"Master Wang, what do you mean by that?"
Su Shuang's emotions fluctuated at Wang Hu's words, and he immediately jumped to his feet.
"Do you think I would betray you, Master Wang? Or do you think I, Su Shuang, am a cowardly person afraid of trouble?"
"If I had any intention of reporting Master Wang, or if I were too timid to shelter Master Wang, may I be struck dead by five thunderbolts the moment I step outside."
"No, that's not what I meant."
Seeing Su Shuang getting worked up, Wang Hu merely fixed him with a steady gaze.
Although the other party still appeared resentful and unsettled, he eventually sat back down.
"I mean that with the reinforcements from Zhang Hong and He Juntu, it's time to appropriately launch some operations."
"Seeking peace through peace leads to the demise of peace, while seeking peace through war ensures its preservation."
"We can't always remain passive and take hits. If we can accomplish something inspiring, it will not only benefit our thirty-six allies."
"But also serve as encouragement for the masses who sympathize with our cause."
"Oh?" Realizing he had misunderstood Wang Hu's intention, Su Shuang lowered his head in embarrassment under the other's generous gaze.
However, the idea of appropriately counterattacking the lackeys of the eunuchs and powerful nobles had been supported by most allies before.
Why had Wang Hu disagreed then, but now agreed with the addition of Zhang Hong and He Juntu?
Could it be that these two seemingly ordinary and unremarkable individuals possessed some special qualities?
With this thought, Su Shuang raised his head again, looking at the two with curious and scrutinizing eyes.
"Young Master Su, rest assured. When it comes to combat prowess, I have some confidence in my abilities."
Noticing Su Shuang's gaze, Zhang Hong immediately patted his chest and gave his guarantee.
He was quite interested in engaging with this world's military forces.
Actually confronting the enemy would facilitate our side's assessment of their combat capabilities, wouldn't it?
"In that case, I'll entrust this matter entirely to you."
Su Shuang replied with mixed doubt and belief, then after a moment's thought added.
"Though I lack talent, my family possesses modest resources. Whether it's our Federation's standard equipment, the Steel Skull,"
"Or Britannia's Fourth Generation Knightmare Glasgow, or even the Fifth Generation Sunderland,"
"I can acquire them. I just don't know which type of unit Brother Zhang Hong excels at piloting?"
"Should I arrange to get a few units in advance for you to familiarize yourself with?"
"No need." Zhang Hong waved his hand dismissively, scoffing at the current standard equipment of this world's Chinese Federation, the Steel Skull.
If not for the influence of the Neutron Jammer in his own world, the East Asian Army would never have developed humanoid weapons like Mobile Suits.
Who would have thought that coming to this world, where no equivalent of the Neutron Jammer exists,
The Britannian Empire would still take the lead in developing humanoid combat weapons similar to MS, called Knightmares.
And that a combat style with two legs and two guide wheels, resembling roller skating, could actually defeat the king of land warfare—the tank?
That alone was baffling enough.
Even more ridiculous was that the prestigious Chinese tradition now featured the Gacha Eye.
The Zhonghua Federation of this world failed to grasp the essence even when copying, attempting to develop humanoid combat weapons inspired by the Britannian Empire's Knightmares.
Yet they ended up creating such an awkward hybrid as the Steel Skull.
Call it a Knightmare?
It does bear some resemblance.
But with two legs plus two guide wheels, topped with a crab-shell-like head.
Its most distinctive feature is replacing mechanical hands with four Anti-Knightmare Rifles.
Publicly claiming to pursue stability and amphibious capabilities—then why not simply mount the rifles on tanks instead?
In terms of stability and amphibious capacity, tanks would undoubtedly be more reliable than this top-heavy Steel Skull contraption.
Noticing Zhang Hong's disdain for Knightmares, Su Shuang furrowed his brow.
Limited by the constraints of this world, he began to doubt the reliability of Zhang Hong—whom Wang Hu regarded highly and relied upon as a key subordinate.
His estimation of He Juntu, who carried himself like a military strategist nearby, also dropped considerably.
But perhaps out of consideration for Wang Hu's presence, Su Shuang couldn't openly voice his concerns.
Just as he was about to offer indirect advice, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the octagonal pavilion in the garden where they were conversing.
"What is it? Can't you see I'm hosting important guests? Didn't I instruct you not to disturb us unless necessary?"
Hearing the commotion outside, the already displeased Su Shuang rose angrily and stepped out.
"Trouble, young master! The government's hounds have surrounded our estate!"
"I went out to check—the Adhesive Rod Agency's claws are everywhere outside the grounds."
"And not just that—rumor has it many Steel Skulls are heading this way too!"
The servant, chastised by Su Shuang, spoke urgently.
At this news, Su Shuang's face paled dramatically, turning ashen.
Inside, Zhang Hong and the others twitched nervously, though Wang Hu showed no particular reaction.
He Juntu glanced at Wang Hu, then began calculating their next move.
"My apologies, Master Wang."
After dismissing the servant to mobilize the estate's defenses for violent resistance against the government forces, Su Shuang reentered and immediately attempted to kneel in a deep bow to express his remorse.
He had just sworn that Wang Hu would be safe under his protection, and now this humiliating reversal had occurred.
Not only was he deeply ashamed, but he also feared Wang Hu might suspect him of betrayal.
The latter worry was something Su Shuang would rather die than bear.
"I trust you."
Before Su Shuang's knees could touch the ground, Wang Hu caught him by the arms, preventing the kneeling motion.
His eyes filled with unwavering trust, Wang Hu spoke calmly.
"Now, send someone to inform the hounds outside that you coincidentally uncovered my whereabouts."
"Then say you've captured me through clever means and are preparing to hand me over to the authorities for the reward."
"How could I do that?" Struggling repeatedly to kneel but overpowered by Wang Hu's strength, Su Shuang grew more agitated.
Hearing Wang Hu's suggestion while being physically restrained, Su Shuang widened his bronze-bell eyes, refusing to comply even at the cost of death.
"Yes, this would indeed preserve my family's legacy, and might even turn misfortune into blessing by securing an official position."
But having done such a thing, Su Shuang could hardly imagine how the world would view him afterward.
"I'm not asking you to become a traitor." Wang Hu saw through Su Shuang's thoughts at a glance and continued persuading him. "I simply wish to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. Having you, Su Shuang, sacrifice your family fortune to follow me in this hardship goes against my original intentions, yet circumstances seem to leave us no alternative."
Righteousness! Su Shuang's eyes welled up with tears at Wang Hu's words. He became even more determined in his heart to resist the government's lackeys to the end, even if it meant ruining his family.
"Young Master Su, I believe you should follow Master Wang's instructions," He Juntu spoke up. Meeting Su Shuang's furious gaze, he slowly expressed his opinion. "Master Wang isn't planning to surrender without a fight. With us here, the government's lackeys cannot harm him."
"How could I agree!" The furious Su Shuang declared they were all villains trying to harm Wang Hu. He would never yield.
"This is an order."
Seeing the deadlock persist, Wang Hu had no choice but to adopt the authoritative demeanor of a master, firmly pressing Su Shuang to comply.
"Fine." Eventually, Su Shuang reluctantly went out, prepared to convey Wang Hu's instructions. Before leaving, he shot a fierce glare at the eager Zhang Hong and the confident He Juntu, convinced their arrival had led to Wang Hu's information being leaked.
"Don't mind Su Shuang's attitude."
After Su Shuang left, Wang Hu smiled and said, "I'll leave the rest to you all."
"Alright, leave it to me," Zhang Hong agreed readily.
"You trust us that easily?"
He Juntu picked up his tea and took a small sip.
"You're the reinforcements sent by CE Wang Hu. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"
Answering with a question, Wang Hu stood up, solemnly cupped his hands in a salute to both men, and then walked out. Since they were pretending to be captured, they had to make it convincing—not so fake that people would see through it immediately.
"Take action, Zhang Hong. Make this world's first battle a splendid one."
Watching Wang Hu depart with such ease and complete trust, He Juntu lifted his eyelids. "You see it, don't you? This Mr. Wang Hu commands high prestige in this world. What he lacks is overwhelming military support."
"Actually, if he truly acted recklessly, without external pressure, armed seizure of power through civil war might not be without chance of success."
"Hmm." Zhang Hong nodded. "So he wants to go to Area 11 to find that girl named Karen."
"Precisely to make up for that military shortcoming."
"Pretty much." He Juntu set down his teacup and stood up. "Based on current known data, Karen and Kururugi Suzaku represent the pinnacle of combat power in this world."
"If they perform beyond their usual level, they might even possess the ability to single-handedly turn the tide of battle, similar to Captain Kirin Wang Hu."
"But Zhang Hong, with your Mobile Suit, you're definitely not inferior to either Karen or Suzaku."
"Of course."
Walking over to He Juntu's side, Zhang Hong looked out the window at Wang Hu, who was rolling on the ground a few times, covering himself in dust and still not done.
Wang Hu struck himself several more times with the stick, and Zhang Hong's impression of this man was somewhat complicated.
It's difficult for an ordinary person to comprehend the weight of such trust until they truly encounter someone who entrusts their entire being to you.
And Wang Hu before him was precisely the kind of person who made one feel the heaviness of trust.
However, with the Liu Bei Template looming ahead, Zhang Hong, who knew about this matter, also felt a trace of complexity in his heart.
He was afraid of one thing—authenticity.
The corner of his eye twitching slightly as he watched Wang Hu mercilessly striking himself, Zhang Hong suddenly asked, "Is it fake or real?"
Raising an eyebrow, He Juntu understood what his companion was asking.
Mainly because the eunuchs' claws seemed to arrive too conveniently, and both of them, knowing the inside story, couldn't help but suspect the possibility that Wang Hu had orchestrated this himself.
It was inevitable.
"Does it matter if it's real or fake?"
He Juntu watched as Su Shuang, tears in her eyes, grabbed Wang Hu and, surrounded by servants, ushered him toward the door.
"A person's actions should be judged by their deeds, not their intentions. At least in my view, Su Shuang is a person of considerable wealth."
"If he were to stop at nothing to achieve his goals, he could simply destroy his family to relieve the crisis."
"But Mr. Wang Hu did not choose to do so, whether it's an act or part of some other plan."
"Let's just follow and observe. Besides, our temporary goal is to help him seize hegemony for the Chinese nation in this world."
"To allow the East Asian Alliance's influence to penetrate. If he has ulterior motives, it will eventually come to light."
"Additionally..."
At this point, He Juntu turned to Zhang Hong beside him and asked, "Search your heart—have you sensed anything named hypocrisy in him?"
"It's easy for one person to deceive another, but it's hard to deceive countless people."
"I know there was a time when everyone had a poor impression of Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms, thinking he was hypocritically benevolent and righteous."
"But think about it: could he have made Prime Minister Zhuge give his all till his dying day? Could he have made Jiang Wei of Tianshui, who never even met the former lord,"
"devote his entire life to the restoration of the Han dynasty? Were all the people of that era fools?"
"Ha, understood." Zhang Hong lowered his head in silence for a moment, then raised it and walked toward the door.
His own Mobile Suit, in Mirage Mode, was waiting for him in a corner of the garden.
For this world's first battle, Zhang Hong was determined to give the world a real eye-opener.
After all, how could a 20-meter-tall MS from the East Asian Alliance possibly lose to a mere 5-meter-tall Gang Ku?
If his performance were even slightly lacking, Zhang Hong would never forgive himself.
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