Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

Short Sword walked behind Maru and Mu, and Raven opened the cockpit on his own initiative, stepping onto the rope to land on the ground.

"you are?"

Seib looked at the black-haired youth who had taken the initiative to step out of the MS.

"My name is Raven, nice to meet you."

Raven graciously stepped forward to shake hands with Seib, his light steps breaking the tense atmosphere.

"You're the 'Skyfire Crow'? I didn't expect you to be so young."

"'Skyfire Crow'? Are you talking about me? I don't remember giving myself such a cringeworthy nickname."

Raven's expression suddenly turned strange, while Seib took out his phone and showed Raven the latest official report from the coalition forces.

The report's headline, in bold, read: "Skyfire Raven - The Allied Ace Who Single-handedly Destroyed 30 Mobile Suits and 3 Battleships."

The report was accompanied by a series of screenshots showing a mobile suit equipped with an IWSP backpack shooting down several Zeon units in space. However, unlike Raven's memory, the mobile suit in the picture had changed from a Dagger to the more eye-catching Assault.

"I wasn't driving a Strike Rifle, and I didn't have that many kills."

"So this whole report is fake?"

Saib was somewhat surprised; it seemed he lacked sufficient understanding of the coalition's propaganda tactics.

"Not exactly. Although I didn't shoot down 30 mobile suits and 3 warships in my assault ship, I and the Dagger did manage to shoot down 18 enemy aircraft."

The air suddenly went still for a second.

How many?

Seib's tone suddenly rose.

Several guerrillas standing nearby also widened their eyes and secretly moved forward a few steps, trying to make sure they hadn't misheard.

To destroy a Baku aircraft, they would need to meticulously plan an ambush, calculate repeatedly, and pay a heavy price. Yet this young man achieved a result that his entire organization could only dream of in one go.

Now, Seib was truly convinced that the Archangel possessed enough power to help them defeat the Desert Tiger.

Just as he was feeling relieved about his decision to clear up the misunderstanding, a crisp slap made him turn his head to look.

As Kira was being attacked, the blonde girl slapped him for some reason, and Raven, who also witnessed this, couldn't help but utter a sentence.

"This is youth."

Chapter 37 El's New Body

Maru ultimately decided to trust Dawn Desert. On one hand, the Archangel did need Dawn Desert's cooperation, who was familiar with the local conditions. On the other hand, Maru trusted Raven's unusually accurate intuition.

Since Raven chose to step out of MS and make contact with Seib, then Seib probably really can be trusted... right?

In any case, the Archangel, now guided by the Dawn Desert, has docked at one of their hidden bases.

Maru and Bakiruru rushed to see Seib to discuss the upcoming battle, while Raven didn't join them. Instead, he stayed in his cabin, citing the need to rest.

As for what Raven is going to do, well, it's obviously to play with glue!

As a model enthusiast, my biggest dream is, of course, to build a real humanoid robot by hand, and secondly, of course, to build a beautiful robot girl by hand.

Raven excitedly disassembled the components he had obtained from the Eighth Fleet and pieced them together bit by bit.

Several hours later, a brand new prototype appeared in Raven's cabin.

This body has a girlish figure, with a slender and well-proportioned body that is neither too thin nor too plump. However, the only drawback is that the body does not have artificial skin attached to its surface, making it look more like an exquisite doll model than the beautiful girl robot that Raven wanted.

However, there was nothing that could be done. Artificial skin was not military equipment, and even if Halbarton brought a lot of supplies to the Archangel, he could not have imagined that anyone would need such a thing.

"Never mind, let's talk about it later."

Raven didn't dwell on the issue for long. For him, the most important thing today wasn't appearance, but fulfilling his promise to El.

Raven carefully transplanted El's mind into this new body and pressed the activation switch located on his chest.

"El, can you see me?"

Raven waved his hand in front of her eyes, his voice carrying a tension he himself was unaware of.

"Raven?"

Upon hearing Raven's call, El rotated her eye mechanism, first staring at Raven's figure, then scanning the entire cabin. Afterward, the locking devices of each joint were released one by one, and El gained complete control of the body.

"This is... what it feels like to have a human body?"

"How does the new body feel? Is there anything unusual?"

Al shook his head.

"Everything's fine, Raven, your skills are still perfect. But can I see what I look like now?"

Faced with Al's request, Raven scratched his head awkwardly, but in the end he still moved the mirror over.

The mirror reflected a silver-gray metallic humanoid figure, devoid of skin and hair, with only basic facial features and a pair of red-glowing eye structures. From a human aesthetic perspective, this appearance could even be described as "frightening."

"Although it looks a bit rudimentary now, I will definitely find a way to add the artificial skin when we get to Orb."

If we were to use a house as an analogy, the current form is at most a bare shell. However, the most important issue has been resolved, and the appearance issues are not unsolvable.

Raven produced a set of Union female volunteer uniform, along with a pair of black pantyhose, a pair of long gloves, and a silver wig.

"Let's use this to deal with it for now."

“I see.” Al looked meaningfully at the clothes Raven had given her, put on the wig, picked up the pantyhose, and said in a calm tone that almost made Raven choke on his saliva, “So this is your fetish, Raven.”

"Don't say such weird things!" Raven's tone instantly rose. "Even the pantyhose and gloves are to cover your exposed body, and wasn't the silver hair your own design? How did it become my problem in the end?"

Raven's explanation was stern and his speech was rapid.

"Really?" Al sat on the edge of the bed, slowly rolling up his pantyhose from his toes. "Even though you say that, why was Raven staring at my legs the whole time I was putting them on?"

"Uh... I, I was just observing whether the body's hissing was normal or not, don't overthink it."

Raven quickly turned his head away from those legs, his ears visibly turning red.

"Then I'll take it as true."

Al didn't press further. He slowly withdrew his fingers from the inside of the pantyhose he had lifted, letting the elastic fabric slap against the surface of the body with a "thud".

Raven, who had already turned his head away, seemed to have a will of its own as his neck secretly glanced back again.

The steel body, which had just been reflecting a cold light, now exudes a unique feminine softness under the outline of the pantyhose. The hard mechanical structure is wrapped in a layer of delicate black tulle, bringing a sense of warmth that should not appear on machinery.

"As expected, Raven likes it very much."

"Stop nagging, mind your own business."

Raven sensed that there was something wrong with the air conditioning in the room; the temperature seemed to be a few degrees higher than he had set it.

Raven, who had turned his back, listened to the rustling sounds of clothes being put on and taken off. He suddenly realized that the scene was a bit too ambiguous. Although he was human and the other was a robot he had created, she was currently wearing women's clothing and her gender identity was closer to that of a human woman. She was still halfway through getting dressed and looked disheveled...

It seems really bad, doesn't it?

Just as this thought popped into Raven's mind...

click!

The door to Raven's bedroom opened, and Mirialia's energetic voice rang out from outside.

"Teacher, dinner is coming up soon. Tonight, the people from Dawn Desert are treating us to Turkish kebabs..."

Miria stood at the doorway, her face still bearing the bright smile she had when she came to find Raven. Her gaze swept across the room, landing on Raven standing there, and then on the unfamiliar figure sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her.

A woman wearing a Union volunteer uniform, though her clothes were clearly not yet properly arranged, with black pantyhose and a bright yellow skirt, and the pink uniform on her top only half-buttoned up—this scene looked just like the ones drawn in the comics Thor hid away…

"I'm sorry, teacher, I didn't know the door wasn't locked, and I didn't see anything!"

Miria seemed to have thought of something, and ran away with a blush on her face.

"Why did it turn out like this! Come back here! It's not what you think!"

Realizing his image was about to crumble, Raven quickly gave chase.

"I'm sorry, teacher, I already have a boyfriend!"

"So that's not it!"

El, who hadn't uttered a sound from beginning to end, fastened the last button on her collar, then tucked her silver hair behind her ear, reached out and put on the mask Raven had prepared for her, covering her unfinished face.

Then, she sighed.

"Fool."

Chapter 38 The First Battle with the Tiger (Part 1)

North Africa, Tahir.

This desert settlement was now bathed in the glow of a golden fire.

This is the stronghold of the Dawn Desert, and many families of resistance members live here.

But now, Baku of Zaft is running rampant in the city.

These steel behemoths, like evil gods from ancient mythology, crushed the narrow streets with their giant mechanical feet, destroying the city that people had spent countless hours building, turning it into ruins with incredible speed.

Andrew Barthelter stood on a sand dune outside the city, watching the entire process of its destruction.

Attacking unarmed civilians was a despicable act that Andrew would never stoop to, but when he discovered that Dawn Desert and the Archangel had joined forces, he had no choice but to punish Dawn Desert accordingly.

For ZAFT, the resistance movement in the Dawn Desert was insignificant. Apart from the mine, there were no other important strategic resources in the area. As long as the Dawn Desert didn't have a brain fart and launch an attack on the mine under operation, Andrew would just turn a blind eye and let it pass.

But things are different now. With the Archangel and Dawn Desert combined, their combat power already poses a sufficient threat to the ZAFT forces.

Andrew still vividly remembers the combat prowess demonstrated by the short sword and the assault rifle during the previous fire reconnaissance.

Even Andrew wasn't sure how much combat power would be needed to take down the Archangel.

Upon learning that the Archangel had landed in Andrew's defense zone, the ZAFT command issued him an order to sink the Archangel at all costs.

It seems that the Earth Force's propaganda has made the higher-ups particularly obsessed with the Archangel.

'Isn't this exactly what the Earth Federation wants?'

But as a soldier, Andrew could only carry out orders from his superiors.

"Ugh, what a headache! My exercise routine has been really bad lately!"

Andrew muttered something under his breath, picked up his coffee cup, and tried to use the scalding, bitter liquid inside to dispel his weariness.

"Captain, we have burned the supplies hoarded by the resistance, and the city cleanup is almost over."

The adjutant, Da Costa, rushed over to report.

"Hmm, you're quite efficient. How are the casualties?"

Da Costa was clearly taken aback.

"Huh? We haven't even engaged in combat, how could we possibly have any casualties?"

“I’m talking about both sides.”

"Well... it's inevitable that some residents will get injured or burned while fleeing, but other than that, there shouldn't be much else."

Andrew nodded in satisfaction, downed his coffee in one gulp, and got into the jeep.

With all their living supplies and shelter burned to the ground, those who remained would certainly not have an easy time. The desert nights were bitterly cold, and the daytime sun was scorching and merciless. Without shelter from the wind and rain, one can only imagine the plight of these people.

But it's better than losing your life, right?

Before leaving, Andrew couldn't help but look back at the burning city.

'I'm such a hypocritical jerk.'

Andrew thought to himself in despair.

-----------------

ZAFT forces began their withdrawal from the ruins of Tahir. After three Baku on a cleanup mission left the city, three more Baku appeared from another direction and joined Andrew's main force.

These three Baku were prepared by Andrew for the Dagger and the Assault. If the Archangel's mobile suits arrived to rescue the city during its destruction, the Baku would cooperate with the main force in the city to catch the enemy off guard. However, in the end, the enemy did not appear, which made Andrew feel a little regretful.

Like Cruze, Andrew rose through the ranks from an ordinary MS pilot to captain through his combat achievements. Before becoming a commander, he was an outstanding soldier.

While Andrew was lost in thought in the passenger seat of the jeep, Da Costa suddenly noticed something was wrong.

"That's...it's the resistance! Dawn Desert has caught up!"

Upon hearing Da Costa's shout, Andrew almost instinctively sat up straight, his eyes instantly regaining their sharp light. But when he realized it was the guerrillas from the Dawn Desert, he leaned back in his seat, his shoulders slumped, looking even more listless than before.

"Those idiots still chose to die in the end. Let Baku drive them away."