"Ha~ha~ the battle has been going on for... fifteen hours now... ha~ha~"
"Seriously... can we at least have a meal, ugh~!"
"How long is this assault going to last... ha~"
It had been ten hours since they regrouped. Although they weren't completely pinned down, they were still unable to move an inch, trapped in a small area. Any attempt to break free from the fire suppression would immediately result in even more intense firepower forcing them back.
After a total of fifteen hours of relentless fighting, they hadn't even had time to eat or relieve themselves, and their stamina and energy had reached their limits.
"Damn it, according to the plan, Myer should have taken away more than half of the troops. How are they still holding on?" Lyle complained.
"Ugh~ this just shows that they have deployed an unprecedented amount of troops and resources. Myer must be under a lot of pressure too. According to Ms. Huang's predictions, the enemy's elite forces are about to arrive. When that happens, the enemy's fire suppression will definitely weaken, and that will be our chance!" Neil said, casually shooting down several bombing units, the Realdo and GN-X, as he spoke.
"Understood." X4.
...
On the other end of the battlefield, Yang Hui had lost count of how many fire points he had destroyed and how many MS units he had shot down. He was drenched in sweat, looking as if he had just been pulled from the water, and even his sharp, spirited eyes showed signs of fatigue.
"Ha~ha~ I've destroyed so many... why isn't the assault weakening..."
"321 MS units shot down, 75 fire points destroyed." Haro kindly reported to Yang Hui.
"Haro, stop with the meaningless reports." As he spoke, Yang Hui fired his weapons and shot down a dozen MS units, completely destroying a nearby fire point.
"Understood! Understood!"
"Damn it, I wonder how Setsuna and the others are doing?" Yang Hui complained, but he soon noticed that the enemy's fire suppression was rapidly weakening and falling silent, with more and more MS units appearing within the radar's detection range.
"Ha, is it a lack of supplies, or are they planning to capture me? This isn't Kati's style."
Though his tone was casual, Yang Hui's vigilance was at its peak. If it was Kati's command, she would definitely know to capture him. Just one Gundam would cost far more than dealing with five Gundams, and any slip-up could ruin the entire operation.
Moreover... all the MS units from the Human Reform League and UNION began to retreat, leaving behind only the suddenly appearing AEU's GN-X and Ahead.
"Could it be a coup? No... there should be another commander operating in the shadows, heh, interesting." Yang Hui casually shot down a few GN-X and Ahead units that charged at him, letting GN-bits swirl around him, preparing to carve a bloody path.
However, seeing that he only had six gun-type and two sword-type GN-bits left, with the rest destroyed in previous battles, Yang Hui felt a bit helpless. The weakening firepower and the exhaustion of his stamina and energy left him without the confidence to enter Innovator mode.
"Damn old man, can't you lift the Trans-AM seal in advance?" Yang Hui cursed as he fought his way through, but the gap he had created was quickly filled, forcing him back into the encirclement.
The Gundam Rasiel, which had danced gracefully through the hail of bullets, could no longer perfectly evade all attacks. From its first appearance until now, the once pristine Gundam Rasiel was now covered in scorch marks and scratches.
...
In the temporary command center of the military exercise, Kati received relevant reports and immediately contacted her superiors to inquire about what was happening.
"Colonel Manekin, you only need to focus on the five Gundams gathered together. The Feather Machine on the other side has been taken over by someone else."
"Who is in command? Why wasn't I informed in advance? This will disrupt all my operational deployments!"
"Are you questioning your superiors, Colonel Manekin? Mind your attitude!"
"I apologize, sir." Kati bowed her head in apology, but her eyes were filled with flames of anger. All her deployments were based on a comparison of enemy and friendly forces, designed to achieve the smallest losses possible. If a secret unit was arranged or her command authority was divided, she would have no objections, but...
She should have been informed in advance!
Suddenly having someone intervene and disrupt her plans could mean that all her efforts over the past fifteen hours could go to waste.
"Hmph, this is an order, and you must execute it. I hope you can achieve the corresponding results."
After the communication ended, Kati slammed her fist on the command platform, her furious expression resembling that of someone ready to kill.
"Colonel, urgent communication request!"
"Whose is it?"
"The opposing unit's number shows... Foreign Legion Lieutenant Gary Biaki!"
"What? Foreign Legion?" Kati was shocked.
Due to the previous large-scale rebellion of the Foreign Legion, this joint military exercise did not include them, and even during the exercise, they were to be subjected to military control. So why was someone from the Foreign Legion accessing the specially set up communication network and directly contacting the command center?
With a bad premonition, Kati connected the urgent communication, wanting to see who this Lieutenant Gary Biaki really was.
As soon as the communication connected, Kati immediately recognized Lieutenant Gary Biaki, and her anger intensified.
"Ali Al-Sachez."
Sachez's name was well-known even within the AEU military. A self-taught pilot, he possessed driving skills that surpassed internal elites and ace pilots. His cunning and treacherous personality made him adept at self-preservation, but he also enjoyed instigating wars, which was completely contrary to military ideals. Many people disliked him, including Kati, and it was precisely for this reason that Kati had rejected the higher-ups' recommendation to include him in the Gundam investigation unit.
"Long time no see, Colonel Manekin."
"Why are you here in the exercise area? The Foreign Legion should be confined to domestic camps."
"Hey, hey, don't look at me like that. The reason I'm here is because of orders from above. I wouldn't dare violate military orders." Facing Kati's murderous gaze, Sachez pretended to be scared but was actually indifferent.
"What?"
"Orders from above, I've taken over the Feather Machine. Colonel Manekin just needs to handle the other five Gundams."
"How is that possible! How could they allow you to take command!?"
"It's true. The Colonel can confirm with the higher-ups, but before you do that, I need to go deal with the Feather Machine. I hope you can finish before capturing it, that's all."
"Wait..."
Without giving Kati a chance, Sachez directly ended the communication, and Kati slammed her fist against the command platform again.
"Immediately call the higher-ups to question why Sachez has command authority! Request that command authority be returned!"
"Understood."
Kati gritted her teeth. Someone like Sachez had no military honor at all. Everything he did was for himself. If he truly had command authority, whether he could capture Gundam Rasiel was another matter, but the losses would definitely be severe. He had never learned to cherish the lives of his comrades; as long as he could achieve his goals, sacrificing all his troops would be perfectly normal for him.
"Colonel, the scheduled time has arrived. Special Units One, Two, and Three request to launch."
"Ha~" Kati controlled her emotions. If this was truly an order from above, then she had done everything she could. Rather than being angry at the higher-ups' foolishness, it was better to complete the current task first.
"Permission granted, Special Units One, Two, and Three, launch immediately and execute Plan A1."
"Understood!"
(End of Chapter)