Chapter 199
"What are they rambling on about? Victory? Yet the front lines are retreating? They've clearly suffered heavy losses and are losing miserably."
Listening to the Paris authorities' tedious rhetoric coming over the local radio, the tallest man in the small group of two men and one woman chuckled.
His short, dark brown hair stood up like a hedgehog; his EU army blue uniform was loosely worn, with the buttons deliberately undone; his brown eyes were full of untamed wildness; and his features were mature yet fierce.
At first glance, it's easy to associate it with thugs, delinquents, troublemakers, or blond-haired characters.
"Tch, what kind of war is this, where they run a war like they're on credit? It's disgusting!"
Just as he sat down by the flowerbed, sharing Parisian jokes with two friends to alleviate the monotony of his life, "Good shot!"
Thud-bang
The tennis ball, spinning in the air, hit the guardrail and rolled to the ground.
An EU coalition professional sergeant, who was leisurely playing tennis and relaxing during a training break, stopped jogging and shouted arrogantly, "Hey, you guys from District 11 over there, are you blind? Get to work and pick it up..."
His tone was very casual, just like the arrogant way he usually treated the refugee soldiers from District 11.
Unfortunately, this time they ran into a troublemaker.
An indifferent silence.
The sergeant seemed to feel humiliated by the stares and jeers of his colleagues, and his tone immediately turned hostile. He shouted at the three refugee soldiers from District 11 sitting on the flowerbed at the edge of the tennis court, "Can't you understand human language? People from District 11!"
"Tsk."
The only seated man with spiky hair clicked his tongue and stood up.
He rubbed his hair with a slightly troubled expression and said, "Hey, is this how you EU big shots ask for help? You act like it's your due, sir. You're no different from the 'unequal Britannia's bastards you're denouncing."
"At least walk a few steps yourself. Come and get it yourself. You're such a spoiled brat."
He bent down to pick up the tennis ball that had rolled to his feet, stretched out his hand, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips, with suppressed anger surging within him.
Such an attitude and tone undoubtedly angered the European EU officers present.
"Bastards! You all deserve a beating, you Japanese pigs from District 11!"
With a menacing air, the man strode over, swung his tennis racket, and made as if to teach this disobedient second-rate cannon fodder a lesson.
"Getting impatient?"
Amidst the laughter and conversation, the tall, disheveled refugee soldier grinned and grabbed the EU sergeant's right arm as he swung his tennis racket, forcibly pulling him in front of him. Then, with lightning speed, he raised his knee.
"Wow--"
The EU sergeant's mouth gaped open, his features contorted in agony, his eyes bulging, and he staggered backward, his body instinctively hunching over. But the refugee soldier was faster. "Go to hell with Eleven (11)! We're Japanese! You bastards!!"
With a roar, a powerful punch landed on the jawbone of the EU sergeant, who was already powerless to fight back.
With a muffled thud, the EU sergeant collapsed, his head lolling to the side as he lost consciousness.
This scene startled everyone inside and outside the tennis court.
If the District 11 recruits were surprised that this troublemaker dared to lay a hand on a European EU officer, the EU soldiers with the "Sky-Piercing Mark" were both shocked and furious. "District 11 trash, you're asking for it!"
They gathered around.
"Hunt."
With her arms crossed and a voluptuous figure beyond her years, the black-haired female soldier, who had been silent until now, narrowed her eyes and reflexively assumed an Aikido stance, looking at her spiky-haired companion.
"It's been so long since I've stretched my muscles. It's all just boring simulation training and pointless lectures; my body's practically rusting..."
The spiky-haired man, called Liao, twisted his neck and said, "Hey, Xingye. Shall we teach these snobbish bastards a lesson?"
With brown hair and green eyes, of medium build and thin build, wearing a glove on his left hand, the boy named Yukiya has a delicate face that would be used as a 'meal substitute' in certain philosophical and muscular situations.
"Certainly."
Hearing his comrade's call, he put down the flip-screen handheld computer that was playing a banned video—[The Third Princess's Military Parade in Königsberg]—raised his head, and a strange smile appeared on his lips. The next moment, while Liao was still waving and taunting the other party in front of him, he grabbed a stone from the flower bed and hurled it forcefully at the face of the EU sergeant who was shouting the loudest.
A scream.
The unfortunate man collapsed to the ground, groaning and clutching his bleeding mouth.
"That was a great shot!"
Liao excitedly kicked the EU soldier who was rushing towards him to the ground.
Bang! The tennis racket bent, but even a hard blow to his neck and shoulder didn't affect his movements at all. The more he was hit and the more pain he felt, the sharper his eyes became. His muscles, honed in the brutal underground gang struggles of Paris, were like steel.
The only woman in the trio of troublemakers was no less formidable. After taking down two EU soldiers with various joint locks, she nimbly fought and retreated. After pulling out a wooden strip entangled by vines from the green belt, she used her superb knife skills to strike the EU soldier who tried to catch her, causing him to cry out in pain.
The commotion grew louder and louder, attracting more and more onlookers.
How did the fight start?
"I don't know. But... wow, that girl's pretty hot. Could it be jealousy between them?"
"Harder! Harder! Yes, hit him in the chest!"
Aside from the District 11 Asian trainees who remained silent, numb, resentful, or glaring angrily, a group of EU soldiers who had gathered together began to jeer.
Finally, just as the EU sergeant, his mouth smeared with blood and his front teeth knocked out by a stone, forced himself to stand up, clearly enraged and filled with malice, he drew his gun and aimed it at the three District 11 bastards in front of him—
"Enough!!"
The White Wolf City base security team arrived.
"Major Hamel..."
The sergeant, who had drawn his gun, tried to explain in a strained, pained voice, but was stopped and disarmed by the newcomer. The young officer, wearing a rank-and-file cap and impeccably dressed, reprimanded him, "Don't point your gun at your comrades without permission."
"But they are just—"
"Don't say things that are detrimental to unity."
Major Hamel silenced his rambling with a stern look.
"Sergeant, you need medical assistance."
Then, he looked at the EU soldiers who had fought with the three troublemakers; they were all bruised and battered.
The 'former criminal' named Ryo Sayama was still holding his comrade down and throwing wild punches, which made him frown and his disgust was obvious. "Didn't you hear the order? Soldier!"
"Huh? I'm not deaf, I don't need you—ugh!"
Before he could finish speaking, the security guards who arrived at the scene used their rifle butts to knock him down and force him to his knees.
Several submachine guns, shotguns, and pistols were instantly pointed at the three troublemakers.
Although they obediently raised their hands high, the three of them did not show the slightest fear on their faces, because they were not afraid at all.
Even if you join W-ZERO, a kamikaze unit, no matter how nice the words of Commander Marukal at headquarters are, aren't you still destined to be cannon fodder?
"Stop behaving like those illegal refugees from District 11!"
"I will report your matter to Commander Marukal in its entirety."
"Hmph, I couldn't be happier... Ugh!"
Ryo Sayama, with his spiky hair, continued to be stubborn and then got kicked in the stomach.
"Disorganized and undisciplined. You are utterly unqualified as soldiers!"
The major looked down at him indifferently and said, "You should be glad you're in the Allied Forces. Commander Marukal is merciful enough."
"You probably secretly watched the recording of Britannia's victory parade in Königsberg, didn't you?"
"Even the son of the last Prime Minister Suzaku Kururugi, with such a distinguished status, has to grovel at the feet of the Princess. Trash like you three, who came from the gutter, would have been dead long ago in autocratic Britannia. Take him away!"
Commander's office.
"Commander, those three District 11 men..."
"Major, allow me to correct you. They are not from District 11. District 11 is the Britannia term. They are Japanese."
"Yes, Commander... Is it appropriate to continue treating those three former Japanese refugees, Ryo Sayama, Ayano Kosaka, and Yukiya Naruse, who have repeatedly violated security regulations?"
"Let's put him in solitary confinement for a while."
Lelouch Malcar, already overwhelmed by the constant stream of new equipment emerging in European Britannia due to the urging from the Unified Headquarters, and now preoccupied with the training and equipment replenishment of the W-ZERO troops, sighed wearily upon hearing this.
Although she sympathized with the three men's plight and had high hopes for their abilities—the fourth-generation Knightmare [Glasgow] smuggling Britannia, the gang-hunting and wiping out rival gangs in the Parisian underworld, the attempt to kidnap General Smilas to obtain the EU military's latest Jaeger, and the exceptional Knightmare piloting skills displayed during the raid on a convoy of dignitaries...
Normally, he would have been executed long ago.
Layla pleaded for their lives and saved them, allowing them to be incorporated into the W-ZERO unit to atone for their crimes.
In the past, as long as it was within her legal authority, she had always taken care of the "troublemaker trio".
But things are different now than they used to be.
As European Britannia grew increasingly powerful and difficult to control, the W-ZERO forces continued to expand, with significant reinforcements in manpower and resources. It was now equivalent to a strengthened Britannia paladin order, composed of European and Japanese refugees as well as EU regular troops. As the commander, she had to treat everyone fairly.
After a moment of silence, the major asked, "Commander, could you tell me what's so special about them that makes them worthy of your special care?"
"The things they did after arriving at the White Wolf City base included, but were not limited to, repeatedly hacking into the base's network, changing ID data, making homemade bombs in their dormitories, and damaging public facilities. According to the management regulations, even if you pity them and don't execute them, you should at least be expelled from the army!"
"They never even considered obtaining citizenship, let alone being qualified to serve in the coalition forces!"
"Even the W-ZERO unit shouldn't accept just anyone, Commander!"
"Look at the Area 11 Special Task Force formed by Vera Britannia. Without exception, all members are honorary Britannia who have undergone years of military training in the Far East. What are we? A concentration camp for scum, criminals, and refugees?"
Undoubtedly, his attitude represents the views of a considerable portion of the EU's regular army.
To put it bluntly, both sides are using people from the District 11 as cannon fodder, but the EU is a thief-conscripted army, while Britannia is an army made up of good people.
"Well, Major Hamel, don't get excited."
The lieutenant colonel, who looked like a melancholy, decadent middle-aged man, quickly tried to smooth things over.
"After all, the commander brought these specifically for us to use, so let's leave it at that. Besides, we can never have too many people here who will die without anyone complaining."
Layla suddenly replied, "Because Akid needs comrades who can keep up with his thinking and pace."
"The data connection of the neural transmitters of the Akid Commando team has been completed as planned. The brainwave states of the three of them are good and similar, and their adaptability is AAA. According to the calculations of Dr. Sofilandru and Dr. Jovaz, their compatibility with Akid through the BRS System is as high as 87%."
"With Akid, 87%? Really?"
Major Hamel looked surprised.
Their EU's Alexander mechs are equipped with a special operating system that differs from the current operating system of Britannia- type mechs. It has a Brain Raid (BRS) system that allows the pilots' brains to run in parallel and their minds to be synchronized.
In short, this is a floating neuronal connection device.
Generally speaking, a compatibility rate of over 50% is already quite rare, belonging to a super ace crew with excellent teamwork on the battlefield.
Akito Hyuga.
He was the only surviving pilot of the Alexander unit during Narva Operation. A true ace pilot of the W-ZERO squadron.
87%?
They're neither biological children nor brothers; it's simply unbelievable.
During the Narva Operation, no one could coordinate with Akid in such a way.
"I understand, Commander. I will properly reassure the soldiers below."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
Layla said.
While she continued to be busy with paperwork, approving the upgrade and improvement suggestions for the new model from Anna Kleiman, the Chief developer of [Alexander], as well as the countermeasures for new weapons in European Britannia.
Ring ring~
The phone rang, interrupting Layla's thoughts and also signaling the actions of the guard captain and deputy commander who were talking. Click, Layla picked up the receiver, "Hello, this is Lelouch Malcar."
"Marukal, this is the Special Operations Division of the White Wolf City base. The operational order from the Paris Allied Command Headquarters has just arrived. Code name: Edinburgh. I'll bring it over now. Please open it yourself. General Smilas has a message for you: Please be prepared to return alive."
Meanwhile, in Europe, in Saint Petersburg, at the Grand Palace of Caesars.
The central courtyard, the rooftop garden.
The breeze that swept through the semi-enclosed courtyard carried the scent of late summer.
"Your Highness, the Arthas-Lorraine branch of the Imperial Foreign Intelligence Bureau reports that the remnants of the traitorous Blaisgogh family have made a move. According to our army's covert agents, refugees from District 11 who have infiltrated the W-ZERO forces have been confirmed to be preparing for war at the White Wolf City base."
"Phew, at least it's moving. I understand. Don't alert them, keep everything as usual."