Noer's Dismay

Inside the colony satellite, the alarm over the Z.A.F.T. warship's attack had long since reached this place.

Inside the Akatsuki Industries factory, a chestnut-haired woman was constantly issuing orders.

Behind her, through the open gate, a tow truck carrying a massive container was driving out.

On a hill not far from the Akatsuki Industries factory, Yzak and the others, who had already infiltrated through the ventilation ducts, could clearly see the humanoid weapons lying inside the tow truck through their binoculars.

"Noer's intelligence was correct. There really are new MS here." Watching the convoy below, the weight in Athrun's heart slowly lifted.

To be honest, he had still felt somewhat uneasy when they set out this time.

As Councilor Sala's son, he knew better than anyone the consequences of attacking a neutral colony satellite without cause.

But now, it seemed everything was fine. At the very least, new MS really did exist here.

"Just like Captain Cruze said!"

Yzak lowered his binoculars, a disdainful look on his face. Still, he could not help giving Noer some credit. The guy was fairly reliable after all!

"Like rats, poke them once and they come scrambling out of their hole..."

Recalling Captain Cruze's words, Diakka Elthman could not help sneering.

But these Naturals really were idiots. If they had stayed hidden and refused to let them obtain evidence, Z.A.F.T. would not have dared act so recklessly.

After all, Orb was a neutral nation, one tacitly recognized as such by both PLANT and the Earth Alliance.

But now that the new MS had been confirmed, this neutral nation was no longer neutral.

"Hiss... Haa..."

Unlike Yzak and the others, Nicol, crouching beside Athrun, looked extremely nervous. Not only was this his first time fighting in person.

Even fighting while piloting an MS scared him. After all... he was timid.

"Nicol, if you get scared later, make sure you run slower."

Behind him, Rusty Mackenzie joked as he pounded Nicol on the back.

They had long known Nicol was timid. Honestly, aside from Athrun, Nicol had the highest MS combat ability among all of them.

But because of his personality, he was prone to underperforming in battle. Even when he did, he could still rank in the top ten at military academy.

So if he really got serious, his combat strength...

"Noer said there were five MS, but there are only three here..." Yzak stared at the MS below, unable to hide his confusion.

"They may still be inside. Yzak, you handle these three. Rusty and I will go inside and look for the other two. How does that sound?" Athrun glanced at Nicol before making his suggestion to Yzak.

"Heh, no problem. Just don't screw it up!"

Yzak sneered.

Although Noer had improved the relationship between Yzak and Athrun considerably compared to the anime, it was still limited.

"Deactivate the self-destruct devices as soon as everyone boards an MS!"

Athrun had long grown used to this side of Yzak and could not be bothered with him.

At the same time, two MS flying in from the harbor entered Heliopolis as well. Through the Ginns' head cameras, they could clearly see the buildings and streets below.

"Intelligence confirmed!"

"Location—S-37 Industrial District!"

Just as the two MS were searching for something, Yzak's wireless transmission suddenly came through.

"Received!"

"As expected of Yzak. He works fast!"

Bakar, the lead MS pilot, could not help praising him. Less than half an hour had passed, yet the intelligence had already been confirmed. The efficiency was indeed impressive.

He then piloted his MS toward the S-37 Industrial District.

Heliopolis was not large. Before long, the MS spotted the MS lying inside the tow truck in the industrial district, along with the workers handling the transport.

"Get down!"

Hearing the roar of the Ginn engines, Marlu shouted and threw herself over the subordinate beside her.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Sure enough, when Bakar and the others arrived, they opened fire on the industrial district below without hesitation.

Countless bullets poured down.

"Rumble—"

"Argh!"

Cars, energy packs, oil drums, anti-aircraft vehicles... exploded one after another.

Amid wave after wave of screams, the soldiers responsible for transporting the MS were swallowed by the flames.

Boom—

After emptying a magazine, Bakar and the others' MS skimmed past the sea of fire and soared into the air. It was not that they lacked the firepower to continue attacking, but because Athrun and the others had already arrived.

Moreover, their main mission this time was not to destroy the MS, but to seize the new models.

They only needed to provide cover for Athrun and the others.

On the other side, Athrun and the others had already made their way down from the hill amid the chaos.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The moment Bakar and the others flew away, they opened fire on the shell-shocked Earth Alliance soldiers.

Blood-red blossoms instantly burst from the surviving Earth Alliance soldiers as they wailed and fell.

[Woo~]

[Woo~]

[Warning! Warning!]

[Heliopolis is under attack by ZAFT MS! Level Eight Alert is now in effect! All residents, please proceed to the shelters!]

[Repeating! All residents, please proceed to the shelters immediately!]

Because of the MS attack, Heliopolis had no choice but to issue an emergency evacuation notice.

As ZAFT's primary offensive weapons, humanoid machines like the Ginn possessed immense combat power and could be equipped with different weapons depending on battlefield conditions.

Combined with the Coordinators' skilled handling, they could hold their own even against Earth Alliance forces more than ten times their number.

This was also the main reason ZAFT could remain locked in a stalemate with the Earth Alliance.

"Heh, they really came after all."

Noer, who had already reached the shelter, listened to the alarm and felt the faint rumbling from outside. His emotions were complicated.

Though he had prepared himself for it, when the moment truly came...

If nothing unexpected happened, today would be the day Heliopolis fell.

"I wonder how Athrun and the others are doing. I hope nothing goes wrong..."

Just as Noer was wondering about Athrun and the others, a red-haired figure walked past the aisle in front of him.

Then, the trace of complexity in Noer's heart instantly became terror and shock.

He stared in disbelief at the red-haired woman as she slowly took her seat.

Her smooth, fiery red hair flowed down her back, while her skin was as delicate as milk. Her refined features carried a faint air of nobility.

The elegance in every movement made her seem as radiant as a blooming rose. Though the fighting had left a trace of dust on her body and unease on her face, neither could conceal her beauty.

"N-No way... My luck can't be this bad, can it?!"

Yet as Noer looked at her beautiful face, he felt no sense of awe. Instead, an indescribable unease and apprehension filled him.

If the situation had allowed it, he would have wanted to switch shelters...

"Wait! Excuse me, how far is the nearest shelter from here?"

Thinking of this, Noer hurriedly asked the anxious man beside him, "How long would it take to get there on foot?"

"Hm?"

"What do you mean?"

The man was stunned. Even the other worried passengers wore bewildered expressions.

"Well, you see, can I switch shelt—"

"Boom—"

Before Noer could finish, a violent tremor suddenly shook the surroundings.

The green corridor lights of the escape pod instantly turned red, and the doors locked shut.

Noer silently closed his mouth. There was no way in hell he could switch shelters now.

He could only hope his luck was not really this bad!