The scattered ZAFT Forces Coordinator soldiers recalled something.
Since Wang Hu's debut, in every battle large or small where he faced allied forces,
survivors were extremely rare.
Thus, over time, a rule emerged: anyone who survived a direct confrontation with Wang Hu
would immediately be promoted by one rank on the spot!
As for why it wasn't three ranks, don't blame the ZAFT Forces leadership for being stingy.
Because ZAFT Forces only have Green Coats, Red Uniforms, and White Uniforms.
Above that are Brown Uniforms and Purple Uniforms.
If someone like Captain Creuset in his White Uniform...
were promoted three ranks, what would happen to Chairman Patrick?
Now, facing the enemy charging toward them, the Coordinator soldiers who voluntarily stepped forward to delay Wang Hu finally understood the origin of this special order.
Earlier, two Red Uniforms piloting advanced mobile suits had demonstrated the outcome, followed by a stubborn comrade who once again proved Wang Hu was invincible.
How could these soldiers piloting Genes and GuAIZs still have the courage to challenge Wang Hu?
Led by the most psychologically resilient comrade, the soldiers instantly dispersed their mobile suits, afraid to cluster together.
Like scattered stars in the sky, they kept their distance, daring only to harass and contain Wang Hu with beam rifles.
For a moment, the battlefield seemed fiercely engaged, but only those present truly knew—
especially these Coordinator soldiers in the fight—they were the most aware.
Isn't there an old saying?
I don't need to run faster than the tiger; I just need to run faster than my comrades.
As most of them thought, excluding the comrade who died instantly upon contact,
there were still 31 mobile suits on the scene. No matter how valiant Wang Hu was, with everyone spread across the vastness of space,
it would take him considerable time to destroy them one by one, right?
During that time, as long as the comrades attacking the enemy battleship could complete their mission,
this operation would be considered a complete success!
Thus, if they could just outlive their comrades, they would emerge victorious and return with honors.
It must be said, after being repeatedly dominated in battle, the Coordinators—who once thought they were the greatest—
had now developed remarkable insight.
They were no longer in the state they were at the start of the war, where they believed all Naturals except themselves were trash.
Though this was only when facing the East Asian Army and Wang Hu.
"Oh, getting clever, are they?"
With just a glance at the Coordinators' positioning and their constant, unceasing movement,
the clever Wang Hu guessed their plan. He looked down at the console screen,
shaking his head in regret that the mobile suit he piloted had only one long-range weapon.
"Lucky for you."
He then glanced back at the allied mobile suits launching from the Zhu Long to assist him. Wang Hu didn't linger to engage these 'clever' Coordinator soldiers further.
Pushing the GP02 to its maximum speed, he casually eliminated two or three unlucky souls on his forward path.
Soon, the massive silhouette of the machine piloted by Wang Hu vanished from the battlefield.
"He's gone?"
The Coordinator soldiers who had been preparing to delay Wang Hu blinked in disbelief, one after another wearing expressions of incredulity.
What was going on?
None of them showed disappointment over their failed containment mission due to Wang Hu's departure. Instead, each of them breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate to have survived.
"That Wang Hu was driven back by us—he fled!"
Some quick-witted Coordinator soldiers shouted triumphantly over the internal comms channel.
Right—upon hearing these exclamations, even the slower-reacting soldiers grasped the implication. If Wang Hu had left voluntarily, it would mean they had failed to stop him, resulting in a mission failure and a significant black mark on their records. But if they claimed Wang Hu had been repelled by their efforts... well, whether command believed it or not, it certainly sounded better. With just this slight twist, it became a commendable achievement worthy of recognition!
Soon, every surviving Coordinator soldier on the scene caught on to this clever reasoning. Without exception, they all adopted smug, self-congratulatory attitudes over the comms, posing as the heroes who had repelled the infamous Wang Hu—the very name that struck fear into PLANT's heart.
"Commander, what about the situation over there?"
On the bridge of the flagship in the ZAFT reinforcement fleet dispatched to attack the Zhu Long, the adjutant gestured subtly toward the soldiers who had been engaging Wang Hu, hinting at how to handle their report.
"Hmm."
The fleet commander was no fool. He could clearly tell that Wang Hu had disdained to prolong the skirmish with those soldiers—it wasn't a case of him being driven off in defeat. However, after assessing the Zhu Long, the infiltrator vessel from the East Asian Alliance, and the four Mobile Suits that had just launched from it, he weighed the combat capabilities of both sides. Considering the upcoming battle and prioritizing both caution and his own position and reputation, he made a decision.
"Since Wang Hu has been repelled by our valiant ZAFT Forces' homeland defense fleet," he declared, "let those soldiers be credited with a merit."
With this artful spin, what was essentially a mission failure was transformed into a resounding victory. The commander tacitly endorsed the soldiers' little ruse.
Then, shifting gears, he ordered, "Have the rear troops hurry over. No matter what, we must sink the enemy infiltrators' mothership."
"Understood."
The adjutant immediately grasped his commander's underlying motives. If the repulsion of Wang Hu was officially recognized, every member of the fleet—from top to bottom—would share in the glory. Even higher-ups in the homeland defense fleet might reap benefits. It was a win-win situation for all involved.
Given that, why make trouble? The adjutant swallowed the words he'd been about to utter—a suggestion to report Wang Hu's unknown whereabouts to headquarters and warn all fleets to stay vigilant. Instead, he cleared his throat and promptly relayed the commander's orders to the Coordinator soldiers in the rear.
To further cement the narrative of Wang Hu's repulsion, the adjutant sought the commander's approval before engaging the Zhu Long, ensuring the "achievement" was firmly established.
He then made slight modifications to the military report to be transmitted to the headquarters.
Thus, the rear military headquarters received a report stating that Wang Hu had been defeated by superior forces and, seeing the situation as hopeless, had fled alone in his mobile suit!
"Advance."
After the adjutant handled some trivial matters, the commander waved his hand and ordered the entire force to press forward. With the enemy gone, how much longer could Wang Hu hold out?
Watch me shoot all of you down!
"Lieutenant Colonel Li Chengzhi, piloting the high-speed assault Zeta Gundam, you are responsible for charging the enemy's MS unit and splitting them apart as much as possible."
"Major Mu, piloting the Air Combat Type Strike Gundam, you will assist Lieutenant Colonel Li Chengzhi."
"Major Zhang Peng, piloting the Jeda, and Captain Liu Peiqiang, you are responsible for eliminating and driving away any isolated enemy MS approaching our battleship."
"Captain Kira, piloting the Freedom Gundam, your machine possesses superior firepower."
"Use your firepower to control the entire battlefield and force the enemy MS and battleships to align along this trajectory!"
Overstepping his authority, Lelouch took over Natarle Badgiruel's role and began arranging the deployment of their forces on the battlefield.
After reviewing his configuration, Natarle Badgiruel seemed to tacitly approve of his intentions.
Seeing that the beautiful captain of the Zhu Long did not issue any additional orders, the five of them began to act according to Lelouch's instructions.
Since Wang Hu had fled in the GP02, his former exclusive machine, the Zeta Gundam, had fallen into Li Chengzhi's hands.
Though he acknowledged he couldn't compare to Wang Hu, Li Chengzhi still had his own pride.
He didn't believe that piloting a Gundam, he would lose to the Coordinator soldiers before him.
Even though the enemy outnumbered them, proximity to greatness breeds excellence.
Having spent a long time by Wang Hu's side, Li Chengzhi had learned a trick or two!
Switching the Zeta Gundam to MA Mode, Li Chengzhi, the former second-ranked cadet at the military academy, charged ahead!
"Lieutenant Colonel Li Chengzhi!"
Hurrying to follow behind him, Kira—who had been spectating the entire time while Wang Hu single-handedly fought Athrun and Nicol in his Freedom Gundam—felt he had rested enough and his energy had mostly recovered.
Raising the Rainbow Cannon, the helmet visor reflected countless cursors locking onto enemy targets.
"Since Brother Wang Hu isn't here, I must step up and take charge!"
Holding himself to high standards, Kira pressed the fire control button without hesitation!
"Hey, hey, wasn't I supposed to be the one assisting that kid Li Chengzhi?"
With Kira piloting the Freedom Gundam, and having secured Orb and found the repaired Strike Gundam at Orb's Dawn Company, it seemed the worldline had returned to its predetermined course. Mu ended up piloting the old machine Kira had cast aside.
Muttering with a chuckle, Mu watched as Kira took out about ten enemy MS in a single attack.
He couldn't help but sigh at how many monsters there were in this world.
The pace of change in the world was almost too fast to keep up with.
His title of "Eagle of Endymion" seemed outdated, and his achievements paled in comparison to these monsters.
"I'm not old yet."
Refusing to admit defeat and wanting to prove he still had what it took, Mu raised his gun and fired a series of precise shots.
"That kid, and that guy Mu."
Li Chengzhi, charging at the front, had yet to engage the enemy when the MS squadron he had targeted was scattered by Kira's attack.
Then, as if competing with Kira, Mu showcased the precise shooting skills befitting his reputation.
This resulted in the Zeta Gundam charging to the predetermined location, only to find itself embarrassingly facing not a single enemy in sight!
With a wry smile that was both amused and exasperated, Li Chengzhi in the cockpit had no idea what to say.
Should he blame his allies behind him for not leaving a few enemies for him to take down as a snack?
Obviously, that was impossible.
Then could he blame the ZAFT Forces' enemies for being too weak and pitifully incompetent?
Taking a sharp breath, Li Chengzhi was even amused by his own absurd thought.
Helplessly, the Zeta Gundam had no choice but to head toward the enemy battleship.
If I can't get any Mobile Suits to fight, at least no one will compete with me for the battleship!
"Colonel Li Chengzhi!"
However, the solution Li Chengzhi had come up with was misinterpreted by Kira behind him once again.
Deeply regretting his own inadequate performance, which had led the colonel to attack the enemy battleship, Kira pushed himself even harder.
The Rainbow Cannon completely dominated the battlefield, leaving no enemy untouched.
They all uniformly experienced his enthusiastic hospitality.
To be honest, without Red Uniform pilots of the caliber of Athrun or Nicol, and without mobile suits like the Justice Gundam, an ordinary battlefield was truly no challenge for Kira, who piloted the Freedom Gundam!
"Master."
At the rear, flying alongside the Zhu Long, Liu Peiqiang stared blankly at the battlefield before him.
He turned his head to look at his bored master beside him, hesitating for a moment before realizing that his master's state was off.
Finally, Liu Peiqiang spoke up and asked, "Is piloting a Mobile Suit fun?"
"I suppose it's fun, right?"
Before the sortie, Zhang Peng had been eager and ready for action. After receiving Lelouch's orders, he was even more excited and raring to go.
Initially, Zhang Peng had thought he would encounter a fierce battle, where he would fight valiantly and write a new chapter in his life.
But once he actually arrived on the battlefield and witnessed the performances of the three comrades ahead, Zhang Peng suddenly felt his own thoughts were as tasteless as chewing wax. A sense of emptiness and boredom washed over him.
How to put it? It was like being the water cooler player on the bench—no matter how exciting the game on the field was, it had nothing to do with him.
He could share in the glory, but he hadn't contributed anything.
So what did that glory have to do with him?
They say no one knows a son better than his father, and the reverse is also true.
Liu Peiqiang sighed and patted the shoulder of the mobile suit his master was piloting.
"Actually, this is pretty good, really."
"Yeah, it's pretty good."
The gun hadn't been put away yet, but Zhang Peng had already given it a nice name.
The Gun of Kindness—a new name Zhang Peng had thought of, referring both to his gun and to himself.
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