Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

The battle was almost one-sided. Faced with Baku's revolutionary weaponry, the guerrillas' vehicle-mounted anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers were useless. Even if they hit vital parts, they could not inflict decisive damage on Baku.

The convoy on the Dawn Desert side fired a barrage of rockets, which seemed impressive, but for Baku, it was no different from fireworks.

Baku didn't even need to use weapons to deal with them. A Baku plane charged into the middle of the convoy, swung its huge claws, and swept across a jeep. The jeep bounced off the ground, tumbled several times in the air, and then crashed heavily onto a sand dune not far away.

The so-called battle was nothing more than a one-sided crushing defeat.

"While I acknowledge your courage, this pointless act is nothing but suicide. Why don't you understand?"

Andrew's mood worsened.

'Speaking of which, ever since that long-legged ship appeared, I haven't had a single good thing happen to me. That ship is a real jinx.'

However, the guerrillas were not the only ones who approached Andrew and his group.

"Captain, emergency!"

Da Costa's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"What's going on this time? If it's still those resistance groups, just drive them away like before! Idiots won't be cured until they die."

"No, this time it's a mobile suit, a Dagger model, attacking from above, and about to enter combat range!"

Upon hearing the news, Andrew jumped up from his seat, his initial irritation and restlessness instantly ignited by something. He leaped out of the jeep and, without hesitation, chose the Baku that was closest to him.

"Kirkwood, lend me your Baku for a bit. I want to meet that guy myself!"

"I've done so many pointless things today to finally run into you, so don't disappoint me, 'Skyfire Crow'!"

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[Enemy aircraft confirmed: 4 aircraft in Baku equipped with missile bays and 2 aircraft in Baku equipped with railguns; currently engaged in combat with the Dawn Desert Force.]

El fixed his humanoid form behind the cockpit, making the already cramped short sword cockpit even cramped.

"So it's turned out this way. If we just stand by and do nothing, the people of Dawn Desert will be wiped out. El, get into combat mode. As before, the shoulder weapon operation is yours. Also, inform the Archangel and the Assault Ship of the situation here."

The numerous firearms on the iwsp backpack were activated, and Raven pulled the control stick, sending the short sword diving down towards the Baku team from above.

Chapter 39 The First Battle with the Tiger (Part 2)

The Dagger's high-profile appearance naturally did not escape Andrew's notice. At his command, the Baku troops quickly began to engage, unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Dagger. Andrew himself also controlled the twin-mounted railgun on the back of his aircraft, aiming it at the Dagger overhead.

A large number of missiles roared away, some of which carried projectiles from a railgun.

The short sword immediately began to roll to dodge, and at the same time, the Vulcan cannon and shoulder cannon fired simultaneously, and a dense barrage of close-in weapon system bullets spread out in front of the fuselage, intercepting a large number of incoming missiles.

But after the missile exploded and created plumes of smoke, Raven suddenly became tense.

The short swordsman pulled the composite shield in front of him, and the next moment, two railgun shells almost caused the shield to deform significantly.

Raven immediately realized that there was a skilled opponent on the other side.

"Did the Desert Tiger personally go to the front lines?"

But no matter what, Raven must immediately begin to fight back.

Raven pushed the control stick forward, and the short sword tilted its fuselage, instantly switching from a level flight attitude at high altitude into a downward dive.

Like a raptor hunting a pack of wolves, the short sword locked onto a Baku located on the edge of the formation.

Gravity propelled the Dagger faster and faster, its fuselage screeching as it rubbed against the air. ZAFT's Baku forces clearly recognized the Dagger's intentions, unleashing a barrage of bullets at it relentlessly. However, all of this firepower was a fraction of a second too slow, leaving the Dagger far behind with its incredible speed as it dove down.

As the distance closed, the firearms densely packed on iwsp's backpack, like hedgehogs, roared simultaneously.

The rapid-fire of Gatling guns and cannons blocked the Baku's movement. Then, just before the two aircraft were about to collide, the Dagger's two railguns suddenly opened fire, accurately hitting the Baku's fuselage. It then quickly pulled up altitude, leaving the Baku's explosion behind.

"It's just like a Stuka. Tsk, it's good to be able to fly."

Andrew recalled the dive bombers that had been active in the wars of the old days, and he never expected to see similar tactics in this era when humanity had already entered space.

But Andrew wasn't the type to sit idly by and wait to die. He controlled Baku to lie prone on the ground, maintaining a high-speed movement, like a crouching tiger, waiting for his chance.

Soon, the opportunity he had been waiting for arrived.

Having succeeded once before, the short sword began to dive again, while Andrew, judging the moment, fired the railgun from his back.

This time, however, his target was not the short sword that was difficult to aim at, but the sandy ground.

The railgun shell, carrying powerful kinetic energy, struck the ground, and the resulting dust instantly covered the short sword's entire field of vision. Andrew seized the opportunity, landed on all fours, and pounced on the diving short sword.

Once in the dive trajectory, although the short sword will gain unpredictable speed, the mech's movement will also become more singular, which is the opportunity that Andrew has been waiting for.

Raven knew something was wrong the moment he suddenly lost sight of the area, and quickly raised his shield in front of him. Then, just as he expected, Baku's huge machine shadow appeared on the other side of the sandstorm and collided head-on with the short sword.

This unexpected attack caused the Dagger to lose control instantly. Although Raven immediately turned the engine to full power in an attempt to stabilize its flight attitude, it still crashed to the ground. Andrew's Baku, on the other hand, used its forelimbs to push off the Dagger's shield at the moment of impact and landed gracefully on the ground.

"That way you won't be able to move!"

Upon landing, Andrew quickly opened fire on the short sword, but Raven reacted just as quickly. The short sword swiftly stood up, and after a short thrust from its thrusters, the machine swerved to the side to dodge.

Although Raven's maneuver prevented the short sword from being directly destroyed by the attack, a railgun shell severed one of the iwsp's backpack wings.

"Oops!"

With one wing destroyed, the iwsp backpack lost its ability to fly until it was repaired, and the weight of the iwsp backpack would make the aircraft seem extremely cumbersome in land combat.

With this in mind, Raven decided to disregard accuracy and unleash the full power of the four cannons on his shoulders, sparing no ammunition.

The fierce firepower temporarily suppressed the Baku troops, but the large number of shells that missed their targets also raised enough dust to obscure the view.

With a click, the short sword automatically removed the backpack that had become a burden, while simultaneously hanging the beam rifle on its waist and drawing the beam boomerang from the composite shield.

"This is the tactic you taught me, and now I'll return the favor!"

The boomerang-shaped beam of light pierced through the sandstorm, tracing a curved arc as it flew towards a Baku. But the pilots under the Desert Tigers were no novices; they could handle such a simple attack with almost no thought.

Baku, the chosen target, simply leaped, letting the beam boomerang fly beneath it. But at that moment, Dagger, with one hand supporting a shield and the other raising an anti-ship sword, also burst through the curtain of sand and dust.

"what?!"

The two anti-ship swords hanging from Iwsp's backpack, though physical weapons, were sharp enough to cut through the armor of a space battleship. Before the pilot of the Baku could react, his aircraft was cut in two by the short swords.

Before the short sword's movements were finished, Raven decisively used his shield to protect his left side, taking a missile from the flank head-on. At the same time, he used the anti-ship sword in his hand as a throwing weapon, aiming at another Baku on his right and throwing it away.

Having already witnessed the blade's sharpness, the Baku pilot quickly maneuvered the Baku to the side to dodge. However, Raven spotted his landing point the moment he jumped. After swinging the anti-ship blade, Raven swiftly drew the beam rifle from his waistband with his free right hand, accurately hitting the Baku that had just landed.

"Two planes were shot down in an instant! This guy is simply a berserker, no, even more outrageous than a berserker!"

Raven's relentless fighting style left Andrew speechless; however, even the fiercest offensive eventually runs out of steam.

Having lost the ability to fly, the short sword charged to the center of the remaining Baku's formation, his shield riddled with wounds and about to be reduced to scrap metal.

Andrew remembered that the short sword was different from those Gundams; it didn't have the troublesome PS armor.

"Come on, how are you going to deal with this now, Mr. Raven?"

The railgun on his back began to charge, while the other two wingmen had already circled around to the side of the dagger.

The situation seemed certain to be won, but the next moment, a shell from an extremely long distance destroyed the turret of his Baku's twin railgun.

"Hit? No, I missed!"

In the distance, a striker equipped with a lightning backpack knelt on the ground, setting up his long-barreled electromagnetic cannon towards the battlefield.

"What?! A sniper attack?!"

Andrew immediately abandoned the attack, allowing Baku to make unpredictable maneuvers.

The two wingmen also sensed something was wrong and abandoned their attack on the Dagger. The two Bakus simultaneously dispersed in different directions and began to make evasive maneuvers.

But the sniping from afar did not stop.

The second shot, the third shot, the fourth shot...

Shell after shell kept hitting the open ground around the three Baku aircraft, and the accuracy of the shooting was visibly improving.

Realizing the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control, Andrew decisively decided to retreat. The two wingmen unleashed the remaining ammunition from their missile pods, once again kicking up a cloud of dust.

Under the cover of the sandstorm, the three Baku aircraft turned around and quickly withdrew from the battlefield.

Chapter 40 Banadia Holiday (1)

Even after a good rest, Kira still couldn't forget the horrific scene he had witnessed.

The black smoke rising from the burning city of Tashil, the wreckage of vehicles overturned by Baku's giant claws on the sand, and the corpses that could not even be preserved in human form.

Of those who went after Baku in a moment of youthful fervor, less than half returned alive.

Those who wept uncontrollably around the mangled bodies had lost their homes and had no savings. How were they supposed to survive in this chaotic world?

If the war is not ended, this kind of thing will happen again and again.

Is a strong will not enough to end a war?

Kira was deep in thought, leaning back in his seat and gazing out the window with a melancholy look. Cagalli, sitting next to him, broke his reverie by poking his cheek with her finger.

"We're almost there. Stop looking around. We're here on a mission."

Kira remembered that not long ago, Cagalli had been holding the body of the boy who had died in battle and crying so sadly, but now she no longer looked so heartbroken.

'That's really strong.'

Kira thought to himself.

Since the supplies stockpiled by Dawn Desert were burned by ZAFT, the food and fuel intended for the Archangel were also lost. Therefore, Bakirulu and Saib, the leader of Dawn Desert, decided to personally lead a team to Banadia, which was occupied by ZAFT, to purchase supplies.

Raven and Kira also joined the purchasing team, just to get some fresh air before the next big battle.

The team split up before entering the city. Bakirulu and Seib led the majority of the group to find local smugglers to purchase large quantities of supplies.

Meanwhile, Kira was dragged by the arm by Cagalli and taken to stroll around the bustling city center without any explanation.

Raven didn't follow them.

"This is Banadia."

El raised his head and looked at the peaceful city in front of him.

"Let's go too. We finally have a body that can move around freely, it would be a waste not to travel around."

Raven took Al's hand, and the two strolled leisurely down the street, disappearing into the crowds of Banadia.

Today, El was dressed in traditional local women's clothing. The wide robe accentuated her slender figure, and her silver wig was carefully wrapped inside a headscarf, so it didn't look too out of place. The mask on her face was also covered by a veil, making it less strange. At most, passersby would think that the girl was dressed somewhat conservatively, but they wouldn't find it unusual.

Compared to the noisy atmosphere around her, El maintained her cool demeanor and, as always, did not show much emotion. However, Raven could sense that the mechanical girl who had been with him all along was actually quite happy.

Since El's birth, he had either been working on projects with Raven in the lab or serving as a machine spirit in the mobile suit to help Raven fight. Even after he gained a mobile ant body, he could only wander around inside the Archangel. This was the first time he had strolled through the streets and come into contact with the outside world like this.

"Is there anything you want, El?" Raven asked as they walked, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of stalls on either side. "Like trinkets, dolls, or something like that?"

"No, I have no need for those things."

Al answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"No, no, no, it's not a matter of need or not. Isn't there anything that you'd want to pick up the moment you saw it?"

"But I am AI, and I don't have human desires."

Al's eyes swept over the surrounding stalls, finding nothing but boring things.

Colorful stone pendants, silk fabrics adorned with various fancy patterns, crudely made metal bracelets... Humans satisfy their spiritual needs by imbuing these things with all sorts of meanings, even though these things themselves have neither practical value nor any aesthetic appeal in a technical sense. In El's view, this is somewhat self-deception.

But as Al took a few more steps forward, he saw something strange from the corner vendor's stall.

"El?"

Raven paused for a moment when he saw her take a step and walk in a certain direction, then quickly followed.

When Raven walked up to her and saw what the object in El's hands was, the two of them exclaimed in surprise almost simultaneously.

"Isn't this the Super Alloy Gekiganger who only exists in fantasy? How could I run into him here!"

Al held the metallic robot model in his hands, his eyes shining with the same fervent light as Raven's.

Upon seeing this, the stall owner let out a low, strange laugh.

"I didn't expect this gentleman and lady to have such good taste." He lowered his voice, as if about to reveal some huge secret. "To be honest, I got this from PLANT through connections. They don't produce this here on Earth anymore. So, what do you think?"

Amidst the stall owner's devilishly gentle persuasion, Raven and El's answers overlapped almost simultaneously.

"How much? I'll buy it!"

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“Raven, PLANT is surprisingly a great country.”

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"