Chapter 231: Moisture
Thud!
The dull thump of a body hitting the ground drew the attention of Eli, who had been resting with his eyes half-closed.
He quickly grabbed a bottle of high-end red wine and positioned himself to the side of the door.
Normally, he wouldn't act so boldly, but the sound from outside clearly conveyed someone was coming specifically for him, making Eli raise his guard.
"Colonel Eli, it's me."
The door didn't open immediately. The voice came through the intercom outside.
Eli recognized it—it was that military police officer he had spoken with before.
"I'm here to get you out. Please don't do anything rash."
Click—
The door swung open almost instantly without any delay.
Eli poked his head out and saw the military policeman leaning against the doorframe, only half of his body visible.
At his feet lay a soldier dressed in a black Titans uniform.
Boom
A faint explosion could be heard in the distance.
"What's going on?"
"The Titans suddenly began attacking the Defense Forces inside the base. Fighting's broken out all over."
…?
You'd be better off saying it was Zeon remnants or AEUG launching an attack—Eli might've believed that more.
But Titans striking Jaburo? What the hell was that all about?
"There are quite a few Revil faction members inside the base. They control the base's security forces… some people at the top clearly didn't want to take the risk."
Only after hearing this did Eli step out of the room.
It was then that Eli realized why the military policeman had been leaning against the door.
There was a bleeding wound on his left shoulder—clearly from a gunshot.
"When I saw the Titans attacking other soldiers in the base, I actually thought about stepping forward to reason with them… I really was naive. Just like last time."
Last time—he meant when he told Eli to yield to the higher-ups.
Eli watched as the military policeman tore a strip of cloth from the downed Titan soldier's uniform and used it to stop the bleeding.
"Talking like that…"
"That's enough. Let's end this topic here. Colonel, let me get you out of this base."
The MP's tone was clearly urgent.
"I happened to overhear the top brass discussing some kind of airborne operation."
Why do you keep randomly overhearing the top brass?
Eli suppressed his inner sarcasm and kept listening.
"At first, I thought it was about taking out some newly discovered remnant base, but now…"
Now it looked like they intended to crush the Revil faction within Jaburo in one swift blow—and take full control of the base.
Eli wasn't a fool.
In a way, the Titans were simply acting on a notion he himself had buried deep inside.
Was Green Wyatt planning to use control of Jaburo to completely free himself from the Parliament's grip?
Jaburo wasn't just a military base.
It was the most impregnable location in the world, with a fully integrated industrial complex.
It could be said that whoever held Jaburo had the leverage to negotiate with the Federation Parliament, especially now that much of Earth's heavy industry had shifted into space.
And long ago, it had already been said: the Federation Parliament would always prioritize stability above all else.
From the attitude Green Wyatt displayed during the interpellation meeting, it was clear he wasn't after reform.
He simply wanted to climb even higher in power!
Once he secured Jaburo, he'd likely strike a deal with the Parliament immediately.
Following the military policeman through a twisting route—the "MP's Inspection Path"—they charged their way down to the ground floor of the building.
Bang!
As the two burst out the side door, Eli instinctively turned and fired at a corner.
A jeep had been parked there, and a Titans soldier seated inside had been just about to raise his gun at them.
Seeing the enemy show even a hint of hostility only to be instantly shot dead by Eli's lightning reflexes, the military policeman couldn't help but look on in surprise.
But he didn't stop to marvel at it. He immediately climbed into the front passenger seat.
Eli took the driver's seat without hesitation, started the engine, and sped out of the building's outer yard.
"Where to now?"
Eli drove with his left hand, while casually firing off a few rounds to the side without even turning his head.
"Head for the launch gate. There should still be Revil faction soldiers holding out there!"
The MP pointed in a direction, and Eli yanked the steering wheel, racing through Jaburo's underground roads.
Boom!
An explosion erupted from the left, bathing Eli's face in a red glow.
"MS?! Those Titans bastards have completely lost it!"
Ahead, Eli could just barely make out the head of a black-painted GM unit.
And the moment he saw it, that GM spotted the speeding jeep.
"Damn it, we've been spotted!"
Eli gritted his teeth, wishing he could push the accelerator even harder.
The GM stood still for a moment, then reignited its thrusters, rising into the air in the massive underground space before landing squarely in front of the jeep.
Screeeeech—
The tires squealed violently against the pavement.
"Stand down. I've been authorized to use lethal force."
As the GM spoke, its head-mounted Vulcan cannon ejected a single shell casing—clearly emphasizing its intent.
Eli said nothing, just slammed the accelerator and veered in another direction.
"Then… forgive me…"
BOOM!
Just as the GM prepared to fire and destroy the jeep, a rocket shot from the side struck the front of its cockpit!
The blast didn't penetrate its armor, but even so, the GM froze. Its raised right foot slammed heavily to the ground.
Following the rocket's smoke trail, they saw a squad stationed on the nearby mountainside.
They were anti-MS special forces—something rarely seen in this era.
"You two okay?!"
The soldiers shouted as they ran down the slope.
"Give us a lift!"
Four burly men with heavy gear crammed into the jeep's back seat.
"You're heading to the launch gate, right? We've got people holding out there. Once we got Colonel Eli out…"
The squad leader looked visibly exhausted—and somewhat sorrowful.
A squad normally had more than four members. Clearly, they had already taken casualties.
"I'm Eli. You've done well."
"Huh?!"
The squad leader hadn't expected their objective to be sitting right in the driver's seat.
After a quick check, he snapped to attention and saluted.
"Colonel, the Jaburo Defense Battalion is waiting up ahead. Let's move!"