After thoroughly searching through his memories, Balthلد finally retrieved information about the so-called Desert Dawn from the deepest corners of his mind.
"Captain, which organization's files are these?"
Just as Balthلد was about to speak, the attentive Adjutant Martin, having observed his captain's earlier expression, proactively pulled out documents about this organization. After all, there were too many resistance groups in the desert regions nowadays. In fact, when Martin received the intelligence report from field agents, it had taken him considerable effort to match and identify this particular organization's records.
"No need."
Taking a gentle sip of the aromatic coffee, Balthلد didn't bother looking through the documents his considerate adjutant had prepared.
"I recall most affiliated members of that organization reside in a small village some distance from here, correct?"
"Yes." Adjutant Martin was particularly impressed that Captain Balthلد could accurately recall detailed intelligence without consulting any documents.
He then tentatively asked, "Are we going to take those affiliated people as hostages? Then threaten Desert Dawn into surrendering the Archangel?"
"Pfft."
Balthلد, who had been savoring the rich coffee flavor in his mouth, nearly spat out his coffee upon hearing his adjutant's terrible suggestion.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Seeing Balthلد's strained expression and red face as he struggled not to spray the coffee, Martin quickly stepped forward to pat his captain's back and help him catch his breath.
"It's nothing, cough cough." Balthلد raised a hand to stop Martin's approach, catching his breath before saying, "Are you trying to kill me with anger? Taking those affiliated people as hostages - do you think ZAFT's reputation in the Earth Sphere is particularly good?"
Hearing this, Martin gave an awkward smile. Unlike their counterparts back in the colonies, those who came to the Earth Sphere knew that no matter how much Coordinators portrayed themselves as victims, most Naturals in the Earth Sphere hardly accepted this viewpoint. In the simple worldview of the majority of Naturals, Coordinators were evil invaders and thugs!
"Then what do you mean, Captain?" Martin inquired curiously.
Ding. The coffee cup made a clear, crisp sound as it touched the table.
Balthلد stared at the beautiful glaze on the coffee cup's surface for so long that Martin began to wonder if his captain had fallen asleep. Finally, he spoke slowly with a trace of reluctance in his voice. "Take several GOUF units. We're going to burn that small village down."
"But before burning the village, notify the villagers first. We'll only burn the place after everyone has evacuated."
"Oh, and tell them they can't bring any valuables - only personal belongings are allowed..."
"Never mind."
Balthلد suddenly changed his mind, his eyes revealing complex emotions as he rubbed his hands against the coffee cup on the table.
"They are not even allowed to take personal belongings. Give them an extremely short time limit to leave the village with nothing but the clothes on their backs!"
"This..." Martin looked at his captain's grim face, thinking to himself, How is this village-burning tactic any different from my idea of taking villagers as hostages?
Burning all the villagers' possessions in one go, artificially creating so many refugees—if those people aren't properly cared for afterward...
Wouldn't they have absolutely no chance of survival in this barren desert?
In a way, Captain, your approach is even more ruthless than my suggestion—it's a scorched-earth strategy!
"Go convey the orders as I instructed."
Balthلد waited a moment, noticing his adjutant still hadn't left.
As a hidden member of the Klein Faction, he was in a foul mood and simply urged Martin to leave quickly so he could calm down alone.
"Captain, isn't this too cruel?"
Martin wasn't a bad person; later, through various experiences, he would become someone who yearned for peace.
Though he had originally come intending to use the villagers as leverage, he now felt a slight sympathy for them and wanted to persuade his captain to change his mind.
Balthلد raised his eyelids, his mood improving slightly at Martin's attitude.
It seemed his adjutant still had a conscience!
"Those villagers are connected to Desert Dawn. If we burn their village and leave them with nothing..."
"Don't you think Desert Dawn will just stand by and do nothing?"
"Oh, I see now." As if waking from a dream, Martin's eyes lit up with sudden understanding.
"Desert Dawn definitely doesn't have enough supplies to properly care for all those refugees."
"So, to support the refugees, they'll have to seek outside supplies!"
"And in this desert region, the only place with that many supplies is right here with us."
"By setting up an inescapable net in this town, we can catch them all in one fell swoop."
"Exactly." Balthلد nodded.
"Considering the Archangel's limited supplies, even if they contribute theirs, taking in that many refugees would overwhelm them in no time."
"So they'll inevitably come to our town."
"Alright, I understand." Growing excited, Martin admired his captain's strategic foresight even more.
What does it mean to command from afar and secure victory a thousand miles away?
This is exactly what it looks like—right here with our captain!
So Martin hurried out to carry out Captain Balthلد's plan.
He was determined to use this opportunity to solidify the Desert Tiger's unique status within the ZAFT Forces.
"Martin, when will this war end? And how will it end?"
Watching his adjutant depart, Balthلد, alone in the room, gazed out the bright window, pondering the future.
Contrary to Martin's assumptions, the strategy Balthلد had devised...
Was actually just a way to meet Wang Hu, the man mentioned by Lacus, daughter of Chairman Clyne.
Meanwhile, unaware that the famous Mister Tiger had already set his sights on the Archangel and the seemingly ordinary resistance group in this desert...
Wang Hu clutched the thick envelope, finally catching up to Cagalli on a sand dune outside the camp.
"Wait, stop running. You came looking for me for a reason, right?"
Grabbing the blonde girl, Wang Hu stared at the bowing Cagalli and asked.
"Nothing, I just came to say hello to an acquaintance."
Actually, there was originally a reason—Cagalli had come to thank Wang Hu for what happened earlier on the satellite.
But the scene she saw the moment she entered the room made the girl inexplicably flare up with resentment.
Murrue? That was her name, right?
Bowing her head, Cagalli was still recalling the woman named Murrue.
It had to be said, that beautiful captain was indeed a very attractive woman. Her perfectly timed age placed her at the peak of a woman's prime.
A delicate face full of virtuous charm, paired with a graceful figure that even the Atlantic Federation Army uniform couldn't conceal.
Thinking this, even as a fellow woman, Cagalli's face flushed red.
"That's just unfair."
She muttered under her breath, as if Murrue's figure had materialized before her eyes again.
Those seductive yet innocently desirous eyes beneath smooth shoulder-length hair.
And that slender, graspable waist beneath her broad chest—that figure, that aura!
Even Cagalli, who always presented herself as a tomboy, knew.
For those disgusting men, a woman like Murrue was the most captivating.
Lifting her head, Cagalli's expression had returned to normal. Staring at Wang Hu's clueless face, she snorted again.
When scum like Wang Hu saw a beauty like Murrue, wouldn't they be like flies smelling rotten meat? Of course they'd buzz around her!
"Is there something on my face?" Feeling perplexed by Cagalli's gaze, Wang Hu instinctively touched his cheek.
"Why did you chase after me?" Though Cagalli's expression showed nothing unusual, her anger hadn't subsided.
With a hostile tone, she continued.
"Aren't you going to flirt with that beautiful captain anymore?"
"What do you mean?" Covered in confusion by the question, Wang Hu directly raised the thick envelope in his hand.
"You're the behind-the-scenes sponsor of this resistance group, right? Since you can afford to support such a large organization, can you help reimburse this?"
"Reimburse?"
Cagalli wasn't surprised that Wang Hu could guess she was Desert Dawn's backer—she was just curious about what was in Wang Hu's envelope.
This man coming to her for reimbursement?
How strange!
Driven by curiosity, Cagalli snatched the envelope from Wang Hu's hand and opened it to look.
Little did she know that looking would only make things worse. Already fuming, Cagalli seemed to steam with anger after seeing the contents.
"Isn't this the bill from last time at Heliopolis? You're asking me, a girl, to reimburse these things!"
"Wang Hu, are you even a man?"
While speaking, Cagalli directly lifted her foot and gave Wang Hu's leg a fierce kick.
Wang Hu didn't dodge, taking the kick head-on, then replied matter-of-factly.
"I originally planned to submit it for reimbursement, but my deputy team leader said the logistics department bigwigs would never approve this kind of expense report."
"You know I'm just a grunt—my allowance is limited, and I need to save it to support my family later!"
"You—!"
Her hands trembled with rage as she stared at Wang Hu, who remained completely oblivious and utterly shameless. Cagalli, the golden-haired princess of Orb, found herself momentarily speechless.
"Can I get reimbursed or not?" Wang Hu pressed impatiently.
"In your dreams!"
Fury surged from her heart and malice rose within her. Cagalli did something entirely unexpected.
Moving with such speed that even someone with Amuro's template couldn't have reacted in time, she tore the envelope and the invoices inside into countless pieces right before Wang Hu's eyes.
Well, that settled it—there would be absolutely no chance of reimbursement now.
Watching the reimbursement slips flutter down like snowflakes onto the sandy desert, even if someone tried to piece them back together fragment by fragment, no accountant would ever approve such a shredded document for reimbursement.
Not to mention when a gust of wind swept through, scattering the fragments everywhere amidst the howling desert breeze.
"Brother Wang Hu?" Kira, who had been secretly watching from nearby, gasped softly. Loyal to his core, he wanted to rush forward and retrieve those paper scraps.
Fortunately, Flay beside him grabbed his arm at the critical moment and whispered, "What are you trying to do?"
"I'm going to help Brother Wang Hu gather the invoices back," Kira replied with naive, wide-eyed determination.
"Idiot! Wouldn't that expose us?" Flay's eyes filled with disdain as she pressed Kira further into hiding.
Because another dark-skinned youth was charging toward them.
"Cagalli!" the dark-skinned youth called out while approaching. When he reached Wang Hu and Cagalli, he shot Wang Hu a distinctly unfriendly glare before turning to Cagalli with a softened tone.
"Chief Ashman is looking for you. We're holding a roasted camel banquet tonight to welcome them."
"Really, I can't understand why the chief would use such high honors to welcome these scoundrels."
"Ahmed, I'll head over right away," Cagalli told the youth who routinely served as her driver. She then shot Wang Hu one last fierce glare before following the young man back toward the camp.
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