Of course, there was no actual rifle in reality. From the outside, the Mobile Suit merely raised its right hand.
Even so, the movements of its limbs still conveyed a sense of exquisite balance.
Just like when they piloted Powered Armor.
Watching this scene, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The testing here was essentially complete, with only the final step remaining.
Thinking this, Thomas glanced at Jiuer beside him, who, despite her expressionless face, had also clenched her hands tightly.
"Representative Jiuer, what do you think?"
"Everything is going smoothly. I hope he succeeds."
"This is the most important strength of us Coordinators."
In the face of this strength, she no longer cared about Naturals or anything else.
Moreover, she didn't believe Fred would leak any secrets at this point.
"Yes, I hope so."
Upon hearing this, Thomas responded and turned his gaze back to the young man on the screen.
His eyes were fixed unwaveringly.
The final step of the test was the mobility test after igniting the Main Engine on the back.
As Fred operated the controls, the last few murmurs and conversations at the scene fell completely silent.
"Lacus..."
In the small room shared only by the two of them, Flay tightened her grip on Lacus's hand, her tension evident.
Even without sensing the pressure from her fingers, Lacus could tell from Flay's tense expression how she was feeling.
"It's fine. Safety is guaranteed."
Lacus used her father's words to reassure her close friend, her own gaze growing more profound.
Hidden within it was a hint of excitement.
From the start of the experiment until now, everything had proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
Moreover, from Fred's body language, she couldn't detect any lack of confidence.
If everything went smoothly, Fred would hold the titles of test pilot, first-generation Battleship designer, and first-generation MS designer, not to mention the command skills he had demonstrated on Mendel a year ago.
All of this further solidified her belief in her initial judgment.
Fred truly represented the possibility of future peace.
This peace wasn't about Coordinators dominating everything—such a notion was neither scientific nor feasible.
With so many countries in the world, each with its own identity and values, unification was simply impossible.
Even if Coordinators forcibly unified the world through military power, civil wars would inevitably follow.
True peace would never be achieved.
Thus, balance was the most crucial factor.
This was something Fred also agreed with.
Amid the tension and anticipation of Lacus, Flay, and everyone else, Fred soon continued speaking.
"Release all Mounting Frames."
"All Mounting Frames released, Director Freed. You now have full Freedom Degree Authorization."
Heinline's typically serious voice reached Fred's ears, sounding even more tense than usual.
As Heinline's words faded, a familiar sound of Restraint Locks disengaging echoed, and the fixed green indicator on Fred's screen turned red.
"Good, thank you."
Fred acknowledged with a word, while his other hand also rested on the throttle valve, slowly pushing it upward.
The Mobile Suit began to vibrate with Fred's operation, and with a roar, it flew upward in the weak gravity environment.
Of course, the speed wasn't too fast.
The laboratory space was limited, and it was impossible to fly too high.
Compared to the intensity of the battlefield, Fred's current speed was as leisurely as an old lady crossing the street.
Naturally, the onlookers had no mind for jokes, still intently watching the Prototype Unit with its glowing Propulsion Unit at the back.
As for Fred, he was calmly observing the control panel before him.
At the same time, his fingers moved slightly, repeating a set of actions he had just performed on the support frame.
Everything flowed smoothly and methodically.
Just as it had been when fixed in place.
"Unit Posture remains stable, Deviation Rate within 0.01%."
As Fred's words fell, the crowd seemed to remember they could breathe again, collectively letting out a sigh of relief before eagerly breaking into applause.
Tension faded from their faces, replaced by excitement and exhilaration.
The success of this test meant that after completing the final Extreme Testing, the Mobile Suit could officially enter Mass Production.
The significance of this was immense.
Although it was uncertain whether the Mobile Suit would perform as expected on the battlefield, at least it had now materialized.
The crowd cheered and embraced, while a small minority harbored jealousy and disappointment.
However, these scenes seemed unrelated to Fred.
He simply announced the end of the test and slowly landed the Mobile Suit back in its original position.
As if nothing had happened, he merely stared at the values before him.
[Powered Armor Control +0.02]
[Powered Armor Control (Beginner): 44.91/100]
[MS Control +0.05]
[MS Control (Beginner): 20.03/100]
The ratio had indeed reversed.
So, what came next was to continue piloting the Mobile Suit.
Fred thought to himself, the corner of his mouth lifting into a subtle, almost imperceptible curve.
...
Amidst the crowd's excitement, Fred didn't make any speech over the Communication Channel. He merely responded briefly to the congratulations and thanks before shutting off the communication.
It was as if he hadn't been the one to lead the successful test.
Watching Fred's actions, Shiva, who had also felt a surge of excitement, was momentarily taken aback.
"I told you he wouldn't use this moment to boost his reputation."
Patrick, now relaxed, allowed a faint, elusive smile to appear on his face in front of his capable subordinate.
"Hmm..."
Shiva didn't deny it, merely lowering her head before adding,
"But the MS project is, after all, extremely important..."
"Enough, I'll handle the explanations later."
Hearing her about to repeat the same old tune, Patrick waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes."
Shiva lowered her gaze, responding with a hint of deference.
On the other end, just as the two had observed, Fred snapped out of his thoughts, now focused on the fact that his MS skills were finally on the right track.
At the current pace, if he diligently trains his MS piloting skills, he should be able to barely reach Elite level by 70.
Next, it would be matters concerning Copernicus, Durandal, and others.
These were all rather complicated situations, but Fred, having just accomplished a major task, was filled with confidence.
Even his usually tense expression relaxed considerably.
"Sooner or later, I'll be able to resolve all these troubles."
"And then I can retire."
Fred thought happily to himself as he returned to the ground from the cockpit with the assistance of the logistics team.