In the Cochinchina region, the 8th Squad led by Bock and the 9th Squad led by Fred were still searching for Kycilia Zabi's command post. After making a wide circle, as if guided by the same thought, they met up.
"How's the situation on your end?" Fred asked Bock.
"Can't be sure. Including the most recent one, we've found three bases. They all look like it, but at the same time, they don't."
"Huh? You too?"
"Same for you?"
"Yes. We've observed a total of six Zeon bases. Besides the most recent one, there's another that matches the situation you described."
"Given the marching routes of our two squads, our search areas don't overlap. That means there are now four suspicious targets."
"That's right."
"This is getting difficult," Fred said, troubled. The 1st Squad had been continuously exposing themselves to the enemy, drawing their attention to ensure their safety, yet they had made no substantial progress.
Every second they delayed here was another second of danger for the 1st Squad.
"How about... we pick one and give it a try?" Bock suggested. "Didn't the Major say something about 'knocking on the mountain to frighten the tiger'..."
"Idiot, that would be 'beating the grass and startling the snake'!" Fred cursed irritably. "If we choose the wrong target, the Major's plan and all his efforts will go down the drain!"
With their current armaments, conquering a fortress was no problem at all. But what happened after they conquered it? They, who had been hiding in the shadows, would have nowhere to hide.
"But... we can't just keep dragging this out."
"Let's observe a little longer. We might spot some clues. The Major taught us that an excellent hunter must have ample patience."
"Sigh, I guess we can only... Wait, look!"
Just then, Bock suddenly spotted something, prompting Fred to also raise his binoculars and look.
They saw a squad of Zaku IIs suddenly arrive at the nearest base, surrounded by a considerable number of Magella Attack Tanks and Dopp Fighters. It would have been normal if it were a simple troop movement, but the only abnormality was that the Zeon Army was in a guard formation, not a standard marching formation. And in the very center of the Zaku IIs were several military jeeps.
"A guard formation! A high-ranking officer's inspection?"
"These Zaku IIs aren't ordinary Zakus. Look at their shoulders!"
"That emblem... the [Magatsiya]Squadron! It's Kycilia Zabi's elite unit!"
"Heh, I get it now. It turns out all the suspected targets we found were correct." Bock shook his head with a wry smile. He had been frustrated before, but now he realized they had been completely played by Kycilia Zabi.
"Truly a tricky opponent, just as the Major said. So cunning," Fred Reber also understood what was going on. The four suspected targets he and Bock had found were all real, but they were also all fake. Whether they were real or fake depended on which base Kycilia Zabi was in. Whichever base she was in would be the frontline command post, Kycilia Zabi's main camp.
"Should we go for it?" Fred asked Bock.
"..." Bock was also deeply conflicted, but in the end, he decided to give up this opportunity. "Contact the Major while we move toward suspect target number 3. We can't be absolutely certain."
If they had their Ground Specialized Equipment, they wouldn't have hesitated. They would have charged in the moment they spotted the [Magatsiya]Squadron. However, they were currently using Aquatic Specialized Backpacks, which had insufficient land mobility. For Bock and Fred, who specialized in close-quarters assault, this was a fatal flaw.
"...Alright!"
Fred also felt it was a pity, but in the face of such a great temptation, Yang Hui's orders were more important.
Moreover, after calming down, both Bock and Fred thought of a very important question: would Kycilia Zabi be so conspicuous?
Kycilia Zabi was an opponent acknowledged by Yang Hui, a top-tier tactical master of Zeon in Yang Hui's eyes. She had already started playing hide-and-seek with him and had spent so much effort preparing four mobile command posts. Would she really be so obvious as to have the [Magatsiya]Squadron act as her escort during a transfer?
"It's a fake."
Upon receiving the message from Bock and Fred, Yang Hui immediately determined that the person in the jeep protected by the [Magatsiya]Squadron was definitely not Kycilia Zabi.
However, Bock and Fred's judgment was correct. Kycilia Zabi had indeed prepared four command posts to move between, making it impossible for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division to pinpoint her location.
"Major, should we head over to rendezvous now?" Amuro asked.
Yang Hui glanced at the time, then looked up at the sky and a corner of his mouth curled up. Explosions suddenly lit up the sky like fireworks. Yang Hui knew their reinforcements had arrived.
However... after the aerial reinforcements lowered their altitude, he was still a little surprised. He had only asked the 2nd and 3rd Squads to come for support, but unexpectedly, the 4th, 6th, and 7th Squads, which had been conducting guerrilla operations, had also come.
"Major, you're not going to blame us for disobeying orders, are you?" Travis Kirkland said with a smile.
"Of course not." Yang Hui smiled as well. They still couldn't confirm Kycilia Zabi's location. If this dragged on, the East Asia Theater wouldn't see major changes, but it was hard to say for the other theaters. To expand their gains, Zeon's offensive would only grow more ferocious. They couldn't be tied down here indefinitely.
So, with the entire Twelfth Independent Technical Division assembled, Yang Hui had no more interest in playing hide-and-seek with Kycilia Zabi. With the manpower they had now, they had enough to attack all four suspected targets simultaneously.
"Location of the Luna?" Yang Hui asked.
Jung didn't answer, but pointed to the sky.
"Hmm... Airdrop the 1st Squad's Aerial Combat Packs and the 8th and 9th Squads' Ground Specialized Equipment. Travis and Yu, escort them into the hands of the 8th and 9th Squads."
"Understood."
"Heh heh, General Gopp is going to be nagging again."
Everyone understood what Yang Hui meant. They were currently in enemy-occupied territory. The 1st, 8th, and 9th Squads would change equipment on the spot. The Aquatic Specialized Backpacks they were replacing could not be recovered and could only be destroyed. After being destroyed, they would certainly need to be replenished. However, the Aquatic Specialized Backpacks were not cheap, and General Gopp, who was in charge of logistics, would have another headache over this expense.
"What the hell does that have to do with us!"
"Hahaha..."
Everyone laughed happily, because it wasn't Yang Hui who had said that, but Giorgio Miguel.
"Alright, Russ, take your squad and stand by near suspect target number 1. George, target number 2 is yours. Travis, you're with Bock, responsible for target number 3. Yu, you're with Fred, responsible for target number 4."
Although Russ Kessel's Unit 04 was equipped with an Aerial Combat Pack, it was holding a Super Mega Cannon. Giorgio Miguel's Unit 06 was also equipped with a 230mm Cannon. Possessing immense firepower, leading a single squad was enough to breach a fortress.
"Major, what about us?" Amuro asked excitedly, now that the final battle was at hand.
"Bock and Fred's judgment was correct, but our opponent is Kycilia Zabi. We also need to keep a card up our sleeve." Yang Hui's lips curled into a sinister, yet confident smile.
...
Inside a Zeon base, Kycilia Zabi sat leisurely in her command post, watching the situation on the large screen while elegantly enjoying her afternoon tea.
From the very beginning, Kycilia Zabi had no intention of executing the plan to rotate between four command posts. Instead, she had her body double take three squads from the [Magatsiya]Squadron and shuttle back and forth between the four locations, while she herself quietly found a less conspicuous base to serve as her command post.
"Lady Kycilia, the Federation's MS units have disappeared." At this moment, Kycilia Zabi's Adjutant was a different person; the previous one had gone with the body double to act as a decoy.
"What do you mean? What do you mean, disappeared?" Kycilia Zabi asked with a frown.
"The Luggun Reconnaissance Plane monitoring them was shot down. The MS units in the Paracel and Macclesfield Bank seas have not encountered the Federation's MS units again."
"Shot down? At that altitude! So they've all come." Kycilia Zabi thought for a moment and figured it out. The vanished units must have all come to Cochinchina. With this kind of force...
"Order the four command posts and the hidden units we've deployed: the decisive battle is coming. When the enemy makes their move, hold your positions. Wait for the enemy to take the bait, then annihilate them."
"Un... Understood." The newly appointed Adjutant was drenched in a cold sweat. Having just become an adjutant, she was terrified by Kycilia Zabi's ruthlessness. She had abandoned the four bases and their garrisons without a second thought, showing no regard for their lives.
But the orders had to be relayed. Otherwise, she might follow the path of her predecessor and be cast aside as a pawn by Kycilia Zabi.
...
The equipment change was complete. The 1st and 2nd Squads did not rush to take off. Instead, under the cover of the dark night and the dense forest, they patiently waited for an opportunity.
"Major, it's time," Ford Romfellow reminded him.
"Yes, it's starting."
As soon as he finished speaking, the brightly lit Zeon bases in the distance erupted in flames. As the sky began to lighten, it was as if countless suns had appeared on the ground.
The thick beam of the Super Mega Cannon plowed through the ground, leaving a deep trench. The 230mm cannon shells fell like rain, the "whoosh whoosh" sounds merging into a continuous line. Countless splendid fireworks bloomed within the fortresses. The other two fortresses also erupted in fire, the flames extending from their perimeters deep into their interiors.
"All units, launch. High-altitude surveillance."
"Understood!"
The engines of the 1st and 2nd Squads ignited. Under the effect of the I-Field Generators, the Astray Gundams' feet slowly lifted off the ground. They accelerated, soaring into the high sky to overlook the awakening earth and the fierce battle below.
"Huh? What's that!"
Looking down from the sky, they saw a dense patch of red lights connected together outside the four bases, moving toward the four command posts that were under attack.
"As expected of Kycilia Zabi. This deceptive switch was played beautifully. So... where are you..."
"Found you! Follow me!" To the west of the four bases, there was a rather inconspicuous small supply base. It was brightly lit, and its defensive forces far exceeded the needs of a small supply base. At the same time, while the four main command posts were under attack, its garrison made no move. This allowed Yang Hui to find his target.
"Understood!" (xN)
(End of Chapter)