I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 272 Gundam vs. Dragons

"Um?"

Uchiha Hikaru was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter.

She was still thinking about what excuse to come up with to explain the origin of "Gundam" to Xia Mi, but she didn't expect that this little dragon girl's imagination was quite strong. The White King's "spiritual" authority, corresponding to the ability of "fantasy manifestation"... is indeed quite reasonable.

And so...

Even if she took out the Flying Nimbus, Senzu Beans, Imperial Arms, and even the Nine-Tails, Natsumi probably wouldn't find it strange.

Let's go!

present.

Uchiha Hikaru waved his hand, and then, under the envious gazes of Erii and Natsumi, he boarded the cockpit of the "Strike Freedom," and then controlled the mecha to take off. It spread five huge blue and black wings over the riverbank, like a giant bird, and flew towards the "Moniah" several kilometers away.

……

At this moment.

Chaos had broken out on the "Moniach".

Two hours ago.

Professor Mans, who was in charge of this operation, braved the torrential rain and dived under the river to open the gate of the "Bronze City," allowing Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya to explore inside.

In this process.

Bewitched by the statues within the "Bronze City," Jiudeyaji fell into a state of delirium. She first deliberately cut her own lifeline, then activated the city's defense mechanisms, trapping her and Ye Sheng inside. As a result, Mans was forced to send an urgent request for assistance to the academy headquarters.

If no miracle occurs...

Then Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya Ji might be trapped and die inside the "Bronze City," or even worse.

"...So, how much longer can they hold out?"

Inside the cockpit, Professor Mans looked grave.

"...Ye Sheng's 'Snake' can still maintain communication, but we don't know how long it can last. The principal has ordered headquarters to provide support in deciphering the map of 'Qingcheng City,' but there's been no news yet. All we can do is wait."

Selma responded.

"...Damn it!"

Mans slammed his fist on the control panel, looking regretful.

He had experienced the Greenland Sea incident ten years prior and knew all too well how dangerous dragons could be. Although he had prepared himself to sacrifice himself when he discovered the "Bronze City," he was still very reluctant to face the situation head-on.

Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji were running low on oxygen. To complete the map deciphering and escape in such a short time was an impossible task. Death was practically inevitable.

unless……

"captain!!"

Selma's voice rang out: "We received a map from headquarters, saying it was deciphered by an S-rank freshman from the academy..."

Before he could finish speaking...

The first mate's voice came from the other side: "Captain, there's an unidentified creature behind the ship... I'm not sure if it's a creature, and I can't really describe what it looks like. You might have to come and see for yourself."

"?"

Despite some doubts.

Mans did as he was told and took a few steps outside, then looked in the direction the first mate was pointing. The next second, his eyes widened in shock and disbelief: "What...what is that?!"

This moment.

Everyone on the deck of the "Moniach" saw a huge dark shadow flying at low altitude, rapidly approaching them from the torrential rain.

As it drew closer, its form gradually became clearer – it was a massive red and white mecha, streamlined in shape, as if cast from steel, with five pairs of blue and black wings on its back, its wingspan reaching twenty or thirty meters when spread out, looking truly imposing.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Mans opened his mouth, an expression of disbelief on his face.

As a professor in his fifties, he had never seen the Gundam series, so he did not know the origin of "Strike Freedom".

However, he still had some idea what this enormous thing in front of him was—

Mechs?!

Could it be something those lunatics in the Equipment Department came up with?

and many more……

Mans's first thought was of the Equipment Department, but he immediately realized something was amiss—someone in the Equipment Department might want to develop such a thing, but it was impossible for them to have done so without the principal's knowledge, much less send it out without informing him, the person in charge of the operation. At this time, in this place, it could only mean…

"A masterpiece of dragons?!"

The King of Bronze and Fire has evolved to this level? Hand-crafted mechs?!

"Captain, what do we do?"

Selma asked in a low voice.

Mans considered for only a few seconds before making his decision, speaking rapidly: "...Bring the 'key' here and continue the rescue operation for Ye Sheng and Aki. At the same time, activate the ship's firepower system. If it makes any unusual movements, open fire immediately!"

……

the other side.

Hikaru Uchiha sat inside the "Strike Freedom," observing the surrounding movements from all directions through the six screens in the cockpit, his mind racing.

"...Is this tall, thin guy Professor Mance?"

"Looks quite ordinary..."

"They should have already sent people to infiltrate 'Bronze City' and are waiting for Jiudeya to bring up the brass jar?"

"Hmm... that shadow, over ten meters long, detected by the infrared detector underwater, is probably the third generation of Samson."

Although the "Strike Freedom" that Uchiha Hikaru is currently piloting is a modified version of the Red Ribbon Army's mass-produced mecha, Dr. Gero has added a lot of equipment to it, with the infrared scanner being just one of them. The real killer weapon is the set of weapons installed inside it.

In addition to conventional shells and missiles, torpedoes designed to strike underwater targets can also be loaded into the weapon storage compartment of this mech.

Rumble...

During the short time that Uchiha Hikaru paused to observe,

The underwater "Bronze City," thanks to the efforts of Mans and the others, had begun to emit deafening roars, as if it had gone berserk. Samson, hovering there, also began to swim faster, ready to ambush Ye Sheng and his companion as they escaped from the exit.

At this time.

Uchiha Hikari finally locked onto his target. After letting out a breath and confirming the situation, he pressed a button next to him.

"Combat mode... activated!"

As the button is pressed.

The hull of the "Strike Freedom" began to tilt slightly, and machine guns and cannons were mounted on its body, pointing towards the surging water. After a brief moment of aiming and preparation, the freshly loaded ammunition in the cannons burst forth!

This moment.

Six miniature torpedoes tore through the air in quick succession within seconds, then cleaved through the surface of the Yangtze River, hurtling straight toward the shadow of the dragon-like creature beneath the water!

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!

Huge white sprays of water exploded on the river surface, rising more than ten meters high! Beneath the surface, large swathes of bubbles rose to the surface and then spread out in all directions!

Faced with the sudden barrage of shells.

The dragon-like creatures at the bottom of the river displayed incredible agility, their long bodies tracing an S-shaped path underwater in an attempt to evade the torpedoes. But these torpedoes seemed to have eyes, slightly shifting their angle underwater and relentlessly pursuing it like leeches!

boom--!!

In the blink of an eye, the two torpedoes struck the dragons first, exploding with a deafening roar!

Then there are the remaining four.

As the explosion occurred, numerous bubbles rose from beneath the surface of the river, and the crimson flames turned the river water a deep red. The sound of the explosion was completely masked by the nearly 100-meter-deep curtain of water, making it impossible for people on the surface to hear clearly.

Just a dozen seconds later, before the bubbles had completely dissipated, a huge black shadow rushed straight into the air along the murky water!

Crash!

A tremendous sound of water erupted!

At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru and everyone on the "Moniah" saw an incredible black shadow break through the water's surface, soaring straight into the sky with unparalleled power. Under the reflection of the lightning in the sky, the black shadow twisted and turned like a mad dragon, rising to a height of nearly thirty meters. Then, with a flick of its long tail, it hooked one of the wings of the "Strike Freedom" and pulled it down sharply!

"Strike Freedom" stumbled.

Then it came to a stop again in mid-air.

"...She's quite strong."

Uchiha Hikaru sat upright in the cockpit, operating the remote control with both hands, his eyes slightly narrowed.

The power that came from Samson was truly astonishing.

Although Uchiha Hikaru reacted quickly and regained his footing immediately, the struggle between the two had still caused the mecha's energy to be rapidly depleted, dropping by several percentage points in just a few seconds. Moreover, the mecha's outer shell began to tremble slightly, faintly emitting a mournful groan of unbearable strain, as if it were about to break apart at any moment.

under these circumstances.

With one hand still gripping the remote control stick, Hikaru Uchiha pressed the fire button again with the other, manipulating the cannons on both sides of the mecha to deflect their muzzles, and then fired again at the dragons that were within arm's reach!

boom--!!!

Another volley!

Samson, who originally tried to drag "Strike Freedom" into the fray, never expected that his operation would fail miserably.

While suspended in mid-air with nowhere to grab hold, it only had time to loosen its tail before two miniature missiles pressed down on its iron-blue scales, sending it plummeting directly into the water. A violent explosion then erupted around it, and it was engulfed in thick smoke!

A few seconds later.

Several more shells were fired in pursuit!

In an instant, the burst of flames turned the water surface a bright red, countless bubbles and white smoke rose from the surface, while molten steel-like light flowed slowly beneath the surface, as if it were about to boil.

At this time.

The people aboard the "Moniach" were stunned:

"No...is it a misunderstanding? Why does this mech seem like it's here to help us?"

(End of this chapter)