On the bridge of the Archangel, they had finally managed to extricate themselves from the frenzied crowd.
Accompanying them was Mu, wearing an expression as if he'd been jilted by a woman, and Kira, whose eyes practically sparkled with excitement.
Wang Hu stood before the tactical platform, surveying the group waiting for him to reveal their next move.
"Our next destination is here."
His finger tapped the screen as Wang Hu announced his decision.
"Here?"
The others hesitated to voice opposition out of respect for the prestige Wang Hu had earned through his combat feats. But Natarle Badgiruel was different.
"Lieutenant Wang Hu, we appreciate your valor in four consecutive battles. However, having successfully misled the enemy into believing we're heading toward the lunar base through these engagements..."
"Why turn back to Heliopolis now? If we reverse course stealthily, we could easily reach Artemis!"
Her words clearly represented the thoughts of many on the bridge.
In their view, Wang Hu's tactics had successfully manipulated the movements of the ZAFT Forces.
The enemy would surely be massing along the route to the lunar base, attempting to intercept the Archangel.
Shouldn't they seize this rare window of opportunity to quietly slip away to the Eurasian Federation's fortress without further complications?
Hadn't they been told?
Artemis, protected by the Umbrella of the Moon, was an absolutely secure location.
Once there, they could use the fortress's high-powered communications to summon reinforcements, bringing this perilous voyage to a definitive conclusion!
"Simple," Wang Hu addressed the group represented by Natarle, his tone measured.
"First, active retreat isn't the East Asian Army's style. Only by facing challenges head-on can we advance further."
"Especially when we hold absolute initiative. As you noted, we've already manipulated enemy movements."
"If we focus solely on escape now? Your vision is disappointingly limited."
"You—!" Natarle had never experienced as much anger in her life as she had since meeting Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi.
How utterly contemptuous his words were toward her and the Atlantic Federation she represented!
"Hmph." Right on cue, Li Chengzhi folded his arms and sneered, making Natarle's blood boil with rage.
"Calm down, please." Murrue quickly leveraged her feminine advantage, embracing the furious Natarle.
"Second, if you can conceive of turning back, why assume the enemy wouldn't anticipate it?"
"Given our range, we'd eventually be detected within their dragnet, even under stealth."
"Rather than banking on enemy mistakes, we should take the offensive—break through their encirclement and eliminate them instead."
"In movement we'll find enemy weaknesses, actively destroy those weaknesses, gradually accumulating advantages until we completely consume our opponent!"
Clasping his hands together over the tactical display, Wang Hu's blazing gaze became too intense to meet directly.
"Brother Wang Hu!" Listening to Wang Hu's impassioned speech and witnessing his towering aura,
What else could Kira say? What more did he want to say?
All he could do was nod repeatedly, his words of agreement coming even faster than Wang Hu's close friend Li Chengzhi!
"But shouldn't we avoid attacking the enemy's strongest point?"
Mu scratched his head, pondering Wang Hu's strategy.
"If we set up an ambush at Heliopolis, isn't the most likely scenario that we'll end up facing Creuset?"
"Are you scared?" Wang Hu raised an eyebrow, a faint trace of mockery in his expression.
"It's not about being scared—it's about whether it's worth it."
Mu's expression turned cold. Though he knew the other man was provoking him, Wang Hu's tone and demeanor still made him bristle with irritation.
"You said it yourself—we should strike the enemy's weak point. But how is Creuset anything close to a weak point?"
"The enemy's strongest point may also be their weakest."
Wang Hu chuckled lightly, as if Creuset were nothing to him. "Have you heard of the story of Tian Ji's horse racing?"
"Tian Ji's horse racing?" How many Westerners would know an ancient East Asian tale? Kira, however, seemed thoughtful.
"I won't explain the details—it's an Eastern stratagem."
Wang Hu cut straight to their plan.
"Captain Mu, you've fought Creuset multiple times. I saw you tangling with him at Heliopolis, didn't I?"
"That proves you're a skilled pilot, one of the rare elites in our forces."
"Hmph, I'm the man who turns the impossible into possible."
Surprised that Wang Hu would actually praise him—and coming from a social circle where humility wasn't a thing—
Mu lifted his chin slightly, signaling that he, too, was a man with a reputation. Even if he couldn't measure up to Wang Hu, it was only because the comparison was with him.
Everyone else was nothing special in his eyes!
"Creuset is yours to handle—no objections?" Wang Hu smirked, assigning Mu a fine task.
"Creuset?" Mu's eyelid twitched. What was this about?
A one-on-one duel?
"Scared?" Wang Hu pressed.
"Not a chance." Mu shrugged, feigning nonchalance to show he wasn't afraid of any opponent.
"And what about you?" No sooner had he accepted than he turned the question back on Wang Hu.
"Kira." Ignoring Mu's probing, Wang Hu turned to the young man standing nearby.
"I have a dangerous mission for you. Do you have the confidence to complete it?"
"Brother Wang Hu... is it critical?"
Kira was taken aback at first, but then a sense of pride swelled in his chest—he was being entrusted with something important.
In previous battles, he had merely been a spectator, failing to live up to Wang Hu's expectations.
No matter what, this time he would prove himself!
For Brother Wang Hu!
"Yes." Wang Hu met Kira's gaze squarely, his tone solemn.
"After arriving at Heliopolis, you'll need to drift inertially to the ambush point."
"You must maintain complete silence and standby the entire way—only then will the ZAFT Forces' battleships mistake you for space debris and overlook you!"
"Then, once the battle begins, you must launch an immediate assault, targeting the enemy's Nazca-class Battleship directly!"
"Silence and standby?" Kira repeated Wang Hu's question.
"Hey, hey, hey, Wang Hu," Mu interjected directly.
"You want Kira to shut down all communications and power, leaving only the bare minimum for external observation?"
"He can't handle it. Even the toughest men in the military can't endure something equivalent to solitary confinement, and you're asking him to do it?"
"You can't possibly be unaware of the psychological pressure solitary confinement puts on a person, can you?"
"That's exactly why I'm asking him here. If he were a soldier of the East Asian Army, I wouldn't be asking—I'd be giving a direct order!"
Staring at Mu, who voiced his objections, Wang Hu raised his voice slightly, overwhelming the other with his presence.
"I am a soldier of East Asia."
At first, Kira hesitated upon hearing the term "solitary confinement." Even as a civilian, he knew the infamous reputation of confinement.
To be honest, he was a little scared. But Wang Hu's subsequent words—"a soldier of East Asia"—reignited Kira's fighting spirit.
He refused to back down.
At the very least, in front of Brother Wang Hu, Kira didn't want to disappoint him or see that understanding look in his eyes.
To fight as a man, as a soldier.
Those were the words Brother Wang Hu had said to him!
"Brother Wang Hu, please let me go!"
Kira spoke each word deliberately.
"Good." Wang Hu stared at Kira for several seconds and saw his resolve.
"What about you?" Seeing this, Mu couldn't say much more, but he still wanted to know Wang Hu's role in this battle.
After all, he couldn't just be the one risking his life while Wang Hu sat back, could he?
"The four stolen Gundams—I'll deal with them."
Wang Hu glanced back at Mu and calmly stated his own plan.
"Tian Ji's horse racing strategy—overpowering the weak with the strong. It's as simple as that."
(End of Chapter)