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

Chapter 162 Promotion
"Ah, Gabriel, I'm back again!"

Watching the green scenery flash by outside the transport plane, Amuro, unable to sleep at all in his hammock, couldn't help but start chanting again, mimicking Macarius's habit.

Makarius had gotten used to it, after all, he had set a good example first, and it was too late to correct him now. He could only let Amuro have his fun, but it was also good. At least Amuro wouldn't be whipped like a top for throwing a tantrum.

As a meritorious unit that conquered the California base, the Red Dragons naturally had the highest priority for rest and recuperation. So while other units were still cleaning up the mess, they were the first to board the transport plane back to Gabro.

Compared to their last arrival, Gabro Base was clearly much busier. As the transport fleet prepared to land, they could see more than a dozen rockets taking off in the distance. These were all brand-new warships that Gabro Base was producing for the Space Force. With full-speed production underway, the Space Force was being replenished every day. Under such costless launches, the Space Force's combat power was gradually recovering. Now, the Zeon Space Fleet had even been forced to end its blockade of Luna II and could only rely on the Chimera team to carry out small-scale sabotage missions against Luna II.

"I wonder if True Red Lightning is still around!"

Looking at the contrail left by the rocket, Makarius couldn't help but mutter to himself. Although there were many Zeon acees, there were very few like Crimson Lightning. He really wanted to meet someone he could fight with all his might, but unfortunately there weren't many Zeon acees left on Earth. He wondered how many would be left for him in the end.

After all, the Earth Federation has many excellent pilots, and on the battlefield, aces will attract each other. Once they meet, one of them will inevitably fall.

Of course, if one of them is Char, that's a different story, because that guy can actually escape!
For example, at the California base, Makarius even considered lifting the air blockade on the base. But unexpectedly, this guy escaped by submarine. At the speed of the Shark-class submarine, by the time I returned to the Gabro base, this guy should have already completed half of the Pacific route. If nothing goes wrong, he will reach the Mediterranean in about ten days.

Marcarius even felt that with Char's current speed, having him join the army was a waste of his talent. This guy should develop in the sports world, so he could debut as an idol and maybe even gain more loli mothers!
Perhaps this is the life Char truly wants!

Makarius wished the other person well in his heart.

Then, Char, who was sitting in the Shark-class submarine eating compressed rations, couldn't help but shiver.

"Damn it, could it be that Macarius is plotting against me again?"

Biting into his dry rations and drinking filtered seawater, Xia couldn't help but harbor the utmost malice as he speculated about human nature.

After all, the reason I ended up in this situation was entirely thanks to the other party!

Compared to Char's miserable life, Makarius was treated much better. The Red Dragon Battalion's dormitory was spotless, cleaned and tidied by the Federation Army's Women's Auxiliary Support Unit, and they even ate at the Space Fleet's Class-A Kitchen for dinner, with six different flavors of ice cream.

The ladies in the auxiliary team responsible for serving meals were radiant and gentle, striving to fill everyone's plates to the brim with every dish.

Even when Makarius was getting his food, he received several extra little notes.

"It seems you're quite popular, sir!"

Nagase Hotaru sat to the left of Macarius, taking small bites of meat patty as she spoke.

"Yes, it's a pity they're not my ideal type!"

Makarius pushed away Amuro, who was trying to see the contents of the note.

"You're too young to see these things; they're too stimulating for minors!"

"So, what is your ideal type?"

"That's definitely the kind of girl who can use her martial arts skills to wield giant wings and sweep across the entire universe with a moonlight cannon, and whose intellectual abilities can unlock all the ultimate mysteries of the universe!"

Makarius answered very seriously.

"At worst, she can activate her Super Transformation and then use the Earth-Shattering Fist to bring Zeon's friends to market one by one!"

"There's no way a girl could be like that!"

"The universe is so vast, how do you know it won't exist? Maybe one day a girl like that will come to Earth in a spaceship from faraway Iskandar and become my friend!"

"Can she drink water through her nostrils?"

Amuro ate his food heartily, then asked a question.

"Maybe it's possible!"

"You'd be better off finding a mobile suit and spending your life with it instead of a girl like that!"

"Don't say that, it's not impossible. Infantry instructors have said that rifles are like the infantryman's wife, so it's normal for mobile suits to be our wives too!"

"Hey boss, when are you going to let me drive your wife around?"

"Let me drive your wife first!"

"It's okay, drive as you like!"

Amuro said very generously.

"Dad mentioned before that they're testing a new Gundam, so maybe I'll get a new mobile suit to pilot then!"

Amuro said happily!

"Really? What's the name of the new machine?"

"It looks like a Phantom Gundam!"

"Then it's not surprising!"

Marcarius suddenly realized that the Federation Army had secretly developed quite a few Gundams, but unfortunately many of them did not live to see their true masters. For example, the Phantom Gundam was suspected to have been destroyed by Ifrit in another timeline. However, now that Ifrit is a ghost under his command, the Phantom Gundam, without any obstacles, might actually end up in Amuro's hands.

"In that case, your second unit can be handed over to someone else to operate!"

Makarius put down his spoon and then solemnly placed his hands on Amuro's shoulders.

"Amuro, I have a great wish!"

"what?"

"I want to form an all-Gundam team!"

"what?"

Remembering his father's receding hairline, which had noticeably increased during their previous phone call, Amuro shook his head.

"How about we discuss how to further enhance G3?"

Thinking about the photos of Dejin that he had seen before, Amro felt it would be better to reduce his father's workload a little.

Since it was a rest period, Markarius naturally wouldn't assign any extra work after dinner. In fact, the Federation Army Headquarters had already prepared a series of activities to ensure the Red Dragon Battalion's combat effectiveness, such as daily psychological support training to ease the soldiers' tension. Furthermore, to enrich the soldiers' cultural and recreational lives, there would be no shortage of entertainment programs. Whether it was a concert or a performance, the best seats were reserved for the Red Dragon Battalion!
"I heard you let Char escape again?"

"That guy is as agile as a monkey, there's nothing I can do if I can't hit him!"

While the entire Red Dragon Battalion went to a concert to entertain the troops, Markarius went to King's office.

"Alright, I didn't call you here to interrogate you. Reibil hasn't said anything either. Letting Char go is actually a good thing for us. Just be more discreet next time!"

"I try my best!"

Seeing Markarius shrug, King was also helpless. This guy was so cute when he was a child, how come he's becoming more and more rebellious now? But even if he's rebellious, what can he do?
"Also, keep yourself tidy up a bit lately. The council is going to award you a medal, so don't cause any trouble at this crucial time!"

"Just awarding medals?"

"What else do you want? A promotion?"

"Yeah, I've been a major for so long, while Karma, who's a little older than me, is already a field commander. Shouldn't I get a promotion too?"

"Yes, you can rest assured now."

King sighed helplessly. With the merits that Makarius has made so far, he is more than qualified to be promoted to general, let alone colonel. In the more than 100 years since the Federation established its army, when has such a powerful person ever appeared? But precisely because of this, promotion should be in accordance with the basic law. Makarius is not even an adult yet. Half a year ago he was a major, and now he is a lieutenant colonel. In a year, shouldn't he be promoted to brigadier general?
An eighteen-year-old general—that's terrifying!
Therefore, suppressing his rank is a good thing for him. As for the lieutenant colonel title, so be it. Based on his merit in leading his team to kill Karma, the entire Red Dragon Battalion can be promoted one rank. As for medals, needless to say, it's the pinnacle of an ordinary soldier's life if he can get a medal of honor. But Markarius already has seven. If I'm not mistaken, there will be an eighth one. By the time this guy finishes the war, he might have enough medals to fill a bucket!

Of course, while the Federation Army leaders suppressed him in terms of seniority, they gave Makarius plenty of leeway in other areas, especially with King. As long as Makarius asked, King would grant him whatever was within his authority.

Makarius wasn't a greedy person. Apart from demanding that all the Jims in the squadron be replaced with new special models, he didn't make any excessive demands. Of course, he also brought up the ridiculously cool Pale Knight that he remembered.

"Lieutenant Colonel Grave, that guy's a big shot at the Augusta Research Institute. What, you're interested in him?"

"The main reason is that I heard that the machine is pretty good, it has some kind of hostility detection system or something!"

"Within my authority, I cannot directly approve it for you. As you know, the Augusta organization is involved in many things!"

"Indeed, after all, an organization that does such unethical things will inevitably run into trouble sooner or later if it doesn't involve some big shots. By the way, I have a plan!"

Don't tell me you're planning to use dirty tricks!

"What kind of underhanded tactics are they using? Isn't the Irish lieutenant general in Gabriel García Márquez? He's been a Zeon spy for so long, he must have developed a few underlings, right?"

"You kid, you can do that!"

"Alright, so, you'll use my confession to steal the mech—no, to arrest me?"

Chief of Staff King Klinyne has now confirmed that Makarius is indeed good material for an official position!

"can!"

Soon after, an order was issued, and Makarius immediately jumped into his jeep and drove back to the camp.

"Have the first squadron assemble, load the machines onto the vehicles, and prepare to disarm!"

"Amuro, go to Kaiyuanzu. When I tell you who to kill, you'd better kill them to death, understand?"

"Boss, what are we going to do?"

"I'll help you snag a brand new Gundam and pilot it!"

Upon hearing about the organic form, Amuro ran faster than a rabbit and immediately drove the original mobile suit onto the transport trailer. This is the most common deployment mode for mobile suit units: transporting the mobile suit to the target area before deployment. After all, the Jaburo base is not a war zone, so there is no need to drive the mobile suit across most of the base.

In addition to the Red Dragon Battalion, the military police under the Military Intelligence Bureau also participated in the operation, since their mission was to catch spies!

Once preparations were complete, the First Brigade immediately set off, with more than a dozen heavy flatbed transport trucks covered with thick tarpaulins heading towards the Augusta Research Institute.

Such a convoy was not common in Gabriel, but it was not unusual either. In addition, there were vehicles marked with the word "military police" leading the way, so the passing federal troops all thought it was a routine secret transport, until the military police vehicles rushed into the gate of the research institute.

"Arrest Zeon spies! Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

The Augusta Research Institute also had a group of military police stationed there for protection, but in terms of rank, they were not as high as the military police of the Military Intelligence Bureau. So, seeing the menacing visitors, the military police of the guarding institute obediently chose to cooperate. After all, no one could bear the heavy label of being a Zeon spy, since spies could be killed on a whim during wartime!
Then, the military police from the Military Intelligence Bureau were able to smoothly storm into the base building. Immediately afterward, amidst a chaotic scene, a high-ranking federal officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel was forced out by the military police.

"what?"

Upon seeing the person being brought out, the military police at the research institution were in an uproar, because this person was none other than Lieutenant Colonel Greif, the head of the research base and commander of the military police battalion.

"Isn't there some misunderstanding here? Lieutenant Colonel Grave is definitely not a Zeon spy!"

Federal military police at the research base blocked the group's path with their weapons pointed downwards.

"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not isn't up to you to decide; we need to investigate first!"

Seeing that Grave was about to be taken away with his mouth gagged, the military police became even more anxious, and some of them even secretly left the scene, obviously to tip someone off.

"This is General Kinklini's order. Get out of the way immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

Seeing that the other side had produced an order, the military police had no choice but to reluctantly step aside. Grave, whose mouth was gagged, began to struggle, clearly wanting to say something, but was eventually forced into the car.

Meanwhile, Makarius was already waiting in the car.

"Take it off!"

"I don't think we have any conflict, Major Makarius?"

Grave, now free of his mouth, was puzzled. He and the other person didn't seem to have any conflict.
"No, now I do. I'll take over your entire plan!"

"you……"

Grave was taken aback for a moment, then realized that the other party was trying to reap the benefits now that his plan was ready!
"Are you really that confident?"

"What else could it be? Or do you think you have some trump card up your sleeve? Relying on your so-called slave spirit squad? Guess what I have here?"

Makarius replied with a smile.

(End of this chapter)