69novels Chapter 29: Dancing in Death, Shining Amidst the Roar
Chapter 29: Dancing in Death, Shining Amidst the Roar
[CGUE DEEP Arms Custom "Ghost" Cockpit]
"Am I going to die...?"
When this thought came to mind, Ling Yu felt a strange sense of peace.
The aftereffects of triple speed surged like a tidal wave. The overloaded G-force felt as if it were trying to squeeze his internal organs out of his body. His vision blurred intermittently due to cerebral ischemia. Warm liquid from his nasal cavity slid down his philtrum, leaving a winding red trail on the cold oxygen mask.
[Warning: Pilot's vital signs are unstable. Immediate disengagement from combat is recommended.]
[WARNING: Overclocking mode for Char Aznable (R card) has been disabled.]
With the system notification, the fervor that seemed to burn through my soul suddenly subsided.
A deep-seated fatigue permeated my entire body.
as well as……
An absolute, almost inhuman calm.
[Permanent Card [Hathaway Noah] (N Card) Effect Activated]
[Trait: 'The End of the Flash' - In dire situations, the pilot's mental resilience is slightly enhanced, and their tactical thinking remains absolutely calm.]
An ethereal auditory hallucination, like a whisper that transcends time and space, resounded deep within his mind.
"When you are ready for battle, death will not come for you, Ling Yu."
"Heh." Ling Yu forced a weak smile, his voice hoarse as he muttered to himself, "
You don't need to tell me... I admit, I was a little tipsy just now.
I've become rusty. Is it because of that woman? No, what does it have to do with Frey...?
He shook his groggy head, trying to clear his mind of those jumbled thoughts.
"Nonsense! I'm already piloting a 'Gundam,' what do I need women for? I'll cut off all weird relationships, starting with me!"
He looked at the radar, where the ZAFT dots that had lost their minds in anger and were rushing towards him had transformed into clear streams of data.
Speed, angle, weapon configuration, possible driver behavior patterns...
You can't run. Neither the energy nor the propellant supports long-distance evasion.
We have no choice but to fight.
ZAFT Pursuit Team
"We found him! That gray demon!"
"Avenge Captain Mattis!"
"Don't let him get away! Shoot him full of bullets!"
Three Zeon units approached in a triangular formation, their vengeful rage causing them to abandon standard coordinated tactics and focus solely on tearing apart the almost motionless "ghost" before them with the most direct firepower.
In their view, this was nothing more than an easy hunt.
Looking at the Gene leading the charge, a calculating glint flashed in Ling Yu's eyes.
Instead of retreating, he controlled the Ghost's last remaining thrusters, making a forward-leaning, seemingly unbalanced, staggering motion, completely exposing his badly damaged left leg to the enemy aircraft's guns.
This was an incredibly amateurish mistake, a blatant blunder.
"Go to hell!"
The ZAFT pilot fell for it. He grinned maliciously and didn't fire. Instead, he chose to get close with his beam saber, wanting to enjoy the thrill of cutting down the enemy aircraft with his own hands.
It's now!
Just as the opponent's beam saber was about to strike his left leg, Ling Yu's hands became afterimages!
The "ghost's" torso twisted at an incredible angle, allowing the deadly pink light blade to sever its already crippled left leg.
In that split second, his own beam saber, like a venomous snake that had been lurking for a long time, stabbed precisely from below into the cockpit of the Zeon!
boom--
A burst of fire exploded just inches away.
The "Ghost" was thrown away by the shockwave of the explosion, but Ling Yu's operation did not stop at all.
He yanked the control stick, and as the aircraft tumbled, its only remaining right leg extended, precisely kicking the 76mm heavy assault machine gun that the enemy plane had dropped before exploding.
The machine gun traced a perfect parabola in the air, and the Ghost's mechanical arm steadily extended, scooping it up in its hand.
Sell a useless leg, exchange it for a fully loaded rifle, and take care of an enemy along the way.
This deal was incredibly profitable.
[Gamov's bridge & Aegis Gundam's cockpit]
"What?!"
Upon receiving the images from the front lines, Xiao Ran and Aslan, who had just arrived at the battlefield, simultaneously exclaimed in disbelief.
Xiao Ran's rationality was being gradually pulled back. That operation... that calm and ruthless tactical choice instantly shattered his judgment of him as a "reckless man".
This is not just an ace; this is a tactical mastermind with a beast-like intuition for the battlefield!
Aslan felt a chill run down his spine. He had never seen such a bizarre fighting style before; every step seemed like suicide, yet every step was precisely placed on the scales of victory.
The other two Zeon tanks were also taken aback by this sudden turn of events. They quickly stopped their forward momentum, created distance, and began to provide mid-range fire support with their rifles.
Faced with the intersecting lines of fire, Ling Yu neither dodged nor avoided, but instead hurled the heavy assault machine gun he had just acquired forward!
"What is he doing? Has he given up on himself?" a ZAFT pilot shouted instinctively.
The next second, he paid the price for his naiveté.
As it threw the rifle, the Ghost's two "Porcupine Formation" close-in weapon systems on its nose spat out their last rounds of ammunition. The golden bullets didn't head towards the enemy aircraft, but precisely tracked the rifle that was tumbling through space.
Da da da da—
The bullet hit the rifle's power line precisely!
boom--!!
A second, even more violent explosion erupted between the two Zeon rifles. The rifle that had been used as bait had become a powerful IED (Improvised Explosive Device).
The violent shockwave and the spreading metallic dust instantly engulfed the airspace, completely paralyzing the two Gene sensors.
"Loss of vision! I can't see anything!"
"Cough cough... It's a trap!"
"Well done."
Ling Yu whispered something, seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and controlled the "ghost" that only had one leg and half a body left, rushing towards the MA force that the Eighth Fleet was rushing to from afar without looking back.
Like a ghost, he silently blended into the chaotic formation of his allies and disappeared from the radar screen of the ZAFT fleet.
This brief yet breathtaking solo performance left all witnesses in a long silence. Both the Alliance and ZAFT realized that a monster beyond comprehension had descended upon this battlefield.
……
Finally, under the cover of the Allied MA forces, Ling Yu, piloting the half-damaged mech, saw that familiar silhouette in the distance.
The pure white hull resembles an angel with outstretched wings.
It's the Archangel.
"We're saved..."
Their tense nerves relaxed, but a powerful dragging sensation came from below. They had entered low orbit, and Earth's gravity was relentlessly pulling this battered steel shell downwards.
"This damn gravity," Ling Yu complained as he struggled to adjust his posture in preparation for landing.
But just then, an object that shouldn't be there entered his field of vision.
It was a small civilian escape shuttle, wobbling as it passed under its planned landing path.
At the same time, a piercing alarm sounded again!
Radar showed that in the distance, a blue MS—the Duel Gundam—had raised its beam rifle, its muzzle locked onto the innocent shuttle!
It was as if Yitzhak's face, contorted with the pain of being ignored, was right before my eyes.
[WARNING: The aircraft has been illuminated by fire control radar]
Ling Yu's face turned deathly pale instantly.
"Commoners? Are you kidding me!"
He could disregard ZAFT's life or death, and treat war as a game, but he couldn't stand by and watch unarmed civilians be slaughtered in front of him!
"If we don't leave here, they'll be affected too... There must be a way! There must be!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ling Yu let out a roar and shoved the physical limit valve of the engine power to its limit with both hands!
"Get the hell out of here, you bastard!"
The engine, nearing its limit, emitted a painful groan as a massive amount of energy was forcibly squeezed out and surged throughout the machine.
Amidst the piercing alarm, the "Ghost's" pitch-black, single-eyed monitor suddenly burst forth with an eerie, blood-red light!