Chapter 178: The Betrayed Homeland (Part 1)
While Tolle was in the middle of an intense dogfight piloting his Taurus, an order suddenly came through his communicator — a command to cease fire.
In her Saint form, Lady Une addressed the remaining soldiers of the Earth Unified Forces, urging them to surrender.
"Soldiers of the Unified Forces, please stop this meaningless resistance. We of OZ have come to bring peace to the universe. Come — let us welcome a new era together."
After leading two unmanned MD Tauruses to the exterior access point of the colony satellite, Tolle reported to Lady Une:
"MD Taurus unit has arrived at the target location. No abnormalities. Well… actually, it's all running too smoothly, I'd say."
Lady Une looked at the man disguised as Darks Shaw with a gentle gaze and replied, "Is that so? Then have the unmanned Tauruses return to Fortress Barge for resupply."
"How about your mission today? Need a personal bodyguard?" Tolle teased, winking at her as he spoke.
Lady Une deliberately ignored his flirtation, smiling sweetly like a tiger with velvet paws. "No need. The people of the colonies still see mobile suits as enemies. I'll act alone today.
If you've got some spare time, go clear out some of the minefields in outer space. Think of it as doing your part for the colony's peace efforts. I'm counting on you. I'll be going now."
"The MDs are disengaging from combat and returning to Barge for resupply."
Receiving the command, the unmanned Tauruses automatically transformed into MA form and flew out of the colony satellite.
Inside the cockpit, Tolle leaned back, resting his boots on the console and muttering to himself.
"Man, Saint Lady Une sure is easier to get along with than her stiff-as-a-board soldier mode. But she's getting bossier by the day… Always using me as her errand boy. Testing MD drones is one thing, but clearing mines too? That's more troublesome than an actual fight."
After grumbling for a bit, Tolle asked Nami, "Nami, have you located the missing Wing Zero? And can the Zero System be duplicated?"
"Master, Nami has already located it. Wing Zero is inside Colony Satellite L4. The mobile suit isn't fully constructed yet, but the main body and the Zero System are complete — and the Zero System has already been copied."
"'Zero System' (Z.E.R.O. System): A system that predicts enemy movements and all battlefield activity, transmitting the data directly into the pilot's brain. It even includes the outcomes of the pilot's own actions — including how they might die.
The overwhelming flood of predictive data exerts immense mental pressure. Without extraordinary willpower and the courage to face death, the pilot will suffer mental collapse or even die.
However, data analysis shows that before Master's mental strength is fully exhausted, the side effects remain minimal.
System data: When activated, consumes 2 mental points per second. Increases Shooting, Melee, Skill, and Reflex by +30; Accuracy and Evasion by +60."
"Hmm, got it. I've got 1,180 mental points right now, so… if I run the Zero System alone, accounting for natural recovery, I can last a little over ten minutes.
Honestly, that's not as efficient as just using Focus — that lasts over twenty minutes at least. And if I overextend, it starts damaging my body too. Guess I'm still too weak. I really should find time to train my soul power properly if I ever make it to the UC Gundam world.
It's been months stuck at level 49 with zero progress… so frustrating."
After months of training in the Wing Gundam world, Tolle's physical stats had improved slightly, and his pilot stats had expanded to include two new parameters: Accuracy 97 and Evasion 102.
According to the system, these pilot attributes would continue to upgrade with higher access permissions. Tolle couldn't help but feel like the stat screen was turning into something out of Super Robot Wars.
At this point, if a "Newtype Awakening Level" from G Generation showed up, he wouldn't even be surprised — the system was already a total patchwork anyway.
Tolle then piloted his Taurus to Barge for resupply. After finishing up, he led two MD Tauruses to outer space to search for the location of the minefields.
It didn't take long before he found an area filled with hundreds of floating space mines.
"Up ahead's the minefield. MDs, move in first."
The two unmanned Tauruses immediately charged toward the area. The mines, detecting movement, began homing in on them.
"Once the mines enter attack range, switch to long-range annihilation mode," Tolle ordered.
The two MD Tauruses halted and initiated their attack protocols. Their beam rifles fired in rapid succession like machine guns.
The mines couldn't even get close — each was destroyed the moment it reached the edge of the beam rifles' maximum range. The resulting explosions turned the minefield into a dazzling fireworks show across the void.
Tolle felt a twinge of self-deprecation. "I couldn't shoot that fast even if I tried. I'd need Focus mode and Nami's assistance to match that reaction time."
After finishing the mine-clearing operation, Tolle reported to OZ Command:
"This is Darks, PO3 Sector 4 mine-clearing completed."
Then, putting on a show for the comms officers, he added with mock admiration, "These MD drones really make cleaning up space a breeze."
Once the job was done, he returned to the colony satellite and lounged on a sofa beside Lady Une's quarters, watching as a female soldier combed Lady Une's hair.
He sighed helplessly. "So, the soldier version of Lady Une is coming back, huh? Guess my peaceful days are over again. Then again, I don't remember ever being that peaceful, even with her Saint mode."
Just then, the communicator buzzed.
"Colonel Lady Une Ant," a soldier reported from the other end, "we've found what appears to be a Gundam manufacturing facility in Colony Satellite D-13087. A technician has been taken into custody."
By now, Lady Une had finished fixing her hair and was adjusting her glasses, her usual domineering aura restored.
"Good work," she said coldly, then turned to Tolle. "We're heading back to headquarters immediately."
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Wing Zero Gundam
Grade: B+ (A– when Zero System activated)
Terrain Adaptability: Sea C / Land A / Air A / Space A
Weapons: Twin Buster Rifle ×1; Beam Saber ×2; Shoulder Gatling Guns ×2; Wing Vulcan Guns ×2; Shield ×1
Special Equipment: Transformation Mechanism; Zero System.