Chapter 46: Three Cannon Shots Blast the Independent Soul to Pieces!

"Quick, everyone, grab these!"

On the streets of Zum City, makeshift fortifications were rapidly springing up. Stirred up by the Führer's Guard, both factions, having suffered mutual casualties, reached a tacit agreement for a temporary truce.

Then, each side began their preparations.

The Federation forces switched to live ammunition and calibrated their coordinates, while the Zeon rioters constructed barricades using various materials. Simultaneously, trucks from the Führer's Guard patrolled the streets and alleys, distributing a variety of weapons to the civilians.

Some civilians suddenly realized that the protest they had joined had taken a dark turn and wanted to back out, but it was already too late. They were summarily executed as traitors on the spot by the Zeon locals who had acquired weapons.

"Brothers! Half-hearted resistance is absolute non-resistance! Now that we have guns and artillery, we'll fight the Federation to the death!"

"To the death!"

Seeing the kind benefactor who had brought them weapons, the crowd became overwhelmingly excited. Encouraged by his words, everyone concealed themselves behind the cover, standing ready to deal a heavy blow to the incoming Federation forces.

Shortly after, however, this benefactor quietly withdrew from the scene out of the crowd's sight and vanished.

By the time the rioters behind the barricades realized something was wrong, it was already too late. A few hundred meters away, heavily armed Federation forces had begun their advance.

At the vanguard was a modified obstacle-clearing assault vehicle, specifically designed for dealing with things like barricades. Built upon the chassis of a Type 61 tank, it was fitted with thick protective plating and a bulldozer blade.

Behind the obstacle-clearing vehicle were two Type 61 tanks, their twin-linked cannons vigilantly scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.

"Go to hell, Federation dogs!"

Seeing the obstacle vehicle attempt to shove debris out of the road, a young Zeon man, still wearing his school uniform, suddenly leaped up. Clutching the package he had received earlier, he muttered the instructions the giver had taught him. As he rushed close to the obstacle vehicle, he pulled a cord attached to the package.

A violent explosion shook the ground for everyone nearby. The fierce burst of flame instantly engulfed the obstacle vehicle, sending plumes of thick black smoke billowing all the way up to the satellite communication center, while debris was blown as far as a thousand meters away.

"Hammerhead One, Hammerhead One!"

The Federation forces in the rear frantically called out to their comrades inside the obstacle vehicle.

"We're okay! The vehicle is still operational!"

The Federation crew inside the obstacle vehicle looked down at their soaked trousers and pressed the intercom with lingering fear.

"Good. Keep clearing the path, we'll provide cover!"

To prevent a repetition of what had just happened, every Federation soldier now maintained vigilance without even daring to blink.

Hearing the sound of the bulldozer at work, a Zeon civilian behind the barricade tried to raise his head to assess the situation—and was spotted immediately.

"Enemy at eleven o'clock!"

Fearing another suicide bomber, the commander of the Type 61 tank immediately opened fire with his 13.2mm machine gun.

The high-powered machine gun rounds instantly blew away half the man's head, and his bloody corpse rolled down from the elevated position.

"Fight them to the death!"

Seeing someone killed, the remaining Zeon men felt as though they had suffered a grave insult. They popped up from behind cover and opened fire in a chaotic flurry.

"Fire, fire! Send them to kingdom come!"

The tank commander, having hurriedly ducked back inside, roared at the driver.

Moments later, even more violent artillery roars thundered across the street. The Type 61 carried no non-lethal ammunition; its guns were loaded entirely with live rounds, specifically high-explosive fragmentation shells most lethal to soft targets!

The upper half of the entire barricade vanished in an instant, and vanishing along with the debris were the gunmen who had just been firing.

"Advance, advance!"

Once the obstacle vehicle cleared the path, the Federation's Type 61 tanks rolled through in single file. This time, the crews showed not an ounce of mercy, opening fire without hesitation at any armed target they spotted.

Within moments, the greater part of Zum City's urban area transformed into a battlefield.

Following the artillery suppression, infantry fighting vehicles deployed their troops to mop up. These infantrymen skillfully formed combat squads, searching every blind spot the tanks could not reach.

"Breaching!"

With a loud blast, a sealed door was blown inward. The Zeon men hiding in the darkness let out gasps of shock and wailing, some even quietly weeping.

Next, several tear gas canisters were tossed through the doorway. Tormented by the stinging gas, the Zeon occupants could no longer hold out and rushed in a panic toward the exit.

Federation infantry waited right outside the door. As the first Zeon man burst through the threshold, a heavy rifle butt slammed violently into him, knocking him flat to the ground.

"Officer, officer, don't shoot! I'm a law-abiding citizen! I didn't take part, I really didn't!"

Ignoring the pain, the Zeon man lay on the ground with his hands raised high, shouting at the top of his lungs out of fear that a Federation soldier might suddenly put a bullet in him.

The people behind him followed suit as if cut from the exact same mold. The moment the tank bombardment hit, their souls of independence instantly vanished without a trace, transforming every single one of them into staunch supporters of the Federation. Now, they all lay obediently on the ground, waiting for the Federation forces to inspect them.

"You say you aren't rioters? Then what is this?"

Perhaps in his anxiety, some unlucky fellow had discarded his weapon but forgotten to empty the ammunition from his pocket. A magazine was promptly fished out.

"This—this isn't mine! Someone framed me, officer!"

Staring down the barrel of a rifle pointed right at him, the unlucky man broke out in a cold sweat, his voice cracking out of tune.

"We were framed, officer! We really are Federation people!"

"Load of crap, Federation people!"

Looking at the massive crowd before them, the Federation soldiers gritted their teeth in exasperation. Executing all of them might mean killing the innocent, but letting them go would undoubtedly leave slip-ups.

Yet now, having these people under control also tied down the infantry, preventing them from pushing further forward.

Fortunately, new orders soon arrived: these Zeon civilians would be handed over to the intelligence unit, which would be responsible for sorting out the innocent from the guilty.

As for the fellow who had hidden ammunition in his pocket, however, no sorting was necessary. Waiting for him was an 8x8 enclosed transport truck specifically designated for holding prisoners!

"No, you've got it wrong! I really am a Federation citizen! I was framed, you have to believe me!"

Seeing that he was about to be hauled away, the panicked Zeon man abandoned all pretense and yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Those people over there! They were firing at the barricades just like me—I'm reporting them! And those people in the back too!"

Following that, a chorus of wails erupted across the street.