Promotion

As expected, after Eli voiced his thoughts, everyone else turned their gazes toward Major General Gao Yun.

"Major General Gao Yun, do you have any opinions regarding Second Lieutenant Eli's perspective?"

"Yes!"

Major General Gao Yun stood up on the screen, first offering a salute before picking up a report to begin his briefing.

As the Gundam Ground Type was a byproduct of Operation V, Major General Gao Yun naturally possessed a considerable degree of understanding regarding it.

Consequently, Major General Gao Yun proceeded to compare the technical parameters of the Apsalus obtained during this operation with those of the Gundam Ground Type, while also displaying the specifications for the Federation Forces' current primary warships, the Salamis-class and the Magellan-class.

The final conclusion reached was that the Apsalus could undoubtedly be called a "little Magellan" on land.

As for the White Base, which was also equipped with a Minovsky Particle flight system? That was classified information and could not yet be revealed to a Second Lieutenant like Eli.

After Major General Gao Yun finished his report, the meeting room fell into a temporary silence.

Eli understood that, in reality, the high-ranking officials at Jaburo were discussing this matter behind the scenes.

Eli took this opportunity to carefully observe the people on the final screen.

Lieutenant General Tiam, the prized student of General Revil and the successor in whom he placed high hopes.

It was a pity that during the Battle of Solomon, Lieutenant General Tiam's bridge was struck directly by the Big Zam, killing him instantly.

And General Revil himself was killed by that fellow Gihren Zabi during peace negotiations with Prince Degwin.

The rare hope of the Federation would thus be extinguished.

Looking at these two men, Eli felt a stir within his heart.

If he could save them, could the future of the Universal Century move toward a better direction?

Eli lowered his head.

How could he possibly change anything?

As a mere MS pilot, no one would believe him if he just spoke out.

Even if he followed them into space, Eli found it hard to believe he could save these two from such tragic battles.

Sighing slightly, Eli extinguished the flickering thoughts in his heart.

That was merely the agitation of a spectator witnessing the countless tragedies of the Universal Century.

Jaburo soon reached a conclusion.

However, that result was something Eli had no way of knowing for the time being.

A mere Second Lieutenant was not in a position to participate in such decision-making.

Even their direct superior, Colonel Yinsen, was only able to attend as an observer.

"Thank you for sharing, Second Lieutenant Eli. Please excuse yourself now."

General Revil temporarily set aside the discussion and issued an order for Eli to leave.

However, Eli could sense that General Revil had offered him a faint smile.

This was nothing out of the ordinary; General Revil was known for his ability to discover talent, and it was perfectly normal for him to show favor toward a pilot who had fought hard on the front lines.

"Yes!"

Eli left without any objections.

As for Shiro Amada? Unfortunately, he did not have the qualifications to meet General Revil.

In the subsequent analysis of the combat logs for the Gundam Ground Type, it was discovered that Shiro Amada had displayed an unusual sense of familiarity with the pilot of the Apsalus.

If Shiro Amada had succeeded in persuading the enemy to surrender at that time, everything would have been fine, and Shiro Amada might even have received a commendation.

But unfortunately, Shiro Amada was currently undergoing an investigation by the military police.

Therefore, Eli had to wait in the lobby of the Southeast Asia Command, wearing his Federation Forces uniform, watching the civilian staff pass by with documents.

Beyond their Rainforest Front, there was also the Hot Sand Front.

That's right, there were desert terrains in Southeast Asia as well.

Since the beginning of the Universal Century, Earth's ecological environment had been increasingly declining.

And with Zeon recently dropping a space colony onto Earth, one could only imagine the immense damage it would cause to the planet in the future.

Eli knew that this would eventually lead the Earth Federation to proactively drive residents off the planet a century into the UC era, even establishing the Hunter Corps to expel those without residency permits.

Could such a policy truly be called correct?

"Second Lieutenant, Colonel Yinsen would like to see you."

Before long, a communications officer approached Eli, who had been slumped in a lobby seat lost in thought.

"Understood."

Eli immediately stood up, straightened his clothes which had become disheveled from his casual posture, and followed the communications officer toward Colonel Yinsen's office.

When he pushed open the door, Eli saw Colonel Yinsen sitting at his desk, as if he were processing some documents.

Why did he say "it seems"?

Because Eli's keen perception told him that the moment he stepped inside, Colonel Yinsen had fixed his attention squarely upon him.

"Second Lieutenant Eli Li, reporting for duty!"

Eli walked steadily to the side of Colonel Yinsen and offered a salute.

Only then did Yinsen leisurely set down the documents in his hand, look up, and offer Eli a gentle smile.

"Welcome, welcome, Lieutenant Eli."

He likewise raised his hand to return Eli's salute.

"Lieutenant?"

Eli repeated the word in confusion.

He did not believe that Colonel Yinsen would make a mistake in a place like this.

The only explanation was that Eli had likely received a promotion.

And at such a critical juncture...

"Lieutenant Eli, because of your combat merits over the past three months, you have caught the eye of the higher-ups. They have now entrusted you with the mission to investigate the Apsalus, and in accordance with that, your rank has been promoted."

Yinsen stood up, walked over to Eli's side, and patted him on the shoulder.

To others, Yinsen appeared to be a gentle, polite man who treated his subordinates with generosity.

However, this was the same man who, during the final mine assault, had directly ordered the 07th Team to enter the mine and attempt to detonate the power reactor to trigger a nuclear explosion, all to circumvent the Antarctic Treaty.

Knowing this, Eli was well aware that this man, with his deep-seated schemes, was not as harmonious as he appeared on the surface.

Of course, Eli did approve of his order to destroy that Zanzibar-class ship.

If that ship's worth of supplies and personnel had been allowed to return to the mainland, no one would know what kind of impact it might have had on the war situation.

"Lieutenant Eli, to facilitate your investigation of the Apsalus, we have decided to merge the 06th and 08th Teams into an independent combat unit. You will have full command over this team."

Seeing no joy on Eli's face regarding his promotion, Yinsen tossed out another piece of news.

At this, a look of surprise finally appeared on Eli's face.

"I have full command? Then what about Second Lieutenant Shiro Amada..."

"Him? You know as well as I do that getting involved with Zeon at a time like this is no good thing, especially since the higher-ups are so concerned about the Apsalus. However, he gave me his word that he would either convince the Apsalus pilot to surrender or destroy it, which is why he is allowed to continue fighting. Correspondingly, he has lost his command."

Colonel Yinsen watched Eli's expression with satisfaction before returning to his desk to sit down.

Seeing this, Eli understood that he was being dismissed, so he offered a silent salute, turned, and walked toward the door.

"Oh, and Lieutenant Eli, the higher-ups have dispatched other units to investigate the Apsalus as well. Do remember to 'assist' them~"

At the very last moment before he stepped out, Yinsen spoke up once more.

Before Eli could respond, the door closed, blocking his view of the room inside.