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

Chapter 192 The vest fell off
Upon returning to his official residence, Darcia couldn't wait to pour himself a glass of fine red wine to calm his nerves. Although he hadn't been questioned on his way back, he had witnessed a large number of military police and secret agents surrounding the Ministry of National Defense building, layer upon layer.

Even the mechs of the Capital Defense Force were deployed. Those brand-new Ricohs were like shiny dolls, driven around the streets by soldiers as exhibits to show off their power.

However, due to the unique environment of Zim City, there are not many civilians near the Ministry of Defense building, so it is unclear who these mobile suits are actually intimidating.

"prime minister!"

"Have you figured out what happened?"

Seeing his secretary rush into the room, still damp from the rain, Darcia immediately asked.

"A bomb has been planted in the conference room of the Ministry of National Defense's Operations Department!"

"bomb?"

"Yes, Major General Yodl of the Operations Department, his adjutant, and two staff officers were killed on the spot!"

Darcia gasped. Although a major general in the Operations Department was not much of a figurehead, given the considerable number of Zeon generals who had died in the war, the problem was that this major general had died in the Ministry of Defense, and had been killed by a bomb.

What kind of place is the Zeon Ministry of Defense? Its defense and security measures may not be as strong as the Supreme Commander's Office, but it is still the highest level of security. Yet now it has been easily bombed and several people have been sent to their deaths. Only one of its own people could have done that!
Darcia didn't even need to think; he could figure it out with his bare hands. This was another conflict between the two remaining factions of Zeon, the Gihren faction and the Kycilia faction. Before, everyone could maintain restraint, but after Dozle's death, the conflict between the two sides was clearly out of control!

Darcia couldn't help but sigh again. These were truly turbulent times. Although he didn't know which faction the deceased belonged to, he was certain that neither the Gihren faction nor the Kycilia faction would let it go so easily. There might be new events to come!

"Since things have come to this, this is the only path we can choose!"

Recalling Dejin's helpless expression, Darcia felt a sense of empathy. The current Zeon is like a car speeding downhill, what it really needs is a handbrake, not a driver slamming on the gas.

However, negotiating with the Federation is not so easy. Even if the Federation agrees to negotiate, they will make exorbitant demands. Darcia can already imagine a war reparations that would take decades to pay off. In addition, the Federation will not let go of Zeon's existing assets. The military industrial enterprises will be dismantled and acquired, the army will be disbanded, the fleet will be completely scrapped, civil servants and workers will be laid off, and private companies will go bankrupt...

But what could he do? If he didn't surrender and continued to fight to the death, the outcome might only be worse. Thinking of this, Darcia could only sigh helplessly again.

“Tell our people on the moon, I want to talk to them!”

Now that things have come to this, it's time to hurry up with peace talks. After taking Solomon Fortress, the Federation forces will take a break and reorganize it, while also rebuilding Solomon Fortress into a bridgehead for attacking Zeon's homeland.

This period of time will not be long. Once the Federation begins its attack on Abaoa, it will be too late!

While Prime Minister Darcia was worrying about the country's future, in the Generalissimo's residence, a beautiful blonde woman with a great figure was sitting in front of a computer, checking the screen.

A communication page encrypted using military systems was displayed on the screen, and the content of the communication was none other than the recent bombing incident at the Ministry of Defense.

"Very good, continue!"

Then, the woman typed the following words in the communication window with the ID "Regilev", and then revealed a smug smile.

"Now, all we have to do is wait for the fish to take the bait!"

This office belongs to Gihren, the Supreme Commander of Zeon. Although Gihren is not in Zeon at the moment, there are very few people who can freely enter and leave his room!

Therefore, the identity of this beautiful woman is obvious; apart from Gihren's personal secretary Cecilia Irene, there is no other than her.

As Gihren's confidante, Cecilia Erin is arguably even more knowledgeable about Gihren than Deakin is. She is a woman with many secrets, but she often operates under Gihren's authorization.

So Darcia wasn't wrong; the bombing at the Ministry of Defense was indeed related to Kirian.

The bombing at the Ministry of Defense affected not only Darcia, but also Kycilia. After the fall of Solomon Fortress, knowing that the balance of power had been broken, she returned to Zeon and preferred to stay on her Chibe-class ship rather than disembark, which shows how much she valued her personal safety.

This bombing attack served as a wake-up call for her, who was always suspicious. For no other reason than that he, who controlled the intelligence agency, naturally knew the identity of the deceased and the faction they belonged to—they were Gihren's men!

At this critical juncture, Gihren's men were assassinated by someone within the military. Wasn't this clearly an attempt to frame her? If given the chance, Kycilia certainly wouldn't let Gihren off the hook, but she wouldn't go to such lengths.

"These are truly turbulent times, don't you think, Colonel?"

"Sir, I am no longer an active-duty soldier, so there is no need to address me by my past rank!"

"Then what should I call you?"

In her private room on the Chibe-class ship, Kycilia was still dressed in her usual veiled attire. She stood outside the porthole, gazing at the neatly arranged fleet anchored in the naval port not far away, yet she uttered words that would make Char Aznable feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave in the sweltering summer heat.

"Should I call you Caspar or Aznabul?"

Wearing a civilian uniform but still sporting sunglasses to conceal his eye color, Char Aznable, though still exuding a boss-like aura, sat casually on the sofa, his muscles poised to bulge at any moment. Then, as if deflated, he shifted to a more comfortable position, because Kycilia produced several photographs—records of his life back in Zeon. Besides himself, the photos also featured a dark-skinned girl in a yellow dress.

These photos were taken after Char escaped back to space alone. Because he failed to save Garma's life, the furious Dozle discharged him from the military for the second time, even removing his name from the reserve list, and decisively kicking Char out of the army.

Despite losing his military status, Char wasn't particularly upset. He even used the salary he had saved since joining the army to rent a small house in Zeon and started living a comfortable life with the dark-skinned girl in the yellow dress.

As for the dark-skinned girl in the yellow dress, her name is Larasin. She was born on Earth. She met Char in 0078. At that time, because the Dawn Rebellion failed, Char was discharged from the army for the first time. So, he came to Earth to travel around. Later, he met this girl who was not particularly beautiful but had extraordinary talent in a brothel.

Char then promptly redeemed him and took him back to space. When he was discharged from the military for the second time, Char brought him back to his side from Side 6.

However, the two hadn't even slept in their warm bed for a few days when the unemployed Char was invited to Kycilia's place by several polite Zeon soldiers.

"So, what do you want, Lady Kycilia?"

"Sir, this is too formal. You used to call me Sister Kycilia!"

"After all, the environment is different now!"

Now that his disguise had been completely exposed, Xia had nothing left to pretend about. However, to Xia's surprise, after Kycilia exposed his identity, she didn't call in some gunmen to send him to his death. Instead, things were a bit... ambiguous.
Damn you, Markarius, you even foresaw this?
Char couldn't help but recall a conversation he had with Macarius, in which the other man reminded him that Kycilia had always been hung up on him. Now it seemed that what Macarius said might actually be true!
After all, the joy in Kycilia's eyes was undeniable!

"Yes, the environment is indeed different now, young master of the Deakin family!"

It would be a lie to say that Kycilia had no feelings for Char, but these were not romantic feelings. Rather, they were more like the feelings between a mother and son. Char had given Kycilia a wonderful impression when she was a child, and at this moment, she felt like a proud mother watching her son win first place at a kindergarten sports meet.

The little kid from back then has now become such a person. He has only been in the army for a few short years, yet he has already achieved so much. If one did not know his true identity, his journey of struggle could easily fill a book.

"It's a waste of your talents to stay at home as an ordinary househusband. You should return to the army and join my ranks. I won't kick you out like Dozru does!"

“Do I have room to refuse?”

Char guessed that the other party was there to recruit him. Although this did not fit his plan, he had no other choice at this point. After all, the other party already knew his true identity. If it were Char Aznable, he could naturally live a civilian life, but Casval Deiken, forget about it!
"Of course there are, but given the current unstable situation in Zeon, I think you probably wouldn't want to deal with the Führer's Guard, don't you think?"

Kycilia also harbored doubts about Char's motives for joining the military, especially now that she knew his identity. She even pondered the death of Garma a little. However, considering the research results of the Flanagan Organization under her command on Newtypes, Kycilia dismissed the idea that Char deliberately killed Garma. After all, Char was no match for Macarius, who was suspected to be the strongest Newtype pilot in the Earth Sphere at present.

Moreover, at this moment, Kycilia also needs to consider the influence from Gihren. She desperately needs any trump cards that can increase her chances of winning, especially someone like Casbal Deikun. After all, the other party has a special identity and is a Newtype. Although he doesn't seem to have any characteristics of a Newtype at the moment, he has managed to escape death from Macarius's hands several times, so he must have some extraordinary abilities.

She wasn't worried that Char would cause trouble in Deikun's name, because that would only hasten his death. If his goal was simply to take revenge on the Zabi family, then gathering a group of comrades to form an assassination squad would be more effective.

As for Char wanting to follow his father's path of popular support, that's fine too. After all, so-called public opinion is just that—public opinion. People can remember Deacon's kindness for a few years and forget Deacon for a few years. Even if Char wants to replicate his father's success, he may not be able to succeed.

For Char, cooperating with Kycilia was not a bad thing. His goal was indeed to take revenge on the Zabi family, but there had to be a proper order of things. He couldn't fight Gihren on his own, and the resistance forces within Zeon were not very strong. So, at this moment, Kycilia became a natural ally.

Of course, there was another benefit to Char's cooperation with Kycilia: the level of information he had about the Newtypes. Although he never mentioned it, Char found it hard to accept his repeated defeats at the hands of those two worthless Federation bastards. He attributed it to the fact that he had not yet completed his awakening to become a Newtype.

If I cooperate with Kycilia, or more precisely, with the Flanagan Organization under her command, I might be able to break through my limitations and officially become a Newtype. At that time, Amuro and Macarius will all become my defeated opponents!
"Then I promise you, but there's one more thing!"

"But it doesn't matter!"

"The girl I was with, she's also a new human!"

"That's even better!"

Kycilia couldn't possibly miss out on such a great deal as buy one get one free. If it weren't for the fact that it was still wartime, she could have provided the other party with additional officer housing and maternity allowances!
Then, as Kycilia issued several instructions, a team of professional logistics personnel quickly entered Kycilia's office and took Char's measurements on the spot. Char's new ID was also made almost simultaneously and delivered to Char's hands.

Of course, the identification documents still bear the name Char Aznable. Revealing his identity now would not be a good opportunity for Char, so it would be better to continue using the original one.

"Well then, welcome to the Assault Mobile Force, Colonel Char!"

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Seeing Kycilia's outstretched right hand, Char hesitated for a moment before shaking it.

"That's great, this is the boy I valued back then, Caspar!"

However, Larasin, who was waiting at home for Char to come home for dinner, was dumbfounded. How could he have inexplicably become a member of the Zeon army in less than half a day?

Fortunately, she had complete trust and understanding for Char, so she didn't feel any resistance to this sudden surprise. If it were a certain red-haired woman, she probably would have cried, made a scene, and even threatened suicide!
　My fever broke today, but I'm still feeling groggy even after taking the medicine.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)