r18novel Chapter 30: The Trolley Problem and the Will to Protect
Chapter 30: The Trolley Problem and the Will to Protect
【CE71.2.13. Low Earth Orbit Battlefield】
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.
Two images were clearly reflected on Ling Yu's retina.
To his left was the civilian shuttle, slowly struggling along its doomed course. Through the small porthole, he could even see a familiar little face—the little girl who had given him the paper crane on the Archangel, now staring wide-eyed in terror.
To the right, the Duel Gundam's beam rifle was raised high. The eerie light from the muzzle, like the pupil of death, was firmly locked onto the shuttle, not his already half-crippled "Ghost".
Itzhak Jur.
That arrogant, irritable, and now frantic ZAFT red-clad elite, driven to madness by being ignored.
"Damn you, human! Go to hell and repent!"
[WARNING: The aircraft has been illuminated by fire control radar.]
The system's warning tone became the most powerless background noise.
A classic trolley problem, devoid of any originality, was presented to him.
He dodged, and dozens of civilians inside the shuttle instantly evaporated, but he survived.
Instead of dodging, he used this dilapidated machine with only one leg left to block, and in the end, he and the shuttle became an even bigger and more brilliant firework in the universe.
"Oh shit……"
Ling Yu forced out a dry curse, all the relief of surviving the ordeal vanished, replaced by a deep-seated irritation and nausea.
He can treat war like a game, and enemies like experience packs, but he can't treat that terrified little face as an NPC who can be sacrificed.
He barely survived.
But if he watches them die, will the "Ling Yu" who survives still be him?
There's always a way... there must be!
He let out a beast-like roar at the empty cockpit.
Without the slightest hesitation, the blood-stained hand suddenly pushed the physical limit valve, which had already been pushed to its limit, forward again with a brute force that was almost like breaking it!
"Get the hell out of here, you bastard!"
[Warning: Pilot's mental strength has exceeded the threshold, forcibly activating the SR-rank card [Char Aznable], the machine is about to collapse!]
[WARNING: Engine overload 120%, energy line rupture countdown: 5, 4, 3...]
Amidst the piercing alarm, the "Ghost's" pitch-black, single-eyed monitor suddenly burst forth with an eerie, blood-red light!
The machine, on the verge of disintegration, seemed to have been injected with demonic blood, and the last few remaining control nozzles erupted with flames far exceeding the design limits.
A tattered, gray shadow transformed into a streak of blood-red light, moving at three times the normal, suicidal speed, blocking the path between the Duel Gundam and the shuttle.
---
Bridge of the USS Archangel
"What...what is that?!"
The exclamation of the CIC operator broke the brief silence on the bridge.
On the main screen, everyone witnessed that unbelievable scene.
The gray Gene, which had just miraculously escaped death and was in a terrible state, unexpectedly appeared, dragging a red afterimage, and opened its remaining mechanical arm. Like a tragic sculpture, it resolutely stood in front of the civilian shuttle.
Use your body as a shield.
"Ling Yu..."
Frey Alsta's pupils contracted to their maximum. She instinctively reached out, as if trying to grasp something through the cold screen, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
No...don't...
Please, get out of the way! You idiot! You bastard!
Miria covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
Natal Bakirul's lips pressed into a pale line, and for the first time, her hand gripping the armrest trembled almost imperceptibly.
Maru Ramias abruptly stood up from the captain's seat, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Take cover! Ling Yu!"
---
The "Ghost" Cockpit
"Oh."
Seeing the ever-expanding beam of destructive light hurtling towards him, Ling Yu actually laughed.
He loosened his grip on the control stick, completely relaxed, and leaned back in the cold driver's seat.
All the alarms and shouts faded away from him.
In the last second of his vision, he seemed to see those "predecessors" who followed one after another in the UC era.
He spoke softly, in a voice only he could hear, with a hint of relieved mockery:
"Everyone has died before, so I should be able to do it too."
The next second, a burst of white light engulfed everything.
---
Inside the bridge, there was a deathly silence.
Frey swayed, collapsing weakly to the ground, her vision blurred by a torrent of tears. The man who always spouted nonsensical nonsense, who forced her to grow up in the worst way, the man who slapped her when she was in despair, yet gave her the whole world to rely on… was gone.
Miria could no longer hold back and burst into tears, burying her face in her arms on the control panel.
On the screen, there was only a blinding white light and chaotic signals.
[Garmov's bridge]
"Well done, Yitzhak!" a ZAFT officer shouted excitedly.
However, Xiao Ran just stared intently at the screen, his brows furrowed.
Not right.
The pilot of "Ghost," a tactical mastermind who went from calm and ruthless to a selfless martyr in an instant? This dramatic shift in behavior is illogical! Unless... this is his final plan?
[Aegis Gundam Cockpit]
"That bastard!" Aslan stared in shock at the epicenter of the explosion. "He saved civilians?"
A mysterious enemy who pilots a ZAFT machine, yet protects the Federation and civilians.
This person's existence has completely disrupted his understanding of the war.
The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
The crying on the bridge stopped abruptly.
Everyone seemed frozen in place, staring intently at the image displayed on the main screen.
The expected fragments of the machine disintegrating did not appear.
At the epicenter of the explosion, in front of the battered gray Zeon, stood a similarly scarred mobile suit, arms outstretched, standing steadily.
It's the Strike Gundam.
The shield in its hand had melted and deformed, the armor on its exposed left arm had been completely stripped off, and even the cockpit hatch on its chest was charred black and sparking with electricity.
But it ultimately... withstood the blow.
Strike Gundam Cockpit
"...We made it!"
Kira Yamato was breathing heavily, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth that had been shattered by the impact.
In that instant, he channeled all his energy into the PS armor and shield; the immense impact nearly made him faint.
But as he gazed at the gray machine floating silently behind him, like a candle flickering in the wind, an unprecedented determination burned in his eyes.
"I will never let anyone...die in front of me again!"
He abruptly raised his head, pointing the beam gun at Yzak, who was stunned by the sight before him.
A beam of light shot out, forcing the Duel Gundam back.
Kira then abandoned the fight, grabbed the Ghost's cold mechanical arm, dragged it along, and flew towards the Archangel without looking back.
"Retreat." Three signal flares lit up the universe.
On the bridge of the Gamow, Xiao Ran's cold voice rang out.
"Captain Xiao Ran?! We can still...!"
"I said, the entire army retreats." Xiao Ran interrupted his adjutant, his eyes showing no emotion.
"The tactical objective has been lost, and there is no point in continuing the fight."
Retrieve all data, especially combat records related to the "Phantom" and the Strike Gundam.
He stared at the two mobile suits, one white and one gray, disappearing into the distance on the screen, as if he were appraising two priceless collectibles.
The low-orbit battle has come to an end in a way that no one could have predicted.
The powerful gravity began to relentlessly pull at the battered warship.
"All personnel! Prepare for atmospheric reentry! Destination: Africa! Alaska is too far, we can't reach it!"
Maru's decisive order brought everyone back from their shock.
February 14, CE71.
Valentine's Day.
The pure white angel had broken its wings, trailing thick smoke and flames.
Like a tragic meteor, it tore through the azure sky and plummeted toward the vast, war-torn, and sand-covered African continent.