Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 59-60: Mudrock Enters the Fray

"Sayla, stay here or drive straight back to the White Base!"

Standing on the boarding rope, Eli barely had time to put on his pilot suit as he called out to Sayla, who stood with her hands nervously clenched over her chest.

Sayla, who had followed him the whole way without contributing much, knew full well that now was not the time to cause distractions for Eli.

Her gaze followed him as he climbed up the boarding rope to Mudrock's chest. After one last glance between them, Eli entered the cockpit.

As the hatch sealed shut, the instruments and screens inside the mech lit up, signaling that this newly-assembled, still-in-testing-stage machine was ready for battle.

Mudrock's eyes glowed, projecting the surrounding view in front of Eli.

Eli immediately looked down and saw Sayla seated in the driver's seat of a jeep, staring in Mudrock's direction. Her gaze alternated between the dual-camera eyes of the mech and the cockpit area where Eli was.

Eli understood her longing to return to the White Base and fight alongside everyone else, which was likely why she had gotten back in the jeep.

Thankfully, communications confirmed that the enemy forces were still pinned at the entrance, and the Pegasus-class manufacturing plant remained safe.

Eli operated the mech, raising its left hand to give a thumbs-up to everyone in the hangar before floating away.

Yes, floating.

Mudrock, equipped with low-recoil cannons, compensated for its lack of mobility with thrusters installed across its body, achieving a hover-based movement system. This transformed Mudrock into a truly fearsome mobile artillery platform.

As Eli piloted Mudrock out of the White Base's hangar, he noticed Sayla driving her jeep behind the mech. She waved at Mudrock before taking the road back to the White Base.

Eli refocused, suppressing the stirring in his heart, and directed his attention toward the source of the enemy fire.

"Can you hear me? This is Eli Lee, currently piloting on behalf of the White Base. Please provide me with enemy movements!"

Eli connected Mudrock's communication system to Jaburo's command center.

Upon hearing Eli's voice in the channel, Gopp, who was overseeing operations there, raised an eyebrow.

"Message received, Lieutenant Eli Lee. Surface forces have been suppressed. Please proceed to Entry Point A for defensive deployment. Your comrades are already there."

"Understood."

Watching Eli's signal move toward Entry Point A per the CIC's instructions, Gopp finally felt relieved.

Reports from the frontlines indicated sightings of a red mobile suit, likely piloted by Zeon ace Char.

But now, with Eli heading there...

"Ha, looks like Zeon is about to lose another ace."

Gopp chuckled as he observed the situation in Zone A before turning his attention to the surface battle.

By now, four Zeon Gaws had been shot down, and only a dozen or so MS units had landed.

With both fronts under control, Gopp felt confident.

Newtypes were incredibly efficient, capable of playing the role of an entire unit in small-scale operations.

Meanwhile, Eli drove Mudrock toward Zone A as instructed.

The first enemy he encountered was a Gogg.

Not just one—there was an entire squad of them, surrounding two other mobile suits and using the cover of underground stalactites to launch attacks.

The two encircled suits, using their shields for defense, were...

"Are those Gundams?"

Eli recognized the blue-and-red mobile suits in the middle. They were the two Gundams from the Purebred Squadron.

Wasting no time, Eli raised his beam rifle and took down one Gogg that had its back turned to him.

Then, utilizing Mudrock's hover capabilities, he closed in on another Gogg and fired two grenades integrated into his forearm.

Finally, without waiting for a full rotation, Eli fired the low-recoil cannon from Mudrock's back, eliminating the last enemy unit.

Eli had proven his worth. Even without system enhancements, he had become a bona fide ace, capable of executing precise maneuvers and combat operations during his first sortie in a hover-type mech.

That said, had Amuro piloted the same machine, he would likely have accomplished the task even faster, relying solely on his beam rifle.

"Unit 6? Is that you, Aiger?"

"It's me," Eli replied, parking Mudrock beside the others while checking the mech's heat dissipation status.

As Aiger had warned, the low-recoil cannon had placed significant stress on Mudrock's cooling system.

Coupled with the hover thrusters, this strain was a considerable burden, making the label of "untested prototype" entirely appropriate for the machine.

"Lieutenant Eli, is that you? Sorry you had to see us in such poor form. My beam rifle is still being calibrated..."

Unit 5 was faring better, armed with a massive Gatling gun.

However, Unit 4, equipped with a MEGA launcher, was in an awkward situation.

Roos hesitated to fire recklessly.

Even if the beam didn't penetrate Jaburo's rock formations, the sheer force could punch a hole straight through an enemy cockpit.

In other words, any misfire wouldn't merely risk a nuclear meltdown—it would guarantee it.

Such a scenario was utterly unacceptable.

"In that case, take this beam rifle for now. While Mudrock may look like a long-range unit, it's surprisingly good in close combat."

Eli handed his beam rifle to Unit 4.

"Thanks, much appreciated."

Unit 4 stowed its MEGA launcher on its rear shoulder and took the beam rifle.

The trio wasted no time, pressing forward along the path.

Meanwhile, Sayla was driving her jeep back to the White Base.

"If only I were an MS pilot too..."

Distracted by her frustration over being unable to help, she barely focused on driving.

Bang!

Suddenly, the jeep jolted as something heavy landed in the back seat.

Someone had boarded the vehicle!

"Keep driving, or else..."

Sayla froze as she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head.

A voice threatened her, causing her body to tremble.

"Brother...?"

The gun was lowered.

Then came a voice she hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity, a voice that had often haunted her dreams.

"Is that you, Artesia?"

The man climbed from the back seat into the front passenger seat.

Sayla fought to keep her gaze fixed on the road, resisting the urge to look at him.

Still, from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the man clad in Zeon's bold red uniform.

(TN: Chapter 59 is an announcement, i didn't include it)