Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 10: Driving Back the Tiger King

Although Norris seldom fought on the front lines nowadays, he was by no means a novice.

Even with his intention to retreat, he did not rush into withdrawal. Instead, he eased his resistance slightly and lifted his leg, delivering a kick to the leg of the towering Gundam before him.

As a humanoid machine, even the Gundam couldn't escape certain physical limitations and staggered backward from the blow. Eli immediately pulled back on the controls, trying to restore balance to the mobile suit.

However, the Zaku was already pursuing him, seizing the advantage. Eli decided not to insist on standing up and instead activated the thrusters on his backpack.

With the powerful thrust, Eli's Ground Type Gundam slid forward a certain distance, causing the Zaku's swing to miss its mark.

Seizing this opportunity, Eli drew the 100mm machine gun hanging at his waist with his left hand and fired at the Zaku.

However, the Zaku pilot was far too seasoned, evading into the ruins of a warehouse the moment the gunfire erupted.

Of course, the thin, metal-built warehouse could not withstand the firepower of a mobile suit and merely obstructed Eli's line of sight. Even so, Eli knew he hadn't hit his target. It was clear that the enemy had taken defensive measures immediately.

Eli carefully observed the other side of the wall but saw no sign of the enemy emerging. With no other option, Eli decided to take the initiative.

Unlike infantry tactics where caution was paramount, Eli pushed the torque of the leg motors to their maximum. The Ground Type Gundam surged forward at full speed toward the wall.

The wall, already riddled with bullet holes from the 100mm machine gun, stood no chance against the fifty-ton colossus crashing through it.

Amid the spray of metal fragments, Eli focused all his attention on locating the enemy.

What he saw first, however, were soldiers hiding behind the wall, struck down by flying debris, their conditions unknown.

As for the Zaku that should have been the most conspicuous, it was nowhere to be seen.

"Bang!"

A dull crashing sound echoed from Eli's flank. He turned his head to see Amada Shiro's Ground Type Gundam standing beside a fallen Zaku, its beam saber slowly dimming.

The Zaku's mono-eye had gone dark, and its cockpit hatch at the waist had been melted through.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two more explosions sounded. Eli turned again and saw that the two turrets had been destroyed by Karen and Sanders, who used a 180mm cannon and six-tube rocket launcher, respectively.

Yet the Zaku had completely disappeared.

"Captain! Eli!"

Karen's voice came through via laser communication as soon as she reached the mountaintop.

On a battlefield that had just witnessed intense MS combat, the Minovsky particles constantly emitted by the mobile suits' Minovsky reactors heavily disrupted even short-range wireless communications within visual range.

This was also why Eli hadn't been able to detect the enemy on radar.

"We're fine. There should still be one Zaku. Have you seen it?"

After confirming that neither Karen nor Sanders' mobile suits were damaged, Eli immediately asked.

"Target spotted at heading 97, retreating down the mountain!"

Before Karen or Sanders could respond, Eledore in the hover truck provided the answer.

"Give me that."

Eli maneuvered his suit over to Sanders and took the 180mm cannon from him.

He moved to the edge of the mountaintop and crouched down.

Through the dense forest, a trail of movement was faintly visible. Even though the trees covered the Zaku's body, the trail was clear as day to Eli.

The swaying tree canopies obscured the Zaku, but Eli's targeting reticle still followed the tip of the movement.

Gradually, the reticle of his suit and the cannon's sights aligned perfectly.

"Boom!"

The cannon fired, and the intense recoil kicked up a cloud of dust in front of Eli's suit.

At this distance, the shell traced a slight arc through the air before striking the tip of the trail with pinpoint accuracy.

It was a precise shot, a result of Eli's subtle intuition combined with his growing combat experience.

The trail stopped moving.

"Did we get it?!"

Karen, who had also been observing, couldn't help but shout.

Eli ignored her and kept his eyes fixed on the cannon's impact zone displayed on the screen. After a moment, he sighed.

"The Zaku should be destroyed, but it seems the pilot escaped."

"What…?"

Amada Shiro sounded shocked. He could also confirm that the Zaku had been destroyed, but how could Eli be so sure the pilot had survived?

"Is that so? That guy's lucky."

Karen, however, didn't seem surprised and quickly accepted Eli's assessment.

"Huh?"

Amada Shiro let out a puzzled sound at Karen's easy acceptance of Eli's words.

"Ah, I've heard about this—something to do with Newtypes, isn't it?"

Sanders, rubbing his chin thoughtfully in his cockpit, also seemed to realize something.

The theory of Newtypes had always been ambiguous within the Federation, but rumors had circulated among the space forces, who had fought Zeon troops for a long time.

"There are rumors that the Gundam pilot is a Newtype. Could it be that Lieutenant Eli is one too?"

Sanders asked as he watched Eli's suit stand up slowly, still holding the 180mm cannon.

"No way. I wouldn't call myself a Newtype. Newtypes are people with potential—I just have sharp instincts, that's all."

Eli denied Sanders' suggestion, distancing himself from the idea of being a Newtype.

When he had first come to this world, he had harbored thoughts of changing the tragic fate of the Universal Century.

However, after witnessing countless deaths and enduring months of war, he had abandoned such unrealistic ideals.

On this battlefield, it was the system's bonuses that allowed him to possess the power to survive.

But if he were to intervene in the battlefield of Amuro and Char, he would simply be another nameless pilot shot down by Char's skill.

This was reality. Even as an ace on the Southeast Asian front, Eli, whose existence relied on the system, was but a small star compared to the true Newtypes.

"Let's go back."

Eli turned his suit around and led his team down from the mountaintop.

Reinforcements would soon arrive to secure the frontline. Their task now was to return to the rear, resupply, and prepare for the next offensive or defensive mission.

Such battles were all too common.