Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 66: Sayla's Resolve

Eli shook his head, deciding not to dwell on such matters.

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. When the opportunity arises, he will try climbing up and find out. For now, no amount of thought will yield an answer.

With this realization, Eli began operating his "mass-produced Gundam."

The people below had dispersed, allowing Eli to maneuver the unit and perform some simple movements in the hangar.

The EZ-SR was highly responsive—Eli barely needed to move the control stick for the unit to react accordingly.

This was the benefit of the magnetic coating.

Eli made the unit clench its fist and then relax it before swinging at the air a few times.

Needless to say, its mobility was exceptional.

However, that was all for now. Jaburo lacked the conditions for Eli to conduct a live combat test.

Even so, Eli tested each weapon in hand.

Beam rifles, beam sabers, and beam spears, all beam weapons provided by Jaburo.

The folding 180mm cannon, the large Gatling gun, the rocket launcher, and the missile launcher were equipment supplied by Eight Continents Heavy Industries.

Of course, he couldn't test-fire any of them.

Still, Eli was more concerned about testing the head of the EZ-SR with Death's help.

He wanted to confirm whether the woman trapped within was still present.

"I can't see anything. It's either because the EXAM system hasn't been activated or because she was never there," Death said, floating beside Eli.

After a moment of silence, Eli nodded and refrained from pressing Death further.

After all, Death's willingness to assist him was already a great favor.

With nothing else to do in the EZ-SR, Eli parked the unit back in its docking position, shut down the reactor, and prepared to disembark.

Truthfully, Eli wasn't overly concerned about whether the EXAM system functioned properly.

He believed that with the boost from his "system," the assistance provided by EXAM wasn't all that crucial.

Compared to the EXAM program, which was somewhat unstable, Eli was more intrigued by the neural feedback device that complemented it.

Although it only passively received brainwaves and couldn't actively convert them into control commands for the unit, it was undoubtedly a precursor to Newtype combat enhancement technology.

The Augusta Research Institute...

If he remembered correctly, even General Revil was unaware that the institute had already started using unethical human enhancements.

From this point of view, could he perhaps acquire this technology—or even claim ownership of it?

Unbeknownst to himself, Eli had gradually begun thinking beyond the scope of what a mobile suit pilot should concern themselves with, contemplating matters on a much higher level.

This wasn't something a lieutenant should be pondering.

"Hiss—"

The cockpit hatch opened, and a hand reached inside.

Eli looked up to see Sayla's face, which had grown softer compared to when they first met.

Back then, she'd hidden her true self behind a tough exterior, a stark contrast to now.

"Thank you," Eli said, grasping her seemingly delicate hand and relying on her strength to climb out of the EZ-SR cockpit and onto the gangway.

Sayla opened her mouth as if to say something but was quickly shoved aside by a group of technicians.

These guys were oblivious to the mood, their eyes filled only with data and feedback from the Gundam.

Eli's eye twitched, but he didn't make things difficult for them. Before cooperating, he tiptoed to nod at Sayla, who stood at the edge of the group, and then began discussing with the team.

However, the data they could collect under such conditions was limited.

Fortunately, the unit wasn't built from scratch but was modified based on an existing framework.

At least, the system diagnostics didn't reveal any major issues.

With that, the EZ-SR was officially handed over.

This also meant that the White Base was about to set off again, heading for space as a decoy unit to mislead Zeon.

In Zeon's strategic thinking, they favored decisive superweapons. To them, a battleship like White Base, with its illustrious combat record, would undoubtedly be part of the main force rather than relegated to a secondary position.

This conclusion, drawn by Jaburo's intelligence team, aligned with Zeon's typical mindset.

The departure was scheduled for tomorrow, November 30th.

As he watched the technicians packing up and leaving one by one, Eli expressed his gratitude to each of them.

These people were among Jaburo's most valuable assets and likely wouldn't be able to return home before the war ended.

Once everyone had left, the previously lively hangar became eerily quiet.

In the now-empty space, Eli glanced at Amuro's Gundam, then at his own.

Even if the system classified it as a mass-production model, Eli still considered his unit a Gundam in his heart.

"Looks like I have my childish moments too," Eli mused, retracting his gaze.

As his eyes leveled, he noticed a striking figure dressed in pink waiting for him.

Seeing Sayla lowering her head slightly, nervously fiddling with the hem of her clothing, Eli immediately understood.

She had likely made up her mind—not about their budding feelings but about revealing the secrets she'd been hiding.

Eli knew that in the original storyline, Sayla eventually confessed her situation to the White Base crew.

But he hadn't expected her to tell him so soon.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Sayla took a deep breath and lifted her head to look at Eli.

Initially, Sayla planned to tell Eli only that she and Char were siblings.

This way, she could preserve her biggest secret while still informing Eli of her relationship with Char.

Sayla resolved not to ask Eli to show mercy toward Char, only to share the truth and let Eli make his own judgment.

However, just as she was about to speak, her heart suddenly clenched.

It felt as if revealing this would create an unbridgeable chasm between them.

If she kept it hidden instead...

Taking a deep breath, Sayla grabbed Eli's hand and pulled him out of the hangar.

"Eli? Sayla?"

Amuro, who had just entered the hangar, looked at them in surprise before glancing at the packed food in his hands.

After a moment's thought, he decided to sit down and wait.

Whatever they intended to discuss, they'd clearly chosen to avoid others. Interfering now wouldn't just be impolite—it'd be outright intrusive.