Gacha Pool: Nameless Red-Clad Woman (Trial Version)]
[Drawing...]
A virtual, crudely designed card pack appeared before Ling Yu's eyes and then exploded.
[Congratulations! Ling Yu has drawn a rare character card—'Athrun Zala' (CE71 Complete Form)!]
[Character Traits: SEED Factor (Inactive), Top-Tier Coordinator Physical Abilities, ACE-Rank Piloting Skills (Specializes in Aegis and Justice-type Pilots), Elegant Nobleman Demeanor (Special Attack Effect on Some Female Characters).]
[The COSPLAY lines have been unlocked. Please shout the following lines during battle to activate the character card's duration (lasts 15 minutes):]
"And who... is the enemy?"
Ling Yu's lips twitched.
Aslan? It's him again? And with that "noble young master" special attack? System, are you messing with me?
No time to complain.
Three ZAFT G-series units have breached the last line of defense and appeared in the view through the porthole. Leading the pack is none other than the arrogant Duel Gundam.
"One Strike Gundam? You think that can stop us?" Inside the cockpit of the Duel Gundam, Yzak Jule let out a disdainful sneer. "Die!"
He slammed the control stick, and Duel Gundam raised its beam rifle, unleashing a blinding white beam!
On the bridge of the Archangel, Maru's heart was in her throat.
At that very moment, the Strike Gundam, which had been standing still, moved.
There was no clumsiness like a novice, no panicked avoidance.
The Strike Gundam merely shifted its body slightly, the movement as fluid as breathing. The deadly beam, by mere millimeters, grazed its shoulder armor and blasted a huge hole in the fortress wall behind it.
Immediately afterwards, a slightly confused yet extremely calm male voice rang out on the ship's communication channel.
"And who... is the enemy?"
[Character Card: Aslan Zala, Activated!]
Instantly, a massive stream of combat data flooded into Ling Yu's mind.
Countless maneuver plans, weapon usage techniques, and battlefield situation assessments are like innate instincts, deeply imprinted on his soul.
He felt as if he and the Strike Gundam had become one.
"What?" Yzak's pupils contracted.
For a brief moment, he felt as if he were facing not a machine, but a living, top-tier fighter. That mastery of timing and distance was something a novice could never achieve!
Before he could react, the Strike Gundam's engine power suddenly increased, and with a Z-shaped maneuver, it closed in instantly!
"Too slow!"
Yzak heard a soft laugh from the channel, and then saw the Strike Gundam's mechanical arm twist at an incredible angle, precisely gripping the hilt of the beam saber he was using to parry!
The screeching sound of metal twisting echoed through the cockpit.
The Strike Gundam used its wrist to forcefully break the Duel Gundam's beam saber from its hand and take it away.
Yitzhak's eyelids twitched as he read it.
Damn, a MS can disarm a knife bare-handed? What kind of OS programming ability is that?
"Yzak!" Diego Elsman exclaimed from the cockpit of the Storm Gundam, immediately turning the cannon around. "Don't be so arrogant!"
The two main guns began charging.
But the Strike was even faster. The instant it seized the saber, it swung its sword backhand, not aiming for the cockpit, but precisely striking the Duel Gundam's right arm joint!
Sparks flew! Duel Gundam's entire right arm, along with its beam rifle, was severed at the root.
"This is impossible!" Yzak roared in horror.
This isn't just a matter of changing people; it's a matter of changing the god!
"Your turn, Turret."
Ling Yu's voice rang out again. The Strike Gundam casually tossed aside its broken saber, and the thrusters of its wing-shaped backpack emitted dazzling blue flames as it transformed into a blur, charging headlong towards the Bullet Gundam's cannon!
"Want to engage in artillery warfare? Come at me head-on!"
Diaká felt a chill run down his spine; he had never seen such a reckless pilot! The assault vehicle made several small-scale, high-G maneuvers during its high-speed advance, and his prized fire control system was completely unable to lock on.
He could only watch helplessly as the white demon broke through the barrage of bullets and kicked his cannon barrel.
"Bang!"
The immense impact caused the Storm Gundam to lean backward, its two cannon barrels bent upwards in a comical, upturned shape.
"There's another invisible guy." Ling Yu's gaze swept across the empty space of space.
In Aslan's perception, a blurry outline was rapidly approaching from his right rear.
[Thunder Gundam, Mirage System Activation.]
"Nichol, now!" Yzak roared.
The ghostly Swift Gundam appeared behind the Strike Gundam, its spikes gleaming coldly as it pierced straight into the cockpit!
This is a fatal blow.
On the bridge of the Archangel, everyone held their breath.
However, the Strike Gundam seems to have eyes in the back of its head.
It didn't even turn around; it simply swung the shield on its left arm backward at an extremely tricky angle.
"clang--"
The crisp sound of metal clashing was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through quantum communication in the deathly silent universe.
The three spikes struck the thickest point of the shield precisely.
For the first time, the emotion called "fear" appeared in Nicol Amalfi's eyes.
He...saw through my mirage?
"Young man, focus on piloting your MS properly, and stop thinking about sneak attacks."
The Strike Gundam suddenly spun around, a physical blade popping out of its right combat backpack, unleashing a magnificent spinning kick.
The physical dagger struck the head monitor of the Thunder Gundam.
"Snapped!"
The screen of the Thunder Gundam was instantly flooded with snowflakes.
Three seconds, just three seconds.
From the Duel Gundam losing an arm, to the Storm Gundam malfunctioning, and then to the Swift Gundam causing blindness.
The three new mobile suits, representing the pinnacle of Earth Alliance technology, were like three clumsy toys in the face of the Strike Gundam.
The Strike Gundam hovered silently in space, holding a shield in one hand and emptying the other. Its white body, bathed in the starlight, resembled an invincible god.
ACE!
Yzak, Diego, and Nicol, three ZAFT elites in red uniforms, fell into a deathly silence in their respective cockpits.
Only one thought remained in my mind.
—A monster! That pilot was an absolute monster!