The silent sea surface grew deeper and more mysterious under the cover of night. The ceaseless waves crashed against the massive rocks on the shore, their rough surfaces now polished smooth.
Suddenly, an antenna emerged from the sea. The small metal plate at its tip spun around once before the antenna retracted back into the water. The next second, a colossal figure broke free from the ocean's embrace and stepped onto the land.
"Clear."
One by one, Astray Gundams emerged from the sea and walked onto the land, forming a perimeter and vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
"Blog, Fred, take your squads and advance northwest and southwest, respectively. Avoid Zeon's line of sight as much as possible. Your objective is to find Zeon's forward command post. Don't alert the enemy."
"Major, we're currently using Aquatic Specialized Backpacks. It's almost impossible to avoid Zeon's line of sight."
The Aquatic Specialized Backpacks could outmaneuver Zeon's Z'Goks and Acguys in the water by a long shot, and their Sonar Detection Systems were state-of-the-art.
But on land, while their combat power was guaranteed, their mobility and ground detection capabilities were insufficient to support a stealth operation.
"I will lead Squad 1 and advance due west. We will engage and destroy any enemy we see, exposing our trail the entire way to draw the enemy's attention for you."
"Understood." X2
"Remember, Kycilia Zabi must have anticipated our return. Don't be deceived. You must confirm Kycilia Zabi's location. Once you find it, do not act rashly. Wait for everyone to regroup. Blog, Fred, the outcome of this battle rests entirely on you," Yang Hui instructed solemnly.
If the Astray Gundams were equipped for ground combat, he could have entrusted the decoy mission to Blog and Fred. With the mobility of ground equipment, they could escape even if they couldn't win, and Yang Hui would be confident in their safety. But with Aquatic Specialized Backpacks, sending them as decoys would be sacrificing them.
As for Kycilia Zabi's location, knowing that Yang Hui and his team had returned, she would certainly not expose her position so easily for a decapitation strike. She would definitely set up a fake forward command post as a lure, both to ensure her own safety and to bait Yang Hui's group.
"Lady Kycilia, the Federation's MS units have split up."
"Split up again?" Kycilia Zabi was momentarily stunned, then sneered. "Heh, he's really confident in himself, isn't he? Their positions?"
"Yes. One team is heading straight for the Philippines. The defending forces there are about to collapse. Another team is conducting guerrilla warfare in the Paracel and Macclesfield Bank areas. Our naval division has suffered heavy losses."
"Are those the only two teams?"
"Yes, only these two teams have been discovered so far."
"What are their numbers?"
"The force heading to the Philippines consists of two battalions. The one conducting guerrilla warfare in the Paracel and Macclesfield Bank areas is three battalions."
"...The numbers don't add up." Kycilia Zabi mentally compared the numbers from the report. "The enemy dispatched a total of eight battalions this time. We've only found five. Where are the other three?"
"This..."
"Lady Kycilia, it's the Federation's MS units! They've landed on the coast and are advancing due west! They've eliminated three of our patrol teams and two observation posts!"
"Their numbers?" Kycilia Zabi asked. The number of enemy units was her primary concern now. Only when all enemies were accounted for could she feel at ease.
"According to the final report from Observation Post 4, it should be one battalion, and it's not at full strength."
"Hmm... two more battalions are still missing. Have you found their positions?"
"No."
"Find them! You must find them!"
"But... the battalion that appeared isn't hiding at all. It's wiping out our forces along its path and is difficult to stop."
"That's a decoy," Kycilia Zabi deduced. "This is a game of hide-and-seek, but both the boy Yang Hui and I are 'it,' and we're both the seekers. Whoever finds the other first will secure victory. Withdraw all patrol teams from the enemy's route. Pull back all observation posts far from the base as well. Since they have no intention of hiding, we don't need to pay special attention to their movements."
"Understood!"
"But Lady Kycilia, what if the enemy realizes our intentions and switches from overt to covert tactics?"
"..." Reminded by her adjutant, Kycilia Zabi realized this possibility and felt herself being pushed into a passive position again. "Feints and reality... Heh, that boy Yang Hui's move is quite brilliant. But... don't think I'm unprepared. Is the new High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft from Zeonic ready for use?"
"Are you referring to the new Rugen? Final adjustments are complete, but it hasn't been used in a real-world scenario, so..."
"Then let them test it on the battlefield."
This was the difference between Kycilia Zabi and Yang Hui. Both tested the performance of new weapons in actual combat, but Yang Hui did so with absolute confidence, while Kycilia Zabi simply didn't care if people died. She only cared about getting the results she wanted.
"Un... Understood."
As they advanced, Yang Hui and his team lost count of how many Zeon soldiers they had eliminated. But they suddenly discovered that there were no patrol teams or observation posts on their path forward.
"Kycilia Zabi reacts quickly."
"Major, something's not right. Isn't she afraid we'll disappear too?" South Burning asked.
"Amuro, what do you think?"
"She probably has other means of reconnaissance, right?" Amuro replied.
"Hmm... take cover and remain silent."
Squad 1 came to a halt and fell silent. Just then, they heard a faint buzzing sound.
"In the sky! An aerial reconnaissance aircraft!"
Looking up, they saw only the deep night sky, but they could faintly make out a blinking signal light. It was only barely visible at night; during the day, it would be impossible to see clearly.
"That distance... I'd estimate around 10,000 meters," said Christina Mackenzie. As the squad's fire support specialist, she was very confident in her visual estimations.
"A High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft? A new Zeon weapon!" Everyone was startled.
"Major, our weapons can't reach that altitude. We can't take out their eyes in the sky. This way, we can't draw the enemy's attention for the others."
"So... are you brave enough to storm a Zeon base with me?"
"Huh?"
"Patrol teams and observation posts won't make Kycilia Zabi feel the pain. So let's take down a few of her bases and see if she can still afford to ignore us."
"Understood!" XN
Except for Ford Romfellow, who had experienced this before, the other members of Squad 1 had ferocious, excited expressions on their faces. They had long wanted to try this. Taking down a base with just a few MS was not only a huge contribution but also the honor of an ace.
The definition of an ace within the Federation had changed because of Yang Hui and his comrades. It wasn't about how many enemy mobile suits you shot down, but whether you had the skill to capture an enemy base while at an absolute numerical disadvantage.
Ten minutes later, Kycilia Zabi's adjutant rushed to her to report.
"Lady Kycilia, Shangding Base has fallen."
"What?" Kycilia Zabi's brow furrowed slightly. "Was it the two battalions we haven't found yet?"
"No, it was the battalion we've been monitoring. A total of 8 MS. They overran Shangding Base with overwhelming force."
"Eight units? Is there video footage?"
"Here."
Kycilia Zabi took the PAD and watched it carefully. "It's him!"
"Lady Kycilia, who are you referring to?"
"This MS." Kycilia paused the video, pointing to an Astray Gundam on the screen that was sweeping aside two Zaku IIs with a Trident. "Yang Hui. It must be him!"
"It's him!"
"That's right. Look closely at its movements." Kycilia Zabi replayed the video, focusing on Yang Hui's Unit 01.
"It really is him!" The adjutant also confirmed that this Astray Gundam was Yang Hui's mobile suit. It led the charge, sweeping through everything in its path with movements as smooth and fluid as a work of art. Its elegant waltz-like steps crushed the enemy's heart with every move, just like that night in the North America Theater.
"To think he'd personally act as a decoy... The other two battalions must be searching for my position! We have to find them!"
"But Lady Kycilia, the Rugen's search radius has been expanded to 500 kilometers, and we still haven't found them."
"Then expand the radius further!"
"Understood..."
"Also, from now on, have the three decoy command posts drop their disguises. Everyone will follow me. We'll change locations every two days."
"Feints and reality... I understand, Lady Kycilia."
"Good. Go make the arrangements."
"Yes, ma'am."
At the Federation's East Asia Theater Command, Ethan Rhea asked the CIC, "What's the status of the western defensive line deployment?"
"It's 78% complete."
"Too slow. Tell them it must be fully completed before dawn!"
"Yes, sir!"
"The situation with the Twelfth Independent Technical Division."
"Two squads from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division have broken through the forward positions at the Philippines and are launching a strike on the command post. Three squads are conducting guerrilla warfare in the Paracel and Macclesfield Bank areas, dealing heavy damage to Zeon's aquatic MS units. They are still expanding their gains. The Luna is still on standby in Hanoi."
"And the other three squads?"
"We don't know. However, our forward observation posts report that the main forces gathered in Vang Vieng and Papun have not launched an attack, and there has been some internal unrest."
"Unrest?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm... I see. Order the forward observation posts to closely monitor the Zeon Army's movements. Then, contact Captain Natarle Badgiruel and ask if she requires support and supplies." Ethan Rhea considered that the Twelfth Independent Technical Division's MS were all equipped with Underwater Specialized Equipment, and three squads had been fighting continuously in the sea. If the Luna were to be deployed, it would inevitably draw significant attention from Zeon.
A modified Himalaya-class carrier could handle the task of providing temporary shelter, resupplying materials, and offering a place for the pilots to rest.
"Yes, sir."
After giving his orders, Ethan Rhea continued to stare at the operational map, trying to guess Yang Hui's intentions and location. But he realized with disappointment that the current game was between Yang Hui and Kycilia Zabi. He, the Commander-in-Chief of the East Asia Theater, couldn't even get a word in.
"Heh, to fight a war like this for the first time... how frustrating..."
(End of Chapter)