"Mhm, mhm." Hearing his master's words, Liu Peiqiang—who hadn't yet become independent enough to stand on his own—what else
"Master, master!"
Seeing this, Liu Peiqiang hurriedly stepped forward to restrain his master. While the outside was dangerous, their own people couldn't start fighting among themselves first.
"I understand."
Getting up and patting the anxious Zhang Peng, Wang Hu walked toward the rear of the shuttle.
"Don't panic, it's alright."
Before leaving, Wang Hu also comforted everyone except Lelouch.
"Oh, and Lelouch, when you see the right opportunity, have the shuttle return to Zhu Long's hangar."
"Understood."
Waving his hand dismissively, Lelouch focused intently on watching the Mobile Suit combat of this world.
Compared to the Knightmare Frames from his world, the Gundams of this world had their own unique charm.
"Where is he going?"
The now-calm Zhang Peng looked surprised as Wang Hu disappeared from view.
Zhang Peng couldn't understand what the other intended to do?
What was there at the rear of this shuttle? Nothing at all!
"Could it be...?"
A scene flashed through Mu's mind like lightning - he remembered what had happened earlier with the Eighth Fleet's advance team.
"No way, no way?"
Exclaiming in exaggerated surprise, Mu rushed to look out through the shuttle's side windows.
Sure enough, at one of the rear windows, Mu spotted Wang Hu wearing a space suit, propelled by miniature thrusters, currently flying toward the Zhu Long!
"Athrun!" Nicol called out from within the Destiny Gundam.
While Zhang Peng on the shuttle was anxious, unbeknownst to him, Nicol - one of the two Red Uniforms from the dominant ZAFT Forces - was equally anxious.
Having sortied from the capital satellite with his friend Athrun in their Gundams, they had initially circled around outside for a long time without finding the mothership of the East Asian Army's infiltration force.
Fortunately, Nicol had experience piloting the Blitz Gundam. After failing to locate the enemy multiple times, he recalled the Mirage Colloid System equipped on the Blitz Gundam.
Speculating that the enemy might have applied that type of system to their entire battleship, he decided to give it a try and, after some effort...
Fortunately, heaven rewards the diligent - they finally located the Zhu Long.
At this point, Nicol thought they should be able to quickly shoot down the Zhu Long, but the result surprised him.
The Freedom Gundam that should have been on their side, now controlled by that third party called Kira, was displaying astonishing combat capability. Combined with that new enemy battleship...
The scattered wreckage of Genes and GuAIZs floating everywhere around them was the answer the enemy had provided.
Forced into this situation, the two of them actually had to call for more reinforcements!
What a slap in the face - it stung badly!
Nicol's face beneath his full-coverage helmet burned with shame.
"I know, I know."
Fully absorbed in combat, Athrun's tone couldn't help but carry some urgency.
His eyes closely tracking the Freedom Gundam, the Justice Gundam's attacks became even faster.
In reality, while Athrun and Nicol were both astonished by the combat prowess displayed by the combination of Zhu Long and Freedom Gundam...
Zhu Long and Freedom Gundam were also approaching their limits.
Natarle Badgiruel and Li Chengzhi together had practically squeezed out every last bit of Zhu Long's potential.
As for Kira, it couldn't even be called overperforming - it had to be described as super-overperforming.
However, one cannot make bricks without straw. Maintaining the current situation was already quite difficult.
On the bridge, Natarle Badgiruel stared at the display screen showing the newly arrived ZAFT Forces reinforcements in the distance. Even if she was unwilling to admit it, the facts were right before her eyes.
Once the enemy's fresh troops entered the battlefield, given how long the battle had been raging—whether it was Kira or this ship—our severely depleted forces would likely be doomed!
Taking a deep breath, Natarle Badgiruel's dictionary had no room for the word "surrender."
Her spirits only faltered for a moment before she threw herself back into the fight with full concentration.
But while Natarle Badgiruel could choose to ignore the potentially tragic outcome, Li Chengzhi could not do the same.
Also watching the two elite enemy units engaged with the Freedom Gundam, and then glancing at the fresh enemy forces approaching from afar, Li Chengzhi unbuckled his safety harness and stood up, heading toward the hangar.
"What are you planning to do, Colonel Li Chengzhi?"
Seeing this, Natarle Badgiruel suddenly called out to stop him.
"There are still Mobile Suits on the battleship. However, due to the specificity of this mission, the originally assigned pilots have all gone to the satellite."
"But I can also pilot a Mobile Suit into battle. There are no amateurs in the Uprising Army."
Without turning his head, Li Chengzhi continued walking, his steps unwavering.
"Are you going to pilot that unit?"
Instead of trying to stop him, Natarle Badgiruel watched Li Chengzhi's retreating back and posed her question indirectly.
Most ordinary women might have acted sentimentally at such a moment, but Natarle Badgiruel never would. She merely offered her suggestion in a roundabout way.
"That unit?"
At this, Li Chengzhi paused mid-step. Of course, he knew which unit she was referring to.
The uniqueness of this mission lay precisely here.
The original plan was not only to rendezvous with Lacus but also to deal with the Coordinator's ultimate weapon, Genesis.
Therefore, this ship was equipped with a unit that demanded extremely high piloting skills.
To ensure the mission's success rate, that unit was intended to be piloted by Wang Hu.
"I'll give it a try."
Hesitating for a few seconds, Li Chengzhi turned back and stared at the screen displaying the battle situation. He felt that although his skills might not match Wang Hu's, if he pushed himself to the limit, he could probably hold out until they reached their destination.
Even if they ultimately failed to complete the mission, at least he could help alleviate some of the pressure on the Zhu Long and Kira in the Freedom Gundam.
Having made up his mind, Li Chengzhi resumed walking.
Behind him, Natarle Badgiruel silently watched as Li Chengzhi was about to leave the bridge. Her eyes flickered—how could she not foresee the possible outcome and what Li Chengzhi was thinking at this moment? Yet, in the end, Natarle Badgiruel said nothing.
Turning back, she prepared to devote all her energy to the battle once more.
But just as the two were on the verge of a life-or-death parting, a voice that utterly astonished them came through the communications channel.
"Prepare that unit for me. I'll be there shortly."
"Wang Hu?"
Everyone exclaimed in unison. No one on the bridge could have expected that Wang Hu, who should have been in the satellite, would appear here.
How had he managed to return to the Zhu Long?
"Wang Hu!"
Rushing swiftly to the command console, Li Chengzhi deftly adjusted the display screen's perspective based on the coordinates from the communication.
Soon, Li Chengzhi spotted his friend, clad in a space suit, navigating through countless debris as he approached the Zhu Long.
"You bastard!"
All the words in his heart condensed into this single phrase, and Li Chengzhi laughed.
Just thinking about the dangers Wang Hu might encounter on his return journey was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat.
Even if the miniature thrusters had sufficient range, how many people in this world would dare to attempt such a feat!
Back when the Creuset team infiltrated Heliopolis using similar methods, it certainly wasn't amidst an active battlefield.
"Stop being so dramatic." Wang Hu's voice continued through the comms.
On the screen, Wang Hu had already reached the Zhu Long. As everyone on the bridge watched his approach, one dangerous situation after another unfolded before their eyes.
"Understood."
With slightly reddened eyes, Li Chengzhi activated the hangar comms. Under his direction, maintenance crew sent a heavily-built mobile suit onto the catapult runway.
This machine differed from the Allied Forces' usual design philosophy, bearing some resemblance to the enemy ZAFT Forces' style instead.
Designed around the concept of a heavy mobile suit, this model was a special attack-type MS featuring heavy armor and heavy weaponry.
To accommodate a particular weapon system, this model was equipped with only two 60mm Vulcan Cannons for self-defense and a Beam Saber.
Particularly eye-catching were the massive shield and the movable 'FTB' components housing three large thrusters mounted on both shoulders.
Though the entire machine appeared bulky and oddly-shaped, it relied on the exceptional performance of the 'FTB' system.
Any enemy who assumed this machine would be sluggish, moving as slow as a turtle with sloth-like turning speed that would try one's patience...
Such opponents would be in for a big surprise.
With the assistance of the 'FTB', this model possessed high rotational performance allowing it to turn without shifting its center of gravity.
The power provided by the three thrusters gave this model exceptional acceleration.
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