Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 146 We Can't Hold On Anymore!

"Using your teammates as shields, tsk tsk, how shameless!"

Markarius removed the empty magazine, then placed the sniper rifle aside and picked up another long weapon from the ground.

Sniper Jim naturally wouldn't just carry one gun. In addition to his live-fire sniper rifle, Markarius also carried a Type 79YK. Although it didn't have an external power supply, two spare rounds were enough.

Controlling the sniper GM, who was kneeling on the ground, Makarius raised his gun and searched for the high-mobility Zaku again.

At this moment, Jim's shield wall had already collided with the Zaku.

Hundreds of mobile suits immediately engaged in a fierce battle in the now unrecognizable forest. The scene was incredibly chaotic, but fortunately, the fire control system had already filtered out the relatively slow-moving mobile suits. Soon after, the high-mobility Zaku, which was moving at high speed, appeared in the blue lock-on frame.

Clearly, the sniping just now had made the enemy very wary. At this moment, the high-mobility Zaku was trying to bypass the entire battlefield, but it was no use. After taking out the Zaku sniper at the highest point, Makarius now occupied the high ground.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a High Mobility Zaku. Its agile maneuvers are so impressive, it's like it's flying right close to the ground. It's simply a sight to behold. The only downside is that the fuselage should be painted red.

Makarius took a deep breath, then slightly adjusted the standard of his machine. He began to frantically deduce the opponent's movement trajectory in his mind, and then, accompanied by a flash of lightning.

"Die!"

The 79yk's slender muzzle then unleashed a long, narrow beam of light that instantly traversed the entire battlefield before illuminating the high-mobility Zaku that was moving at high speed.

The scorching heat rays burned through the Zaku's outer armor almost without delay, then tore through the pipes, electronic components, and even the internal structure below, until the other end of the machine was completely pierced. This process lasted only a few seconds, because at the same time, the High Mobility Zaku's body began to vaporize due to the high temperature. The entire machine evaporated in a very short time, leaving only two steel feet in place.

"ciao!"

The two-second exposure was fleeting. Makarius raised his gun, and a large amount of white, high-temperature steam was constantly emanating from the gun, even obscuring half of sniper Jim's body.

After the cooldown was complete, Makarius raised his sniper rifle again, but this time his target was the ordinary ground Zaku that were attacking GM.

"Attention everyone, get out of the way, I'm about to open fire!"

"Understood. Have a pleasant hunt, sir!"

The commander of the operation below was Red Dragon VII. He glanced at the troops that had completed their withdrawal and then reported in the channel.

Then, Makarius pulled the trigger, and a narrow beam shot out from the side of the battlefield. Although it was a very brief and fleeting sweep, four ground-based Zaku were hit by the beam, and then these four ground-based Zaku exploded in a terrible manner.

"These Jims are weird! They're not ordinary Jims!"

By now, the Zeon recruits piloting ground-based Zaku were finally realizing something was wrong. Putting aside the long-range attacks from the Macarius, the casualties they suffered in charging the GM shield wall were far greater than before. The GMs wearing goggles fired with deadly accuracy, and their machine guns were equipped with grenade launchers. As the pilots charged forward under the hail of bullets to engage in close combat, they were horrified to discover that in the contest of mechs, the enemy was gradually gaining the upper hand.

"Move it, you damn piece of junk, why won't you move!"

As his thermal axe was gradually pushed back by the opponent, while the blade of the beam saber slowly approached him, a Zeon pilot who had only been on Earth for two days was so anxious that he wet himself.

No matter how much he pushed the control lever or increased the engine power, his Zaku kept regressing.

And so, the Zaku's heat axe was pushed away little by little, until the purple light blade, under the pilot's desperate gaze, was pushed into the Zaku's chest.

But now, it's too late for the Zeon army to retreat, because while they were engaged in close combat with the Federation forces, two other companies belonging to the Red Dragon Battalion had already pressed forward from the rear and were flanking them from the left and right.

"Charge, Steel Tank!"

Leading the charge were three assault gun-equipped steel tanks.

Lieutenant Irene, who was in charge of the squad, had been blocking Macarius from mealtimes to volunteer for the mission. She even kept nagging him outside the toilet door when he went there. Macarius had no choice but to agree to her request, but he also demanded that the machine not be damaged, because he would need it later when attacking the Zeon fortress!

However, it was clear that Lieutenant Irene had already forgotten Makarius's instructions, and the steel tanks operating in assault gun mode charged directly to the front of the entire battalion.

"Captain, it's time to turn!"

Once the mad dash had advanced to the Zeon army's flank and rear, Lieutenant Irene's steel tank decisively overtook them with a blade-like maneuver. Seeing the target already appearing on the fire control radar, Lieutenant Irene immediately pulled the trigger.

"Activate MLRS!"

"Wait, Captain, there are still some of our own people over there..."

However, four missiles carrying cluster munitions had already taken off and were hurtling towards the GM in front of it with high-altitude trajectories.

"Eileen, I (beep beep beep)"

Upon seeing the missile flying overhead, Red Dragon VII immediately began to curse the enemy's family and ordered GM to evade the top attack. Fortunately, Irene's target was the rear half of the Zeon forces, but some stray bullets still landed very close to friendly forces.

"I'm so sorry, I'll accept whatever punishment I get, whether it's writing a self-criticism or being put in solitary confinement!"

Lieutenant Eileen shouted into the comms as she continued to maneuver the steel tank forward. As her machine leaped off the slope, she pressed the trigger again, this time firing the 220mm main cannon.

An armor-piercing round whistled through the air and struck a Zaku ground combatant holding a rocket launcher. The latter's chest was instantly shattered into pieces by the armor-piercing round's attack; the enormous kinetic energy was simply beyond the resistance of high-tensile steel!
After landing, Irene fired another shot, but the impact caused it to drop low, directly blasting the thigh of a Zaku. The Zeon pilot was still subconsciously trying to control his machine when it crashed headfirst to the ground.

Then, the steel tank's body seemed to grow suddenly, and it began to rise, with two mechanical arms popping out from below.

The four cannons on the right arm were aimed at the fallen Zaku, and an armor-piercing missile was fired, blowing half of its body to smithereens.

After destroying the Zaku, the Gundam had already advanced to the Zaku's vicinity. 120mm bullets whistled around the Gundam, and occasionally shells hit its armor. However, thanks to its thick titanium alloy armor, these attacks were insignificant.

On the contrary, Lieutenant Eileen unleashed her full firepower. The four-barreled missile launcher on her right arm fired as soon as it locked on, regardless of the target's location. The 30mm cannon and flamethrower on her left arm exploded in a dazzling display of fire. Although they did not cause much damage to the Zaku, they still caused great confusion among the new pilots. One Zaku's head was even set on fire, and the Zaku pilot's first reaction was to drop his weapon and start digging in the dirt to extinguish the fire on its head.

Then, the Zaku was sent flying by the Gundam's ramming. Before it could land, Irene's teammates threw two heavy mines, which landed on either side of the Zaku. "Ah!"

Amidst the desperate cries of the Zaku pilot, two heavy mines, capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with aerial bombs, were remotely detonated by the Gundam pilot, and the violent impact immediately engulfed the Zaku.

The rampage tactics of the three steel tanks threw the Zeon army's rear into complete chaos. Their command was already disrupted by the destruction of the highly mobile Zaku, and the chaotic fighting only exacerbated the confusion. The few officers who were available issued contradictory orders, and then the two battalions of Zaku were wiped out by the Red Dragon Battalion in one fell swoop.

After a brief but intense battle, the last remaining Zaku, stubbornly putting up a fight, was pierced through by a GM wielding a beam spear and fell helplessly to the ground.

"Boss, it's done!"

"Then let's continue forward. Damaged machines should immediately retreat for repairs!"

Marcarius had already maneuvered his sniper GM to the high ground ahead, where he saw the wreckage of the Zaku he had destroyed, as well as the tightly closed entrance to the Zeon base.

Although the Zeon had done a great job of camouflaging, the gate's outer walls and surrounding environment still looked somewhat out of place due to the frequent opening of the gate. There were also many hidden firing positions around the outer walls, which the Zeon army could use to block the road as long as they ensured that the base was not captured.

Clearly, the Zeon army now knew of the annihilation of the defenders outside, and in Makarius's perception, those firing positions were filled with malice and murderous intent.

"Lieutenant Eileen!"

"Sir, I'm here!"

Because she almost accidentally injured friendly forces, Lieutenant Irene was also kicked hard in the butt by Macarius after the battle. At this moment, she could only grimace as she drove her mech to the side of the road.

"Do you see that mountain wall?"

"Good to see, blow it all to smithereens!"

Subsequently, three steel tanks drove onto the high ground, lined up in a row, and began direct fire on the outer walls of the Zeon base.

The reason why the mobile suit-specific rocket launcher is not used is that the main gun of these steel tanks also has special anti-fortress ammunition, namely concrete-penetrating rounds, which are far more effective than rocket launchers in terms of damage output.

"Fire!"

With the roar of the 220mm main gun, visible black dots flew towards the outer wall. Then, everyone felt the ground shake and the impact point was filled with smoke and dust. When the smoke cleared, Makarius saw large swathes of rubble that had broken off the outer wall piled up at the foot of the mountain.

"Very effective, keep going!"

The Zeon defenders did not expect the Federation forces to advance so quickly. The range of their firing positions was not even close enough to reach a few steel tanks, so they could only watch helplessly as the enemy bombarded them, and one cannon after another was destroyed along with the bunkers without firing a single shot.

The Zeon commander had no choice but to immediately request reinforcements.

Their support came from the tigers that rode on the Dedeys. Because of the mountain range, the fastest way for the reinforcements to travel from one defensive point to another was naturally by flying. This was mainly because the defensive line had been built in such a short time that the Zeon had not had time to dig the connecting tunnels.

The combination of the Deddy YS and the Tiger is also very formidable. The Deddy YS, which serves as a makeshift bomber and is equipped with powerful weaponry, can launch an air strike against the enemy before landing, and then release the Tiger to launch an attack, which can inflict maximum damage on the enemy.

Upon receiving the order, the Tiger Squadron immediately took off and rushed from the military base behind the mountains to the mountain pass. At the same time, a ground force also set off, embarking on the road to the mountain pass.

The Zeon forces moved quickly, but the steel tanks were also incredibly fast. Thanks to Makarius's precise instructions, the three steel tanks were frighteningly efficient, shattering the Zeon's outer perimeter firepower in less than twenty salvos.

After confirming that the Zeon forces had no remaining firing positions to block the entrance, the Steel Tank Squad piled up the heavy mines they carried outside the Zeon base gate and then carried out a perfect directional explosion.

When the smoke and dust cleared, a huge, dark cave appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Sir, let us lead the charge!"

The commander of the 29th Division's mobile suits immediately volunteered, not to claim credit, but because he knew his troops hadn't helped the Red Dragon Battalion much throughout the battle. At most, they had just raised their shields and acted as human shields during the fighting. If they were to lead the reconnaissance, even if their mobile suits were destroyed, it would be better than losing those elite pilots.

"What's the rush? When it's your turn to contribute, take all the shields off!"

At this moment, the Zeon base was also pitch black, but in the darkness, countless guns and cannons were pointed at the blasted-open gate. Although they did not know how many enemies were outside, the base's defenders were determined to kill any Federation troops who dared to enter!
"A sound is approaching, prepare to fire!"

Hearing the whooshing sound coming from outside the cave, the Zeon pilots held their breath.

Then, a strange-looking thing suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave.

"Fire!"

At the command, the cave was instantly illuminated by roaring gunfire, with countless weapons firing at the strange enemy at the entrance.

The dense explosions almost engulfed the enemy, while also masking the sound of their firing.

With a cannon blast, a flash of light erupted inside the cave, instantly blasting a Magella tank to pieces. Then, missiles and other contraptions were also blasted into the cave, rendering a Zaku incapable of combat.

Then, the enemy machine reversed and retreated under the fire.

Seeing the shattered upper-level external shield, Lieutenant Eileen, still dizzy from the impact, climbed out of the cockpit.

"No problem, boss, I've tried it, those guys are no match for me!"

"Okay, that's good for you. Now, next one!"

Then, several GMs stepped forward, peeled off the shattered shield fragments, and hung new shields on the outside of the Guntank. After that, a new pilot climbed into the cockpit, and with his shout, the Guntank drove back to the entrance and fired another shot into it.

(End of this chapter)