Gundam: From Piece to Player

"Reporting, Colonel, both of them have escaped."

Upon hearing this, the Basque immediately launched a flying kick at the officer in front of him.

"You actually have the nerve to tell me that they both ran away? Are you guys just sitting around doing nothing?"

The officer immediately stood up after being kicked, like a roly-poly toy: "We are in pursuit."

"Don't tell me you've lost them."

Silence was the only acceptable response; to ensure the mission could continue, the Basques had no choice but to suppress their temper.

"Go ahead and tell me, surely you have at least a few clues?"

"Professor Deco is suspected to have boarded the spaceship, but his exact whereabouts are unknown... Judging from the traces, it was the work of the 'Ferrymen'."

The Ferrymen are a new organization in the underworld. They don't kill or sell information; they only help people forge new identities and change their appearance.

After receiving a high hiring fee, they would handle all the follow-up work. The Basques also tried to send people to impersonate "hireders" to place orders, but the other party somehow discovered their intentions in advance.

There is a suspicion that this might be an organization funded by AE... but there is no evidence.

"Where is that college student... the son of the famous Gundam developer, Dr. Tim Ray?"

"We captured footage from city surveillance cameras showing him taking this female student into an unlicensed military jeep, and we also became aware of our pursuit operation," the officer said.

"Hmph, it seems that surviving the battlefield while piloting a Gundam wasn't just luck; at least his intuition is sharp... Which direction did he escape in?"

“He’s heading north, we guess he’s trying to get to the Zeon embassy…the only place where he might escape our pursuit.”

"As a Gundam pilot, trying to escape to the Zeon embassy is a disgrace to our Federation."

The Basques originally wanted to try to capture that old guy Deco to see if they could draw out Kalma Zabi's forces in the area.

According to the investigation by the Electronic Intelligence Department, the defeat of the Federal Expeditionary Force was most likely due to this old man's trickery.

As for the forces that Karma Zabi deployed there—at the time, the peace treaty history used NT1 and Natageon's MA to fish in troubled waters over Granada—the Federal Intelligence Service later analyzed that Karma Zabi was the only one with the capability and motive to plan the operation.

After all, considering the current state of Zeon, Kycilia would be a problem if she were alive, but if she could die... many things would be answered.

The embassy... well, consider it a test of tolerance for Deakin's son.

The premise is that Amuro is indeed capable; if he can't escape, the Basques plan to take their anger out on the college student first.

Military jeeps were speeding along the intercity roads of Granada when suddenly the sound of helicopter rotors approached from afar.

This gyroplane... its flight principle, derived from that of the dragonfly, a highly efficient predator, has been a persistent nightmare for ground targets ever since its invention... due to its powerful loiter capabilities.

At night, its powerful searchlights provide the clearest view and location information to other targets on the ground, leaving fugitives nowhere to hide.

Amuro is now receiving that treatment.

"Ray, you drive... I'll take care of the helicopter."

"Oh."

Amuro didn't immediately realize he had to "dispose of" it like that, but he still took the steering wheel from the passenger seat.

As Qian En clutched her schoolbag with a look of fear in her eyes, Anabel pulled a man-portable air defense missile launcher from the center access panel in the back seat.

In just a few moments, it activated its power supply and some kind of infrared thermal conductivity system.

Anabel had already rolled up the car window and skillfully completed a quick lock-on and aim with the weapon on his shoulder.

The next moment, the anti-aircraft missile, trailing its exhaust flame, shot out at Mach 3 and struck the helicopter with a thrusting speed of Mach 3.

The helicopter crashed out of control, seemingly without warning, and exploded into a spectacular display of fireworks on a bridge in Granada.

This also caused the searchlights to disappear, and the jeep once again entered a safe, dark environment.

Amuro had already been on the battlefield, and had even witnessed the Zaku's thermonuclear furnace exploding right in his face.

This kind of explosion was child's play for him, but not for Qian'en... because the chase, fear, and anxiety had already begun to trigger her stress.

"Amuro, stop the car and let me out."

"No, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Excuse me."

Seeing this, Anabel reached behind her and executed a clean and swift rear-naked choke on Qian En's neck. His strong arms silenced her in less than ten seconds...

Amuro doesn't even have to be the boyfriend anymore; the other person has taken the initiative to be the bad guy.

When the strength difference is not significant, a rear naked choke can basically subdue the opponent instantly once it is executed, not to mention the fundamental strength difference between men and women.

He urged himself to lose his phone, shoot down the helicopter, and knock out his out-of-control girlfriend.

As soon as any problem showed signs of chaos, this guy could almost always anticipate it and come up with a solution... He appeared and was gone in a flash, making Amuro feel that the difficulty of escaping had gone from a nightmare to an easy task.

"Thank you, senior."

"It was just a small favor."

But what Amro didn't realize was that Anabel had been observing his every move.

Chapter 204 Embassy Crisis (Part 1)

After dealing with the helicopter, the Hummer entered a long underground tunnel.

The headlights could only illuminate less than 20 meters of road ahead.

The tires rolled over the road seams, making a rhythmic "thump-thump" sound that was amplified and stretched in the enclosed space, becoming the only timer in the darkness.

“Amuro, you must have piloted a mobile suit during the war two years ago, right? Your driving skills are beyond what ordinary drivers can achieve,” Anabel suddenly said. “Were you in the Federation Army before?”

"I didn't join the Federation Army; I was forced to board a mobile suit, and I was discharged after the war," Amuro said casually.

“It seems we have something in common. I was also a soldier in the Zeon army, but I was discharged after the war because I was ‘unsuited to the new era’.”

Amuro thought to himself, “You talk about it like it’s a secret, but in everyday life it’s written all over your face.”

Is it because you feel lost and can't find your direction?

"I have nowhere else to go now."

"Why not join the current Zeon army? I heard that Casval is forming a new Zeon army."

“…” Anabel countered, “Rayon, let me ask you, if you were forced to seek political asylum in Zeon later, would you join the Zeon army?”

Amro fell silent, and Anabel seemed to have heard his reply:

"My reasoning is the same as yours. Joining Neo Zeon would be a denial and betrayal of the past."

Hearing this, Amuro probably already knew that he was a member of the Zabi faction of the Old Principality's army. However, since the other party said so, to be honest, there was a third option, which was also considered the most ambitious among the students on the Moon and Side 3:

Haven't you thought about going to the asteroid belt?

Annabel smiled wryly: "Actually, I was fortunate enough to ask that person, but he rejected me... He said I hadn't figured out my ideals yet, and going to the asteroid belt would just be wasting my time."

It seems that going there isn't as easy as just wanting to; there are assessment and hurdles involved.

"Senior, let me share my current career plans. I hope they can be of some help to you."

"Please speak."

"After graduation, I want to study advanced technology at AE for a period of time. If possible, I also want to create a (MS) that integrates artificial intelligence technology. When the time is right, I also want to start a company."

"As expected of Lei Jun, his planning is quite clear."

"Where."

Amuro felt a little embarrassed by the other party's sincere praise. After this conversation, the jeep slowly drove out of the tunnel, and Zeon's huge "embassy" came into view.

From a distance, one can see a large spherical radar for early warning deployed in the central area, which is more than ten meters high, along with multiple vehicle-mounted long-range air defense missiles and permanent fortifications resembling a wall.

Based on Amro's experience, this scale is equivalent to that of some of the more well-equipped military bases during the One Year War.

A mass-produced MS-11 mobile Zaku, used for guard duty, stood at the entrance, clearly equipped with a beam rifle.

As we drove along the road to the outer checkpoint, the jeep stopped at the guard's wave.

"Hello, it's no longer our reception time, please leave."

The guard stepped forward, saw the driver's side window rolled down, and quickly raised his hand in a military salute: "Sorry, I didn't recognize you, Colonel Ka."

Amuro, already in the passenger seat, felt his memories being awakened... Kado,

Is it Anabel Cardo?

The name is indeed the real name, but the surname has been covered up... It turns out to be Solomon's nightmare?

"I am no longer a soldier, so please do not use military ranks to address me."

"Okay, Mr. Kado...you're coming so late tonight?"

"There are two college students here who have applied for political asylum. They are currently being tracked by the Federal Intelligence Service and have just finished their escape. Please lead us to the other side of the building, and please also increase the level of security."

"I need to report this to the captain of the guard, and then the captain will report to the ambassador."

"Ok."

Amuro, sitting to the side, thought to himself, even with someone like him leading the way, they wouldn't just let people pass by so easily... The management is really strict.

But from another perspective, if he and Qian En had come to seek refuge alone, they probably wouldn't have been able to get in, unless they forced their way in... They were questioned repeatedly like this back on Luna II.

Twelve minutes later, riders on military motorcycles from inside the embassy "picked them up." The ambassador to Granada, Horst Hannes, met with Cardo and Amro shortly after learning of the situation.

(And reported the situation to his country, but this order was not immediately known to Commander-in-Chief Char. The news went around from Side 3 back to the moon, taking 2 hours.)

Commander-in-Chief Char Aznable is currently away on a business trip... Coincidentally, he is secretly visiting Von Braun at this moment, considering the next military procurement order with AE Corporation.

Although Side 3 also has established military industrial enterprises such as Geonnik and Zimad in its home country, they were not broken up and acquired after the war as they had in the past.

However, in the later stages of the One Year War, with the introduction of the Type 78 and GM, Zeon quickly discovered its technological shortcomings compared to the AE Corporation and the Federation government in long-distance detection of Minovsky particle dispersion (in space).

However, with more than a year of research following the war, the technological gap in this area has not only failed to narrow but has actually widened.

Char recalled what Karma had told him: it was necessary to make up for shortcomings by buying and replicating some new equipment—especially since the Federation, under Tiam's impetus, had passed the "Federal Army Reconstruction Plan" after the expeditionary force's failure, which clearly stated that the plan's purpose was to "unify the Earth Sphere."

Secret military procurement became inevitable... The Federation and Zeon already had a considerable size gap, and if their technology and equipment lagged behind, they would truly be sitting idly by and waiting for their demise.

"President, is this the recommended machine?"

"Yes, this is the GP02 Sour Berry, an aircraft armed with missiles and long-range firepower."

Char looked at the somewhat bulky MS in front of him. According to the other party, this heavily armored mobile suit only looked fat. It had a very strong thrust, and its size was designed to carry a large number of missiles of various types.