"Captain, it's done. The villagers only managed to wear single-layer clothes when they came out."
After observing the burning village from the sand dune for a while, Martin confirmed that the villagers were collapsed on the desert outside the village.
They truly hadn't brought any extra supplies with them.
Only then did Martin approach Captain Balthلد, who was sitting in the jeep with his eyes closed as if napping.
"Hmm." Balthلد made a light sound from his nose as a response. His eyelids twitched twice before he opened his eyes to look at his adjutant Martin standing at perfect military attention.
"Let's go, we're returning," Balthلد said directly, waving his hand as if ready to leave immediately.
"Shouldn't we wait a bit longer?" Not quite understanding what his captain was thinking, and wanting to ensure the village fire wouldn't be extinguished by those desperate villagers after they left, Martin really wanted to wait a little longer to let the village burn more fiercely.
A different light flickered silently in Balthلد's eyes as he gazed intently at his dutiful adjutant.
"The incendiary bombs were enhanced. Those villagers can't possibly put out the fire."
Actually, Balthلد was lying to his adjutant, but he still said it.
"Understood, Captain."
As the Desert Tiger's adjutant who handled many daily affairs, Martin actually knew the captain was lying to him.
But facing his captain's particular gaze, Martin seemed to understand something.
So without pressing further, Martin nodded briskly and jumped into the jeep.
As the powerful military engine roared to life, he suddenly glanced back at those villagers still wailing in the desert.
Perhaps...
His heart inexplicably twitched. Martin pulled his military cap down, covering his eyes and temporarily covering his conscience as well.
Just as Balthلد led his team away, the Archangel crew had urgently noticed the village fire reddening the night sky from their camp.
Having now become partners with Desert Dawn, the Archangel's crew naturally had no reason to stand by and do nothing.
Leaving Mu's Zero Ginn to guard the base as a precaution, Wang Hu switched the Zeta Gundam to MA Mode, carrying Kira's Strike Gundam as they rushed to the area above the village.
"Brother Wang Hu, the village is burning! Damn ZAFT! How could they... how can they do something so cruel!"
Witnessing the village burning like a giant torch on the ground, Kira found his understanding of moral boundaries repeatedly shattered by the actions of those he nominally considered his fellow Coordinators.
Initially, because of PLANT's widespread propaganda about Bloody Valentine, Kira had felt somewhat biased towards his Coordinator compatriots despite being in the neutral nation of Orb.
Even after the April Fools' Crisis, he still held some partiality in his heart.
But since meeting Brother Wang Hu, since Brother Wang Hu truly lifted the veil that blinded the world, and after personally experiencing so many things...
"Boom!" Even sitting in the Zeta Gundam's cockpit, Wang Hu could hear the sound of Kira violently pounding the control panel.
"Brother Wang Hu, let's pursue those ZAFT thugs. I must avenge this village."
Filled with killing intent, Kira urged Wang Hu to quickly take him after the retreating enemies who had stirred up clouds of dust.
"Kira, we can talk about revenge later." Lowering the Zeta Gundam's altitude, Wang Hu signaled for Kira to dismount from his back.
"Why?" Kira's voice was full of anger, unable to understand why Brother Wang Hu disagreed with his proposal.
"Look below!" Seeing Kira hadn't dismounted, Wang Hu simply shook the Strike Gundam off his back.
Then swiftly switching to MS Mode, he threw his priceless gun onto the desert sand without the slightest hesitation.
Wang Hu used his cold, mechanical hands - originally designed for killing - to scoop up the scorching hot sand heated by the flames.
The Zeta Gundam then began spreading handful after handful of sand over the burning village, attempting to separate the flames from the oxygen in the air.
"Brother Wang Hu?" Kira watched with bloodshot eyes as Wang Hu's actions gradually reduced the fire's intensity.
Suddenly, Kira felt what ordinary people would call a sense of reassurance.
Rather than seeking revenge, Brother Wang Hu had prioritized the people!
"I understand, Brother Wang Hu! I was wrong!" Kira shouted through the comms, no longer mentioning revenge.
Following Wang Hu's example, Kira also discarded the equipment from his hands and began scooping up large handfuls of sand, vigorously throwing them at the burning flames.
If they could extinguish the fire quickly enough, they might be able to salvage some usable items.
Even if they could rescue just a small amount of supplies, it might help the desert people survive this crisis!
"Captain!" Martin shouted in disbelief, holding binoculars while being jostled around in the jeep as he watched the Zeta Gundam and Strike Gundam rescuing the village.
"The Allied Forces' Gundams are doing disaster relief? They're actually using Gundams for disaster relief?"
Hearing this, Balthfeld, who had been keeping his eyes closed, slightly opened them.
"Not the Allied Forces, but the East Asian Army."
"What?" Martin thought the East Asian Army was part of the Allied Forces. What difference did it make?
"You wouldn't understand." Balthfeld had made preparations for this operation and possible pursuit, but now all those preparations had become useless. Another person might have felt frustrated by this.
However, Balthfeld closed his eyes again, an inexplicable smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Let's return, Martin."
Once again telling his adjutant this, the Desert Tiger grew increasingly eager to meet the East Asian Qilin.
"Wang Hu! Kira!"
When the main force of Desert Dawn arrived, the village fire had been brought under control thanks to the efforts of Wang Hu and Kira.
As Cagalli jumped out of the vehicle carrying an RPG, she saw the two men who had disembarked from their Gundams helping kneeling villagers to their feet.
Puzzled, she glanced at the villagers surrounding Wang Hu and Kira, and those bowing toward the Gundams.
The girl rushed past the villagers to stand before Wang Hu, temporarily suppressing her thoughts about the villagers' behavior as she loudly demanded of him:
"Where did the Desert Tiger go? Take me to get revenge. I want to make him pay!"
Slap! The moment Cagalli's words fell, Wang Hu's raised hand came down sharply.
The crisp sound of the slap echoed before Cagalli's bodyguards could even react to protect their princess. Wang Hu had publicly humiliated Cagalli right before everyone's eyes.
"You bastard! What are you doing?"
Ahmed, the young man who harbored feelings for Cagalli but never dared express them, was the first to jump forward.
He glared at Wang Hu, even pointing his firearm at him.
"Ahmed!"
Ashman rushed forward anxiously, not wanting to see his own people turn against Wang Hu who had just saved countless villagers.
Being older, more experienced, and the village leader, Ashman understood clearly that if Ahmed were to take any extreme action now,
the villagers themselves would tear Ahmed apart before Wang Hu even needed to lift a finger.
"Leader Ashman?" The young man still didn't realize he had provoked public anger, turning to look at his leader in confusion.
But before Ashman could explain, the boy's parents emerged from the crowd on the ground.
Without mercy or hesitation, showing no consideration for their son's dignity, they began beating Ahmed right in front of all the villagers.
"Sir soldier, please don't mind Ahmed's attitude," the boy's mother apologized profusely to Wang Hu.
"No, it's fine." Facing this scene, Wang Hu naturally didn't take offense, responding briefly to the mother.
Wang Hu turned to look at the village where the fires were gradually dying down, then added,
"The fires in the village have been extinguished, but the toxic smoke hasn't dispersed yet. Also, the ground will certainly retain residual high temperatures."
"Everyone must remain calm and not rush. We can't afford to lose more lives unnecessarily at this point."
"If you trust us, wait until my colleague Captain Li Chengzhi arrives. Then you can follow his instructions to gather supplies as much as possible."
"Of course, of course. Captain Wang Hu's considerations are indeed thorough."
Seeing how the nearby villagers regarded Wang Hu—whom they had just met—with near reverence, Ashman quickly expressed his agreement.
"You, come here." After giving a few more brief instructions, Wang Hu called Kira over and pointed at Cagalli.
He led the two to a nearby sand dune. "What do you see?"
"A burning village." Cagalli replied with ill-concealed anger, one hand covering her reddened cheek.
"That bastard Desert Tiger... Wang Hu, are you afraid of him?"
"Foolish." Wang Hu cast a contemptuous glance at the girl before turning to Kira.
"I see grieving people."
Remembering the scene while piloting the Gundam to extinguish the fires, though Kira had been fully focused on the firefighting work,
he could still see through the display screen—see those villagers who regarded the Gundam as a deity.
Unable to shake the memory of the villagers' reverent gazes toward the Gundam, Kira clenched his fists, feeling he hadn't done enough!
"Next time, I swear I won't let something like this happen again!"
Kira gazed into the distance at Captain Li Chengzhi, who had arrived last but brought abundant supplies, watching him distribute the provisions from Archangel to the villagers in an orderly manner.
At this moment, Kira gained a deeper understanding of the Military Emblem on his uniform.
"Kira?" Following Kira's gaze, Cagalli slowly lowered the hand that had been covering her face.
Having grown up in Orb's leadership residence and frequently walked among the common people in Orb's streets, she now felt an unusual emotion rising in her heart.
"Do you understand where you went wrong now?"
Wang Hu observed the different expressions on the two people before him. "We don't exist for revenge - we exist to protect them."
"East Asian Alliance?" Since the enemy had retreated, Mu had no reason to remain aboard Archangel any longer.
Joining the relief team under Li Chengzhi's command, he worked alongside Murrue beside him, handing out supplies one by one to the villagers.
This was his first relief operation without carrying firearms, and such a scene stirred overwhelming waves in his heart and eyes.
"Thank you." Hearing each villager's heartfelt gratitude, Mu remembered how Wang Hu had called him "comrade."
"Maybe doing something meaningful isn't so bad after all."
Under Murrue's puzzled gaze, the roguish smile vanished from Mu's face, replaced by a gentle and harmonious one.
He even squatted down without caring about his image, making funny faces to amuse the crying children.
All of this was solely to heal the wounds in their young hearts as much as possible.
"Murrue." After successfully cheering up the children and watching them return to their parents, Mu stood up and spoke seriously to the beautiful captain beside him.
"They shouldn't grow up hearing gunfire. I believe they especially shouldn't look terrified at the sound of celebratory fireworks."
"Huh? Lieutenant Mu?"
Blinking her eyes, Murrue stared blankly at Mu, who seemed to have become someone she no longer recognized.
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