After completing his transaction with Erika Simmons, Reid immediately returned to the underground Factory Module in Star Palace City with the Xia sisters.
After feeding the data replica of [Hachi] to the Factory Module, Reid needed to construct two more Gundams.
One of them was naturally the Akatsuki Gundam itself. Since he had promised to return it, he had to rebuild a perfect 1:1 replica. Fortunately, Reid had no shortage of G-Coins—while the Yata Mirror Armor was expensive, he certainly had enough to cover the cost of a semi-completed Mobile Suit.
It was worth noting that the Mobile Suit frame reconstructed by the system was far more complete than the semi-finished one Reid had obtained. The OS programs were rewritten as standard protocols, and problematic designs and structures had all been adjusted.
Though it was still the Akatsuki Gundam, the main unit in Reid's hands was now only missing its backpack. When Erika Simmons received it, she would surely grit her teeth and sarcastically praise Reid for his "generosity"—not only returning the researched Mobile Suit but also fixing all its issues in the process.
Now, Orb's ultimate trump card held no secrets whatsoever for the New Miserly Kingdom.
As for the second Gundam, Reid planned to construct the successor unit to the original NT-X Gundam.
The reason was simple: the agreed-upon deployment time with the Earth Alliance was only half a month away. The G Invasion battle—the Luxembourg Base Offensive and Defensive Campaign in A.C. 195—had to be fought.
However, considering that the Epyon Gundam inside was already comparable in performance to the top-tier Mobile Suits in Reid's possession (albeit lacking numerous special systems), and the fact that the NT-X Gundam's design was too outdated to keep up with his newer units, it was about time to relegate it to secondary forces for future ordinary pilots.
If Xia Yufang were to pilot the NT-X Gundam in this battle against the berserk Epyon Gundam, she would have to activate the Mental Link System just to hold her own and avoid being instantly annihilated in close-quarters combat.
After all, one couldn't expect the NT-X Gundam's Beam Saber to withstand the Epyon Gundam's super Beam Saber, which could extend up to twenty meters.
Additionally, blocking the Heat Rod with a Beam Saber was extremely troublesome, and ordinary Anti-Beam Shields wouldn't last more than a few hits against such a high-temperature weapon.
Moreover, Reid knew full well that the enemies in this battle wouldn't be limited to those from the original story. The Gundam Chang Wufei would bring this time definitely wouldn't be something obsolete like the Altron Gundam—at the very least, it would be the final battle version of the Altron Gundam. (In the game, the five main Gundams from the final battle in the main Wing series had slightly inferior stats compared to their Endless Waltz versions, but their armaments were far more practical.)
On top of that, the Virgo units serving as the main grunts were particularly troublesome for the NT-X's weaponry. Thus, Reid decided to directly construct the successor unit to the NT-X for Xia Yufang to pilot.
Fortunately, Dr. Tem Ray had already drafted several redesign plans for the NT-X. After all, this Mobile Suit was derived from his once-proud RX-78 series, so he had shown great enthusiasm in developing its successor model.
According to the Gundam lineage, the NT-1 Gundam originally had a technically improved mass-produced successor model, which also underwent further iterations. From a technical standpoint, the Gundam MK-II could even be considered a direct descendant of the NT-1 Gundam's technology.
The specific lineage roughly follows: NT-1 Gundam → RGM-79Q Riot Type GM → RX-178 Gundam MK-II (judging solely from the perspective of technological development continuity).
Thus, when the Gundam MK-II and the technologies derived from its movable frame design, as seen in the Zeta Gundam, were captured and refined, Dr. Tem Ray naturally integrated the technologies of multiple Mobile Suits to develop and iterate a design blueprint for a unit named the NT-MKIII.
However, this NT-MKIII remained only at the blueprint stage. Due to the implementation of Dr. Elvira Hill's new Psycho-Responsive Cockpit and the upgraded Psycommu System, along with the further enhancement of the Psycho-Frame through the Lambda Driver, the NT-MKIII's design was rejected by Reid and ultimately scrapped.
Undeterred, Dr. Tem Ray made significant revisions to the design, reconfiguring the armament plan, resulting in the current proposal Reid is preparing to use: the NT-MKIV Gundam. However, Reid intends to rename it the NT-X2 Gundam.
The NT-X2 Gundam employs a Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor to maximize the potential of the Psycommu System. While its output may not match the micro-nuclear fusion reactors of the AC universe, it eliminates the concern of running out of power mid-battle, unlike the CE Battery-Powered Mobile Suits. Additionally, it comes equipped with Minovsky Particle Dispersion capabilities.
In terms of special systems, the NT-X2 Gundam features only the Lambda Driver and the Mental Link System. Overloading a Mobile Suit with too many systems isn't always beneficial—just look at the cooling issues of the Mystic Lightning. For instance, when the Mental Link System was later added, the Mirage Colloid System became unusable during armor ejection because the ejection ports emitted extreme heat, distorting the surrounding air in atmospheric conditions.
Moreover, after replacing the armor with AC Gundarium Alloy, the Phase Shift Armor was removed from the Mystic Lightning. In an era dominated by Beam weaponry, the practicality of Phase Shift Armor has diminished. From a physical defense perspective, the AC Gundarium Alloy is robust enough to withstand most physical attacks, especially with the Lambda Driver providing additional defensive capabilities.
Fortunately, the NT-X2 doesn't have such extreme cooling demands. Thus, its internal skeletal structure retains the movable frame design of the Gundam MK-II, but the skeletal material is upgraded to AC Gundarium Alloy to reduce volume. The freed-up space is then used to embed the Psycho-Frame for the Lambda Driver.
This design was already tested on the X200 frame of the Mystic Lightning, proving that Dr. Elvira Hill's new Lambda Driver Psycho-Frame has remarkably high adaptability. If the X200 frame could accommodate it, the more versatile movable frame of the Gundam MK-II would naturally pose no issues.
With the skeletal design finalized, the NT-X2 Gundam's exterior largely follows the Zeta Gundam's design, but it completely discards the Zeta's transformation capability. Instead, it adds more armor and larger thrusters with directional nozzles to enhance mobility.
The external armor still consists of standard AC Gundarium Alloy with anti-beam coating. The reasoning is the same as why the Mystic Lightning discarded Phase Shift Armor—PS Armor is no longer as practical as before, and keeping such an energy-hungry system is simply unnecessary.
The NT-X's Large Rocket Booster combined with the Bit backpack design featuring large Beam Cannons has been retained. However, wired guidance is no longer required, as the new Psycommu System can convert them into oversized Funnels for operation.
Additionally, the two Rocket Bits this time are equipped with dedicated Ramming Horns, and their muzzles have been modified to allow closing. This means that when encountering Mobile Suits with long-range beam defense capabilities, the two Rocket Bits can drill straight through enemies like a piercing projectile.
Moreover, this system allows the NT-X2 Gundam to directly control up to eight additional Rocket Bits launched from the Mothership. The two Rocket Bits are the Mobile Suit's limit, not the system's.
Of course, with this setup, only the two Rocket Bits can return to the backpack for recharging. The remaining six are essentially disposable tools that will drift in space once their energy is depleted.
Furthermore, controlling eight Rocket Bits places an extreme demand on the pilot. Currently, only Reid and Hoshino Ruri in the team can reach this level.
Unfortunately, Reid stated that controlling eight Rocket Bits would leave him completely stationary—he doesn't know why. If they were small Funnels like those used by the Qubeley, he could easily control over twenty without issue. But with large Bits, the number he can manage sharply decreases.
It's worth noting that psychically controlling Bits doesn't rely on telekinesis—theoretically, it tests one's multi-sensory and Spatial Awareness abilities. Yet Reid still feels a subjective "heaviness" when controlling large Bits, something that defies scientific explanation (Amuro actually had a ν Gundam equipped with a large Beam Bit, but he could only control one).
Meanwhile, Hoshino Ruri, despite having lower psychic power than Reid, can skillfully control eight Rocket Bits—and that's not even her limit. Clearly, this is a matter of innate talent.
However, Hoshino Ruri only has beginner-level evaluations as both a Mobile Suit and Mobile Armor pilot, meaning these Rocket Bits can only serve as warship armaments in her hands.
For Xia Yufang, her control limit is three Rocket Bits, so two are sufficient. Moreover, since this operation takes place in Earth's atmosphere, the two Rocket Bits can only function as large Beam Cannons and Rocket Propellers.
As for primary armaments, the standard Beam Sniper Rifle and the Twin-Headed Halberd—which can be split into two segments to become dual-wielded short tridents—are optional components, allowing customization based on the mission's specific requirements.
The Mobile Suit's left arm is equipped with a small Assault Shield System, with the Shield housing a twin-linked Spiral Piercing Missile launcher. These missiles are specially designed with beam-piercing warheads, intended to counter heavily armored units and those with unique shielding.
Mounted at the waist are two Beam Boomerangs, which have proven highly effective in actual combat—they can even double as Beam Daggers in a pinch. Paptimus Scirocco personally experienced their utility and gave them a five-star rating.
To be honest, this equipment configuration was far from reaching the mobile suit's maximum load capacity. However, Dr. Tem Ray had always believed that one shouldn't overload a mobile suit with unnecessary weapons just to utilize its full carrying capacity, nor should it be converted into heavy armor outright.
Thus, the NT-X2 was equipped with numerous additional equipment interfaces, allowing specialized armaments to be installed as needed.
Upon completion, the mobile suit's final appearance was as follows (with the shield mounted on the left arm, not on the back-mounted Bits).
The finished NT-X2 could achieve Mach-level speeds at maximum sprint, but Xia Yufang couldn't actually control such high-speed maneuvers.
Therefore, the mobile suit also had speed settings that could be switched between. In practical terms, Xia Yufang, who was proficient in all manner of weapons, could already fight her sister Xia Yulan's Mystic Lightning to a standstill in close-quarters combat.
Of course, the key feature of the Mystic Lightning was its "mystique"—once the Mirage Colloid System was activated, Xia Yufang's NT-X2 would be instantly defeated.
Still, Reid was satisfied with this outcome. At the very least, he no longer had to worry about Xia Yufang being instantly taken out by the Epyon Gundam. For this battle, Xia Yufang would definitely wield the Beam Twin-Headed Halberd, whose shaft had been reforged from the Altron Gundam's spear and further reinforced against beam attacks, ensuring it wouldn't be sliced apart by the Epyon Gundam's sword.
As for Chang Wufei, unless he fielded an absurdly overpowered mobile suit, he never stood a chance of instantly defeating anyone. Now, even in a one-on-one duel with Xia Yufang, the outcome would depend on the circumstances.
With the new mobile suit completed, Reid also prepared a large number of space mines with auto-targeting capabilities for Chang Wufei's ambush—and, in a particularly underhanded move, packed them with rapid-hardening gel used as an aerospace adhesive.
Reid knew that the explosive power of space mines was practically useless against the Gundarium Alloy in the AC universe—they'd only jolt the pilot at best.
On the other hand, if the rapid-hardening gel accidentally adhered to a joint, the mobile suit might as well resign itself to becoming a zombie. Unless the pilot knew "zombie boxing" or could find a fire source to burn off the gel, they'd be left helpless.
However, this tactic was ineffective against mobile suits with shield protection. The gel had little penetrating power when dispersed, and once blocked by a shield, it would simply fall off with a shake.
Since all of Reid's mobile suits were equipped with Lambda Driver shields, there was no risk of friendly fire.
Additionally, each of the three mobile suits carried a large circular golden shield made of Yata Mirror Armor. The design cheekily replicated the ornate patterns of ancient Italian combat shields—after all, Reid hailed from the Eurasian Federation, so no one would find the peculiar patterns odd.
Of course, the patterns weren't physically embossed, as that would cause reflected beams to scatter unpredictably. Instead, the designs were rendered using visual 3D technology, keeping the shield's surface smooth and flat.
These were prepared for the overwhelming numbers of Virgos.
After all, Virgos could only throw punches or swing their gun barrels in melee combat—if they resorted to close-quarters fighting, it usually meant the mobile suit was about to explode. Their primary offensive capability lay in their high-output beam cannons.
A single Yata Mirror shield could ensure all damage from the Virgos would be reflected back at them. Reid mused, "You may have your Tri-Directional Circular Magnetic Shield specialized against ranged attacks, but let's see how you handle reflected beams."
Of course, aside from these items, the small EMP bombs and the large Minovsky particle dispersal device used last time couldn't be left out. In the AC universe, beyond-visual-range missile attacks hadn't been banned. If this operation were to be broadcast live and the Romefeller Foundation saw things going south, they might just decide to rain missiles down on us—that would be troublesome.
So it's better to block the Romefeller Foundation's live observation rights to prevent them from sending other forces to stir up trouble.
The items requiring either the Factory Module or real-world factories to produce were pretty much all accounted for now. If there were any additional needs, they could just purchase them directly from the store.
After completing preparations, Reid called Xia Yulan and Xia Yufang, and the three boarded their respective mobile suits.
The cargo container filled with rapid-hardening gel space mines was carried by the NT-X2 Gundam, which had the highest load capacity; the large Minovsky particle dispersal device was held by the Mystic Lightning; and the three golden shields were externally mounted onto the backpack fighter of the Hermes Zero.
As for the small EMP bombs, a few mounted on each of the three mobile suits would suffice.
After double-checking all the equipment to ensure nothing was missing, Reid selected A.C. 195, the Battle of Luxembourg Base, and activated the dimensional transfer. It was time for one final harvest in another world before the big battle.
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