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

Chapter 163 Telepathic System
"you……"

Grave, with his long beard, couldn't help but twitch his lips. As an ambitious technocrat, he did indeed maintain a formidable private army, but he couldn't understand how he had become a thorn in Makarius's side.

At this moment, the convoy that captured Grave had begun its return journey. Just as the convoy entered a separate highway along the underground passage, a Ground Gundam with obvious signs of modification suddenly appeared ahead of them.

"Sir?"

The military intelligence chief's military police captain then looked at Makarius.

"Make him either disarm and surrender, or die here!"

"Release Lieutenant Colonel Grave!"

The pilot of the Ground Combat Gundam spoke first, shouting the order loudly.

This Ground Gundam belongs to the Federation's 20th Independent Mixed Brigade. Of course, this is actually just a disguised designation. Its true identity is the Black Ops organization codenamed Slave Ghost. However, it is not the Grey Gloves armed force under the Federation Army Headquarters, but rather Grave's personal private army.

The unit consisted entirely of federal criminals with criminal records, each with their own special skills and abilities. As Grave's men, they did a lot of dirty work.

In fact, if they could, they would not want to rescue Grave either, and would even prefer him to die. However, their hope for freedom still rested in the hands of the other party, and being controlled by others meant they could only obey their orders.

The military police commander simply replied with Makarius's exact words.

The pilot of the Ground Combat Gundam then fell silent, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

"Amuro, knock that guy's head off!"

Makarius didn't give the other party a chance; he picked up the headset and casually gave the order.

The next second, the Ground Gundam's fire control alarm went off, and before the pilot could react, a 75mm live round blasted over, blowing the Ground Gundam's head off.

Immediately afterward, under the watchful eyes of the military police, a GM painted with a winged skull suddenly leaped out of the shadows. With a swift slash of its beam saber, it severed the right arm of the Ground Gundam. Then, the GM kicked the Ground Gundam in the leg, forcing it to its knees. Afterward, the saber handle, now deactivated from beam, was firmly pressed against the enemy's cockpit.

"Now you have another charge against you, Lieutenant Colonel Greif!"

Marcarius glanced at the ashen-faced Grave, then got off the transport vehicle and went to Riku, who was being suppressed by Nagase Hotaru.

At this moment, the cockpit in the opponent's chest has been opened, and a weathered middle-aged man with a few strands of white hair is getting out of the cockpit under the guns of the military police.

"Travis Kakuland, codename Mediator?"

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man looked at Makarius in front of him with a wry smile. If he had known it was a red dragon, he would have stayed in the camp obediently. He wouldn't have been beaten to such a miserable state.

"I also have control over the files of all members of the Slave Ghost Squad. Gather all your men for my investigation. Also, I have some bad news for you: I have wiped out the Magasian Squad, including your son Vincent Glasner!"

The man's expression shifted instantly from a bitter smile to astonishment, then to grief, and finally to deep helplessness.

"I see!"

In a way, this pilot, nicknamed the Mediator, is also a protagonist of the story. If it weren't for Macarius's appearance, he would have had a perfect ending where he and his son were reunited and enjoyed family life after being persecuted by Grave. But now, fate is playing a cruel joke on him!
Following this minor incident, the once arrogant Lieutenant Colonel Grave was handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau. He would be interrogated and sentenced as quickly as possible. Considering his despicable methods of using his private army to eliminate dissidents, there was absolutely no possibility of the lieutenant colonel overturning his conviction.

Of course, Grave himself is not actually important; what is important is the Pale Knight Project, which he was in charge of.

The Pale Knight is a special modified machine developed by the Earth Federation Forces based on the RX-78 series. It serves as a test platform for the "Hades System (HADES)"—the Hyper Animosity Detect Estimate System. This system can enhance the machine's performance for a certain period of time and strengthen the pilot's reaction ability by forcibly increasing the speed of neural transmission in the pilot's brain.

In a sense, the Pale Knight is also a machine that uses the Psycommu system. The Psycommu system, simply put, is a means of controlling the machine directly through brainwaves.

In other words, in the past, the mecha was controlled by pressing buttons, but with the Psycommu system, the mecha can be controlled directly through thought, eliminating many intermediate steps.

Of course, this system is still in its infancy and cannot reach the level described above, but it is at least a good start. After all, Zeon has conducted more detailed research in this area and can produce more results. Although it would be good to try to obtain the other party's research results directly after the war, it is also fine to start preliminary exploration and lay a solid foundation now!
In the afternoon, the raiding force dispatched by King Klini brought back many valuable items from the research institute, including a Psycommu device mobile suit shaped like it was wearing a crown on its head, and an enhanced humanoid pilot specifically responsible for testing it.

"A little girl?"

The pilots of the Red Dragon Squadron were startled when they saw the thin, small girl in front of them wearing a special pilot uniform. After all, she was about the size of a ten-year-old child, but her real age was already fifteen, and her health was obviously very poor.

"Are all these scientists crazy?"

After seeing the detailed information about the other party, Nagase Hotaru wished she could shoot Grave even more, because the little girl in front of her named Chloe Chris was a war orphan who was adopted by the Augusta Research Institute and underwent human enhancement. Now, she was like a war machine!
"Boss, what should we do with this little girl?"

"Send him to the clinic, let him work as a nurse for Sera, and raise him until he's at least eighteen!"

Although the opponent, when paired with that Pale Knight, was equivalent to half of Amuro, the Red Dragon team had no shortage of combat power. Even though they knew that the opponent could no longer be considered a normal person, Makarius still had no intention of sending him to the battlefield.

"What about the machine itself, the other technical data, and the personnel?"

"Keep the machine; we'll find someone who can operate it. As for the rest, send them to Side 7 and hand them over to Dr. Timree!"

"So, I still don't understand what this thing is for!"

Amuro kindly offered the little girl a chocolate, then had to retreat under Sera's protective glare. "When cars first came out, nobody knew what they were for. The Psycommu system is crucial to the future of mobile suits. Think about it, a gun that doesn't require manual aiming, you just need to think to aim at the target, you don't need to pull the trigger, just a thought is enough to fire..."

"I understand now, it feels like a good thing!"

Amuro nodded.

"Yes, and this thing can be used for much more than that!"

The Psycommu system sounds very sophisticated, and the conditions for its use are quite demanding. It can even be said that only New Humans can fully utilize it. When used in conjunction with the powerful mental strength of New Humans, it can even produce some incredible miracles.

"Amuro, be prepared. Our enemies may have already developed a mature product. You might see it when you go to space!"

"what!"

"Did the Zeon people advance in technology so quickly?"

"If they can't beat us on the front lines, they'll have to resort to underhanded tactics. Just wait and see, some kind of cosmic ghost or something will definitely come knocking on our door in some weird weapon!"

After scaring Amuro, Macarius then went to Chloe, who was being held like a teddy bear by Sera.

"Sir, Chloe reporting!"

Although they weren't that far apart in age, the two were quite tall. Seeing the other salute, Makarius immediately returned a standard military salute.

"Lieutenant Chloe, your position is now officially transferred to the Red Dragon Tactical Battalion. From now on, you will be under the direct command of Lieutenant Theramas. Understand?"

"understand!"

"Sera, remember to keep her away from that Pale Knight. That thing puts a lot of strain on the human body, so she needs to rest properly!"

After giving the order to the other party, Makarius pulled Serra aside and whispered instructions to her.

"Understood. So, do you want to operate that machine?"

"No, save it for your brother. He's healthy and can handle it!"

"You're so kind!"

Sera couldn't hold back any longer. How could this person, who was a caring older brother in front of her, suddenly turn into a treacherous villain?
"You're welcome!"

After settling the follow-up arrangements, Makarius returned to his office. He still had one task to complete: the placement of personnel in Grove's 20th Mixed Brigade.

Judging from the files, all Makarius can say is that Lieutenant Colonel Grave truly deserves to be called a super villain. The men he selected were all top-notch criminals. Even the one with the lightest crime would be sentenced to twenty years in prison, while the others would be more than enough to warrant execution three times over.

In particular, his commander, Travis Kaculland, nicknamed the Mediator, did even more outrageous things. During his time stationed in Side 3, he violated discipline by marrying a local woman and having children. When the war broke out, he even tried to contact his family in Side 3, which led to him being convicted of espionage. Although Markarius could understand what the other man did, his arrest was by no means unjustified.

After all, if someone contacts enemy personnel during wartime, it's the same whether you send them to Zeon or not. The Federation might even try them out, but if you send the Führer's Guard, they'll just send you to a labor camp! Not to mention that the other party's son has already joined the Zeon army and has been recruited by an old woman like Kycilia into an elite unit like the Magasilia Corps.

"Sir!"

After changing back into his officer's uniform, Kaculander went into Markarius's room and sat obediently in the chair opposite the desk.

"I've seen your file, and it's appalling. To be honest, I'm extremely reluctant to let my unit accept scum like you!"

"I see!"

Despite sitting opposite him was the man who killed his son, Kakuland felt no hatred whatsoever. The red dragon had no grudge against him, and killing his son was merely a matter of duty. A fighting hero who walked in the light was incomparable to a hyena like him in the shadows. Kakuland even felt a little ashamed.

"However, considering many factors, especially your uncontrollable situation, the 20th Mixed Brigade is hereby disbanded and merged into the Red Dragon Tactical Battalion. Captain Kakuland, congratulations, you have another chance to start over. Note that this chance is not given to you by me, but by the Earth Federation Forces, and by the billions of compatriots who died!"

"Thank you very much, sir!"

Kakuland nodded. His nickname was Mediator because he was good at reading people's hearts. He could hear the truth in Makarius's words. In fact, this was something they had never had before. Therefore, his answer was also sincere.

“Let’s make a pact with our country, Kakuland. I’m sorry about your son, but I don’t feel remorse. Perhaps he didn’t have the blood of billions of his compatriots on his hands, but he did associate with executioners. So, he is my enemy. If you want to hate, you can target me. After all, I’ve killed far too many Zeon. I bet Prince Dejin wants to tear me apart right now, but it doesn’t matter!”

"His affairs are none of your business!"

Kakuland sighed. The root of all this was himself. If we trace it back further, it was his son who was just too unlucky. Of all the people he could have encountered on the battlefield, he had to run into the Red Dragon. And from another perspective, if he were the Red Dragon, he would also choose to crush it without mercy.

"Then, the Pale Knight is yours!"

Kakuland's previous mobile suit was a specially modified Ground Gundam, which Greif had secretly assembled using scrapped parts. It didn't belong to any of the current Federation Forces' fleets, so after it was scrapped by Nagase Hotaru and Amuro, he had no mobile suits to fly. The Pale Knight was conveniently available, so it was perfect for him to fly. As for the burden of piloting the mobile suit, it wasn't much for a determined middle-aged man like Kakuland. After all, many of the memories were painful, and he preferred to let the mobile suit absorb them rather than make himself suffer.

Moreover, what moved Kakuland the most was Macarius's words: "Fight for our fellow Earthlings." Such a pure, noble, and incredibly simple goal was a kind of redemption for the Slave Ghost Squad.
"Then you can take your people to report this afternoon. Take advantage of these few days to rest and recuperate; our departure date is not far off!"

(End of this chapter)