Reputation is something intangible and formless.
It usually seems useless, but at special times and on specific occasions,
Reputation can transform into an invisible sharp sword, destroying everything a person has worked for their entire life.
Looking at the three leaders of PLANT in the original timeline,
Clyne had the brains, but unfortunately, his approach was too soft, while Patrick only knew how to be tough, which made him seem somewhat lacking in intelligence.
Only the third Chairman, Durandal, employed a balanced mix of soft and hard tactics, successfully integrating the two mutually antagonistic organizations—the Parliament and ZAFT.
He then came very close to leading the Coordinators to the pinnacle of the world.
Therefore, seeing that the current situation seemed somewhat unfavorable,
He, who had been lying low, grew restless and wanted to step onto the world stage earlier.
Before things worsened, he aimed to seize as much power as possible,
To better prepare for the future.
And his first target was Lacus.
Originally, Durandal had wanted to meet Lacus, just as he had during the Second War.
Why did he create a fake Lacus back then?
And why was he so determined to bring Athrun back?
For no other reason than reputation and public sentiment.
In fact, if you pay close attention, you'll notice that both now and in the future,
The two dominant forces on PLANT have always been the Clyne Faction and the Sara Faction.
This means that even if the founders of the two factions are gone, the legacy they left behind continues to benefit others.
Isn't it obvious?
Even though Lacus has openly sided with Kira, she still uses various methods to keep Athrun on her side.
Why?
Simply because she covets the power of the Sara Faction on PLANT.
And if Athrun fails to consolidate the power of the Sara Faction, the Clyne Faction, to which Lacus belongs, would gain an advantage on PLANT.
So when Durandal, through the incident at the Satellite Opera House, realized that he wasn't the only one secretly eyeing the power of the Clyne Faction,
And that the Clyne Faction might very well merge with another force—unlike himself, who, though somewhat influential, could only dominate within a limited scope—
To eliminate this potential threat,
After observing for a while, he decisively chose to instruct Nicol to tarnish the reputation of Lacus, the current symbol of the Clyne Faction.
He then planned to take Lacus's place himself, like a cuckoo's nest, usurping the Clyne Faction's potential influence among the Coordinators.
At the same time, he methodically attempted to extend his reach into the Sara Faction through Athrun.
This led to the situation where, when the crew of the Zhu Long secretly arrived on PLANT's home territory,
Wang Hu and the people he selected for the mission, with the help of an insider, successfully entered the interior of the Colony Satellite.
Not to mention that none of these people were genuinely naive—even if they were truly naive,
Just by observing the atmosphere within the satellite and casually moving around,
And after sending C.C. out to gather information from passersby,
"Are you certain that Lacus Clyne truly possesses the immense popularity you claim?"
"Right now, this colony is flooded with scandalous rumors about her."
"Traitorous behavior, promiscuous private life, questionable character—all sorts of eye-opening accusations."
"Frankly, if you hadn't previously explained what kind of person she really is, just hearing these rumors would have nearly convinced me she's a villain."
C.C., with her green hair and exquisite features, inquired.
It must be said that her beauty could hold its own even among the handsome Coordinators.
Thus, sending her to gather intelligence had indeed yielded much useful information.
"Someone is targeting Lacus."
No one paid attention to C.C.'s question, all listening intently to Lelouch's analysis.
"Based on the information C.C. just gathered, combined with prior intelligence, the mastermind is likely this person called Durandal."
He deduced the truth directly from the chaotic mass of information.
Even though Durandal appeared the most inconspicuous in the intelligence C.C. brought back.
Yet Lelouch remained convinced Durandal was the mastermind behind it all.
"Why? This Durandal seems to be part of the neutral faction."
"Compared to your Durandal theory, I find it more plausible that Chairman Patrick is behind this."
Noticing Wang Hu's thoughtful expression and C.C.'s irritation at being ignored, Mu played devil's advocate.
Glancing at the blond Mu, Lelouch unusually displayed patience in his explanation.
"Patrick wouldn't resort to such underhanded methods. If he truly intended to use dirty tricks,"
"He would have done so after Kira took the Freedom Gundam."
"Moreover, despite Mr. Clyne being killed by his faction and key Clyne Faction members being imprisoned in PLANT,"
"Patrick has consistently focused only on the treason allegations."
"But now? The smear campaign against Lacus covers all sorts of accusations, clearly aiming to destroy her personal reputation alone."
"The allegations against the Clyne Faction remain solely about so-called treason."
"That still doesn't point to this Durandal character. These methods are too despicable."
Mu shook his head, still finding Lelouch's explanation unconvincing.
"Follow the benefits—whoever gains has the greatest suspicion. Besides, these tactics are normal; your Atlantic Federation employs them too."
Lelouch's tone carried absolute conviction.
"Being neutral means having no fixed position, and being able to absorb advantages from any side.""
"Haven't you noticed? Durandal's promoted ideology cleverly borrows the best elements from both the Clyne and Sara Factions."
"As Lacus's personal reputation continues to decline and all key Clyne Faction members remain imprisoned,"
"Many former Clyne supporters are now gathering under Durandal's banner."
"Simultaneously, his expressed limited support for Chairman Patrick has gained favor among some less radical former Sara Faction supporters."
"Given a little more time, I believe we'll soon witness a new player ascending the political stage."
At this point, Lelouch paused. There was one more thing he hadn't mentioned.
Just seeing Durandal's appearance - that gentle and refined demeanor that seemed like nothing could trouble him, as if everything was under control - was strikingly similar to his own world's second brother Schneizel. Perhaps it was an innate incompatibility.
Lelouch desperately wanted to stomp on Durandal's face. Even if Durandal wasn't the mastermind behind smearing Lacus' reputation this time, Lelouch still wanted to find an opportunity to teach this guy a lesson.
"Oh, I see. So do you understand now?" Mu said while stroking his chin, addressing C.C.
"Hmm?"
Wang Hu, who had been lost in thought, heard Mu speaking to C.C. and saw Mu's expression. He almost thought Mu had developed some unusual interest in C.C.
"Anyway, let's proceed according to the planned operation." After looking Mu up and down and suppressing the questions in his heart, Wang Hu spoke up.
"Kira, Li Chengzhi, and Natarle Badgiruel are providing support on the Zhu Long. Those who came this time are Mu, Lelouch, C.C., Zhang Hong, and Liu Peiqiang."
"You five should go meet Lacus using the contact method I provided."
"What about you?"
Mu and the others were momentarily stunned before asking. Hadn't it been agreed before we came that all six of us would go receive Lacus together? Why are you planning to act alone at the last moment?
"I want to go meet that Mr. Durandal."
Choosing not to hide his intentions, Wang Hu directly stated what he planned to do. Mainly because he noticed the flicker in Lelouch's eyes, Wang Hu was worried that if he didn't tell the truth, this guy who only had absolute trust in his own sister and Suzaku - but distrusted everyone else - might cause some trouble.
"Durandal, huh."
Unbeknownst to Wang Hu, while he was indeed familiar with each character, every person had their own thoughts. Especially when someone came to another world, their thinking and behavior could undergo significant shifts.
Staring at Wang Hu's departing figure, Lelouch didn't obediently go to receive Lacus as Wang Hu had expected, nor did he merely plan to make a bigger commotion at most. Instead, he immediately began scheming in his mind about using Wang Hu to punish Durandal.
After all, their purpose in coming this time was already to make a big scene on PLANT. Since that was the case, killing two birds with one stone and fulfilling one of his personal wishes shouldn't be a problem, right?
Who told this Durandal to have such a similar demeanor to his second brother?
Besides, he was also avenging Wang Hu's collaborator Lacus.
"What are you looking at?"
By the time Wang Hu had gone quite far and even openly taken a taxi, disappearing from their sight, Zhang Peng noticed Lelouch standing still and came over to ask kindly.
"Are you worried about that guy Wang Hu?" Remembering how that fellow named Wang Hu had turned the tide in their Breaking Ball World, Zhang Peng said with a smile.
"That guy is really capable. Even if something happens to all of us here, nothing will happen to him."
"Thank you."
Hearing this, Lelouch looked up at the simple-looking Zhang Peng, then stared at the baby-faced man named Liu Peiqiang behind him. After coldly expressing thanks, Lelouch said:
"With me here, nothing can go wrong - as long as you all follow my orders.""
"I guarantee not a single hair on anyone's head will be harmed during this operation."
"Oh."
With growing interest, Mu fixed Lelouch with an inquisitive gaze.
He was quite curious about where this young man—whose tone was even bolder than Wang Hu's—got his confidence from, and where Wang Hu had found him.
Even before the mission began, he had noticed Wang Hu's unusually deferential attitude toward this youth.
Normally, given Wang Hu's intelligence, he would be the one giving orders. But from the very start of this mission,
Wang Hu had subtly yielded the initiative, seemingly handing over leadership to this young man before them.
(End of Chapter)