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

Chapter 290 Failure, the opponent is an ace!

"Major, this is a tricky idea!"

"My weapon has been destroyed!"

"Understood. You retreat first, we'll handle the rest!"

Upon receiving Amuro's order, the high-powered GM immediately pulled out smoke grenades from its waist and threw them in all directions. Then, its pilot controlled the machine to jump off the wreckage and began to retreat into the desert.

His allies on either side also retreated without hesitation.

"Lieutenant, do you think we can pursue them now?"

"Of course, but we should know when to stop and just drive them away!"

"Understood, Lieutenant. You'll be the commander of the second squadron from now on!"

"But I don't have much experience!"

"Which guy here has experience? We're all just thrown in at the last minute. Don't be shy, you don't want us all to lose so badly, do you?"

Thus, Hiroshi Uraki was inexplicably promoted to the position of field commander, responsible for leading several GMs of the Second Squadron in pursuit of the fleeing instructors.

However, no sooner had they given chase than Amuro and Jung led another group of elites to block the main force that was advancing toward the target location.

"Commander killed?"

Upon hearing that the commander had been blasted across the face by a single Iron Fist Iai strike from the Great Demon, Uraki Hiroshi had no choice but to rush back to provide support. However, they arrived too late; half of the main force had been killed, and several mobile suits were deemed damaged. The pilots were now cursing and preparing to conduct a simulated maintenance procedure.

Uraki Hiroshi's old friend, Geese, was also among the pilots whose planes were destroyed. Seeing Uraki Hiroshi rushing back, he could only give a bitter smile and then offer a reminder.

"That big devil is too powerful. He took out five of us with just a rocket launcher! Then he rushed up to the commander's face and delivered a powerful punch, before retreating unscathed. You'd better watch out!"

"You still think I can take him down?"

Uraki Hiroshi was speechless, but what Geese said was right. It was not a good idea for them to be passively attacked like this. By now, half of their fifty trainee aircraft had been lost, and their ammunition reserves had dropped to almost fifty percent. It would not be easy for them to continue crossing the remaining hundred or so kilometers.

"It's all up to you, Lieutenant!"

The commander, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at his mech, which was covered in paint and looked like a mess. He could only tap the foot of Uraki Hiroshi's mech and entrust the rest of the crew to him.

Thus, Hiroshi Uraki could only become the commander of the remaining mobile suits. As for the others, they had all been eliminated. After all, the commander was too obvious. Either he would lead the charge at the forefront or stand in the back to direct and command. By focusing on these two sides, he could always get the top prize.

Amuro killed about two-thirds of the commanders in this way, and he had used up all his rocket launcher ammunition. Now, he only has one Panzerfaust left.

This thing isn't a magazine-type weapon; it's a rocket launcher that Zeon added later to compensate for its anti-armor capabilities. Because of its high velocity and flat trajectory, Amuro quite likes using it, even though with his skill level, he can make any type of rocket launcher look amazing.

This is also why Makarius limited ammunition. After all, if ammunition were unlimited and supplies could be guaranteed for the enemy at any time, Amuro could easily take down these fifty or so rookies by himself.

"Listen up, everyone! We can't keep taking this beating like this!"

"But launching a preemptive strike won't work either. We can't find those guys; they have sniper units with better visibility than us!"

"That's right, so we need to think of a solution!"

Uraki Hiroshi jumped out of the cabin, holding an electronic map, and traced the terrain they were traveling on. Then, a larger area of ​​ruins appeared on it.

“Those instructors must have set up reconnaissance here. These wrecks are higher up, and with optical equipment, they can see further. So, we can’t go through here. We have to go this way!”

Hiroshi Uraki pointed to the right side of the map, where there was a continuous depression with a valley in the middle that could block most of the view of the wreckage area.

“My plan is this: I will lead a squadron and move from the edge of the wreckage area. We will try to make some noise so that they think we are operating as a group. This way, we will bypass the wreckage area and be ambushed in the valley ahead. You can then flank them from the east. This side is a high slope, and as long as you keep your movements hidden, you will not be discovered!”

"But how are you going to keep it from them?"

"That's a good question. I haven't thought about it yet, but at least I can get it approved for now!"

"Got it, Captain!"

Subsequently, the trainees' Jim team split up and began advancing in two directions, while Uraki Hiroshi led his men to a grove of trees and tore down a bunch of branches.

"I have a feeling we're going to be dealt with by the military police!"

As one of the trainees watched as he dismantled the towering trees that stood motionless in the arid landscape using his mobile suit, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Then at least let us finish the exercise!"

"After all, they all said it was real combat!"

As for the trees, they were towed behind the mobile suits so that when the mobile suits moved quickly, they would kick up large clouds of dust.

"Doing this won't be very effective for thermal imaging!"

"Yes, so I'm betting that they didn't look closely enough!"

Soon, the squad led by Hiroshi Uraki arrived at the wreckage area. Just as he had expected, another instructor mech was crouching on top of the wreckage, quietly waiting for their arrival.

Moreover, when Hiroshi Uraki spotted the other party using the GM's built-in reconnaissance mast, the instructor's mobile suit also spotted him.

"Then, let's move out!"

Uraki Hiroshi divided his squadron into four squads, or three-machine formations. He first sent out a squad with good marksmanship to launch an assault, trying to push straight through the edge of the wreckage area.

Then, another squad was sent to break through along the left edge. As for the last two squads, they waited until the right squad entered the battlefield and began to release smoke grenades before launching their assault with tree trunks.

"Damn it, it's all smoke, I can't see anything!"

Seeing the white smoke and thick dust mixed together, the instructor inside the machine could only curse under his breath before giving Amuro a detailed report of the situation.

"You mean, they obscured the view and provided cover for friendly forces' operations?"

"Yes, sir, I saw about a dozen or more machines, and six more are trying to suppress me!"

"That's impossible. If they really broke through from there, they wouldn't do something like that. You retreat first and keep an eye on things!"

"I can't do it, two squads of Jims are chasing me, they're driving me away!"

"Then forget about it and keep retreating!"

Amuro looked at the map, pondered for a moment, and then snapped his fingers.

"Heinz!"

"Major?" "You move to the K1 area immediately and give me close surveillance of the depression, especially the area extending from the northwest to the southeast!"

"Everyone else, come with me to the valley and we'll play tactics. Kid, you're too young!"

"So, Amuro saw through the other party?"

In the command center, Char was holding a bottle of mineral water and watching the icons on the big screen with great interest. When he saw the blue dot representing Amuro and the others start to move, Char immediately asked Makarius a question.

"Yes, after all, their concealment was too obvious. They should have concentrated their smoke grenades in the middle of the ruins to create a cloud of smoke, which would have been more effective. That way, they could have covered both the assault and the retreat. But instead, they released the smoke grenades close to the front line while breaking through on the right! That's very problematic!"

"So, the ending is set?"

"It's settled, Yudin. You can tell the kitchen to start cooking! Dinner will be ready around the same time they get back!"

"Have the kitchen prepare more meat dishes, but don't skimp on the carrots!"

Why do you keep emphasizing carrots?

Char looked at Macarius, who had returned, and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Because eating more vegetables is good for your health!"

While the kitchen was preparing a feast, Uraki Hiroshi's squad had already broken through the wreckage area and was about to enter the valley. However, they stopped halfway because the flanking force on the right would have to travel dozens of kilometers further. Therefore, in order to ensure that they could ambush the instructors lying in ambush, they had to wait for the latter.

And this wait confirmed Amuro's suspicions!
"Someone is definitely taking a detour. At Jim's pace, they should appear in Heinz's line of sight in about three minutes!"

As he had predicted, the flanking team's actions in the depression were fully known to Jim from Heinz, who arrived later.

"Trying to launch a pincer attack? You're too green!"

After receiving his reward, Amuro immediately revealed a wicked grin, as if his scheme had succeeded.

"I have an idea!"

Unaware that their plan had been seen through, the trainees, after confirming that the time was almost up, led their troops to continue their advance. As expected, when they reached the valley, they were ambushed.

"Sniper!"

Seeing his mech turn completely red after being hit by a dye bomb, the lead trainee could only let out a scream and then silently retreat from the battlefield.

His teammates behind him quickly found cover and began exchanging fire with the ambushers.

"Their firepower is fierce!"

Because of the flying dust and dense firelight, the trainees couldn't see how many enemies were in the distant valley, but judging from the firepower, there were at least a dozen or so machines.

"This should be all they have. Encirclement troops, where are you?"

"We've heard gunfire, they're getting closer!"

"Alright, we'll keep drawing their fire. It's up to you guys now!"

Soon, Hiroshi Uraki heard intense gunfire coming from the other side of the valley, along with reports from the flanking forces.

"We've already forced them out of the valley, and now you can join forces to surround them!"

Upon hearing this, the trainees Jims on the front quickly launched an attack. Soon, they saw the enemy turning and fleeing ahead, as well as friendly forces coming from the other side!

"Haha, we've finally blocked them! Brothers, there's a dead-end canyon ahead, those guys have nowhere to run!"

"Charge! Charge! I'm going to show these guys today that my gun isn't bad either!"

However, when the students, filled with murderous intent, swarmed into the canyon after chasing the fleeing instructor's plane, they were all dumbfounded.

Because there were only two GMs and one Zaku in front of them, not more than ten. At this moment, these three mechs had stopped and were standing in the middle of the canyon waiting for the students to arrive.

"Three platforms?"

"We've been tricked again. Let's take them out first!"

Uraki Hiroshi arrived immediately and raised his weapon, but the rock wall behind him moved even faster. Amuro, controlling the Great Demon, dashed through the camouflage cloth covering him and pulled the trigger at Uraki Hiroshi, who had his back to him.

Meanwhile, from various corners of the canyon, even more instructor mechs emerged from their concealed positions and launched attacks on the students' densely packed and unsuspecting backs.

In less than three minutes, while the three instructor aircraft in front were destroyed by concentrated fire, all the trainee aircraft also became targets for the instructors.

"The entire cadet team has been wiped out. The exercise is over. All personnel are to be brought back!"

Upon hearing the new order, the tense atmosphere vanished instantly. The trainees, who had been fighting all day, couldn't help but jump out of their mechs and seek refuge in the shade of the canyon. At that moment, the cockpit of the Great Demon slowly opened.

As the pilots descended from above, the trainees widened their eyes, trying to confirm his identity. When Amuro turned around, some trainees who recognized him quickly exclaimed in surprise.

"I rely on!"

"It's Major Amroray, our army's second-ranked ace pilot!"

"How could he be in the Great Demon Realm!"

"Wait, so we were killed by him?"

"No, you were killed by machine gun fire from another instructor, but our new commander was taken down by Major Amuro!"

Even Uraki Hiroshi didn't expect that he would die at the hands of the infamous White Devil. So, his frustration at being defeated was instantly swept away. After all, it wasn't surprising to be defeated by the opponent!
"Don't be discouraged! It's better to fail on the training field than to die on the battlefield!"

Amuro stood in the center of the crowd and offered words of comfort to his defeated foes.

"Everyone, failure is not the goal. The goal is why failure is the goal. Only by understanding this can you avoid making the same mistakes again. The goal of the Combat Technology Center is to create a new generation of mobile suit pilots for the Federation, and you are the candidates. So, don't be bothered by temporary setbacks. Without failure, there is no success. So, hold your heads high! Do you understand?"

"understand!"

"Okay, that's good. Everyone, after you go back, write a reflection and hand it to your instructor the day after tomorrow morning. Is that alright?"

"no!"

After all, he is the object of worship for the vast majority of pilots. Amuro's appearance boosted the morale of the trainees, not to mention that he has now personally assigned a mission.

"Very good. Now, board according to your respective groups. Our shuttle bus is about to arrive!"

In the sky not far away, an entire fleet of Steel Bailey transport planes had approached to a point where they were visible to the naked eye!

(End of this chapter)