Lacus truly needed to properly thank one person.
That was the commander of the Eighth Fleet, known as the "Strategist General" Duan Halberton.
While the Atlantic Federation Army was riddled with holes due to infiltration by Blue Cosmos members and those infected with their ideology,
This general, representing the rational faction, could still maintain a clear blue sky within the military.
Thanks to the G Project he spearheaded, the crew aboard the Archangel was considerably more normal compared to other brother units in the Atlantic Federation Army...
Wang Hu directly filtered out Kira's meaningless chatter, but he couldn't ignore Natarle Badgiruel's reminder.
In fact, Wang Hu had observed all of Lacus's behavior from her initial appearance until now, including the reactions of everyone in the hangar.
He was even well aware of their psychological activities.
"Assign her to a dedicated independent cabin."
Smiling at Lacus who was crouched on the ground, Wang Hu wisely complied with the unspoken desires of the majority.
The human heart is like water - it can carry a boat but also capsize it.
So what if the first meeting seemed to put him at a disadvantage?
Wang Hu didn't consider this to be a particularly serious matter. Indeed, he could forcibly do certain things using his authority,
But going against the collective will of everyone on the ship wasn't worth it to Wang Hu.
After all, the current Lacus had disguised herself as a harmless weakling.
"I will show mercy to the weak - this is a virtue that conscientious humans should possess.Wang Hu wouldn't destroy this.
Moreover, Lacus's current response had already revealed hidden flaws!
"That pink robot, it's called Haro, right?"
But don't think Wang Hu would completely follow Lacus's wishes either. He pointed at the previously unnoticed
round robot that had been following Lacus.
"Kira, you're quite knowledgeable about mechanics. Help me turn it off and lock it up somewhere."
"Ah, okay." Seeing that Wang Hu had made proper arrangements for the girl before them,
Kira naturally didn't give much thought to this additional, seemingly insignificant request.
Stepping forward, under Lacus's gaze that flashed with complex emotions and amidst the noise from the robot named Haro,
He picked up this robot that in the original timeline could crack the password of Lacus's confinement cabin door -
the token of affection made by his childhood friend Athrun and given to Lacus?
"Haro, Haro, Lacus, Lacus!"
The Haro robot was still making noise. Without another word, Kira began searching for the button to turn off the robot.
Suddenly, he seemed to discover something about this robot, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural.
"Hmm?" Wang Hu saw the reaction he had anticipated. Could he recognize it just from something the other person had made?
"Eh?"
Seeing that the immediate situation was largely settled and it wasn't appropriate to cause more trouble, Lacus lowered her head, displaying her kindness by wiping the blood from two Coordinator soldiers,
while actually dividing her attention to observe the people around her, she let out a soft murmur.
"Wang Hu, what about these two soldiers then?"
Li Chengzhi's mind was currently filled with various troublesome matters. He didn't notice that subtle, hidden discord in the scene.
Urging Wang Hu, he was eager to return to the bridge quickly so everyone could discuss and devise a proper response to the matter.
"Lock her up separately. Doesn't the battleship have a dedicated cell?"
Wang Hu waved his hand casually as he made the arrangement, then unexpectedly called out three people.
"Kira, Flay, you two come with us to the bridge."
"Miriallia, you're responsible for delivering meals to our guest, Miss Lacus."
"That is, if the name called by this robot is correct."
Most people had no objections to Wang Hu's arrangements, except...
"If Kira is going to the bridge... then why does Flay have to go too?"
Sai spoke up on behalf of their equally confused classmates.
"There are matters to consult her about."
Smiling at Sai, Wang Hu then pointed at Kira.
"What, even if you don't trust the rest of us, with Kira here, are you afraid I'll eat Flay or something?"
"No, no."
Sai quickly waved his hands, of course he wouldn't say anything like "you're being so biased it's hard to watch."
He could only watch worriedly as Flay silently followed behind Kira toward the bridge without saying a word.
"Flay." Kira's face was slightly flushed as he looked at the campus goddess walking beside him. Suddenly and abruptly, he blurted out, "I'll definitely protect you!"
"Pfft."
Don't misunderstand - that wasn't Flay laughing. Actually, as the former campus goddess of Heliopolis Technical College, Flay had seen plenty of boys even more shy and innocent than Kira suddenly coming up to her and saying things that sounded utterly surprising.
So that laugh came from Wang Hu.
"Brother Wang Hu!"
Already embarrassed by his sudden outburst, Kira felt his face burn even more when he heard Wang Hu's laughter.
"Wang Hu." Li Chengzhi also felt that his friend still had the mood to tease Kira at a time like this, completely unable to distinguish what was important.
"Lieutenant Wang Hu, please maintain your dignity."
As a woman, Natarle Badgiruel naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing. In her view, calling Kira over could barely be justified since Kira was an important member of the ship - there were matters he needed to know about. But what was the meaning of bringing Flay along?
If you want to matchmake Kira and Flay, that's your business, but you shouldn't mix it up with important military affairs, right?
"My mistake, my mistake."
Facing their criticisms, Wang Hu repeatedly apologized.
Then he glanced back at that Miss Flay, whose current stable emotions and low-key demeanor were completely different from what he remembered.
This one is the key to breaking the deadlock!
Then the group arrived at the bridge in silence.
"Everyone?"
Murrue, whose presence was becoming increasingly faint and whose mascot attributes were growing stronger, looked at everyone's low spirits and asked, "Has something else happened?"
Ever since boarding the Archangel, there had been few days of peace, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. She was truly afraid of any more sudden troubles.
"It's like this."
Glancing at Wang Hu and the others who had found their respective positions, the equally weary Natarle Badgiruel stepped forward and quickly explained what had happened.
"Lacus? A member of the PLANT memorial team?"
Without needing much thought, Murrue knew that yet another trouble had come to this disaster-plagued ship.
Sighing, Murrue followed her usual routine and turned her gaze toward Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi.
As for Kira and Flay, she completely ignored them, considering them mere additions to the situation.
"I'll explain," Li Chengzhi said, clearing his throat and taking the initiative when he saw his friend Wang Hu remaining inactive.
"The uninvited guest who came aboard is named Lacus Clyne, a highly popular diva from the PLANT homeland."
"Clyne?" Mu interjected after Li Chengzhi had only spoken a single sentence.
"The PLANT Chairman is also named Clyne. Is she...?"
"Correct," Li Chengzhi affirmed, rubbing his forehead as he acknowledged the implication, emphasizing that this was the crux of the problem.
"The daughter of the dove faction leader has fallen into the hands of the Allied Forces. Who knows how many hawk faction members in the PLANT homeland would be overjoyed upon learning of this?"
"They might even pray day and night for us to do something to this diva."Uh," Mu deeply grasped the tricky nature of the situation and, like everyone else on the bridge, made the same choice.
He turned his gaze toward Wang Hu, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
With a flattering grin, Mu shamelessly fawned and asked,
"Captain Wang Hu, no—the Qilin of the Nova, the Strongest Natural, the Fangs of the Alliance, the guardian deity of the Archangel."
"Do you, esteemed sir, have any good ideas?"
"Oh?" Wang Hu raised an eyebrow and said playfully,
"Qilin when you need me, Wang Hu when you don't?"
"How could that be!" Mu sidled up to Wang Hu, putting on a shameless expression.
"We're all comrades on the same ship, you know. If this isn't handled properly, we'll all be left holding the bag."
"Just send her back," Wang Hu said, meeting everyone's gaze without hiding anything or deliberately stringing them along.
"Send her back?" Murrue was slightly surprised. Based on her understanding of Wang Hu,
he was the type who would demand a toll even from a fly passing before his eyes—so why was he letting the girl go so easily this time?
"I agree, but the method of sending her back and into whose hands are the key issues."
Unsurprisingly, the first to express agreement with Wang Hu's opinion was Li Chengzhi.
"That's the only way," the second to voice agreement wasn't Mu, but rather Natarle Badgiruel, who usually didn't get along well with Wang Hu and the others.
"You actually agree?"
Murrue was even more astonished by this, while Mu directly asked,
Given your personality, shouldn't you be insisting on taking this girl back to the Allied Forces headquarters?
"Chairman Clyne is a peace faction member in PLANT. If anything happens to his daughter, it could very well shift his stance."If because of Lacus, the only voice left in all of PLANT is one calling for war, it would be extremely unfavorable for the overall war situation."
Natarle Badgiruel laid out her considerations.
"And there's one more thing you didn't mention."
Wang Hu picked up where Natarle left off, voicing another layer of concern.
"This ship's temporary destination is the United Forces Lunar Base, which is currently filled with those Blue Cosmos fanatics."
"Once we arrive there, they won't consider the war situation or anything else. To retaliate for the current unfavorable turn in the war, they're capable of anything."
"So unless you're willing to pilot this ship to our East Asian Alliance space force base in the L4 Industrial Colony Cluster."
"Otherwise..."
Silence. Everyone remained silent, offering no rebuttal to Wang Hu's disrespectful remarks about the Atlantic Federation Army.
"Then it's settled."
Li Chengzhi stepped forward to make the final statement.
"Wait." Just as others had no objections, Wang Hu stepped forward again.
Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Wang Hu raised a new question.
"What are your thoughts on Lacus, that counterfeit?"
"Especially you, Flay. Don't you have anything to say?"
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