Unit 01 activated, Unit 01 vanished, Unit 01 reappeared, its Beam Saber piercing through the cockpits of two Zakus.
Yang Hui deactivated all safety restrictions on the Astray Gundam, removed all restraints on himself, and entered Innovator Mode. He slammed the pedal to the floor, pulled the control stick, and vanished from the sight of all enemy units in a blaze of fierce flames.
The next second, Unit 01 charged straight into the face of the Magatsuchi squadron. Both sabers were drawn, stabbing through the cockpits of two Zaku IIs.
"Farman! Sali!"
"Damn bastard! Go to hell!"
Seeing the prey in their net dare to bare its teeth at the victorious hunters, these elites couldn't hold back. They simultaneously unleashed a torrent of firepower at Unit 01.
But who would have thought? The two Zaku IIs with pierced cockpits didn't explode. Instead, Unit 01, having retracted its sabers, grabbed them with both hands and flung them left and right, turning them into shields. They were riddled with holes by friendly fire in mid-air, blocking attacks coming from both sides for Unit 01. As for the Magatsuchi squadron directly ahead...
In a fluid, weaving motion, Unit 01 slightly bent down, picked up two machine guns, and approached a Zaku II. Pressing the machine guns against its chest, it pulled the trigger without hesitation. The 90mm machine guns blasted a huge hole. Before the wreckage could fall, Unit 01 threw it again—this time not to block enemy attacks, but as a giant grenade.
"Scatter!"
The survivors of the Magatsuchi squadron, seeing the about-to-explode Zaku II flying toward them, scattered in all directions.
"Thanks!"
A cruel, excited grin spread across Yang Hui's face. The enemy's formation was broken; this was now his hunting ground, and these scattered enemy units were his prey.
Using the blinding glare of the explosion as cover, Unit 01 followed an elegant arc, closing in on a Zaku II. With one slash, it cut the machine in two, simultaneously snatching two grenades from its waist and throwing them out.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
"Kill him! Kill him for me!"
Kycilia Zabi valued her life. No matter how confident she was, she wouldn't face an MS in person. Plus, her MS piloting skills were terrible, so she commanded from the rear, communicating with Yang Hui via comms channels and reconnaissance camera feeds.
The moment Yang Hui activated his unit, even she froze for a few seconds. Regaining her senses, she immediately ordered Zeon's aces to eliminate him at all costs.
This kind of person was beyond her control; this level of power shouldn't exist in this world.
But angry, panicked shouts couldn't boost morale or enhance her subordinates' combat abilities. She could only watch helplessly through the cameras as her proud elite aces were mowed down by Yang Hui like vegetables.
On the tactical map, there was only one red dot, surrounded by dozens of green dots representing allies. Yet the red dot remained, its high-speed movement never faltering, while the green dots representing friendly forces rapidly disappeared. In just ten minutes, six squads—eighteen aces—were reduced to a pitiful few fleeing outward.
"H-how... is this... possible..." Kycilia Zabi stared blankly at the tactical map, unable to believe what was happening.
The strategy was right, the methods were right, the arrangements were right—everything she prepared was correct, and she succeeded. She successfully lured out this elusive unit and drew them into her encirclement, but...
Her judgment was wrong. No, it should be said that no one could have foreseen this scene. It was like a fair chess match where, just as one side was about to checkmate the other, the opponent unceremoniously flipped the entire board along with the ground.
"Lady Kycilia, the Federation's MS are beginning to retreat!"
"..." Kycilia Zabi stared with a twisted expression at the images transmitted by the reconnaissance aircraft, watching the leisurely retreating figure amidst the flames. She bit her lip until it bled, the blood trickling down the corner of her mouth.
"Order all units to immediately pursue! Frontline forces, withdraw 50 kilometers and seal off their escape route. Notify Som to cancel the California offensive operation and mobilize all troops here to hunt down this unit."
"Huh?" For a moment, everyone present failed to grasp Kycilia Zabi's command. It was clear that she was sacrificing the entire North American theater just to pursue this Federation Mobile Suit Squad.
To occupy the North American theater, Zeon had paid a heavy price. Despite their seemingly unstoppable advance, breaking through the Federation's defenses and capturing their bases, they had also suffered significant casualties.
Now, to hand over 50 kilometers of territory to the Federation and even ignore the thorn in their side that was California—all just to hunt down a single MS unit—wouldn't that render the sacrifices of their fallen comrades meaningless?
"You fools! If we let this monster continue to live, can you imagine the casualties it would inflict on Zeon?" Kycilia Zabi pointed at the frozen image of the Astray Gundam Unit 01 shooting down the reconnaissance aircraft, shouting angrily. "One unit, just one unit! We deployed six elite ace squads and set up an encirclement in advance, yet it still managed to kill most of them and escape. If we don't seize this opportunity to eliminate it while it's exhausted, will we ever get another chance!? If it escapes this time, where will it appear next? How many more of our comrades will it kill!?"
"..." Everyone remained silent. Though they could see that Kycilia Zabi had lost her rationality, consumed by rage and frustration... they couldn't refute her words.
"Lady Sister, let me go. I'll lead the troops to pursue—"
Slap!
Before Karma Zabi could finish, Kycilia Zabi backhanded him, knocking him to the ground.
"Lady Sister?" Karma Zabi clutched his swollen, reddened cheek, staring at Kycilia Zabi in disbelief.
"You? Are you implying... that the elites I selected are inferior to a child like you?"
"No... Lady Sister... I..."
"Then are you going to throw your life away? Do you want to become the first member of the Zabi Family to die in battle, adding a glorious stroke to his military achievements!?"
"I... I'm not..."
"Guards, escort Karma to NY. Without my orders, he is not to go anywhere!"
"Yes, Lady Kycilia." Several guards dragged Karma Zabi away, ignoring his struggles and roars.
After Karma Zabi had left, Kycilia Zabi turned to the others. "Hurry up and relay my orders!"
"U-understood!"
"Absolutely... I will absolutely destroy you..."
...
Meanwhile, Yang Hui, piloting Unit 01, had nearly wiped out all three squads of the Magatsuchi squadron. The Midnight Fenrir Squad and the Bloodthirsty Hound Squad had also suffered several casualties. Seeing the enemy retreat in fear and clear the way, he didn't pursue them to the end. Instead, he broke through the encirclement at the gap.
If there was an opportunity, Yang Hui certainly wouldn't waste it, but...
Creak... creak...
"Pushed it too hard," Yang Hui muttered in the cockpit. Hearing the grating sounds echoing around him, he didn't need to check the Mobile Suit's component diagnostics to know the Astray Gundam had reached its limit.
"Major."
"Retreat."
"Understood."
After regrouping, the group, who had been consumed by bloodlust, immediately reined in their killing intent. The cataclysmic tsunami of destruction instantly subsided into calm as they silently followed the Wolf King away from the hunting grounds.
Not long after shaking off the pursuers, Yang Hui brought everyone to a halt. He left his own Mobile Suit and jumped onto the Unit 02 piloted by Jung.
The next moment...
BOOM!
Unit 01 collapsed with a thunderous crash, scattering into pieces across the ground.
"Major, what should we do?" Jung asked. Honestly, they were astonished. It was the first time they had seen a Mobile Suit fall apart because it couldn't keep up with the pilot's abilities. And in its current state, even the basic systems couldn't be activated, let alone the self-destruct system.
"How many explosives and rockets do we have left?" Yang Hui inquired.
"Enough to destroy it, but fragments will definitely remain," Jung reported. Everything about the Astray Gundam was the Federation's top secret, even the shards of its armor.
"Better than leaving a pile of components," Yang Hui said helplessly. Fragments would have to do. Leaving them for Zeon wasn't a big concern anyway. The intelligence on Gundarium Alloy Alpha would soon fall into Zeon's hands regardless. The important thing was that other critical technologies, such as the Optical Detection System, Thermal Sensing, and Beam Weapons, didn't fall into Zeon's grasp.
If they wanted to leave nothing for Zeon, they would have to take everything with them. But... even if they discarded all other items, the backpacks of the eight Mobile Suits couldn't possibly hold everything.
"Blow it up."
Jung and the others quickly set up the remaining rockets, explosives, and grenades to ensure the dismantled Astray Gundam Unit 01 would only leave behind fine fragments.
Yang Hui stood on the palm of Unit 02 as the squad withdrew to a safe distance. They watched the towering flames, feeling the gusting wind and heat waves against their faces.
"Major, what do we do next?" Jung asked.
"The Orlando base has probably been captured by them. Head north and rendezvous with the main force. Our mission is complete."
"Understood!" x8
Hearing that the mission was accomplished, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Their gains on this trip were more than sufficient. They had taken down two of North America's most iconic bases, NY and DC, and eliminated countless Zeon forces. Without exaggeration, at least one-tenth of the Zeon Army in the North American theater had fallen by their hands.
Moreover, they were now out of ammunition and supplies, and Yang Hui's Mobile Suit was gone. They also feared that Yang Hui might continue his boldness and lead them to raid Zeon bases again.
"Let's go, Travis. Set the detector to maximum power and avoid all Zeon Army forces."
"Understood."
...
Due to Kycilia Zabi's obsession with Yang Hui and his team, the return journey was incredibly arduous. If not for the powerful detection equipment Travis carried, they would have been discovered long ago.
What was originally a four-day journey took them six days to complete. To their surprise, even before reaching Orlando Base, they encountered Luna and the main force near Macaroni.
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