"They got away."
Staring at the empty expanse of space ahead, Wang Hu's expression was grim. Today had been a setback—he had suffered a defeat and even lost the Lightning Z Gundam.
To put it bluntly, this was Wang Hu's first loss since arriving in this world.
Creuset had shattered Wang Hu's undefeated record!
But that wasn't the most troubling issue for Wang Hu. He turned his head to look at Kira, who was huddled in a corner of the Freedom Gundam's cockpit.
Perhaps his earlier action of wordlessly dragging the boy aside had hurt Kira's sensitive and fragile heart.
So, the kid had shut down!
Wang Hu was all too familiar with Kira's old habit. He had memories of all of Kira's actions up until the Third War.
Even after going through so many major and minor events, Kira would still occasionally become overly sentimental, his mind filled with all sorts of inexplicable thoughts.
Wang Hu let out another deep sigh, feeling as though he had sighed more today than in his entire life.
"Whatever issues you have, we'll talk about them back on the Zhu Long."
After some thought, Wang Hu decided that the Freedom Gundam's cockpit was hardly an ideal place for a heart-to-heart conversation.
Besides, there was still Mu outside, who was also in a less-than-ideal state and needed comforting.
After verbally signaling to Kira and Mu, Wang Hu listlessly piloted the Freedom Gundam.
He took one last glance in the direction where the Lightning Z Gundam had been destroyed.
Then, changing course, he led Mu and Kira back toward the Zhu Long.
On the return journey, the trio encountered Li Chengzhi, who had arrived late after reloading the Goddess of Love.
Following behind Li Chengzhi were large numbers of elite troops from the Uprising Army.
"Did you suffer a loss? Did Creuset escape or die?"
At first glance, noticing the absence of the Lightning Z Gundam in the returning formation, Li Chengzhi asked with concern.
"The Lightning Z Gundam is gone. And if you had arrived any later, there wouldn't even be any cleanup work left for you to do."
Weighed down by exhaustion and the multitude of issues pressing on his mind, Wang Hu replied to Li Chengzhi with a tone devoid of warmth.
"It seems a lot happened."
Through the video communication, Li Chengzhi observed Kira shrinking in the corner and Mu, who had resumed his carefree demeanor but with a trace of forced composure on his face.
Nodding, Li Chengzhi roughly guessed what had transpired. In any case, something deeply unpleasant must have occurred during the encounter with Creuset.
"Let's head back."
Wang Hu assigned other Uprising Army units to clean up the battlefield from the earlier engagement with the Atlantic Federation fleet and Creuset.
On the return journey, the formation was joined by a GP02.
When the deathly silent and somber group finally returned to the Zhu Long, they were met by Natarle Badgiruel and others who had come to greet them.
No sooner had Wang Hu stepped out of the Freedom Gundam and set foot on the steel floor of the Zhu Long's hangar than he threw a punch—impartially delivering equal treatment to both Kira and Mu.
"Why did you hit me?"
Clutching his face, Mu sat on the floor, unable to suppress the mix of anger and shock on his face.
So you, Wang Hu, hitting Kira is one thing—that kid's just a teenager, a couple punches from you isn't worth making a fuss over.
But in front of so many people, when I'm about the same age as you—do I not have any dignity to maintain?
And even if my performance on the battlefield hasn't been great, does that give you the right to hit me?
Not to mention all that stuff Creuset said—I haven't even settled that score with you yet!
What, are you trying to play the victim before I can call you out?
Anger surged within Mu. Despite his usual carefree demeanor, his pride as a soldier and his dignity as a man drove him to spring to his feet in an instant, then viciously lunge at Wang Hu.
Naturally, Wang Hu didn't back down an inch. He dropped his stance and charged forward, crashing into Mu's chest.
Then, pivoting to press his back against Mu's torso, he leveraged his hips and gripped Mu's shoulders.
A perfect shoulder throw.
Instead of getting his revenge, Mu found himself thoroughly beaten by Wang Hu once again.
"You!"
Lying flat on his back, Mu's vision swam, and he couldn't even form a complete sentence.
"How come I never knew you and your father were so close?"
Wang Hu strode over to where Mu lay, planting his hands on his hips as he looked down at him.
"So you really do know everything. That means you boarded the Archangel with some scheme in mind, right?"
In the original timeline, when Mu heard Creuset reveal his identity, perhaps because Kira was still by his side and he himself had been shot, multiple factors led him to act indifferent, as if completely unaffected.
But in this world, because of Wang Hu's presence—imagine if there had been someone who knew all the secrets from the very beginning.
Someone lurking in the shadows, watching you, as if observing a comedy, while you and Creuset fought to the death.
What kind of feeling would that be?
Treating you like a clown?
And then he has the nerve to repeatedly invite you—invite you to change the world?
What are his true intentions!
"I know, yes."
Without evasion or excuses, Wang Hu openly admitted to Mu's accusation.
The moment he said this, Kira—lying on the ground nearby—felt his eyes darken instantly.
If Brother Wang Hu knew everything, then all those things he said to me...
Were they just hollow lies? Was he trying to use me, a product born into this world from machinery?
Inevitably, such thoughts ignited like wildfire in his heart.
And as one might expect, once such thoughts begin to burn, it's hard to extinguish them through sheer willpower alone.
"But you're still Mu La Flaga, aren't you? Has that changed in any way?"
"And you're the same, Kira Yamato. Even knowing your origins, how are you any different from who you were before?"
Hands on his hips, Wang Hu turned to look at the despondent Kira, his tone laced with frustration.
"What, one of you met your father's clone, the other learned about your own background."
"And just like that, the sky falls, the earth collapses, life stops mattering, and ideals are abandoned?"
"Brother Wang Hu?"
Kira lifted his head, staring intently at Wang Hu, trying to discern whether this version of Brother Wang Hu was just deceiving him in a new way.
"Especially you, Kira. After all you've been through, even brushing against death itself."
"How have you not grown at all?"
Wang Hu slowly paced over to Kira, stopping before him and pressing a finger against his forehead.
He leaned down until his eyes were level with Kira's.
"Is there any difference? Are you missing an arm or a leg?"
"Or are you no longer Kira? Do I need to comfort you like some late-night melodrama?"
"The East Asian Army issued you an ID card, provided you with social insurance, housing fund, and retirement benefits—they didn't give you these so you could sit here feeling sorry for yourself."
"If you perform well, my benefits might eventually pale in comparison to yours."
"So what more do you want? Special preferential treatment just because you were born from an artificial womb? Does that make you different from others?"
"Let me tell you, don't even think about it. The East Asian Army treats everyone equally—there's no such thing as special treatment!"
"Even if you tell me you're a vegetarian, or have dual gender dysphoria, or come up with any other excuses—none of it matters!"
"Here, there are only men and women, East Asian soldiers and civilians!"
"Me!"
His lips trembling, Kira suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
The harsh scolding from Brother Wang Hu didn't anger or upset him. Instead, the equality in those words was exactly what he needed right now.
Because it proved he was just like everyone else—a complete person, not a product off an assembly line.
"By the way, let me tell you something: artificial wombs are forbidden by East Asian ethical standards."
"Don't talk to me about hindering technological progress. What's not allowed is not allowed—no exceptions, no negotiations. No one can cross that line."
With his heart feeling alive again, Kira heard Wang Hu's voice once more.
"I understand, Brother Wang Hu."
Receiving this assurance, which brought him more happiness than anything else, Kira stood up from the ground.
Just then, Li Chengzhi also approached. He pulled Kira aside and handed him a photograph.
"This is your sister—or perhaps your younger sister. Let me explain the details to you."
"Actually, there's a lot about your situation that you don't know. As a soldier of the East Asian Army, you shouldn't rely on partial information or biased beliefs."
More like a political instructor than Wang Hu, Li Chengzhi seized the moment to help Kira sort through his emotions.
Meanwhile, after dealing with Kira, Wang Hu turned his attention to Mu, who was clutching his waist as he stood up.
"Your problem is even simpler. I don't care what happens to Al Da Flaga."
"Since Mu La Flaga left that family, he has become a completely independent person."
"Or are you saying that, despite claiming to have cut ties with the Flaga family, you still want others to treat you as the Flaga family's primary heir?"
"Do you want everyone around you to act subservient, openly or secretly, in your presence?"
"No, I don't need that."
Having left home at a young age, Mu certainly had no desire for the scenario Wang Hu described to become reality.
Moreover, he never carried himself with the air of a Flaga family heir in his daily life.
Coupled with Wang Hu's earlier question—"Are you still Mu La Flaga? Has anything about that changed?"—the words struck a deep chord in him.
Having lived a few more years than Kira, the impact was even more profound.
Even Mu, who was more mentally mature, found his earlier loss of composure somewhat amusing. Given a little time, he could have adjusted his mindset on his own.
"That's good."
Wang Hu examined Mu carefully and found no signs of abnormality.
Just then, Li Chengzhi finished further counseling Kira.
Wang Hu cracked his neck with a crisp pop. While others might say "a gentleman's revenge is ten years not too late," he considered himself no gentleman but a petty man—so his revenge would be relentless from dawn till dusk.
In front of everyone in the hangar, Wang Hu addressed Li Chengzhi without ceremony:
"Officials' kid, can you contact your powerful general father? Ask him to send me a new Gundam first. And don't tell me the Atlantic Federation Army's sneak attack on us ends here. If the higher-ups can't act, I might just defect."
The entire hangar fell into stunned silence. Everyone stared at Wang Hu with horrified expressions. If this unrestrained man got his hands on a mobile suit like the Freedom Gundam, he'd truly be capable of single-handedly turning the world upside down!
Surprisingly, it was the usually proper Li Chengzhi who responded with a faint smile:
"Count me in."
That even someone like Li Chengzhi would say such words showed how deeply hated the Atlantic Federation's actions were—and how fierce the East Asian Army's retaliation would be!
(End of Chapter)