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

Chapter 44: Gundam Assault

"Amuro, another one is heading your way!"

Eli roared through the comms, vigorously maneuvering his machine to deflect the thermal saber of a mass-produced Tiger. He retaliated with a beam saber thrust that pierced straight through the Tiger's cockpit.

The Tiger he let slip past, however, was quickly dispatched by Amuro with two precise shots.

"Mr. Eli, the canyon is just ahead. Bright said we need to charge through!"

"No need for him to remind me!"

After confirming that most enemies in front of him had been dealt with, Eli piloted his ground-type Gundam towards Amuro to regroup.

The path from White Base to the canyon had been cleared of enemies.

Before long, White Base, now operating at maximum atmospheric velocity, barreled forward like a moving steel fortress!

Near White Base, a group of Dopps circled, attempting an assault but were temporarily held back by anti-air fire.

Gundam immediately raised its beam rifle to aid White Base, but Eli stopped him.

"Trust your friends. If we stop now, we're all finished."

Eli's words calmed Amuro's anxious heart.

Boom!

Sure enough, the MS units on either side of White Base unleashed their firepower, instantly taking down several Dopps.

Eli also noticed the G-Fighter taking flight, with its B-Unit connected to a Core Fighter to form the G-Sky (hereafter referred to as G-Sky for simplicity). It soared through the sky.

Could it be Sayla?

Eli shook his head, refusing to let such idle thoughts occupy his mind in this critical moment.

"Time to move out, Amuro!"

With that, Eli pressed the pedal, igniting the thrusters on the back of his ground-type Gundam. The machine surged forward!

Ahead, the canyon was guarded by a mixed defense force of Zaku and Tiger units—five in total.

This is doable!

"The left is yours!"

Eli instructed Amuro while in mid-air, positioning his ground-type Gundam's beam rifle for a shot. A single blast obliterated a Zaku.

As his Gundam landed, two Zakus stood before him, watching him like hawks.

No, not exactly—Eli sensed that their confidence was superficial, and they even seemed ready to retreat.

There was no need for speculation. The reason was clear: the intimidating presence of Eli's Gundam.

Eli didn't care what they were thinking. If they hadn't surrendered and were still armed, they were enemies!

He returned the depleted beam rifle to his waist and grabbed the 100mm machine gun now in his left hand.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

A hail of bullets brought one Zaku down in a smoking heap.

No sooner had Eli dispatched one Zaku when two explosions erupted simultaneously nearby.

"Amuro, impressive as always," Eli muttered, knowing without looking that Amuro's Gundam had taken care of its assigned enemies.

Eli wasn't surprised anymore, but the remaining Zaku clearly was.

Fear seemed to emanate from the cold steel giant.

The next moment, it turned to flee, having lost the will to fight.

But turning your back on an enemy on the battlefield is a fatal mistake. Eli was not the type to let it go and risk harm to his allies. He immediately used his 100mm machine gun to sever the Zaku's leg hydraulic lines.

Even after this, the enemy showed no intention of surrendering. Eli approached and drove the claws on his shield into the Zaku's cockpit.

By this time, White Base had entered the canyon. The Dopps circling overhead were forced to climb higher.

The narrow confines of the canyon offered them little room to maneuver, and their limited payload meant they couldn't carry bombs.

"Not bad, Bright," Eli remarked, realizing that White Base's greatest threat had been eliminated.

Meanwhile, the Gundam Cannon and the Guntank had moved to the rear of the ship to intercept Zeon forces pursuing from outside the canyon.

"Amuro, now's your chance to recharge your beam rifle!"

At this stage, beam rifle technology hadn't advanced to include E-packs, so the rifles had to be recharged aboard ships.

Even though Amuro's beam rifle had a larger capacity than Eli's ground-type rifle, it probably had only three or four shots left.

Eli noticed the G-Sky moving ahead, scouting targets and buying time for their energy resupply.

"Miss Sayla, stay safe," he said over the comms.

"I will," Sayla replied, her tone concise and focused, clearly concentrating on piloting the G-Fighter.

Seeing this, Eli didn't press further. He opened his cockpit hatch and stepped out, taking an energy supplement from a technician on the bridge.

The paste-like substance was tasteless, designed solely to replenish energy for pilots during combat.

"How long to recharge the beam rifle?"

"At least six minutes," the technician confirmed.

Eli nodded and gestured to Amuro, who had just entered the hangar. Amuro, wearing his pilot suit, jogged over.

"How does Amuro's suit stay cool in this heat?" Eli wondered, recalling how Amada Shiro had struggled with the heat in his pilot suit when they first arrived on Earth.

"What is it, Mr. Eli?"

"We have about ten minutes to clear the canyon, just enough time for the beam rifles to recharge. Once we exit, we'll be directly facing M'Quve's base. The Zeon forces will undoubtedly deploy heavy defenses to block us. Breaking through with just the two of us will be difficult."

Eli grabbed a tablet from the technician and pointed out the likely enemy force distribution in the canyon.

A typical commander would likely employ a fan-shaped defensive formation, placing MS units at key locations.

"If we can't break through immediately, we'll face artillery fire from Zeon's land battleships. White Base will be in serious danger then."

In this new era of warfare, MS units had replaced tanks, and land battleships now served as the "new tanks."

According to pre-battle intelligence, Zeon had deployed five Dabude-class land battleships to Odessa, each equipped with powerful main cannons that posed a significant threat to White Base.

"On the bright side, we can request artillery support from the Federation."

Eli added this key point.

If Zeon had land battleships, the Federation wouldn't fall behind. Their Big Tray-class battleships, including the one serving as General Revil's flagship and command center, would provide critical support.

The Federation had committed 30% of its ground forces to this offensive, determined to secure their first counterattack victory.