"This is such a headache."
Wang Hu looked at the Coordinator soldier who seemed just short of tying a headband around his forehead.
The East Asian Army and its predecessors, the older generation of soldiers, had also carried out desperate charges.
But there was a fundamental difference between the two. The predecessors of the East Asian Army embraced a determined spirit to achieve victory.
Their eyes held no fear of death, only hope for the next generation.
And the Coordinator soldiers?
Their desperate charges gave off a completely different vibe, with their mouths shouting incomprehensible gibberish. Though Wang Hu couldn't see their eyes...
But don't forget, while Wang Hu couldn't see them, he could sense them spiritually. The moment he slightly opened up his perception,
Wang Hu swiftly retracted his senses as if electrocuted, otherwise...
The thought waves filled with fear and resentment would have surely contaminated Wang Hu's spirit.
Even if Wang Hu had the ability to filter out these insane thoughts,
no sane person would knowingly jump into a cesspool right before their eyes, would they?
"Long live ZAFT!" "Long live PLANT!"
The crazed Coordinator soldiers began shouting hoarsely on the public channel, as if afraid others wouldn't know of their madness.
"So, even when doing the same thing, the methods of madmen and soldiers are entirely different."
Listening to the Coordinators' dying cries on the comms channel, Wang Hu shook his head helplessly.
Wang Hu did his utmost to intercept the enemies one by one.
His intentions were good and his abilities sufficient, but for the first time since piloting the Qilin, this Mobile Suit revealed its shortcomings.
That is, while unstoppable on the offensive, it was lacking in defense.
The reason for this defensive lack was simple: even if Wang Hu possessed martial prowess rivaling ancient legends like Xiang Yu and Lu Bu,
there was only one Wang Hu and only one Qilin.
The most lethal weapon on this unit, the Tethered Beam Cannon Pod, was limited by the length of its control cables.
This meant no matter how hard Wang Hu tried, he could only defend one side at most.
As for other areas of the Archangel, they were beyond Wang Hu's reach.
The Coordinators were insane but not stupid; over a dozen MS GINNs weren't foolish enough to charge headlong into Wang Hu's defended side.
Usually, wherever Wang Hu went, the GINNs there would quickly retreat.
Then they'd switch direction and charge straight toward the Archangel.
It very much had the flavor of a "one machine for one ship" cherry blossom tactic.
"Boom, boom, boom."
Three GINNs successfully completed their mission, evading the Archangel's porcupine-like defensive fire net.
Dodging Wang Hu's pursuit and seizing the opportunity, they roared as they crashed into the Archangel battleship.
"Ah—"
"Ugh—"
"Damn it!"
The direct impact and explosion from the GINNs naturally caused severe shaking inside the Archangel.
The armor of this battleship type even showed signs of potential damage.
"We can't continue like this."The moment she stabilized herself from the shaking, the meticulous and serious Natarle Badgiruel immediately began assessing the damage."
Due to the severe shortage of personnel on the battleship, even though the number of damage control crew was prioritized, she calculated that if they were subjected to a few more self-destruct attacks by the Genes.
Given the stretched-thin personnel ratio on the battleship, even a minor issue could ultimately lead to the catastrophic sinking of the entire vessel.
"Can even Wang Hu not hold them off?"
Li Chengzhi never expected that in such a favorable situation, the enemy, who were practically like salted fish on a chopping board, would manage to turn the tables.
Should they hold their ground? There was a possibility that the Archangel could sink under the enemy's frenzied actions.
Should they retreat? To be honest, seeing the heavily damaged Vesalius, he felt extremely unwilling.
"Let's retreat."
Just as the few people on the bridge were caught in a dilemma and couldn't make a decision, Wang Hu's communication came through.
In the communication, Wang Hu straightforwardly expressed his resolution.
"Retreat now?" Li Chengzhi still wanted to hold on a bit longer, after all, Kira and Mu hadn't returned yet.
As long as they could hold out until their return, the situation might change for the better.
And based on Li Chengzhi's understanding of Kira and Mu, he absolutely refused to believe that those two had died in the previous explosion at the Artemis Fortress.
"Retreat." As Li Chengzhi's close friend, Wang Hu understood his mindset perfectly.
While continuing to block and drive away the crazed Coordinator soldiers, Wang Hu calmly explained his reasoning.
"I know you want to hold out until Kira and Mu return, but placing our hopes on uncertain outcomes is not what we should do."
"How can you call it uncertain?" Li Chengzhi disagreed with Wang Hu's statement.
"Kira and Mu's abilities guarantee they'll be fine."
"You've been blinded by the current advantage; you're not as calm as you used to be." Wang Hu shook his head.
"I naturally believe that Kira and Mu are fine, but just like the Genes and the Buster Gundam that pursued the Archangel also survived."
"Can you be sure there are no survivors among the Gene units that pursued Mu?"
"Kira disappeared along with the enemy's Aegis Gundam in the end. In the worst-case scenario, it's possible that the enemy's Aegis Gundam returns while Kira does not."
"Ah!" Before Li Chengzhi could respond, Kira's friends were nearly jumping out of their seats.
Hearing Wang Hu say that Kira might not return, Miriallia, being female, was on the verge of tears.
"This..." Li Chengzhi grew hesitant, as his friend Wang Hu's words were not without reason.
"If we preserve the land but lose the people, we lose both the land and the people; if we preserve the people but lose the land, the land can still be reclaimed."
His gaze fixed on Creuset's mothership in the distance, Wang Hu seemed to see through the thick battleship armor straight to his old acquaintance.
With a faint smile on his face, Wang Hu emphasized his tone a bit more in his communication with the Archangel.
"Today, we can drive Creuset into a corner; tomorrow, as long as we are still here, we can still take Creuset's life."
"So why rush things now?"
"Sigh." Li Chengzhi stopped arguing and let out a lament, as if questioning why heaven was so unfair to him.
"This ship is preparing to retreat. All hands, prepare for withdrawal." While Li Chengzhi was still lamenting the lost opportunity and venting his frustration.
Natarle Badgiruel decisively bypassed him and began issuing orders, glancing at the silent Li Chengzhi.
"Rather than wallowing in frustration here, Captain Li Chengzhi, you should focus on carrying out your current duties."
"You... you're right." Lowering his head, Li Chengzhi let out a bitter laugh, feeling deeply ashamed of his earlier outburst.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Badgiruel."
Sincerely expressing his gratitude to Natarle, a reinvigorated Li Chengzhi regained his usual composure.
"Begin the Archangel's retreat. Maintain communication with Kira and Captain Mu. Even during withdrawal, ensure both of them return safely."
"Yes, sir!" The bridge's atmosphere shifted instantly. Under Li Chengzhi and Natarle's command, the Archangel began slowly turning around while enduring harassment from the GINN units.
The first step was to retreat into the asteroid field formed by the self-destruction of Artemis Fortress.
This would ensure the GINNs couldn't shoot down their ship while they searched for Kira and Mu who hadn't yet returned.
"Captain! Captain Creuset! The enemy is retreating, they're retreating!"
Watching the Archangel begin its gradual withdrawal, Creuset's adjutant aboard the Vesalius couldn't contain his excitement.
He and the other crew members were nearly moved to tears by the relief.
The sensation of narrowly escaping death and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat left them with a tingling, electric feeling throughout their bodies.
This was followed by complete exhaustion, making them wish they could just lie down and do nothing.
Without responding or looking at his subordinates, Creuset had only one thought after this battle.
"Ugh!" Suddenly, Creuset covered his mouth. Droplets of blood floated through the bridge air, seeping between his fingers.
"Captain?" The adjutant watched Creuset coughing up blood again, his joy vanishing and replaced by bone-chilling dread.
If something happened to Captain Creuset!
This operation wouldn't just mean losing both the bait and the trap!
Especially if Captain Creuset was literally angered to death!
Glancing at his adjutant frozen in shock by his poor condition, Creuset desperately swallowed the blood back down.
Waving weakly, Creuset spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Recall Dearka and the others. Secure the battlefield and conduct full rescue operations for survivors. Send a message to headquarters requesting reinforcements."
"Report the complete details of these battles. We must make sure both Chairman Patrick and Chairman Clyne understand the threat these enemies pose."
"If Wang Hu isn't eliminated, PLANT will never know peace!"
(End of Chapter)