Taking a deep breath, Lacus still couldn't forget the sight of ZAFT Forces collapsing like a mountain landslide on the battlefield back then.
The chaos of soldiers not knowing their commanders and commanders not knowing their troops, which she had only read about in books, had given her a hard lesson at that time.
It also made her deeply realize how crucial a Super Ace could be in the current war.
Summoning immense willpower to suppress the swirling thoughts in her mind, Lacus looked directly at Wang Hu, who stood before her with a cheerful smile.
But as her gaze lingered on Wang Hu's face, the thoughts she had just suppressed surged back uncontrollably, making her ponder:
If only there had been someone under her command or among her partners who could match Wang Hu—or at the very least, hold him off—how different things might have been?
"Hah."
Parting her red lips, Lacus let out a soft, self-mocking laugh at her own deep regret.
The past was already reality; what was the point of dwelling on such thoughts now?
For Lacus Clyne, who in the original timeline could emerge victorious no matter the circumstances, the primary goal remained to persevere through adversity and survive against all odds.
And to truly secure the status of Coordinators for the ideals of the Clyne Faction!
Therefore...
A flicker of unusual light passed through her beautiful eyes as Lacus digested the information Wang Hu had just shared with her.
The remnants of ZAFT Forces that had retreated from the Genesis Battlefield had joined forces with the Library and retreated to Mars?
Could it be?
While ordinary people might not be fully aware, Lacus undoubtedly understood the situation on Mars.
Before the war between Coordinators and Naturals broke out, various nations had attempted experimental colonization on Mars, the closest planet within the Earth Sphere, to expand cosmic colonies.
However, the results were far from ideal. Limited by current technology and the speed of spacecraft, the construction of Martian colonies was fraught with setbacks from the start, facing harsh climates and severe resource shortages.
For Naturals, whose physical capabilities were generally inferior to Coordinators, adapting and surviving long-term in such conditions was extremely challenging.
If personnel rotation were considered, taking into account rotation cycles and resource supply...
It's important to note that long-distance voyages made every inch of space on supply ships incredibly precious.
Except for the East Asian Alliance, nearly every nation sought to utilize all available space to the maximum.
Having supply ships carry large numbers of space-consuming people back and forth to Mars each time?
Unless everyone was crammed into cryo-pods and frozen, the journey would consume additional resources and require sufficient living space.
From both cost and development efficiency perspectives, it was an enormous waste.
Ultimately, based on practical considerations, the globally participated Mars development project was shelved.
Gradually, Naturals disappeared from the Martian colonies, leaving only continuously supplemented Coordinators struggling to maintain operations.
By the time hostilities began between PLANT and the Allied Forces, nations could no longer send long-range fleets to Mars, partly due to blockades by ZAFT Forces.
On the other hand, since Mars is populated entirely by Coordinators and Naturals are still at war with Coordinators, is there any need to concern ourselves with matters there?
Thus, the Martian colonies seemed to have been forgotten. If not for PLANT, out of solidarity with their fellow Coordinators, continuing to supply resources there despite the strain of war, life for their Martian brethren would undoubtedly be even more difficult.
This is also a key reason why the ZAFT Forces retreated to Mars—after all, they are among their own people, who have long benefited from PLANT's support.
At this thought, Lacus's eyes brightened. She knew well that Wang Hu, standing before her, was a man with clear objectives.
His visit couldn't possibly be just to mock her, nor merely to flaunt his status as the victor.
"The Coordinator brethren on Mars—their experience in colony development holds valuable lessons for the East Asian Alliance to learn from."
"If possible, you likely also hope that the remaining ZAFT troops retreating there would surrender to you willingly."
"To prevent the flames of war from destroying humanity's hard-won bridgehead into space."
With her sharp intellect, Lacus pinpointed Wang Hu's purpose in coming, yet she did not attempt to drive a hard bargain.
Even though she knew the East Asian Alliance had once announced the South Heavenly Gate Project precisely for space exploration, making the Martian colonies highly attractive to them.
Instead, Lacus adopted a cooperative attitude. Before Wang Hu could speak, she sincerely continued, "Whether before or during the war, our Clyne Faction has maintained contact with the Coordinator brethren on the Martian colonies."
"If we can contribute to humanity's future, the Clyne Faction would be more than willing to assist the East Asian Alliance."
"To jointly usher in an era of prosperity."
"See? See?" Wang Hu chuckled, pointing at the pink-haired diva before turning to Li Chengzhi.
"What did I say? There's no need to explain much. Just give her a hint, and she'll figure out what we want."
"And she'll cooperate reasonably too."
"So, what's your assessment?" Li Chengzhi asked Wang Hu, his gaze also fixed on Lacus's beautiful face.
"Me?" Wang Hu deliberately played coy, observing Lacus's expression.
He noticed that although her demeanor remained unchanged, the certainty in her eyes suggested she was confident of success—convinced that he and the East Asian Alliance would inevitably cooperate with the Clyne Faction, led by Lacus, for the sake of the Martian colonies.
"Continue your imprisonment. Life sentence as a political prisoner."
Rising to his feet, Wang Hu left without hesitation, showing no sign of bargaining or second thoughts.
Seeing Wang Hu depart, Li Chengzhi followed without lingering, leaving a stunned Lacus alone in the gilded cage.
"Tell the higher-ups that Lacus Clyne has become a seasoned politician."
"Such individuals will strive to realize their political ideals until their dying breath."
"To be honest, if I were in her position, I would admire her and want to do my utmost to help her."
"In that regard, Lacus Clyne deserves to be called a hero among Coordinators."
"But unfortunately, I happen to be a Natural."
Wang Hu voiced his judgment while walking through the corridor.
His purpose for this trip was indeed as Lacus had guessed - the East Asian Alliance was very interested in peacefully taking over the initially established Martian colonies.
Because of this, the Clyne Faction, which maintained relatively good relations with the Coordinators on Mars, had come under the scrutiny of East Asian upper leadership.
Today, Wang Hu had come at the request of his superiors to assess whether Lacus was worth cooperating with before his departure.
"I understand."
Li Chengzhi nodded without raising any objections to Wang Hu's assessment.
In fact, Li Chengzhi shared the same view. If Lacus had immediately started making demands, such as requesting guaranteed autonomy for PLANT, he might have actually felt somewhat relieved.
But instead, she began talking about the future of humanity from the very start.
Such high-sounding rhetoric wrapped in grand ideals.
Sorry, but that's a privilege exclusive to East Asia. What exactly is a pink-haired diva like you trying to accomplish by parroting our lines?
Walk our East Asian path and leave us with nowhere to go?
If we let you out there, what would become of us!
You've learned all our national treasures, and if we're not careful and let you slip away, or allow you to pull off a cuckoo's nest scheme,
Wang Hu and I would have to bear historical responsibility!
"Then we'll have to use Meer Campbell instead."
Li Chengzhi spoke as they walked. To better take over the Martian colonies
and integrate the Coordinators from PLANT as an ethnic minority within East Asia,
the Clyne Faction's reputation could accelerate this process. Simply destroying or abandoning it out of fear
would make East Asia appear lacking in confidence, as if afraid they couldn't control this carriage.
It would also give those with ulterior motives an opening, like flies finding cracks in a rotten egg.
"Agreed."
After some thought, Wang Hu considered the recent undercurrents surging within the Earth Sphere.
Where interests are concerned, former enemies can become current friends.
Forces like the Atlantic Federation were secretly causing trouble, while the Eurasian Federation's fence-sitting was even more blatant.
On one hand, they were imposing exorbitant taxes and levies on PLANT, stirring up widespread resentment; on the other hand, they wanted to shift the blame onto us East Asians?
Those who do the dirty work should have the awareness of those who do dirty work.
Trying to turn the world upside down!
You're still too green for that.
"After I leave, don't let your guard down against the remaining ZAFT forces on Mars. Although I killed all the notable elite pilots like Athrun and Nicol in the final battle,"
"You know how it is - the Library's Imitation Technology is disgusting. Who knows when some surviving remnants might pop up again."
Standing at the entrance to another room, Wang Hu spoke.
After speaking, Wang Hu seemed to consider opening the door in front of him.
But his hand, which had reached out to grasp the doorknob, hesitated to turn it.
"Want to go in and take a look?"
Seeing this, Li Chengzhi suggested. Just taking a look inside wouldn't really have any impact.
On the contrary, if they didn't look now, it might become difficult to do so later when related experiments began.
"No."
Shaking his head, Wang Hu released his grip on the handle. Influenced only by fragmented memories, he felt somewhat curious about C.C., who was confined in this room.
"I actually ship Shirley and Lelouch."
Turning his head, Wang Hu continued walking while uttering this seemingly random remark.
"Shirley?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chengzhi followed while bringing up another matter.
"Kira has applied for discharge from military service."
"Oh."
Wang Hu's footsteps paused briefly before resuming their pace.
"Let him retire. That boy was never suited for military life, nor for staining his hands with blood."
"Becoming an ordinary person and living in a peaceful world is his true destiny."
"When he marries Flay, send a congratulatory gift in my name. I won't be attending myself."
"After all..."
(End of Chapter)