Chapter 98: A New Enemy

Chapter 98: A New Enemy

General Revil had remained aboard the White Base ever since that incident, and Dozle, too, had not been transferred, staying aboard as well.

Occasionally, General Revil would somehow procure some alcohol from an unknown source, order the chefs in the mess hall to prepare a couple of dishes, and bring them to Dozle's quarters to drink together.

This was not an attempt at reconciliation, nor was it a sign of leniency toward Dozle.

General Revil was not the kind of person who would compromise on matters of principle for political gain.

However, the two had known each other even before the war.

Thanks to this, another Zeon prisoner aboard the ship, Bernie, had also been assigned better living conditions—while Dozle was reluctant to accept care from the Federation, he showed plenty of patience toward Bernie.

But with General Revil remaining on the White Base, any thoughts of taking a brief rest were thoroughly crushed.

Christmas celebrations?

A small birthday gathering for Eli?

All plans were abandoned.

Everyone had to force themselves to focus on their duties.

Others might have been puzzled by Revil's decision to stay on the White Base, but Eli had some suspicions about his unusual behavior.

During their meeting, Revil had told Eli that Ramba Ral had relayed some intelligence to him.

For something to be important enough for Revil to take seriously and agree to a trade, Eli could only think of one possibility—

The Solar Ray System.

This also explained why General Revil was staying on the White Base rather than returning to his flagship.

And it explained why the Federation forces were actively recovering and repairing the wreckage of warships.

Revil was likely trying to use the debris in the minovsky-jammed environment to obscure their fleet's movements, misleading the enemy.

If they hadn't learned that Zeon had constructed the Solar Ray System, it would have been one thing. But now that Revil knew, he naturally had to take countermeasures.

Eli sighed, reaching out to stabilize a drifting Salamis-class shipwreck before preparing to call nearby allies for assistance in towing it.

But just before he could press the communication button—

A sharp, urgent ringing echoed in his ears, like the chime of a silver bell.

At the same time, a faint electric current flickered across his forehead!

"Boom!"

Almost instinctively, Eli pulled his mobile suit into an ascent—

And at that exact moment, the Salamis-class wreck in front of him was struck by a yellow beam of light, triggering another explosion!

Had he not moved just now, he would have been completely engulfed.

"Who… is watching me?"

Eli stared into the distance.

There were no enemies within visual or radar range, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was locked onto him.

Frowning, Eli maneuvered his EZ-SR to evade—

Another beam fired from the same direction.

This time, a GM that had come to investigate the explosion was grazed by the beam.

Fortunately, it only hit the leg, severing it but leaving the rest of the unit intact.

"Am I being used as a target?"

Piecing together the situation, Eli quickly realized that the enemy had locked onto him.

Even worse, his presence inside the mobile suit made him stand out, making him the primary target.

"Pull back! Do not approach!"

Eli immediately opened communications, warning the nearby allies.

Sticking together in this situation would only make them easier targets.

Neither the GM's beam spray gun nor the EZ-SR's beam rifle had the range to mount an effective counterattack.

Eli already knew who the enemy was.

Lalah Suneh, piloting the mobile armor Elmeth.

And accompanying her—Char Aznable.

A third beam streaked past. Eli gritted his teeth.

The enemy was using the Psycommu System to amplify their Newtype brainwaves, controlling funnels to attack from a distance—while their main body remained in a secure location.

In other words, their actual position couldn't be determined from the direction of the attacks alone.

"Damn it, I'm a Newtype too!"

At this moment, the disparity between Federation and Zeon in Newtype research became painfully evident.

Zeon had already begun enhancing Newtype brainwaves for combat applications—

Whereas the Federation's Newtype-specialized machines were still focused solely on improving reaction speed.

The design philosophies were fundamentally different.

And it was exactly as Char had said—Newtype abilities had been weaponized for war.

"Are these lights Lalah's doing? How... beautiful..."

Char murmured in admiration.

But hidden within his voice was an almost imperceptible trace of hesitation.

Was this truly the purpose of Newtypes, as his father had envisioned?

When he first met Lalah, she had an aura that seemed beyond the concerns of the material world—an ethereal presence that deeply captivated him.

But now, she was bound inside this grotesque war machine, using her abilities to take lives.

This is my fault…

No—New things must rise by breaking the old.

To build a world for Newtypes, the old world of humanity had to be destroyed.

Char once again masked his true thoughts behind his facade.

"Colonel..."

Inside the Elmeth's cockpit, Lalah sat quietly.

The space around her was spacious—because the Psycommu system required additional room, the cockpit had been enlarged.

This system allowed her to extend her consciousness further than ever before.

Far enough to detect Federation Newtypes—while remaining undetectable herself.

Even though the opponent was also a Newtype, Lalah continued directing the funnels, firing at him.

She could feel that he posed a threat to Char.

"Don't even think about finding me…"

She whispered softly, sending out another volley of funnel attacks—disrupting her opponent's attempts to sense her.

"Lalah, how many enemies have you shot down?"

Char's voice suddenly came through the comms.

"Eh? Ah, sorry, none yet… I got distracted by the Gundam."

"The Gundam, huh?"

Char stroked his chin, showing no sign of reprimanding her.

After all, it was the Gundam—a target that certainly deserved special attention.

"We're withdrawing, Lalah. The enemy will be closing in soon."

Piloting his custom Gelgoog, Char began leading Elmeth's retreat.

Yet, as he did, a thought lingered in his mind—

Could I pilot the Elmeth myself?

If he could, then Lalah wouldn't have to continue piloting this machine of death.

"How hypocritical of me…"

Char muttered to himself.

Back at Solomon, Eli had been desperately expanding his consciousness for some time—

But he still couldn't pinpoint the enemy.

However, with no further attacks incoming, perhaps they had already retreated.

Eli steadied his mobile suit, quietly gazing in one direction.

Lalah...