This was the location of the wreckage of Junius Seven.
If one ignored the eerie atmosphere and the various twisted, grotesque shapes scattered everywhere...
This shattered land floating in space closely resembled the dwellings of certain deities from old sci-fi movies.
Among Coordinators, it had already been described as the wailing land of the new era.
Perhaps because the Coordinators' propaganda was too successful, or perhaps because the atmosphere here was truly oppressive...
On ordinary days, this fractured land was rarely visited, as if everyone was subconsciously avoiding it.
This situation persisted until the arrival of a beautiful white battleship, finally breaking the desolation and deathly silence.
"Hurry, prioritize collecting water and usable living supplies!"
"Don't venture too deep into complex interior structures—we're not here to clear ruins!"
"Stay alert! Even with Captain Wang Hu and Kira on perimeter guard, don't blame others if you go too far and run into danger."
Collection ships streamed out of the Archangel's hangar, swarming the surrounding areas like ants, diligently gathering usable resources.
Shouts echoed over short-range radio communications, and suddenly, these people full of vitality brought the scent of life to this dead land.
Setting aside the Archangel's team cordoning off an area to collect supplies—there wasn't much to say about that anyway.
It was essentially akin to post-apocalyptic survival, with a group of people scavenging for useful items in the ruins.
Additionally, Miriallia, clad in a spacesuit, was scattering paper cranes over this land—more symbolic than practical.
Hmm, regarding this, Wang Hu felt that as long as no real money was being spent, he didn't care how many paper cranes were scattered.
"Kira, go check over there."
Piloting the Qilin, Wang Hu moved through the ruins of Junius Seven with Kira.
"Okay, Brother Wang Hu."
Having arrived at the ruins and witnessed the devastation, Kira—who had received repeated admonishments from Wang Hu—behaved far better than in the original timeline.
At the very least, his first reaction wasn't merely feeling guilty about the ruins.
Instead, he thought of Heliopolis, which had been breached by the ZAFT Forces!
Watching Kira depart, Wang Hu smiled, satisfied with his current performance.
"Now then," Wang Hu muttered to himself, preparing for Kira to retrieve that songstress of PLANT.
"Before that, let me see where you're hiding."
Urging the Qilin forward, Wang Hu expanded his senses, carefully searching for his target amidst the endless wails of vengeful spirits.
Soon, relying on his keen perception, Wang Hu distinguished the black-painted ZAFT Forces reconnaissance Gene from the mournful cries of the spirits.
At that moment, the Gene, dispatched to search for the songstress, was cautiously hiding behind several large asteroids.
It extended its head, specially equipped with enhanced sensor systems, and watched the Archangel's crew diligently working in the operational area.
"Heh heh heh."
Target locked, engines shut down.
Silently gliding to a spot not far from the Gene using inertia and without making a sound, Wang Hu launched a sudden and intriguing assault, leaving the opponent no time to react.
The radar detection from the four Tethered Beam Cannon Pods had only just appeared on the Gene's cockpit screen when the battle ended in an instant.
Using beams to sever the Gene's limbs, Wang Hu leisurely bound it tightly with the wires from the Wired Control Pods and prepared to tow it back to the Archangel.
Of course, before this, while using his perception to search the Gene, Wang Hu had already surveyed the surrounding area. He found no trace of the ZAFT Forces search team battleship to which this Gene belonged. Otherwise, Wang Hu wouldn't have minded at all—right here in this place the Coordinators call the "Land of Howling," he would have gladly offered up new cries of anguish.
"What happened?"
The sudden flare-up and abrupt end of the battle caused a commotion among the people in the work area.
"Did something happen over at Brother Wang Hu's side?" Kira, who had only just parted ways with Wang Hu, was about to head back when suddenly a blip lit up on his radar screen, accompanied by a distress signal.
"Sorry, I'll come back right after I check on Brother Wang Hu."
Marking the coordinates of this location, Kira immediately ran off without looking back.
"Everyone, stay calm. It's just a ZAFT Forces reconnaissance Gene. No other enemies have been detected nearby."
Wang Hu appeared in everyone's line of sight, towing the Gene, and explained to the nervously inquiring crowd.
Just as Wang Hu was about to say something more, the blue-and-white figure of the Strike Gundam also emerged.
"Uh..." Staring at Kira's face lighting up the screen and the empty hands of the Strike Gundam, Wang Hu wore a wry smile and asked, "Kira, didn't you pick anything up along the way?"
He even began to wonder if his own butterfly effect had been too strong—had he inadvertently flapped away the Songstress?
"Brother Wang Hu, what are you talking about?" Kira replied, utterly confused by the question.
"Never mind, now's not the time for that."
Kira quickly brushed off Wang Hu's inexplicable question and said with a resolute expression, "Are there enemies attacking? I'll buy time. Brother Wang Hu, please cover the retreat of the main force."
"Uh..." Wang Hu was momentarily stunned by Kira's proactive attitude. Is the effect this strong? he couldn't help but wonder inwardly.
Seeing that Wang Hu hadn't responded and was even momentarily dazed—a rare sight—Kira urged impatiently, "Brother Wang Hu, time is tight. Please tell me the enemy's location right away."
"Alright, alright, Kira, don't worry. It's just a reconnaissance Gene."
Accustomed to being the one giving orders, Wang Hu found it oddly refreshing to be repeatedly urged by Kira today. Shaking off his daze, he explained, "When I found this Gene, it seemed to be searching for something in the area. It didn't take any immediate action upon discovering the Archangel, so I suspect it might not have been targeting the ship. How about this, Kira—you go check the surroundings and see if there's anything unusual."
As for picking things up along the way, Wang Hu had no confidence in that. In both his previous life and this one, he had never even stumbled upon a hundred-dollar bill.
Wang Hu thought it would be more appropriate to send Kira to find the songstress.
"Something special?" Hearing this, Kira suddenly recalled the escape pod he had encountered earlier.
Could this Gene unit be searching for that escape pod?
But an escape pod that warranted the ZAFT Forces specifically dispatching a Gene to search for it?
"I understand." Kira quickly explained the earlier encounter with the escape pod, adding with great seriousness, "Brother Wang Hu, I think the person inside that escape pod must be extraordinary. I suggest having Captain Li Chengzhi prepare soldiers."
"We should restrain them the moment they emerge from the escape pod!"
"Alright, alright."
The corner of Wang Hu's eye twitched incessantly. Faced with this seemingly transformed Kira, he momentarily didn't know how to respond.
Perhaps when Her Excellency the songstress appears, Kira might hold a gun to her forehead?
Wang Hu shook his head, dismissing the image from his mind—mainly because the scene was too surreal to believe.
Suspiciously observing Wang Hu's unusually poor performance today, Kira opened his mouth to ask if Wang Hu was feeling unwell somewhere.
But upon second thought, Kira worried that the escape pod might drift away from its originally marked coordinates if he delayed too long.
Suppressing his doubts, Kira piloted the Strike Gundam to swiftly turn around and head toward the marked location of the escape pod.
"This kid." Watching Kira's hurried departure, Wang Hu felt great anticipation for the upcoming spectacle.
Later, as he towed the Gene back to the Archangel's hangar, Wang Hu saw Li Chengzhi and Natarle Badgiruel arriving with soldiers and said, "Prepare yourselves, we'll have guests soon."
"Guests?"
Immediately, Li Chengzhi and Natarle Badgiruel divided tasks efficiently. The diligent female lieutenant led her team to surround the two-seater Gene, while Li Chengzhi approached Wang Hu and asked in confusion, "What guests?"
Wang Hu playfully winked at his friend, embodying the demeanor of a riddler. "How would I know exactly who? But most likely, it's the person this Gene was searching for."
Hearing this, Li Chengzhi clutched his throbbing head, deeply annoyed by Wang Hu's occasional mischievous antics.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Just as Natarle Badgiruel directed the ship's technicians to forcibly open the Gene's cockpit door and captured two Coordinator soldiers, a scene reminiscent of their time in Heliopolis unfolded: Kira, piloting the Strike Gundam, brought back another escape pod from outside.
"Kira." Gazing at the young man descending from the Strike Gundam, Natarle Badgiruel was at a loss for words.
How does this kid always manage to bring back something inexplicable every time he goes out?
Then, glancing back at Wang Hu, who seemed ready to enjoy the spectacle, Natarle took a deep breath, feeling a faint headache coming on.
That guy definitely knows something! But he won't say a word! How infuriating!
"Lieutenant Badgiruel, please arrange for some soldiers to surround this escape pod!"
Approaching Lieutenant Badgiruel, Kira earnestly repeated the same words he had earlier said to Wang Hu.
"Uh." Dazed for a moment, Natarle looked at the young man before her and felt an inexplicable sense of powerlessness growing stronger.
"You already knew there might be something troublesome inside, yet you still brought it home?"
Anticipating a major headache, Natarle Badgiruel weakly gestured for a few of their own soldiers who were surrounding the two Coordinator soldiers to come over.
But before Natarle and the others could take further action, the two Coordinator soldiers, who had previously worn expressions of grim determination, suddenly became agitated.
Under the threat of gun muzzles and the watchful eyes of the Atlantic Federation soldiers—who were notoriously hostile toward Coordinators—they positioned themselves as if ready to die defending the escape pod.
"Damn Allied Forces, you can't touch that escape pod!"
Taking advantage of a moment of inattention, the two Coordinator soldiers broke through the Archangel soldiers' encirclement, shouting threats as they desperately ran for their lives.
"Wang Hu, who exactly is inside?!"
Seeing this, Li Chengzhi could no longer focus on watching their soldiers play a game of cat and mouse. He abruptly turned to Wang Hu.
And Wang Hu?
He was staring at Kira, who had drawn his gun and was standing right at the entrance of the escape pod.
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