When the LaGowe's signal disappeared from the radar, Andrew's troops already knew—there was no longer any point in continuing this battle.
The commander... that is, the final MS had been shot down, but the Strike Suit only needed a backpack replacement to regain combat capability.
Even if they fought on with unyielding will, the outcome was already evident.
As the ZAFT occupation forces withdrew, the resistance members first stood in stunned disbelief, then collectively erupted in cheers.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when ZAFT Forces would actually withdraw," said Seibu Ashman, gazing at the dark night sky as he drained his cup in one go, a touch of emotion in his voice.
To celebrate their hard-won victory against ZAFT's oppression, the resistance immediately held a victory banquet after the battle—even now, deep into the night, joyful laughter could still be heard all around.
Watching the singing, dancing, and merrymaking among the resistance members, Seibu found it almost hard to believe.
In his memory, the atmosphere at the base had always been oppressive... After all, everyone came here resolved to sacrifice their lives for freedom.
Killing intent, hatred, fighting spirit—all these emotions toward ZAFT hung over the base like dark clouds, creating an overwhelming, suffocating heaviness.
But with ZAFT's withdrawal, all that dissipated. Everyone returned to the relaxed, carefree state of life they had known before ZAFT's arrival.
And all of this... was thanks to the Archangel, and that young man named Lu Tianming.
"This victory against ZAFT is all thanks to you. Here—let me propose a toast to you!"
Thinking this, he immediately turned to Lu Tianming, who was chatting and laughing with Murrue and the others, and strode over cheerfully.
Seeing the resistance leader personally coming to propose a toast, Lu Tianming didn't refuse. He raised his glass, clinked it with Seibu's, and after the clear ring of their glasses meeting, both drained their remaining drinks in one go.
"Hmm...? Is it time for another toast?"
A slightly drunken voice came from nearby. Lu Tianming turned to see Badgiruel, who had been slumped over the table, struggling to sit up as if she'd heard something, her hands blindly groping across the table. The blanket draped over her slipped down a bit from her movements.
Lu Tianming smiled faintly, walked over, patted her shoulder, pulled the slipped blanket back up, and whispered:
"It's alright, it's alright. Go back to sleep."
Hearing Lu Tianming's reassurance, Badgiruel nodded slightly before flopping back onto the table with a thud.
"Is she... drunk?" Seibu asked tentatively, looking curiously at Badgiruel on the table.
In his impression, the Archangel's deputy captain didn't seem like someone who would show such an undignified state.
"Apparently, during their conversation earlier, she and Tianming got into some inexplicable competition about drinking capacity—insisting on challenging him... and this is the result."
Mu spread his hands helplessly - he hadn't witnessed this himself, only heard about it from Lu Tianming and Murrue.
According to Murrue's real-time report as an observer, it started when Lu Tianming teased Badgiruel about her face turning red quickly when drinking, which she took as him saying she couldn't hold her liquor well... Somehow their conversation gradually evolved into the current situation.
"Never would have guessed Mr. Lu isn't just skilled at piloting MS, but can also hold his liquor well," Saib said with an approving smile, having initially thought the young man wouldn't be able to drink much.
"It's nothing... Speaking of which, what are your plans moving forward? With Tiger gone, this region is bound to undergo major changes," Lu Tianming waved his hand and changed the subject. While he could drink somewhat, he wasn't knowledgeable about alcohol and wouldn't know what to discuss if the topic continued.
"Not necessarily. ZAFT isn't just about Tiger alone. With one Tiger gone, we'll likely see lions or leopards or similar creatures appearing later," Saib shook his head. While they seemed to have gained freedom now, it was actually just a temporary victory.
As long as ZAFT's main base remained undestroyed, they could continuously send new warlords and rulers to this area. Drive away one batch, and another would follow.
"...However, since we managed to drive them away once, there's no reason we can't win a second time," Saib's tone shifted. Although this victory was achieved with the Archangel's help, they had also gained considerable experience and resources through their struggle against Tiger.
When new enemies appeared in the future, they wouldn't have to start from scratch with the same difficulty.
"Having that confidence is good. I've previously read some strategic and guidance books about guerrilla warfare and organizational development, and extracted some experiences and theories which I've summarized on this hard drive, already translated into your language... It might be useful to you," Lu Tianming pulled a portable hard drive from his military uniform pocket. After obtaining this storage medium from Kira earlier, he had contacted Xia Chuan, and together they recalled theoretical books like Mao's works that they had read before being reborn here. Combining these with the local situation, they compiled what they thought would be useful guidance materials and had some local intellectuals handle the translation.
This could be considered a parting gift, hoping it would help them resist ZAFT's future attacks.
"This... isn't really appropriate, is it? I'm not an educated person, I wouldn't understand it well," Saib hesitated. Born and raised here, he had never learned to read much. Even after becoming the resistance leader and learning some, it was all war-related.
Suddenly being given a hard drive full of knowledge to study made him uncomfortable.
"Just take it. As your organization grows larger, not learning anything will definitely not work," Mu, seeing his hesitation, helped persuade him.
"Besides, your organization has quite a few educated and technical people. If you don't understand something, just ask them to help you."
"Mr. Mu is right. Due to the war situation in Alaska causing ZAFT's troop shortages, your area isn't strategically important, so they likely won't prioritize sending occupation forces here immediately."
"This gap period is the perfect opportunity for you to expand your forces and accumulate strength."
"If you're not interested, you don't have to look at it now... When the organization grows larger and encounters issues with management or future objectives, you can refer to the materials I've left for you. They might prove more useful then."
Seeing Mu and Lu Tianming analyze and persuade him this way, Saib couldn't resist their goodwill.
From their words, he could sense... even if this was just a temporary cooperation where each party sought what they needed... their concern for the fate and future of this land was genuine.
Touched by Lu Tianming's sincerity, Saib gratefully accepted the hard drive with both hands and said solemnly:
"Then I'll accept your kindness... Thank you so much for going this far for our resistance organization."
Hearing this, Lu Tianming shook his head with a faint smile and corrected:
"You're welcome, but there's one thing I must clarify—I'm not doing this for your resistance organization."
"What I'm doing... is for the people on this land who are still suffering from the ravages of war."