"Whew—"
Removing his helmet, Wang Hu exhaled deeply.
When it came to verbal sparring, he didn't need Amuro's template for assistance. After all, even if he hadn't tasted pork, he'd seen pigs run.
In his previous life, he'd witnessed plenty of persuasive talk. Though he wouldn't arrogantly claim to be some so-called protagonist—
Unable to make certain villainous bosses who were slaughtering everyone one moment sacrifice their lives to resurrect their victims the next.
Or have them immediately switch sides, casually abandoning ideals they'd killed their masters, mistresses, and friends to achieve.
But shaking a young person's entrenched beliefs and making them question their worldview?
Wang Hu believed he could manage that. Besides, everything he'd said was factual.
The enormous black mark was right there in plain sight—anyone with basic discernment could see it.
"Next..."
Piloting the Moebius, Wang Hu began his return journey.
As the Kangji-class Drake Frigate gradually grew larger in his view, a faint smile appeared on Wang Hu's face inside the cockpit.
"Truly the well-trained East Asian forces. Their grasp of battlefield dynamics and instinct for seizing opportunities must be ingrained in their bones."
During the earlier battle, though the Moebius squad had been initially overwhelmed,
And the four-ship formation had appeared perilously vulnerable against ZAFT's assault,
Unlike the other two factions comprising the Allied Forces, the soldiers of the East Asian Federation never abandoned their pursuit of victory.
They had tactics for when their weapons were superior, and different tactics when outgunned.
They were never just bullies relying on advanced weaponry to overpower the weak.
They were warriors with unshakable conviction, willing to sacrifice their lives to protect those behind them.
"Wang Hu!"
No sooner had Wang Hu returned to the mothership and disembarked from the Moebius—helmet still on—
Than Li Chengzhi came rushing over, shouting excitedly.
"That was incredible! How did you do it?"
When the Moebius squad had been scattered earlier,
When the undamaged enemy GINNs had been advancing toward the fleet formation,
He'd truly believed all was lost—that every comrade on this mission would perish here.
Yet losing their lives wasn't the most terrifying prospect for him or the other soldiers.
The true horror was imagining the civilians they were meant to protect panicking under the sudden assault of ZAFT Forces near the Colony Satellite.
That was the reality they couldn't bear to see, even in death.
But thanks to—thanks to—
Wang Hu's fierce combat, the enemy's attack and schemes had been thwarted.
The threat to the civilians had been temporarily neutralized!
"Well done."
Captain Yang Wei also approached. The veteran of multiple battles,
Who had spearheaded this engagement, had also survived.
His previous prejudice toward Wang Hu gone, Yang Wei smiled and moved to embrace Wang Hu in enthusiastic approval.
"Thanks."
Wang Hu removed his helmet and casually tossed it to the approaching captain,
Seemingly oblivious to the man's outstretched arms.
He simply smoothed down the bangs he'd pushed up before departure,
Instantly softening the sharp intensity in his eyes.
"How many have we lost? Any new orders from Nova Command?"
Wang Hu asked calmly as he naturally crossed his arms and took the helmet from his captain.
"Hahahaha."
Seeing how Wang Hu treated Yang Wei like an attendant, and how Yang Wei showed no anger at all—even preparing to answer Wang Hu's question—the others in the battleship's hangar burst into laughter simultaneously. For a moment, the place was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"What's so funny? What's so funny?"
Unlike the stern demeanor he had when Wang Hu first met him, Captain Yang Wei didn't seem annoyed by the laughter around him. First, he playfully scolded his teasing comrades, which only made the others laugh even louder.
Then, turning to Wang Hu, he said seriously, "You did well. I won't waste words on praise."
"The flagship's intention is to maintain deterrence against that Laurasia-class battleship. Before they repair their thrusters, we should see if there's any way to deal them a heavy blow."
"But it'll probably be difficult. Apart from the two GINN units you destroyed, their combat strength remains largely intact."
"And our losses here are too great."
At this point, the laughter in the hangar vanished. The surrounding crew fell silent as they looked at the now-sparsely populated hangar.
War was like this—whether on the winning or losing side, for soldiers on the front lines, sacrifice was inevitable...
Sometimes, the living had it harder than the dead.
"Go get some rest."
Perhaps realizing he shouldn't have said what came next, Yang Wei handed the helmet he'd been holding to a nearby mechanic.
He patted Wang Hu on the shoulder and finally offered a word of praise. "I take back what I said before. At least in my eyes, you're a qualified soldier now."
"Keep it up. Strive to be a hero who stays alive!"
"Understood, Captain."
Wang Hu glanced at his grieving comrades around him and nodded. "Next time, I'll be that hero. For now, Captain, please keep an eye on my Moebius and get it back in fighting shape as soon as possible."
"If there's more fighting ahead, this time, listen to me."
"Get lost!" Yang Wei's composure cracked at Wang Hu's cheeky remark. He raised his hand as if to teach him a lesson.
Seeing this, Wang Hu theatrically mimicked a comical, cowering retreat. With Li Chengzhi—who had rushed over early but hadn't gotten a chance to speak and was eager to ask Wang Hu for details—the two dashed toward the pilots' lounge on the battleship.
Watching his two subordinates leave, Yang Wei chuckled. "That brat..."
"Hahaha, it's thanks to that 'brat' of yours that we're still alive," said the hangar chief as he walked over. "And how much less panic the people in the Colony Satellite had to endure—even the big shots at Command can breathe easier now."
"Yeah." Yang Wei turned back and walked with the chief toward Wang Hu's Moebius. "The kid surprised me. I thought he was just a coward, but who knew he'd..."
"There's plenty more you don't know about him yet."
Laughing, the hangar chief directed his crew to prioritize maintenance on Wang Hu's distinguished fighter.
Just as Wang Hu had said, if a battle were to break out soon, no one in the entire battleship or even the entire fleet would be more reliable than him. Naturally, his fighter jet was also the favorite of everyone.
"Chief, come take a look at this!"
Just as he was about to chat a bit more with his old friend, Captain Yang Wei, a mechanic nearby shouted loudly.
"What's the matter? The exterior of this fighter looks fine to me. Is there something you can't handle?"
"Honestly, haven't you learned anything after working under me for so long? Do I have to do everything myself?"
After exchanging a quick nod with Yang Wei, the maintenance chief assumed his subordinates were struggling with Wang Hu's fighter. He scolded them loudly as he walked over.
"No, Chief, look at this."
The mechanic glared at his boss in annoyance and gestured for him to see for himself. If the chief still thought they were incompetent after seeing it, then they had nothing more to say.
"Move aside, let me take a look. If it's just a minor issue, I swear I'll give you all a beating!"
Confidently, the chief leaned over the computer that was reading the fighter's data, shooting a sideways glare at his long-time subordinates.
"Hey, don't be so harsh. Maybe it's something tricky," Captain Yang Wei chimed in as he stepped closer. The two of them then turned their attention to the computer screen.
"No way!"
(End of Chapter)