"Admiral, the Celestial Being squadron has joined the battle, and the VEGAN frontlines have collapsed again!"
"Excellent. Order the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th MS squadrons to advance steadily and secure the encirclement. We must completely annihilate these VEGAN forces!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Dispatch the 11th, 15th, and 32nd air squadrons to surround the VEGAN fleet!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Admiral, new enemy forces have appeared in the M79 direction!"
"Finally, they've arrived. Have the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th MS squadrons, along with the base's defensive firepower, block them! Under no circumstances should they interfere with the battle on the other side."
"Yes, sir!"
Admiral Argreus's eyes were fixed on the VEGAN fleet approaching from the sea. The red flagship—that was the young man Yang Hui had warned him about.
"Joining the battle this late means they've seen through our arrangements. Impressive, but... you've still lost." A smile spread across Argreus's face. The enemy thought they had outsmarted him, but little did they know...
Ever since Yang Hui had warned him, Argreus had prepared for this very scenario. Their target had never been the remnants of the VEGAN fleet on Earth, so...
"Where there are people, there will be conflict. Hah, the Lieutenant General truly lives up to his reputation."
Argreus couldn't help but admire Yang Hui. While he and his mentor, Commander Flit, took pride in their tactical command, neither could match Yang Hui's understanding of human nature and psychology.
"Admiral, the Lieutenant General is inquiring when to launch the attack."
"Tell the three Lieutenant Generals to rest for now. Since they're our aces, they must be revealed at the last moment."
"Yes, sir!"
...
As soon as Jehart's fleet landed, they were met with fierce resistance from the Federal Army. Despite the cover provided by their warships, their advance was slow and arduous.
Although the warships in the air provided fire support for the ground troops, under Yang Hui's leadership, the Federal Army's key bases had undergone technological upgrades. The defensive firepower of these bases was no longer comparable to a few crude anti-aircraft guns.
Under the threat of high-output beam cannons, even the VEGAN forces dared not venture too close, staying just outside the firing range.
If it weren't for financial constraints and time limitations preventing global deployment, the VEGAN's large-scale invasion would never have succeeded in the first place.
After arranging everything as the commander, Jehart led a special task force underwater, heading toward the hidden rivers around Lost Loran.
The fleet above was merely a decoy, meant to draw the Federal Army's attention. They didn't need to break through the Federal Army's defenses; as long as they could delay them, it would be considered a success. If the losses became too great, they could retreat at any time.
As for the special task force... Jehart hadn't brought any of his personal guards.
Because...
Inside the cockpit of the Urozo R that Jehart piloted, the entire battlefield situation was displayed.
"Still not making an appearance?"
Jehart was referring to Yang Hui and his two companions. He knew Yang Hui well—he would never act impulsively or recklessly.
If Yang Hui had chosen to return to the frontlines in a Gundam, it wasn't because he had grown old and complacent, as some might speculate.
Therefore, Jehart still regarded Yang Hui and his team as the greatest threat and would never underestimate them.
It was precisely for this reason that Jehart had refused to bring his personal guards or Fram Nara, choosing instead to lead the task force alone into Lost Loran.
If necessary, they would have to hold off Yang Hui and his team for a short period to buy time for his operation.
"Lord Jehart, we're approaching the target location."
"Good. All teams, disperse and proceed according to plan."
"Yes, sir!" came the collective response.
The infiltration team split into several smaller units and began breaking through the walls.
Breaking through the walls was easy, but the infiltration was met with a heavy blow from the very beginning.
"Huh? This feeling... scatter!"
Just as the Urozo R was about to surface, Jehart's X-Rounder senses screamed of imminent danger, and he immediately pulled back.
In the next second, countless beams struck the water's surface, sending up sprays of water and filling the air with steam.
At the same time, several Urozos that had surfaced failed to execute Jehart's command in time and were instantly pierced by beams, exploding into pieces.
Under the cover of steam and smoke, the Urozo R avoided all fire suppression, leaped onto the shore, and with its claws, tore several Adele III units to shreds.
The abdominal beam cannon fired, its blinding beam piercing through three Adele III units simultaneously, while missiles launched, sweeping the surrounding area.
"Now's the time!"
The Urozo R had opened a path for the assault, and the remaining Urozos of the task force emerged from the water, landing on the shore and beginning to slaughter the Federal defenders.
Initially, they took advantage of their mobile suits' performance and the steam cover to catch the Federal Army off guard.
However, the defensive forces Argreus had stationed around the area were too numerous. Once they retreated from the steam cover, they quickly stabilized their lines, forming an impenetrable defense that left Jehart's task force unable to advance.
"Damn Federal Army! They've stationed so many defensive forces inside the base. Then outside... no, the Federal Army doesn't have that many troops. So... they were waiting for us here all along! All units, execute the plan!"
"Yes, sir!" came the collective response.
The pilots, aware of the critical situation, immediately carried out Jehart's orders. Any mobile suit that was hit would immediately fall to the ground, and the pilot would abandon the cockpit and dive into the water to retreat.
Jehart also seized the opportunity to retreat in the Urozo R. Although the plan hadn't been fully executed, this was the only option left. They had to withdraw for now.
"Let's just hope they won't be discovered."
...
"Admiral, the task force that infiltrated Lost Loran has retreated!"
"Admiral, the entire VEGAN army is showing signs of retreat!"
"Admiral, the VEGAN forces are beginning to pull back!"
"Retreat? Now?" Argreus found it strange. The VEGAN's annihilation was inevitable, and a timely retreat to minimize losses was expected—assuming the VEGAN commander wasn't completely incompetent.
But... not now! The VEGAN's resistance was still fierce, yet they had suddenly made a 180-degree turn...
"There must be some scheme... what is it..."
Argreus's eyes were glued to the map, sweat dripping from his forehead. If he couldn't quickly discern the enemy's scheme, everyone in Lost Loran would perish due to his mistake.
"Where is it... what is it..."
"Admiral... Admiral!"
"What is it? Report directly!"
"I... what should we do?" the adjutant asked nervously, as Argreus, who had always maintained a noble demeanor, now wore a terrifying expression.
"...Order the three Lieutenant Generals to launch their attack immediately! Free hunting! Take down as many enemies as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Now then..." Argreus vented his frustration, and his anxiety subsided, allowing him to quickly calm down.
"The Old Commander taught me that if you can't find the problem, think about the enemy's objective. VEGAN's goal must be to occupy Lost Loran and eliminate the Federal Army's last counterattack force. If they can't do that... they'll destroy Lost Loran! So..."
At this thought, Argreus's previously chaotic thoughts suddenly became clear. His eyes, which had been aimlessly scanning the map, now focused on a specific target.
Finally...
"Send someone immediately to inspect the wreckage of the VEGAN task force's mobile suits. Now! Immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lost Loran immediately sprang into action. Engineers rushed to inspect the wreckage left by the task force, and sure enough, they found something terrifying inside several Urozos.
"Plasma bombs! They've pulled this trick!" Upon hearing the report, Argreus's back was instantly drenched in sweat.
"Quickly defuse all the plasma bombs!"
"Admiral, it's too late. The plasma bombs' timers have only five minutes left, and it would take half an hour to defuse all of them..."
"Too late to defuse..." Argreus's mind raced, searching for a way to turn the situation around.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind—a bold plan.
"...Connect me to the Lieutenant General!"
In less than a second, the communication with Yang Hui was established.
"Admiral Argreus, what are your orders?"
"Lieutenant General, the VEGAN task force infiltrated the base. Although they were repelled, the wreckage they left behind contains several plasma bombs. It's too late to defuse them all now. I want the three Lieutenant Generals to return these bombs to VEGAN!"
As he spoke, Argreus didn't even notice the excitement and ruthlessness in his own smile.
"..." Yang Hui was silent for a moment, then his smile became even more ruthless than Argreus's. "Consider it done."
The three Gundams, which had just finished a round of fierce combat, immediately withdrew from the battlefield and returned to Lost Loran, where they quickly received the plasma bombs that had been transported out.
"These are good. Graham, Yurin, how about we go crazy?" Yang Hui asked the two.
"Of course. Didn't you always say we should reciprocate? I'm not missing out on something this fun."
"Agreed."
"Alright, let's go!"
The Dawn Gundam and the Flag Gundam, carrying all the plasma bombs, charged ahead, rushing out of Lost Loran like meteors toward the retreating VEGAN forces.
The Luna Gundam set up its beam sniper rifle on the ground, ready to fire.
"Graham, let's see who can throw them farther and more accurately?"
"Bring it on! You think I'm scared?"
"Then let's go!"
With that, the Dawn Gundam and the Flag Gundam hurled all the plasma bombs toward the VEGAN fleet, their trajectories forming beautiful arcs as they landed among the VEGAN forces.
"Time for fireworks!" Yang Hui shouted excitedly as they rapidly retreated.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Several pink beams streaked across the sky, bypassing the Dawn Gundam and the Flag Gundam, and struck the plasma bombs mid-air.
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