"Commander? The enemy is attacking!"
Even the feigned composure on the face of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Arsida could no longer be maintained.
Watching the Moebius Machine Group rapidly disintegrate under the Coordinators' assault like spring snow melting away,
And seeing large groups of ZAFT Forces' Mobile Suits flying unimpeded toward the fleet's main formation,
Panic became utterly uncontrollable, rising from within him and clearly displayed on his face.
"What did the East Asian Army say?"
Not only was the Deputy Foreign Minister of Arsida beside him panicking, but the commander of this fleet was also deeply unsettled.
In fact, from the very beginning of the battle, facing the overwhelmingly superior ZAFT Forces, his heart had sunk to the depths.
In the past, their Allied Forces had outnumbered the enemy several times over, yet were still beaten mercilessly by the Coordinators. Now that they were the weaker side, how could they possibly fare well against ZAFT in a direct confrontation?
"They said they'll fight to the death!"
Upon hearing his superior's question, the communications officer immediately contacted their East Asian Army allies and soon replied with a grim expression.
"How can this be?" Stunned by this thunderbolt-like response, the vanguard commander was left speechless.
Wasn't it originally agreed?
That ZAFT's mobile forces had been nearly wiped out at the Artemis Fortress?
After successive losses, the Coordinators had almost no troops left for the landing operation.
This was supposed to be a smooth, glorified mission—just retrieve the Archangel, and he could get promoted and enriched!
Lost in a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts, the commander still couldn't comprehend why fate had been so fickle.
But the Coordinator soldiers outside wouldn't slow their advance just because of his lamentations.
Led by Creuset, 30 Mobile Suits pressed forward without hesitation, already closing in on the vanguard formation arranged in a box formation.
"Attack." Creuset, now piloting the advanced Gouf Ignited, curled the corner of his mouth beneath his mask.
Sensing that electrifying feeling in his mind, Creuset knew clearly that his old friend would arrive soon.
But before he arrived, Creuset was determined to leave him with a memory he would never forget!
To make him feel the agony of arriving a step too late, unable to avert tragedy!
"Go to hell and curse Wang Hu!"
Creuset laughed heartily as the Wired Dragoons on his back launched into the air.
Against the backdrop of 30 Mobile Suits raising their Beam Rifles, Creuset, who had repeatedly suffered defeats at Wang Hu's hands, was preparing a list of welcoming gifts for his old friend.
However...
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of Beam Rifles echoed inside the Gouf Ignited's cockpit.
This was due to the stubbornness of Coordinator technicians—after all, sound couldn't travel in space.
But these stubborn Coordinator technicians insisted on installing such gadgets in Mobile Suits. Yet, it was thanks to these very gadgets
That Creuset managed to evade the Beam attacks raining down on him in time.
Pulling the control stick, he gracefully maneuvered the Gouf Ignited to dodge the ambusher's surprise attack.
"Wang Hu is already here?" With a slight trace of doubt in his expression, Creuset once again analyzed the sensation in his mind.
Clearly, that feeling which might be Wang Hu indicated he was still some distance away!
"Who are you?" Raising his head, Creuset finally got a clear view of the ambusher - it was unmistakably a Qilin that blended perfectly with the cosmic blackness.
Had the Allied Forces already begun mass-producing this type of mobile armor with such high operational requirements?
Creuset's temple twitched involuntarily at this thought - this was definitely not good news for him!
"Hello, Mr. Rau Le Creuset. I'm Zhang Hong from the Third Division of the East Asian Nova Training Corps. It's an honor to meet you here."
A confident voice transmitted through the communication channel into Creuset's cockpit.
If Murrue and the others were here, they would definitely recognize from this voice that the newcomer was precisely the man whom Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi would avoid like the plague!
"Another prodigy from the East Asian Army?"
Creuset's expression turned serious. With Wang Hu's precedent clearly established, and the East Asian Army being the undeniable backbone of the Allied Forces...
Plus, this guy before him could pilot the same model of MA as Wang Hu!
By any reasonable estimate, the opponent must be at least an ace pilot!
"In that case..."
Glancing at the four battleships that could be taken down at any moment, Creuset decided it was more important to prioritize eliminating the East Asian Army's ace first.
"P1 to P30, assume combat formation! Target: East Asian Army MA Qilin!"
"Understood, Captain Creuset!"
Responding in unison, these elite Coordinator soldiers transferred from PLANT's homeland defense fleet quickly arranged themselves into formation.
Simply described, it resembled the Allied Forces' vanguard before them - also a square box formation.
"Hmm?" Zhang Hong in the black Qilin was quite surprised.
Judging by their formation, they must have been thoroughly disciplined by our Captain Wang Hu before.
Otherwise, in the past, Coordinators never missed an opportunity to mock the Allied Forces' cumbersome box formation.
Why would they employ the tactics of those foolish Naturals they used to look down upon when facing him today?
But admittedly, the formation adopted by the ZAFT Forces' Mobile Suits before Zhang Hong was indeed more reasonable than the Allied Forces' box formation.
The 31 Mobile Suits formed a regular square with considerable spacing between units. Taking advantage of space's zero-gravity environment, they ensured each side had sufficient firepower configuration.
Rather than simply clustering together densely, they actually formed a hollow square matrix, with Creuset's Gouf Ignited positioned in the center for immediate support.
This arrangement not only provided sufficient evasion space between units but also allowed relatively blind spot-free detection of the Qilin's most threatening remote-controlled Beam Cannons!
This guaranteed that no matter which direction the Qilin approached from, the Genes would detect it immediately.
Additionally, these Genes and CGUEs were equipped with shields - a configuration rarely seen in ZAFT Forces' Mobile Suits before.
"I don't have Captain Wang Hu's capabilities."After analyzing the opponent's intentions, Zhang Hong complained to himself about why he had to encounter such a tricky problem right from his debut."
Being able to pilot the Qilin was one thing, but mastering the four wire-guided beam pods mounted on the mobile suit was entirely another.
Most crucially, there was a world of difference between bullying rookies and gnawing on tough bones.
However,
"Zhang Hong of the Third Training Unit, East Asian Nova Garrison, reporting for battle!"
To retreat without even fighting just because the enemy looked formidable at a glance?
Sorry, but that wasn't the East Asian Army's style!
So he slammed the accelerator, and the black-painted Qilin charged headfirst into the challenge.
Even if it meant breaking all his teeth, he had to make the Coordinators understand the spirit of the East Asian Army.
"Whew." Thinking his fleet was done for, who would have expected another Qilin to emerge from the East Asian Army at this critical moment?
Watching that mobile suit—now synonymous with elite ace pilots—charge toward the main Coordinator forces, both the commander of the vanguard fleet flagship and Vice Foreign Minister Arsida felt a wave of relief.
"Truly worthy of the East Asian Army—the core pillar of our forces lives up to its reputation."
Wiping sweat from his brow, Vice Minister Arsida threw political correctness to the wind, heaping praise without restraint.
Yet, perhaps because political correctness was ingrained in his bones, his words surprisingly left no room for criticism.
"Indeed."
As it turned out, people often overthink things—the vanguard commander, not even considering that angle, wholeheartedly agreed.
"Daring to pilot the same machine as the legendary Qilin, Lieutenant Zhang Hong must be an exceptional pilot as well, right?"
"Absolutely, absolutely." Vice Minister Arsida watched with eager anticipation, ready to witness a resounding victory.
But reality proved harsh. Despite Zhang Hong's grand entrance and perfect timing, he dashed their hopes.
The Qilin circled the box formation of Mobile Suits once, then lunged from an angle so cunning that even layman like Vice Minister Arsida couldn't help but applaud.
Deploying the four wire-guided beam pods from its frame, it unleashed a torrent of beam fire—
Yet not a single shot connected!
"How is this possible?" Rubbing his eyes, Vice Minister Arsida wore an expression of utter disbelief.
In his view, while it made sense for the ZAFT Mobile Suits on the attacked side to evade Lieutenant Zhang Hong's beam assault, the other MS units instantly dispersed and regrouped, dodging his attacks entirely.
Then, they swiftly reformed into an impenetrable wall.
Immediately, they retaliated with several times the firepower, overwhelming Zhang Hong's Qilin!
Left with no choice, Zhang Hong's Qilin could only weave frantically through the dense hail of gunfire.
It was a clear case of being outmatched from the very first engagement.
"What... what's going on here?"
Turning sharply, Arsida questioned the professional beside him—the vanguard commander.
"There's... there's no helping it."
Stammering slightly, the vanguard commander's emotions had similarly rollercoastered.
"The enemy devised specific tactics tailored to counter the Qilin. In truth, Lieutenant Zhang Hong has performed admirably, living up to his reputation as an ace pilot."
Hasn't he, though?
The vanguard commander's words were not wrong, and there was one more thing he didn't know.
The pilots of the 30 Mobile Suits currently ganging up on Zhang Hong were all elite Green Coats, with many even being Red Uniform squad leaders.
These configurations were originally prepared for Wang Hu, who had become a thorn in the Coordinators' side.
Using them against Zhang Hong now was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—a complete waste of talent!
"So this is all there is to it."
From the rear, inside the Gouf Ignited, Creuset watched as the East Asian Army's Qilin struggled desperately under the assault of the Mobile Suit forces he had trained. He let out a hearty laugh.
A sense of satisfaction, as if vengeance was soon to be his, surged within him.
It was worth enduring Patrick's harsh scolding and the pressure of exaggerating Wang Hu's threat level.
Only then had he managed to pull an elite unit from the critically important homeland defense forces!
"You're next, Wang Hu!"
Sensing the increasingly close presence in his mind—the person represented by that intuition, as if they would appear at any moment—Creuset smiled and deployed the Wired Dragoons on his back once more.
He intended to seize the perfect moment, striking down the enemy before him the instant Wang Hu made his grand entrance.
He wanted Wang Hu to witness his ally die by his hand, filled with regret for being just a hair too late to save them!
"Perish, Wang Hu!"
Treating the Qilin piloted by Zhang Hong before him as his old rival Wang Hu, Creuset in the Gouf Ignited decided to use this enemy as a rehearsal.
It would serve as a warm-up for the upcoming battle, since after today, Wang Hu would be gone forever!
(End of Chapter)