Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Page 51

"But unfortunately, Dr. Minovsky ruined all of this~"

Just as the major was trying to recall and ponder, a certain voice echoing in the internal communications made him frown.

"Sleika, I told you to keep communications open, not so you could interrupt...tsk, so are your planes ready or not!"

That angry tone actually carried a hint of displaced anger, but no one would say anything in such a situation.

Earth Federation Air Force Lieutenant, Shreka Lowe, simply yawned.

"Alright, everything is basically in place here."

"Very good. Now, as soon as you observe these Zeon ground troops passing by, you will quickly move out and attack them from the rear, blowing up their ground forces..."

'Beep beep beep beep'

Before the major's voice had even faded completely, a sharp, short alarm sounded throughout the base.

"Major, enemy bomber formation spotted directly overhead, estimated to be nearly 150 meters long!"

"What? There's a bomber formation of this caliber... Tsk, why didn't other bases or departments report this?"

The major frowned:

"But it doesn't matter. Our base is underground, so conventional bombing has no effect on us, and they won't be able to find us."

"A high-energy reaction has been detected directly above!"

"what?!"

'Buzz buzz buzz buzz'

Perhaps, there's no need for reminders anymore.

The simplest optical sensor, which can operate even under the interference of Minovsky particles, has already captured the view of the sky completely.

The sky, which should have been shrouded in dark clouds, was swept away by some force, and in that clear sky, a breathtaking light shimmered.

The visible radiance then subsided, as if it were about to engulf everything:

"The Minovsky particles are well dispersed and the suspension system is functioning normally."

"Very good, fill with Mega particles."

"Particle filling, 3, 2, 1, reaching the critical point."

The moment he heard the sound, the technical colonel aboard the aircraft carrier beamed with delight:

"emission!"

"Super Mega Particle Cannon, fire!"

Descending from the sky, the 'space tank' suspended above the air and powered by the aircraft carrier emitted a fierce light.

Like a giant beam of light falling from the sky, the large-caliber particle beam, seemingly far more powerful than a warship's main cannon, directly struck the seemingly ordinary, vast flat ground.

damage.

collapse.

…………

"In the end, this is how it is."

Staring at the huge crater in the barren land, Major Michael simply opened his palm and poured the sedative into his hand with trembling hands.

He didn't need water; he just chewed the pills as if trying to relieve his anxiety with the crunching of his teeth.

At this moment, he had no choice but to look around, as if only the tents that had been set up and the soldiers coming and going could bring him some comfort.

Then, a voice sounded from behind:

"Major."

"Ok?"

"The fire that spread into the city has been completely brought under control."

"It's under control?"

“That’s right. I had my men load the Guncannon’s barrel with large fire-extinguishing shells. The large fire has been extinguished, but there may still be some problems inside the city. I also had my soldiers patrolling and inspecting the city in the ‘Wapa’ (hover motorcycles) captured from the Zeon base.”

"Is that so? Then I'll also report on the discoveries here."

While yawning, Michael turned around casually and gave a salute like a drunkard:

"Major Michael Colmarta reports: The enemy-occupied forces stationed in Vienna, which should have been active behind enemy lines, have been confirmed to be completely annihilated."

“Total annihilation… Lieutenant General Bruce ordered the largest force to be stationed here. Yes, according to the information Kuvatro and his men sent us, there is even an underground base here large enough to accommodate us all, with a more favorable environment for our activities.”

At this point, Michael couldn't help but laugh.

That smile was a mockery that Aiga, who had always been treated as a 'top student,' had never seen before.

"But no matter what, they've all disappeared, and all that's left is that thing behind me."

At this point, Aija was taken aback.

To be honest, he had been busy piloting the Guncannon and leading his pilots in putting out fires, and after all that work, he hadn't had a chance to properly observe the situation around the city.

And now...

'Zizzi'

In that pit, which seemed to have been cut by intense heat, he could easily see the protective panels and partitions that had been melted and destroyed.

It was less of an explosion and more of something melting away along with the ground and the thick metal structure inside.

"These marks are plasma... no, could they be Mega Particle Cannon?"

What is the Mega Particle Cannon?

The sudden question was like a blow to Lieutenant Aija, who had been studying theoretical knowledge at the forefront. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond.

Even at this moment, his mind was filled with theoretical knowledge rather than responding:

"Using particle weapons in Earth's environment... does this mean that Zeon, like our Federation forces, has already mastered the technology to mitigate particle decay? And this looks like an attack from the sky..."

Seeing that the well-trained officer was already deep in thought, Michael couldn't help but yawn.

After taking the sedative, he felt that his brain had irreversibly entered a relaxed state.

"Anyway, whatever you can guess, I think they can guess too, right?"

"What did you say?"

“Five hours ago, the moment we decided to put out the fire, I had already sent someone to deliver the information about this place to Cuvatro and his men.”

"But at that time, communication was completely unavailable..."

"So I had someone deliver it to me personally."

Amidst Ajana's increasingly astonished gaze, Michael simply pointed to the hoverbike flying directly overhead:

"We'll rely on this."

Chapter 64: Emergency Response

"PVN.4/3-Wapa, a hovercraft developed by the earth-shattering scientists of the Principality of Zeon. It was originally designed to allow scouts to quickly traverse various terrains. It is one of the more successful products of the Zeon people. At least the Federation soldiers who captured these devices gave good feedback."

"After all, the concept of hovercraft has existed since the old century."

"...Huh? Is there?"

"Of course there are, and they were proposed by the United States. However, these weapons, which are only designed for combat against Earth, have become obsolete once the Earth Federation has stabilized."

"Oh, is that so? But that kind of thing isn't very important."

Meeting Gao Ren's gaze, which carried a hint of disdain, Kuvatro simply coughed lightly:

"The important thing is that although this thing uses a primitive hybrid system with limited range, it can also travel very long distances by removing the extra load-bearing equipment and adding a fuel tank..."

Then, a fact was laid bare before them:

"Vienna is nearly 700 kilometers away from the Ruhr as the crow flies. Even if the hoverbike maintains a high speed the entire way, it would still take almost 5 hours. And if he were to rush here at high speed all the way..."

At this point, Gao Ren couldn't help but turn his gaze to the hospital bed.

There, the soldier named Raven Seller still retained some consciousness, but it couldn't be said that he was fully lucid:

"Photographs...Vienna."

"The city... is on fire."

"Zion...fled."

Although he was somewhat delirious, and those fragmented words just kept coming out of his mouth, it wasn't hard to piece together some of the truth by combining them with the photos on hand.

"In short, Vienna is on fire. Not only has the forest been completely burned down, but it also seems that the entire city has been affected because the fire could not be contained. It also seems that the Zeon troops stationed there have completely withdrawn?"

"Perhaps these guys feel they have no obligation to save Earth's cities."

Although Cuvatro said it in a lighthearted tone, it still made people feel uncomfortable to some extent.

Not to mention, Gao Ren still feels like the fire is right before his eyes:

Thick smoke billowed out, and people scattered and fled, not knowing where to go.

A forest ablaze, wounds and cracks emerging from the earth.

Then, all of this was interrupted by those lingering words from reality:

"So, is the time for sentimentality over?"

"...There was never any time for that anyway."

Meeting Kuvatro's seemingly meaningful gaze, Gao Ren simply raised the photograph in his hand:

"At least for now, we have obtained the most important piece of the puzzle."

Aside from the fire itself, the visible penetration and melting marks left on the ground could not have been caused by any ordinary live ammunition weapon.

That was definitely a large-scale weapon, comparable to the 'main gun' of the latest space battleships.

"And if such an air-to-ground weapon really existed..."

Gao Ren didn't continue, but at this moment, it inevitably reminded them of something else:

"They likely knew the strategic plans of the European Front, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"So what will happen?"

The moment the question slipped out, Gao Ren felt his head spinning.

A super weapon capable of creating massive craters on the ground, potentially even destroying the creatures hidden beneath the earth, plus a high-ranking officer who is likely lurking within the Federation forces and has already betrayed the locations of most bases and troops.

"Captain, I have just one question for you."

"what?"

"Does this base have any intelligence about spies?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"And what about communications?"

"The scattered Minovsky particles have not completely dissipated, making long-distance communication impossible."

Upon hearing this answer, Gao Ren involuntarily closed his eyes:

"They've shot themselves in the foot..."

He clenched his fist, and the next thought surfaced in his mind, transforming into words and forming suggestions:

"Let's leave as soon as possible and head to France."

…………

"Drip... drip... drip"