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

Chapter 159 The Young Master's Last Dance

"Char..."

"what happened?"

"My buttons, it seems, won't button up again!"

In the empty office, Karma, carrying the gleaming rank of general, was as nervous as he had been when he launched the uprising a year ago. He tried to button up his collar, but his hands trembled like leaves, and he had to call on Char for help once again.

Char, as always, thoughtfully stepped forward, but he noticed that it wasn't the buttons that were the problem; rather, it was his life as the commander of Zeon during this period that had made Garma a bit rounder.

Actually, you can't really blame Karma. Since the Federation Army's counterattack, his range of activities has been greatly reduced. He spends most of his time at the command post. With less physical activity, coupled with irregular eating habits and frequent late nights, it's inevitable that he'll gain weight.

Fortunately, Karma was good-looking to begin with, so this change did not affect his charm. Even the mayor's daughter of the Zeon government in San Francisco could not help but fall for his handsomeness. However, there was nothing she could do about it. As an important official under the Zeon puppet government, the mayor of San Francisco and his family were already on the war criminal list. If nothing unexpected happened, the whole family would be in big trouble. So, at this moment, they wished they could stay with Karma all the time.

However, that was obviously impossible, especially after seeing that Karma, who was being protected by guards, had changed into a pilot's uniform. The puppet government personnel still surrounding the headquarters understood that the worst moment had arrived.

Meanwhile, in the hangar below the headquarters, Karma, under the watchful eyes of everyone, ascended to the central platform and began his final war mobilization.

Kalmar didn't spout any slogans or preach any Zeon righteousness; he simply started by talking about the uprising he had launched and the ideals and vision of a young man.

"I am not an outstanding commander, but I am willing to be an ordinary soldier who will fight steadfastly for the cause of Zeon, for Zeon's glory, for Zeon's future, even if it means being shattered to pieces!"

"So, in the upcoming battle, will any of you be able to lend me a hand?"

"For Zeon!"

"Long live Zeon!"

Karma was met with a deafening roar.

"Then, let's go!"

Meanwhile, the Federation forces were unaware that the Zeon forces had begun a counterattack along the underground tunnels. They were still preparing to launch an assault according to the pre-arranged plan, just as the frontline troops were preparing to launch their attack.

At the other end of the passage came the roar of a fluid pulse engine.

"what is that?"

"Something is rapidly approaching on my radar. It's a mobile suit. Prepare for defense!"

Several assault GMs were the first to draw their beam rifles and stand at the forefront, ready to meet the enemy.

The next second, a series of highly mobile Zaku sped out of the passage at a speed exceeding the expectations of the Federation military pilots, easily breaking through the interception of the Strike GMs and launching an attack on the regular GMs behind them.

The roaring machine guns fired barrages in vain, chasing after the highly mobile Zaku. In the huge underground tunnel, these highly mobile Zaku were like parkour masters, quickly weaving in front of the ordinary GMs and engaging in close-quarters combat.

When the Strike GM in front tried to return to provide support, it was intercepted by the Tiger behind the High Mobility Zaku. Faced with the super-long beam spear, the Tiger's pilots were also able to skillfully use the electric whip to restrain it.

The real strength of this Federation force was actually those few Strike GMs piloted by experienced military pilots. Without their cover, ordinary GM pilots were simply unable to deal with the high-mobility Zaku. They quickly suffered heavy losses and had to retreat in a sorry state. Although the Strike GMs could fight the Tiger to a standstill, once they were out of cover, they were outnumbered and quickly surrounded and killed.

"Charge! Charge!"

After breaking through the Federation frontline troops at this defensive line, the Zeon forces did not hesitate and immediately launched a rapid counterattack along the passage. Meanwhile, the previously lurking Dabud-class troops unleashed a barrage of artillery fire to block the outer area of ​​the fortress and block the advance of Federation reinforcements.

Under the fierce attack of the high-mobility Zaku, the Federation forces, which had made rapid progress, were also losing their captured positions at a rapid pace. The Zeon pilots piloting the high-mobility Zaku also had a rare experience of the thrill of high-speed driving. In the straight passage, they carried rocket launchers and transformed into ruthless bombers. Whenever they saw any Federation forces appear, they would use high speed to approach and fire rockets at the same time. This tactic was simple and effective, and it worked every time for the Federation forces, who were not used to this kind of surprise attack tactic.

Soon, radio channels were flooded with communications requesting support. Although the Federation forces had not suffered significant losses, Karma's counter-offensive forces had already penetrated into the inner part of the Federation-occupied base area. Most of the Federation troops here were logistics support personnel. Although they were also fighting hard with the weapons at their disposal, it was still too difficult to stop the Zeon forces' surprise attack!

"Have our troops disengage immediately and clear the main road! Give him what he wants, and have the follow-up troops cease their offensive and switch to fire support. If necessary, blow up the tunnel!"

The Federation commander was well aware that the Zeon forces wanted to create chaos, so he didn't give them that opportunity. The Federation troops at the front were already on high alert, and after the brief confusion, they quickly adjusted and began to use heavy firepower to suppress the highly mobile Zaku's assault from a distance.

This caused considerable distress among the elite Zeon pilots. Their beam weapon systems had remained unused, resulting in limited armament for the High Mobility Zaku. In contrast, the Federation's GMs had unleashed countless beam rifles. In the confined space, the countless particle beams were clearly more intimidating than physical weapons, and their power was also far greater.

Two highly mobile Zaku tanks, defiant of the odds, attempted to charge into the enemy lines, but were ultimately riddled with holes by the beams when they were still a hundred meters away from the enemy.

After hitting a wall, the Zeon assault force changed course, but still encountered tight defenses in other passages. Some Federation troops, lacking confidence in their firepower, even swiftly and decisively blew up the underground passages to stop the Zeon advance.

"Sir, they're forcing us to move forward!"

Karma, sitting in the Zaku Commander's Chambers, felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing the vanguard's report. After all, the Federation's intentions were all too clear: by blocking all roads, the Zeon forces had only two options: advance or retreat. Retreat was obviously impossible, so the only option was to advance!
"Gentlemen, advance with me!"

After much difficult thought, Karma then managed to utter those words with great difficulty.

The other Zeon pilots seemed to have suddenly realized something and fell silent. After all, what awaited them ahead was already obvious!

"Sir, unidentified mobile suits have been detected ahead, approaching at three times the speed of our troops!"

"That guy's coming! Get out of the way!"

Char, who had been protecting Karma, let out a loud shout.

"what?"

The several High Mobility Zaku ahead were initially taken aback, then immediately began maneuvering left and right to evade, but their reaction was ultimately a step too slow. A purple light flashed out, piercing the darkness, and then struck one of the High Mobility Zakus.

"Damn it, Vincent!"

"Ignore him, keep avoiding him!"

“I’m doing it!”

The pilot of a high-mobility Zaku was covered in sweat. A strong sense of fear gripped his heart, even causing his vision to blur. He gritted his teeth and kept maneuvering the machine, performing various maneuvers and even jumping occasionally. But just a few seconds later, the next beam of light seemed to have eyes and flew towards him.

"what!"

Amid the pilot's screams, his High Mobility Zaku crashed into the wall like a headless fly, and then all that could be heard was the increasingly faint sound of the impact.

"Fire! Take him down!"

"That guy is too fast!"

The Zeon pilots could only see their missiles and rockets being left behind by the enemy, while the bullets they fired couldn't even be touched.

Then came the third beam of light, and the third high-mobility Zaku could only watch in despair as it, as if it had lost its mind, deliberately crashed into the beam.

At this moment, the remaining Zeon pilots were also able to see the other side's true appearance.

Macarius, having holstered his double-barreled rifle, piloted the G3 Gundam and took out an extra beam lance he carried. With his other hand raised in front of him like an ancient knight, he charged forward head-on. Amidst the flames that erupted behind him, he met a High Mobility Zaku head-on. Without any unnecessary movements, his beam lance pierced through the chest with a clean and decisive shot.

Then, the G3 Gundam flicked its right hand, and the gun blade flew out from the pierced High Mobility Zaku. The scorching light blade sliced ​​through half of the High Mobility Zaku's body. Then, sparks sprayed out like blood flowing from the gap. The High Mobility Zaku continued to move for over a hundred meters before staggering and falling to the ground.

The G3 Gundam, having taken down the fourth enemy, became even more unstoppable. With a flick of its beam spear upwards and a slam downwards, the heat axe in the hand of the fifth High Mobility Zaku was knocked away, and an arm was pierced by the spear. Macarius then switched the spear mode, transforming it into a scythe, and with the machine propelled forward, the opponent's arm and half of the cockpit were sliced ​​open diagonally by the beam blade.

"Don't panic, everyone listen to my instructions!"

Seeing that the vanguard was wiped out in just over ten seconds, Karma shouted.

Even if he can't escape death today, he'll drag the other person down with him!

"Tiger One, Tiger Two, you two attack from the left. Tiger Three, Tiger Four, take over the right flank and use the electric whips to restrain him. The rest of you, follow me!"

However, just as the remaining Zeon units took a step forward, a long line of mobile suits appeared behind Macarius, and roaring beams of light shot out from behind him, flying toward Garma's sides.

"Amuro, that Zaku commander is yours, you take care of him!"

"Ah I?"

Amuro had originally planned to have a decisive battle with the so-called Red Comet, using him to restrain this renowned Zeon ace and provide cover for Macarius to kill the enemy's general. However, he did not expect that Macarius would give him this opportunity.

"I no longer need an enemy general to prove my worth!"

"understand!"

It would be impossible for Amuro not to be moved. He was no longer the naive boy he once was. Determined to contribute to Makarius's grand vision within the Federation Army, he naturally understood how important and rare a distinguished military achievement was.

And now, Makarius has actually handed it over.

"I won't let you down!"

The original Gundam, carrying its weapon, passed over G3 and then pointed it at Garma.

"So, will you choose to lay down your weapons and repent for your crimes, or will you be defeated by me?"

"Amuro, you don't need to learn that!"

Marcarius now knows how it feels to say those words from someone else's perspective. He's so embarrassed he could practically dig a combo into his toes, while Amuro is in high spirits, clearly having wanted to do this for a long time.

When Garma saw that his opponent was not Red Dragon, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, looking at the original Gundam, he couldn't smile either. Although many of the Zeon aces who served as Amuro's whetstone had become victims of Macarius's blade, it didn't mean that Amuro was much weaker than in the original timeline. In fact, because his opponent in the simulation battle was Macarius, he was even stronger. Therefore, for Garma, it didn't matter who he fought.

But looking at the red comet beside him, Karma felt at ease, after all, he still had his best friend by his side in this final moment.

Karma then mustered her courage and launched an attack on Amuro.

Commander Zaku's heat sword danced up and down, clashing fiercely with Amuro's beam saber. In this increasingly rapid exchange of blows, Karma grew more and more apprehensive, because every attack he made was easily blocked by his opponent. In fact, Amuro simply stood there passively counterattacking, showing no intention of attacking at all.

After yet another failed attack, Karma looked to the side, panting, but then, his blood seemed to freeze.

Because the red comet and the red dragon, who should have been engaged in fierce combat, did not make any move, but simply stood there, quietly watching his battle.

"Why, Char, why are you just watching?"

Karma cried out in despair over the communicator, never expecting that Char, who had fought alongside him to the very end, would choose to stand idly by.

　Special forces travel! Today, my friends dragged me on a 25-kilometer walk around Erhai Lake. I'm done for!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)