Chapter 52 I've got another idea!

"How much ammunition do we have left?"

"I have my last two magazines!"

"One!"

"Three, and two grenades!"

"It looks like our current situation is rather grim!"

Bullets and rocket-propelled grenades whistled in from all directions, tearing the windows and walls of the building to pieces. Dust shaken down from the ceiling and elsewhere even covered the original color of the camouflage uniforms.

Char looked behind him. At this moment, of the two platoons of advance troops he led, fewer than twenty people remained to scrape by with him in this Federation military dormitory building. As for the others, they had all fallen into a permanent sleep along the road here.

When Char and his men entered the Federation military base, everything had been normal until everyone, carrying flight backpacks, launched an attack on the garage. Then, with his sharp eyes, Char saw that beneath the ruins, there were not any vehicles at all.

"Huh?"

Before Char could react, several flares soared into the sky, illuminating everyone flying in the air crystal clear. Immediately after, a barrage composed of machine guns and rapid-fire cannons enveloped these flying Zeon cadets.

Because the internal space of the space colony was limited, the Federation garrison was not equipped with self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. This was the only reason Char, who reacted the fastest, was able to escape from that barrage, but most of the remaining teammates who were a beat slower were cleanly and thoroughly blown to pieces.

Subsequently, the ground convoy coordinating with the air units' attack was jointly annihilated by multi-directional firepower.

The ambush positions of Red Dragon 3 and 4 were on the left and right sides of the main thoroughfare of the garrison base. These positions had been measured hand-in-hand by Macarius and several others; not only was the field of vision wide, but it was also very convenient for retreat. Behind the shooting positions was another road; if the battle turned unfavorable, they could quickly break away from here.

Therefore, when the convoy rushed quickly toward the base gate, preparing to break through and enter, the roadblocker at the garrison base gate suddenly rose. This device might be helpless against tanks, but for wheeled armored vehicles, it was extremely fatal.

Consequently, the lead armored vehicle flew directly into the air, and the infantry inside were spilled all over the ground like a tipped-over can of sardines.

Seeing the leading vehicle suffer such a tragic fate, the Zeon armored vehicles in the rear could only brake urgently. However, because everyone was moving at high speed and the inter-vehicle distance was very narrow, the braking distance was completely insufficient. Thus, the drivers had no choice but to swerve urgently to both sides, which turned them into prime targets.

The Federation soldiers ambushed all around, along with Numbers 3 and 4 at the high vantage points, immediately sent the shells from their ammo bays flying out at their fastest rate of fire. Many Zeon cadets were struck down before they even caught a glimpse of the enemy.

Seeing that his side was about to be suppressed here, Char, who had landed urgently, immediately used the smoke grenades on hand to pull up a smoke screen for the surviving friendly forces, which allowed the few remaining comrades to escape.

Afterward, these Zeon cadets could no longer care about executing other missions; they used all their strength to charge toward the Federation military barracks building closest to them.

The number of Federation soldiers garrisoned in this building was small, and they were non-professional infantry. Facing the Zeon cadets, they were no match at all. The former attempted to use firepower to seal off the hallways and prevent the enemy from approaching, but unexpectedly, the Zeon cadets had already climbed in from behind them by making human ladders.

Then, a few grenades sent the machine gun at the hallway entrance flying into the sky. After a hurried, close-quarters firefight, the few Federation soldiers were either killed or wounded and captured.

Finally, the Zeon cadets had a chance to catch their breath, but it was merely a moment to gasp for air.

Shortly after, hundreds of Federation soldiers and dozens of vehicles surrounded the building, trapping them to death inside.

After a bitter battle, Char and his men had not only expended a vast amount of physical energy, but their ammunition was also running low.

"Everyone, matters have come to this; we can no longer escape. Therefore, I see no need to demand your sacrifice. Now, if anyone wishes to surrender, I will not stop you, but please leave your ammunition behind!"

After a very brief moment of thought, Char said to the cadets leaning against the wall behind him.

"Char!"

"What are you saying? I am going to fight those damned Federation soldiers to the bitter end!"

"That's right! Although I can't be of much help, I can drag them down with me. I still have a grenade!"

A wounded soldier who had been shot and was shivering from hypothermia curled up in the corner, speaking in a weak but equally firm tone. Only the medic who had gone over to fetch a blanket to cover the wounded soldier remained silent.

"Everyone, surrender is not some humiliating matter. Our cause has just begun. If a person dies, then there will be no way to continue striving in the future!"

"What about you, Char? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to hold out here and buy time for Garma and the others!"

Char loaded loose bullets from his pocket into the magazine one by one, then rapidly fired a few shots outside the house. Next, an unlucky Federation soldier screamed as he was dragged out of the line of fire by his teammates.

"The Federation military set an ambush here, which means they were prepared long ago. But I don't know the situation on Garma's end. Therefore, we can only deduce that the Federation military hasn't surrounded them. The bigger commotion we make here and the longer we stall, the greater the possibility of them escaping back!"

"Once Mr. Garma escapes back, will he be able to bring back Commander Dozle to save us?"

A cadet immediately asked.

"Well... of course, that's possible!"

Char ultimately did not speak in absolute terms, even though he knew the possibility of their side being rescued was slim.

"Then, please allow me to fight alongside you to the very end!"

Encouraged by Char, the Zeon cadets recovered some of their confidence, and even the faces of a few wounded soldiers regained some color. However, had they known that Garma and the others were currently just a kilometer away in a straight line, their morale surely would have soared even higher.

Of course, that was assuming they were truly worth saving, but at this moment, Garma and his companions were already struggling to protect themselves!

After thoroughly destroying those self-propelled mortar vehicles, Macarius rendezvoused with the reconnaissance scouts composed of Federation infantry cadets, then roughly swept the battlefield. Actually, there wasn't much to sweep, because those destroyed vehicles left almost nothing behind; only Garma's command vehicle was still relatively intact, and they had left almost all their belongings inside.

"So, Garma Zabi ran away?"

"He should have, but they won't run far!"

"Then pursue them. You lead the way, but remember: no shooting is allowed! Nothing must happen to Garma Zabi. If he so much as gets a scratch, we'll all be in deep trouble!"

Exposing the upper half of his body from the turret, Macarius surveyed the surrounding devastation and sighed once more.

"As expected, he's just a young master of the Zabi family. He has no clear understanding of the cruelty of war!"

"Those guys, if they truly had any understanding, they wouldn't have come to ambush us!"

Spils, who had previously cooperated with Macarius, threw a charred Zeon helmet onto the ground and jumped onto the tactical vehicle.

"When I catch that young master, I'm going to take off his pants, hang him up, and beat him hard with a belt!"

"Well, catch him first before you say that!"

Then, to Macarius's surprise, Spils actually captured Garma very quickly—or rather, Garma, driven out of his wits by the fleeing honor guard, ran right into Spils's face.

Actually, it was also because the honor guard had lost all sense of direction. They had managed to run near the garrison base, only to discover that Char's troops were also surrounded and about to be completely annihilated, while the outer Federation forces were already clearing the battlefield and were about to reach their hiding spot. Thus, the few of them had no choice but to relocate with Garma.

Moreover, the impression Macarius's tanks left on these people was too deep, giving them the misconception that all Federation troops drove tanks. Consequently, they mistook Spils—who was driving a tactical vehicle—for Zeon forces coming to look for people, and directly rushed onto the road to block the vehicle. Then, all of them gloriously became prisoners.

"Not bad, old buddy!"

Macarius was fiercely envious now. Why couldn't he encounter such good fortune? Based on this single feat, the moment Spils reported to his unit, he would have an extra star on his shoulder!

One must know that generally, only the top-ranking graduating officers had the opportunity to immediately shoulder the rank of captain upon entering grassroots units; most people had to miserably spend several years at the rank of lieutenant before being promoted.

"Then, you go report to the Chief of Staff!"

"Thanks!"

Spils didn't say much, but he patted Macarius's shoulder firmly. He would remember this favor!

"You captured Garma Zabi?"

Chief of Staff Yodel hadn't expected that Macarius—who had previously only communicated with him with a single line stating that the battle situation was going smoothly—could bring back such blockbuster news upon reestablishing contact.

Therefore, upon learning that Garma had been captured, he immediately ordered the Federation troops outside to rapidly assemble near Macarius, strictly ensuring that Garma Zabi was delivered to him without a single hair out of place.

After all, to ordinary soldiers, the opponent could at most be considered a high-status prisoner; but to the higher-ups, the value of Garma Zabi was unimaginably great!

"So, how did you know we were coming to launch a surprise attack?"

Upon seeing Macarius again, a distraught Garma finally spoke up once more.

"You really want to know?"

Macarius took his spare water pouch from the vehicle and handed it to the other man.

"I really do. But I reckon you probably won't tell me!"

Garma didn't stand on ceremony either; he grabbed the water pouch, took a couple of gulps, and then tossed it to his subordinates. After all, dragging him along while running away had been very hard work for them too.

"Originally, according to regulations, I couldn't say. But since you asked, I'll reluctantly tell you!"

Macarius looked around vigilantly first, then leaned close to Garma and whispered, "Someone from your own internal ranks spilled the beans. That guy's name is Anavel Gato!"

"Anavel Gato?"

Garma suspected Macarius was lying to him, because there was no such person among the military academy cadets he knew, but judging by the other's expression, it didn't seem like he was faking it.

Therefore, he could only silently commit this name to memory.

"So, what are you going to do with me now?"

"Take you to headquarters. But don't worry, we in the Federation do not mistreat prisoners! And you don't have to worry about going to prison either; I estimate that before long, you should regain your freedom!"

After Macarius finished speaking, Garma looked as though a painful spot had been touched, and he fell silent, simply allowing himself to be loaded onto a vehicle. Protected by Macarius's Red Dragon 1 and 2, they hurried toward headquarters.

The first thing Garma did upon rushing back to headquarters was to check whether Char's shadow was among the casualties at the garrison.

The result pleased him: as expected of Char, who held the moniker of the strongest escape Newtype, he hadn't been killed.

"So, Char Aznable should be in that building?"

"That's right, and they still have our wounded soldiers in their hands, which prevents our brothers from attacking further. Everyone is just stuck in this stalemate!"

The commander of Vehicle 3 was also full of helplessness in his tone. If they were all enemies, they would have long since leveled the building to the ground with artillery fire!

"It's fine, I have a way!"

Macarius immediately jumped onto his Red Dragon 1, had Yudin drive toward the battlefield, and inside the vehicle, he began tinkering with the tank's built-in external communication loudspeaker function.

Soon, Char, who was resting in the building, saw Red Dragon 1 driving toward him. At that moment, his expression twisted once more.

"Damn it, wasn't this guy in Zim City?"

"What are the Federation forces trying to do? Wait, it's Red Dragon. That guy—couldn't he possibly want to bombard the building directly?"

The other Zeon cadets also saw Red Dragon 1. The painful impression the opponent had left on them during the drill was still fresh in their minds, and thus, their newly stabilized morale plunged into panic once again.

"Don't worry, that guy shouldn't go that far!"

Char glanced at the few Federation prisoners nearby. At this moment, these fellows were all pushed to the windows, making them extremely conspicuous. If Macarius still wanted to stay in the military, he would never act recklessly.

However, what Char didn't expect was that Macarius chose not to open fire, but rather to open the mic.

"Char Aznable, your beloved Garma Zabi has been captured by our military! If you don't want to watch him get his pants pulled off, get hung up, and have his ass beaten with a belt, immediately lay down your weapons and surrender!"

"Did you hear that, Char? You wouldn't want Garma to lose face in front of so many people either, right? Then hurry up and lay down your weapons and surrender!"

At that moment, Char felt as though the rest of his life would be burdened with all sorts of messy rumors. After all, this was right in front of the battle lines of two armies, and a total of several hundred people from both sides had heard Macarius's voice.

"Good heavens, can a meteorite please fall and smash this talking-nonsense bastard to death?"

Char thought silently to himself.