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

Chapter 229 The Tenderness of Reality

Good morning, Mr. Kado!

Good morning, Jimmy!

As usual, seventeen-year-old Jimmy pushed open the company door, although this so-called door was actually just a dilapidated sheet of metal that anyone could kick open with one foot.

However, no one in Von Braun would be so foolish as to do such a thing. Of course, this is not because the people in the lunar city have high moral standards, but because their so-called company is actually a junkyard. Behind the iron gate are piles of all kinds of scrap metal parts. The only thing that can be considered valuable is the fourteen-year-old truck parked among the scrap metal.

This place is so dilapidated that even thieves wouldn't bother with it. They would go through all the trouble of stealing a scrap of metal and the money they make wouldn't even be enough for a bowl of noodles. They might even be worried about losing money if they came here.

However, Jimmy didn't dislike the place too much. After all, without it, he was destined to become a starving ghost on the streets of Von Braun. The person who took him in was the owner of this resource recycling company called Val, a white-haired man named Anabelcardo.

Mr. Cado's past is a mystery to Jimmy. All he knows is that Mr. Cado came here after the One Year War, so Jimmy guesses that he is probably a veteran.

But this is not surprising, after all, there are too many people like this after the war. During the massive demobilization of the Federation Army, many Federation soldiers came to the lunar city hoping to find a job there, so Jimmy thought Mr. Anabel should be one of them.

Because Mr. Anabel seemed quite dejected every time the war was mentioned, and he even skipped the veterans' gatherings in the lunar city, Jimmy guessed that he might have been injured in the war, which was why he felt such aversion.

After entering the company and greeting Mr. Anabel, who was washing up, Jimmy changed into his work clothes, grabbed his lunchbox, and got into the truck. As a poor kid, he had to drive early. Every day, he had to deliver the processed scrap metal from the warehouse to the dealers, making four round trips a day, each taking several hours. So, he could only eat his lunch break in the truck.

The company is not large. Besides Mr. Anabel Cardo, there are a few other uncles who are also Mr. Cardo's friends. They are in charge of battlefield resource recycling. The scrap metal parts in the company warehouse are all brought back from space by them.

"Jimmy, wait a minute!"

Just as Jimmy was about to start the car, he saw Mr. Anabel suddenly walk over carrying a lunchbox.

"Mr. Kado, I brought lunch!"

"I know, this is for me!"

Anabelcardo raised his trembling hand and tapped Jimmy on the head.

Are you also going to deliver goods?

"Yeah, can't you?"

Kado put his things in the passenger seat, and then began to climb toward the driver's seat with great effort.

He gripped the handle of the cab tightly with all his might, his whole body straining, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. Jimmy watched quietly as the other man slowly pulled himself up onto the not-so-tall truck. It was the first time he had seen the other man struggle so much, and he wanted to help him, but Kado suddenly burst into a tirade of angry curses.

That was the first time he had ever seen Mr. Cado so angry, and Jimmy was so frightened that he thought he was going to be killed by him, but fortunately, Cado quickly regained his composure.

From then on, Jimmy understood that this veteran, who seemed normal but was actually practically disabled, had a strange sense of pride.

Afterward, the two began their busy delivery business. After a busy morning, Jimmy was starving. He wanted to find a place to park and start eating his bento, but Kado told him to drive to a nearby park.

"Kid, the food tastes better when you eat in a place like this!"

Pointing to the lush greenery in the park and smelling the fragrance of the flowers, Kado said this.

But Jimmy didn't care about any of that. He quickly took out his lunchbox and eagerly opened it. Although the dishes inside were very ordinary, and there were even leftovers from yesterday, Jimmy didn't care at all. He wiped the spoon and started stuffing the food into his mouth.

After taking a few big bites, Jimmy naturally choked on his food. So he put down his lunchbox and started frantically looking for his water bottle. As he turned around, he saw Mr. Anabel staring intently at a corner of the park with a smile on his lips.

"What are you looking at?"

After taking a big gulp of water, Jimmy craned his neck to look at the other person and saw a blonde woman in a business dress enjoying her lunch with a burly, long-haired young man on the lawn in the park.

"She's a beautiful woman, Mr. Kado!"

Seeing that Kado didn't react, Jimmy started praising him loudly while eating.

"Um, no, no, I wasn't actually looking at her!"

Caught red-handed, Kado immediately started coughing violently, which startled Jimmy, who quickly handed him a bottle of water, as Mr. Kado's face was turning almost purple from coughing.

"You're looking at her!"

"I don't!"

"Then why did you choke?"

"I...I'll eat your food!"

Kado tapped the other man's head lightly again, then ignored the guy who kept smacking his lips and focused on eating his meal. But as he ate, his gaze involuntarily drifted over.

The blonde beauty being watched by Kado was completely oblivious, chatting and laughing with her companion. With every smile and gesture, Kado felt as if a spring breeze was blowing on his face.

However, this pleasant atmosphere did not last long, because they didn't have much rest time to begin with, and after eating and drinking their fill, they had to clear out the inventory.

So, Jimmy completely ignored Cardo's dejected expression and started the car decisively.

Meanwhile, on the lawn, Nina Pabdon, who had only recently joined Anaheim, was also attracted by the sound of the car and turned her head to watch the truck drive away.

"What's wrong, Nina?"

Next to her, packing up her lunchbox, was Mora Bosch, a friend she met at Anaheim Electronics, who was in charge of mobile suit testing. Although she was a tall woman of 1.9 meters, she was actually a very gentle woman at heart.

"Nothing, I was just looking at that car!"

"That car looks like it belongs to a recycling company. Nothing special. Wernbrook has a lot of these kinds of cars running business these days. It's normal for the drivers to be tired at noon and stop here for a short rest and lunch. Let's go back too!"

"Great! Eating here has really lifted my spirits!"

"That's right, let's come here for lunch again tomorrow!"

"Yeah!"

The next day, when Jimmy went out, there was another person in the passenger seat.

The third day, the fourth day... "So, Mr. Kado, haven't you thought about going to say hello to them?"

Jimmy was puzzled. Mr. Cardo was clearly attracted to the blonde woman, otherwise he wouldn't have made him park and eat here every day. So, shouldn't he be trying to find out about her and strike up a conversation to take the next step?

But Cardo shook his head, indicating his refusal.

"No, this is fine!"

"But they might not eat here every day!"

Jimmy felt very anxious. Although he was still a child under eighteen, during his time on the streets, he fully understood that if he was attracted to someone, he had to take action, otherwise he might miss out on a relationship.

"Then, let me help you get their contact information!"

Seeing that Kado remained unmoved, Jimmy felt that he should grow up and help Mr. Kado achieve a breakthrough.

After all, as the TV show said, during the Battle of Abaoa, if the heroic Federation Mobile Forces hadn't broken through the Zeon defenses first, victory wouldn't have come so quickly!

"Alright, Jimmy, truck driver, I'm getting on!"

As he spoke, Jimmy straightened his crooked baseball cap and was about to open the car door when he was grabbed tightly by Kado.

"Come back!"

"Mr. Kado, if you're shy, you can let me do it!"

"I told you, come back here!"

“Mr. Cardo, you should be braver at times like these!”

"I'm saying this one last time, come back here!"

Jimmy turned to look at Kado, only to find that the other man's face no longer held his usual gentle demeanor, but instead displayed a murderous ferocity and tyranny.

"Mr. Kado!"

This was the first time Jimmy had ever seen Anabelcardo like this. The man's violent demeanor was even more terrifying than when Jimmy had tried to help him get into the car.

"back office!"

Seeing Jimmy close the car door, Kado slightly suppressed his anger and then spoke coldly.

Then, once back in the company's courtyard, Cardo jumped out of the car without hesitation.

"You can deliver them from now on!"

"But Mr. Kado, you have to let me know why!"

Jimmy hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He could only call out to the other person in a resentful tone, questioning them with the same sadness and anger.

"Why, Mr. Cardo, answer me!"

Anabelcardo stopped and turned to look at Jimmy, whose eyes were filled with tears. He knew the boy meant well, and he was in the same pain.

"You tell me why? Look now!"

Kado strode over to a pile of junk, found a small piece of old scrap, and then waved his trembling hand at Jimmy.

Then, he bent over with difficulty, grabbed the part with both hands, and tried to lift it up. But to no avail. Every cell in his body was straining and roaring in frustration, but the part did not budge.

"Come and try it!"

Covered in sweat and looking quite pained, Kado collapsed to the ground and said to Jimmy.

Jimmy, on the other hand, tentatively used his strength. Although the parts were somewhat heavy, they were not too strenuous for him. He lifted them up with just a little effort.

"Mr. Kado, what about your health?"

Jimmy then realized just how vulnerable Mr. Cardo was in front of him.

"Right now, I'm nothing but a useless piece of trash who can't lift anything heavy. I can't even lift something this weight. I'm not even as strong as a child. What right do you think I have to talk to them?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kado, I'll get back to work now!"

Jimmy then lowered his head, turned around, and got into the car. The moment he closed the door, he immediately buried his face in the steering wheel and burst into tears. It wasn't because he had been wronged; he was just feeling bad for Kado and for himself.

Kado also heard the other person crying, and he felt the same immense pain.

"Damn it, why did this happen!"

As a former Zeon soldier, Kado was undoubtedly very unfortunate. He had a bright future ahead of him, but he was suddenly arrested by the Führer's guard on charges of leaking secrets and espionage. After enduring extremely painful torture, he was thrown into a labor camp where he suffered inhuman abuse after no evidence was found.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. What was supposed to be a rotting and stinking labor camp suddenly took a turn for the better. The Zeon army, which had suffered heavy losses, conscripted all the adult men in the labor camp into the Living Dead Division in order to expand its fighting power. Afterwards, they were incorporated into the Zeon Home Defense Army, which was formed by the Zeon army to defend the Abaoa Fortress. It was an army that crammed reservists, military cadets, student soldiers, prisoners, and in short, anyone who could go to war into it.

He thought he would die in the war, but to his surprise, his division chose to lay down its arms and surrender in the end.

As a result, Anabelcardo became a prisoner of war. However, due to his tragic past and the damage to his health caused by past torture, Anabelcardo was extremely fortunate to be released without any punishment. In fact, the Federal Army's special military tribunal provided this poor innocent man, who had been severely tortured by the Führer's guards, with additional support funds to help him live.

Normally, he would be extremely grateful to the Federation at this moment. After all, the Federation had allowed him to stay in the hospital for a period of time to recuperate, and the money was enough for him to support himself until he could find a job in a certain area.

The problem is that he was never a victim. In fact, even after being tortured and bruised by the Führer's guards, Anabelcardo remained an extremely staunch Zabi faction member. Even the airdrop in Abaowa was not what he wanted. At that time, he was only thinking about how to show himself for the greater good of the Zabi family.

Now, in this peaceful life, Kado finds that his so-called iron will has begun to melt away. He does have a good feeling about that woman, but the problem is that at this moment, all he can think about is how to find an opportunity to avenge the Zabi family!

Physical defects were never the main reason; rather, it was his resistance to a peaceful life as an avenger still living in the pain of the past!
If he were to actually approach her, Anabel felt that he might be able to let go of the burdens he had carried in the past. At this moment, he was in extreme pain, after all, what harm could such a useless person like him cause to the Federation?

At this moment, his stubborn mind was still agonizing, which is why he lost control of his emotions!
(End of this chapter)