Under the cover of attacks from multiple directions, Yang Hui successfully led Cima and Amuro safely through the third defensive line, arriving at the outskirts of the Odessa Base.
"Colonel, there's a situation at the 10 o'clock defensive line."
Looking in the direction Amuro indicated, there was a small airfield. At the end of the runway, a shuttle was already prepared and about to take off. Beside it stood an HLV Launch Site where an HLV was also ready, poised for launch at any moment.
"A shuttle and an HLV... it seems Mark Be is planning to evacuate ahead of schedule." Seeing the prepared shuttle and HLV, Yang Hui immediately guessed Mark Be's intentions.
"Should we intercept?" Cima asked Yang Hui. Although none of the three were carrying sniping equipment, if they were willing to pay the price, it was highly likely they could stop them.
"No... the shuttle has already departed."
On the airfield, the shuttle's engines had ignited. Fierce flames trailed behind a long tail of thick smoke, providing the massive thrust needed to send the shuttle toward space.
"Damn it, he got away," Amuro cursed under his breath. Mark Be was an enemy even Yang Hui had to be wary of; it was a great pity they couldn't stop him this time.
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities. For now... assault the base. Regardless of what's inside that HLV, it must be something very important to Mark Be. Secure all of it."
"Understood!" X2
The three Astray Gundams moved simultaneously. They leaped high, clearing the low walls and fences to land inside the Odessa Base. The Beam Gatling in Cima's hands swept across the area; the watchtower exploded violently before it could even sound the alarm.
"Buzz— Buzz— Buzz—..."
Even without a report from the watchtower, the explosions told everyone in the Odessa Base: the enemy had arrived!
The three machines did not linger. The moment the watchtower was destroyed, they accelerated. Yang Hui's and Amuro's machines led the way, with Cima's machine in the rear, forming an inverted triangle formation. They charged straight toward the HLV Launch Site. Any enemy units that scrambled to block them vanished in an instant, falling to the ground or turning into blooming fireworks the moment they appeared.
"Target the fixed supports. I want to see what precious treasures Mark Be couldn't bear to leave behind."
"Understood!" X2
Amuro and Cima were both skilled marksmen. Together with Yang Hui, every shot and every burst landed precisely on the HLV's support structures. The upright HLV began to tilt precariously before crashing to the ground with a thunderous "Boom," losing its chance to launch into space.
"Spread out and find the entrance to the nuclear bomb storage!"
Yang Hui knew the nukes were buried beneath the Odessa Base. However, to wipe out 60% of the Federal Army's forces, such a massive yield of nuclear warheads couldn't have been manufactured entirely underground. There had to be a transport tunnel, and only such a tunnel would allow MS to enter and exit.
With only three of them currently inside the Odessa Base, Yang Hui didn't dare risk leaving his machine to search for the nukes on foot.
"Understood." X2
The three units fanned out. While eliminating the sparse defensive forces, they searched for the transport entrance. However, even after scouring the entire base, they couldn't find it.
"Colonel, we haven't searched the tunnels in the Mining Zone yet!"
"The tunnels are too complex; there aren't enough of us." Yang Hui's expression grew grim. Mark Be had already left Odessa. Once he was in orbit, there would be no way to control the nuclear explosion. Yang Hui didn't know how much time was left before detonation, so every second counted. They didn't have the time to explore the labyrinthine Mining Zone tunnels one by one.
"Colonel, I brought small drones! We can send them into the tunnels to scout first!" Cima reported just in time.
"Good. Amuro, cover Cima!"
"Understood."
Cima and Amuro headed toward the Mining Zone. Yang Hui roamed the interior of the Odessa Base alone, leaving a trail of wreckage wherever he went, showing no mercy even to enemies attempting to engage him on foot.
"Too slow." Yang Hui watched the time tick away second by second. Cima had yet to report back, and he feared they were running out of time.
It was at this moment that more and more green markers appeared on the Radar Detection System. A smirk played across Yang Hui's lips.
"Colonel!" All the Astray Gundams from the third route had broken through the third defensive line and reached the Odessa Base.
"Jung, Yu, Fort, Russ, take men to support Cima and Amuro in the Mining Zone. Blog, Fred, take men to sweep the base clean. Travis, take men to guard the units. Athrun, Gai, and the rest of you, prepare for close-quarters combat!"
"Understood!" XN
Yang Hui decided not to wait for Cima's news anymore. He chose to take the risk and lead a team into the base's interior to find the path leading underground.
The group quickly located the headquarters of the Odessa Base. Several machines parked in front of the headquarters building, and Yang Hui and the others rushed inside with guns drawn.
"Blog, Fred, don't push too hard. Our primary objective is to protect the Colonel's and the others' machines!" With the others gone, the steady Travis Kirkland immediately took command of the scene.
"Understood." X2
...
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..." Yang Hui and the others fought their way into the building, shooting down anyone who tried to block them. They had no time or energy to manage prisoners right now.
They quickly reached the command center, only to find it deserted. The staff had initially been energized by a pep talk from Mark Be and stayed at their posts, but the moment the shuttle took off, they realized Mark Be wasn't "leading from the front"—he was fleeing!
Their soaring morale instantly plummeted to freezing point. Everyone scattered and fled, trying to find their own way out. The lucky ones had likely already left the Odessa Base; the unlucky ones had become part of the many corpses littering the area.
"Colonel, I've found something over here!"
Yang Hui rushed over and found a descending elevator. He, Athrun, Gai Murakumo, and South Burning entered the elevator and headed down, ordering the others to occupy the command center and shoot any enemies on sight.
A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened. Yang Hui and the others finally found the nuclear bombs. But... seeing such a massive yield, Yang Hui's face turned as black as ink.
"Mark Be is a lunatic! Spread out and search!"
"Understood!" X3
The four of them split up to look for the nuclear activation device. Athrun soon made a discovery.
"Colonel, over here!"
Yang Hui ran over and saw the countdown on the activation device; there were only a dozen or so minutes left before the bombs detonated. He hurriedly operated the system, attempting to terminate the detonation sequence, but...
"Warning... Warning... Warning..."
"Damn it! It's a trap!"
Yang Hui's expression grew even more unsightly. He had tried to terminate the sequence, but it turned out to be a trap set by Mark Be. Not only did it fail to stop the detonation, but it also accelerated the countdown. Now, less than ten minutes remained. It was impossible to move such a massive quantity of nuclear warheads out in time.
Finally, Yang Hui pulled out his PAD and connected it to the system. He used a hacking program brought from Prometheus Fortress to infiltrate the entire system.
Athrun, Gai Murakumo, and South Burning watched from the side, breaking into a cold sweat. Their fists were clenched tight as they placed all their hope on Yang Hui, praying he could stop the detonation before the countdown ended.
"Fast... faster... faster..." As the countdown ticked toward zero, the sweat on Yang Hui's face grew denser, and his fingers moved faster and faster.
"Ding~!"
Seeing the countdown freeze at 0.05 seconds, Yang Hui felt completely drained and collapsed onto the floor. He had never heard a more beautiful sound.
Athrun, Gai Murakumo, and South Burning also leaned weakly against the walls. Although they hadn't moved much, they felt as if their entire bodies had been hollowed out.
"Next time there's a mission like this, I'm refusing," Gai Murakumo grumbled, not caring that South Burning was right there. This was undoubtedly the most intense mission he had ever executed—even more dangerous than facing the festum in the Gundam SEED world. It felt like watching his own life's countdown, knowing exactly when he would die, an utterly terrifying sensation.
"Phew... if it's going to be this intense next time, let Kira do it. I can't take it!" Athrun complained similarly.
South Burning was about to say something, but after hearing Gai and Athrun's comments, he frowned and glanced at them, though he quickly retracted his expression and gaze.
Of course, this did not escape the eyes of Yang Hui, Athrun, and Gai. The latter two realized they had accidentally let something slip the moment they spoke.
However, South Burning was trustworthy. He didn't ask, and they wouldn't explain it to him now. When the time came, he would naturally learn the truth.
"Alright, the danger is over. We should head back up," Yang Hui said, pushing himself up.
"Yeah. Let's finish the battle upstairs quickly. I don't like dancing on top of nuclear bombs."
"Same here."
"Sigh, I'm getting old. I can't handle these scares anymore."
"Hahaha..."
...
Upon Yang Hui and the others' return, the battle on the surface ended quickly. Much like at the Moon Ladder, there were no prisoners—though they didn't resort to total extermination either. Those who wanted to flee were allowed to do so. After leaving a few people to guard the command building and the nuclear bombs, Yang Hui led everyone to attack the rear of the third defensive line.
The remaining garrison forces were already struggling against the main Federation army. Being hit from behind when their home base had already been taken shattered their morale. Faced with a losing battle, many chose to surrender. Although they hadn't surrendered to the Zeon Republic originally, many chose their own lives over the Zabi Family when the time came.
Operation Odessa was a resounding success. Compared to the original historical timeline, where Revil achieved victory through sheer numbers and sacrifice, the casualties this time were much lower. Especially on the frontal and western fronts, with the help of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, the sturdy defensive lines were torn to pieces in no time.
Revil also arrived at the Odessa Base. Led by Yang Hui to the underground level, his face turned grim as he looked at the nuclear bombs before him.
"The Zabis are madmen! And those who follow them are madmen as well!"