Gundam 00: Rise of China

Smoke mingled with the salty sea breeze swept across the airspace, and the deathly silence after the guns were turned around was even more oppressive than the fighting that had just taken place.

The Angel's sniper rifle finally fell to his side as Lockon looked at the densely packed Taliban soldiers ahead, guns raised and aimed at him.

He raised an eyebrow, a helpless smile playing on his lips.

I wasn't angry.

If it were me, just a few hours ago I was being slaughtered by Gundam and suffered heavy losses, but now I'm temporarily standing together because of a common enemy.

Now that the enemy is gone, it would be strange if we didn't turn against them; turning against them is the normal course of action.

"Don't act impulsively."

Lockon turned his head to connect to the internal channel in an instant, his tone reassuring.

"We killed so many of them before, it's normal for them to harbor resentment. Don't fire first, let's see how things go."

"If it can end peacefully, that would be perfect, after all, too many people have already died today."

In Lockon's memory, Setsuna was basically the kind of person who was brainless, and sometimes he was completely inflexible.

Don't be fooled by his previous attack on the Union; he might just turn around and attack the Taliban army soon.

To Lockon's surprise, the Exia Gundam merely raised its longsword slightly to assume a defensive stance, showing no intention of charging forward.

Glancing at the cockpit view on the communication screen, Lockon clearly saw that Chasm was staring at the red Thug below.

His expression was very strange, not like anger, but more like he had bumped into someone unexpected.

The atmosphere was tense among the Taliban troops opposite.

"So what if it's a Gundam? Union just fought them off, why would we be afraid of two of them?"

Having suffered a great loss, Patrick was eager to fight back. Although he had racked up quite a few kills against the Union army, the frustration of being suppressed by Setsuna was still vivid in his mind.

Now, relying on his superior numbers, Patrick, who holds grudges, is eager to get his revenge.

Upon hearing this, Saches chuckled and immediately began to stir up trouble.

"Interesting, shall we go up and give it a try?"

"Let's see just how capable these celestial messengers really are."

"Behave yourselves."

Wang Ye, using the alias Xia Ya, spoke, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, yet instantly silencing all other noises.

Then, the red thug-like aircraft, with its fuselage slightly tilted forward, slowly flew out from the array.

"Enough blood has been shed today; those who remain are the seeds of the future Taliban army."

Seeing this, Piris frowned and quickly stopped him.

"Lord Char, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!"

"fine."

After declining Piris's concern, Wang Ye ignored the worried looks from the people behind him and flew alone towards the two Gundams.

The crimson fuselage looked like a slowly burning fire against the azure sky.

Seeing the enemy's single-unit flying over, Lockon immediately pushed the control stick, and the Exia Gundam took a half step forward, steadily blocking the front of the Exia Gundam.

Lockon wasn't wary of the person opposite him; on the contrary, he was worried about a momentary impulse!

A short while later, a contact request popped up in the public channel.

Lockon, his brow furrowed, was somewhat reluctant to accept the communication request due to the rules of the Celestials, even though he was also curious to know what the other party would say.

Just as he was about to refuse, a connection notification sounded in the channel.

"In an instant!"

Lockon patted his helmet, his tone slightly reproachful.

"It's okay."

In response, Setsuna gave a perfunctory explanation, but his gaze was fixed on Wang Ye, who was wearing a mask and using the alias Xia Ya, on the screen.

"The helmet is reflective, so I can't see my face."

Lockon pursed his lips, and knowing that things had come to this point, he ultimately said nothing more.

Indeed, with closed helmets and reflective masks, it's impossible for the other party to see their faces clearly. As for their voices, the last time in Ceylon, that was already a violation.

It's truly a case of having more debt than you can handle!

"Thank you both for your assistance just now."

Before Lockon could dwell on it any longer, Wang Ye's voice rang out first, his tone low and steady, revealing no trace of hostility.

"If you hadn't changed your target at the last minute, the Taliban army would have suffered even greater losses."

Upon hearing this, Lockon was about to respond when Setsuna spoke first, her voice dry and filled with an unbelievable certainty.

"Your voice, and the shape of your face... I recognize you."

"Your understanding of war and the world is more thorough than anyone else's."

"You see things more clearly than anyone else, so why did you become a mercenary?"

"Why become a straw dog chasing after war?"

He paused, then, ignoring Lockon's astonished gaze, his tone carried a stubbornness and confusion that he himself was unaware of.

"Why don't people like you pursue true peace?"

"Why fuel war!"

Upon hearing this, Lockon was completely stunned. He hadn't expected that Shana would actually know this mercenary named Xia, and he certainly hadn't expected that this guy would keep asking him questions.

Is she really that concerned about the other person?

So who exactly is this guy in front of us?

"True peace?"

"Inspiring war?"

Wang Ye's reply came, his tone sounded calm, but upon closer examination, it was somewhat intriguing.

"You Celestials pilot Gundams everywhere, fighting and killing, and you think you're pursuing peace?"

"We are changing the world!"

As if struck on a sore spot, he instantly rushed in front of Lockon and shouted loudly.

"To eradicate all war through force—that is the goal of the Celestials!"

"Eradicating war?"

Wang Ye burst out laughing in the channel, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm.

"Trying to stop boiling water by adding more water is just self-pity."

"Killing a few people and rampaging across the battlefield—that's what changing the world means?"

"You who don't even understand why war breaks out are nothing more than a bunch of kids waving weapons and pretending to be adults."

Upon hearing this, Lockon's expression darkened.

He wasn't as easily agitated as Sha Na, but he genuinely believed in the ideals of the Celestials and that their actions could make the world a better place.

Now, when someone belittles you with just a few words, even the best temper can't hold back the anger.

"Your Excellency is far too arrogant," he said coldly. "Under our coercion, eight illegal armed groups were disbanded. How many innocent people will be spared from suffering in that process?"

"What makes you think our efforts are meaningless?"

"On what grounds?"

Wang Ye's tone became more relaxed, as if he were talking about something extremely simple.

"Based on the Taliban war."

"They are the ones who are oppressed and plundered, but it was you celestial beings who first wielded your swords against them."

"Now you're helping them instead, is it because you've had a change of heart?"

"Or was it a helpless choice made out of desperation?"

"The fundamental reasons for the outbreak of war are nothing more than resources, hegemony, division of power, and the inability of ordinary people to survive. It's a well-worn topic."

Wang Ye paused here, the laughter in his voice fading, leaving only a cold calm.

"Never touch the root cause, just fight on the battlefield."

"You keep bringing up the disbandment of illegal armed groups, do you really think that killing a few members of these groups will make them afraid?"

"Has the great power killed fewer people than you have?"

The channel fell silent instantly.

He opened his mouth for a moment, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

He thought of his hometown, the villages destroyed by war, and the fundamental issues that both sides were fighting over in the war.

Lockon also pursed his lips, his fingertips tightening on the joystick.

He wanted to refute, to say that things weren't that simple, but when the words reached his lips, he found that he couldn't find a single sentence that was strong enough to argue.

In the midst of this suffocating silence, everyone's radar suddenly began to buzz.

An orange figure pierced through the clouds; Archangel Gundam, with the force of breaking through the sky, was rapidly appearing in everyone's sight.

Allelujah has a knack for playing both sides; he doesn't want to appear out of place, nor does he want to offend Tieria, who seems difficult to deal with.

Arriving at this exact moment, Alleluia felt it was just right.

Unfortunately, before Allelujah could even say a few polite words, he suddenly clutched his head and howled.