The Gray Phantom was shot down, becoming the first warship Reid had ever destroyed.
At this moment, Reid felt neither joy nor sorrow. Sympathizing with the enemy on the battlefield was a foolish thing to do—a lesson his squadmate had taught him with their life during his very first combat mission after enlisting.
He had thought the opposing GINN was already down, its monoeye darkened, so he hadn't fired a finishing shot into the cockpit. Over squad comms, he'd even remarked that if the pilot survived, it'd be sheer luck. But the result? As he turned away, that GINN successfully rebooted, raised its rifle, and blew him up.
So Reid felt no guilt over killing enemies. On the battlefield, he was a cold-blooded man.
And not just cold-blooded—he also held grudges. The instant the Gray Phantom was destroyed, Reid set his next target on the two Sniper GM IIs that had just sniped at him.
However, as Reid transformed back into MA mode and dove to search for his opponents, he saw that one of the Sniper GM IIs had already been obliterated by a shoulder-mounted Giant Bazooka shot from the Kampfer.
Given the other Sniper GM II lying wrecked beside it, his targets were most likely already gone.
The Kampfer noticed Reid's dive but didn't aim its weapon at him. Instead, it initiated laser communication.
Reid didn't refuse the link. The moment he connected, he heard the voice of a man who sounded thoroughly drunk.
"Hey, no idea which black ops unit you're from, but this mission belongs to us—the Cyclops Team. Don't steal our kills. Just sit back and watch the show. Oh, and there should still be one more Sniper GM II around here. Feel free to go play with that one."
As soon as the message ended, Reid received coordinates—somewhere in the dense forest ahead.
Reid had no intention of fighting this Kampfer here and now, despite the hefty sum of G-Coins it had cost him. For one, he still didn't know the location of the research base housing the NT-1. And tactically speaking, it'd be best to let the Kampfer break through the NT-1 Gundam's external Chobham Armor before joining the fray.
That Chobham Armor was downright absurd. In the original timeline, even a point-blank explosion from chain mines capable of blasting through warship hulls hadn't so much as scratched the mobile suit—hell, the pilot hadn't even been knocked unconscious by the shockwave. Reid wasn't even sure his 120MM Electromagnetic Linear Rifle could penetrate the damn thing.
So Reid didn't respond. Instead, he piloted his machine toward the coordinates the Kampfer had provided—though not without caution, first ascending beyond its firing range before heading to the destination.
Fortunately, since Reid had taken down the Federation's Mothership, the Kampfer's pilot seemed to genuinely believe Reid was a fellow soldier on a covert mission. No backstabbing attempt came.
Upon reaching the location, Reid quickly spotted the Sniper GM II. After all, a machine that large, with zero camouflage, stood out like a sore thumb in the forest.
But this Sniper GM II clearly had no intention of waiting to die. Its sniper rifle was already trained on Reid's approaching form. The problem? MA-mode flight was too fast—the sniper couldn't get a clean lock, leaving him unable to fire.
Reid couldn't help but laugh when he saw the Sniper GM II squatting so rigidly in sniper mode. Did the pilot inside really think he'd charge straight at it for a reaction-time duel?
Dealing with such fools was simple. Reid just fired an Anti-ship Missile at its feet.
Now the opponent had to choose: if they used the sniper rifle to intercept the missile, the charging time would allow Reid to close the distance twice over. If they chose to dodge, they'd have to exit sniper mode—otherwise they'd probably trip while moving. Surely this Sniper GM II couldn't evade missile attacks at a geriatric shuffle's pace while maintaining sniper stance.
In the end, the Sniper GM II chose evasion. The moment it exited sniper mode, Reid swiftly transformed back into MS form and fired at its landing point, hitting the torso dead-on and turning it into fireworks.
Without even glancing back at the explosion, Reid immediately turned away after confirming the hit. In the original scenario, the Kampfer and NT-1 Gundam had settled their duel in just a few exchanges. If he arrived late, he'd miss out on both the Kampfer's G-Coin bounty and extra Merit Points.
Fortunately, locating the Kampfer wasn't hard—just follow the explosions.
It was currently engaging Side 6's Colony Satellite defense forces. Only the rocket trucks posed any threat, but their missiles were useless against the Kampfer's maxed-out mobility, which effortlessly countered with shotgun blasts.
However, since the Kampfer had been smuggled into the colony for assembly, its ammunition was clearly insufficient. By the time it reached its destination, it had discarded both giant rocket launchers on its back to improve mobility, leaving only a shotgun.
But the Kampfer had now arrived. Reid didn't rush down, instead observing from high altitude.
After destroying the factory, the Kampfer faced a gray-armored Mobile Suit that came charging out from the other side—stumbling like an office worker attempting their first jog in years.
The Kampfer showed no mercy, immediately firing its shotgun. Yet the rounds only left minor dents on the gray armor.
Watching from above, Reid clicked his tongue. The Kampfer's ZUX-197 Shotgun was loaded with Luna Titanium Alloy specialty rounds—the same material as a Gundam's armor. If those merely caused small dents, his 120MM Electromagnetic Linear Rifle might not penetrate even with two clean shots.
Fortunately, the Zeon Cyclops Team had already delivered their ultimate weapon—Chain Mines—near the factory. True to the original plot, the Kampfer lured the NT-1 Gundam toward a truck, smashed it open, and detonated the Chain Mines on the Gundam in a massive explosion.
The towering mushroom cloud made Reid want to complain about the Chobham Armor's defensive capabilities again. If not for its weight, this stuff would outperform PS Armor against physical rounds—it even dampened shockwaves.
Yet, as the smoke cleared, the NT-1 Gundam stood up unscathed, as if reborn.
The Kampfer's pilot was stunned, hastily drawing the beam saber from his leg and raising it high, intending to split his opponent in half. However, the NT-1 Gundam had already raised its left arm-mounted 90mm triple-barrel Gatling gun. They were about to recreate the iconic scene from the original where the gun proves faster and deadlier within seven paces.
But this time, with Reid present, the Kampfer absolutely couldn't be shot down at this moment.
Without hesitation, Reid fired three rapid shots in burst mode from his 120mm Electromagnetic Linear Rifle mid-air, determined to interrupt the NT-1 Gundam's attack.
To avoid unnecessary alert from the Kampfer, Reid had positioned himself at a distance beyond the effective range of the Electromagnetic Rifle's burst mode. Yet after two months of anti-bandit operations, his marksmanship had surpassed 300. One of the three shots still struck the NT-1 Gundam.
The hit landed squarely on the NT-1's left shoulder. Due to the extreme range and burst mode, the damage was minimal—Luna Titanium Alloy was ridiculously tough. The shot only severely deformed the left arm.
However, the impact forced the NT-1 to topple sideways, rendering it unable to raise its left arm. The Kampfer's downward slash severed it, but at least the pilot's life was spared.
Having fired, Reid descended directly onto the battlefield and used laser communication to address the Kampfer's pilot:
"According to my intel, you're Lieutenant Mikhail Kaminsky of the Cyclops Team, right? You're far too careless. You can't afford to be this reckless against a Gundam."
Hearing Reid disclose his name and rank, the Kampfer's pilot lowered his guard further. He turned and raised his beam saber again, preparing to deliver the final blow to the NT-1, though he still grumbled defiantly:
"Tch. I appreciate the backup, but who the hell are you? Some kinda black ops with no name? Let me tell you, we Cyclops—hssssk—"
Reid didn't let Lieutenant Mikhail finish. The moment the man turned his back, Reid drew the Plasma Sonic Vibration Blade from his Union Flag and drove the plasma weapon straight through the Kampfer's cockpit from the side, neutralizing him with minimal damage.
With that done, Reid muttered to himself:
"Apologies, Lieutenant Mikhail. I'm not actually an ally—just an intruder."
Without pause, he flung the Sonic Vibration Blade at the struggling NT-1's right arm, destroying its last weapon and limb. Then, aiming his Electromagnetic Cannon at the NT-1's cockpit, he coldly transmitted via laser comms:
"You have three seconds to open the cockpit and surrender. Or die."