Amid the blazing flames of the base, a single Dagger series Mobile Suit was suppressing two opposing squads, totaling six Daggers.
"Those are Elite Red Uniforms!!"
A squad member, witnessing the enemy's flawless accuracy, was utterly panicked.
For ordinary people like them, facing Elite Red Uniforms meant certain death—nothing else could be written.
Not to mention, besides that Elite Red Uniform Mobile Suit, there were two others.
"Raise shields! Defensive formation!"
The squad leader roared.
Though they hadn't experienced much combat, basic military discipline still existed. Under the squad leader's command, the remaining four Daggers raised their Anti-Beam Shields in front of their cockpits, lining up to guard against potential attacks from other angles. Meanwhile, the Beam Rifles in their other hands continued to return fire.
However, the opposing Dagger didn't even pause. It glided gracefully, zigzagging like a skater, dodging their Beam Rifle attacks while swiftly aiming its own Beam Rifle at their legs.
Evading while simultaneously preparing to target the legs was something ordinary people couldn't achieve.
If it were an average Coordinator or even Elite Green Uniforms facing this formation, they might have faltered.
After all, hands and legs are small targets, and aiming at any one of the four Mobile Suits could leave the attacker vulnerable to being locked onto by the others.
But He Kui was different. Maintaining his swift movements, his Beam Rifle never stopped firing.
The formation only caused him the minor inconvenience of needing to fire an extra shot at each Mobile Suit.
"I-I surrender!"
Over the laser comms, seeing the last Dagger lying on the ground, He Kui showed no mercy, firing his Beam Rifle into the cockpit.
Just kidding, he had already resorted to a sneak attack—how could he take prisoners? He hadn't forgotten that most people here were from Blue Cosmos.
However, this battle tactic wasn't without cost.
The left arm holding the shield on his Mobile Suit had been destroyed, and though the legs were still intact, the thrusters on the back had been taken out by the base's internal defense cannons during the last volley.
"That's enough."
Instead of continuing to pilot, he set the Mobile Suit to automatically charge toward the nearest defense cannon for a self-destruct. He then controlled Little Bird to return to the Aegis.
Meanwhile, Shihe, Sulei, and Meyrin, piloting two other Daggers, were wreaking havoc inside the base.
Of course, it wasn't just mindless killing—they specifically targeted the warehouses.
Though it was only a small port, it stored a significant amount of supplies. Destroying it was the goal.
"Dagger Squad annihilated, 60% of defense cannons destroyed."
In the underground command bunker, the pitch-black space was illuminated only by the glow of screens and yellow emergency lights.
The tension in the room had reached its peak.
"Launch all missiles in the base! Target the remaining two Daggers."
The commander, now fully awake, gritted his teeth as he issued the order.
He thought the terrorists within Blue Cosmos were crazy, but ZAFT had outdone them.
They had sent Elite Red Uniforms on what was essentially a suicide mission.
With the skill displayed by that Dagger, it could have been far more effective on the frontlines.
Yet, it had only taken out four squads—twelve ordinary pilots—in exchange for one Elite Red Uniform.
"Has the ZAFT commander been kicked in the head by a donkey?"
The commander gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
He wished he could devour the enemy alive.
Even if he survived this, such a major blunder on his watch would either land him in a military court for treason or, at the very least, result in his dismissal and financial ruin.
Capturing the intruders might salvage the situation, but the warehouse was already lost—what was there left to defend?
He had already sent out the friendly fire alert. If they couldn't escape in time, that wasn't his problem. As soon as the commander spoke, the room fell into dead silence, save for the hum of machinery and the blaring alarms echoing in the dim space. Outside, many of their people were still out there. Even if a retreat order was issued now, most wouldn't escape the missile barrage.
"This is an order!"
"Yes."
Without much hesitation, the others, under pressure, began to carry out their tasks.
"They're about to launch the missiles to level the area! He Kui, have you found it yet?"
Seeing the missile launchers in the distance begin to open their hatches, Sulei urged anxiously.
Even the Aegis would be instantly obliterated by missiles of that size.
As for the Atlantic Federation's habit of betraying allies, He Kui's lips twitched in disdain.
He truly couldn't understand why people in this world, when pushed to the brink, always resorted to selling out their comrades.
Patrick had been like that, Blue Cosmos was like that, and others seemed to follow suit as if it were the norm. If he were still just a grunt, he'd probably have died countless times by now.
While his mind wandered, He Kui's hands didn't slow down in the slightest.
"Found it!"
Finally, his efforts paid off. He discovered a secret passage leading underground in the logistics office.
"I've shared the coordinates with you. Hurry in!"
The Little Birds couldn't stray too far from the Aegis's main body. After upgrades, their maximum range was now a two-kilometer radius. For a person, that was quite a distance, but for an MS, it was pitifully short.
So, despite their intense fighting, they had always been operating within He Kui's vicinity.
"Received~"
The three women responded in unison, relinquishing control of their Dagger series units and flying into the elevator of the secret passage.
Moments later, as the ground-shaking explosions roared, the elevator trembled violently. The cold white light above flickered but soon stabilized.
This area was likely the core of the entire port, directly connected to the ocean, which explained why it was built so robustly.
"Their servers should be here too."
"But they've probably already noticed we've entered."
He had used the Quantum Virus to open the door and the elevator, so there was no doubt they'd been detected.
With that, He Kui left a small remote-controlled bomb in the elevator and smoothly opened the maintenance hatch in the ceiling.
Because it was underground and near the ocean, the ventilation shafts were unusually spacious to combat the dampness.
Meanwhile, the Three Little Birds dispersed around the Aegis.
The main part of the base was likely closer to the ocean, and the servers were probably located there as well.
This is the most cost-effective choice and a standard configuration for a base. If I'm not mistaken, there should also be a secret port for submarines here.
As I pondered, the guard unit from the underground base arrived at the elevator. The fully armed special forces team raised their guns nervously before the elevator doors even opened. They didn't know how many people were on the other side after losing three Dagger series mechas, but they knew that if the enemy's strength matched that of the Dagger series, they would likely all be wiped out if discovered.
(End of Chapter)