After departing from the wreckage of Junius Seven, even those aboard the Archangel who were least attuned to the atmosphere had instinctively sensed a certain tension over the past few days.
But wasn't everything operating smoothly on this ship?
With someone like Lieutenant Wang Hu, who had such an impressive combat record, guarding it, this ship was as steady as Mount Tai—so what could possibly be wrong?
Unfortunately, for these ordinary crew members' confusion, none of those in the know had the mind to explain.
It was just like the world we live in—critical information always reaches the ordinary people last.
Or perhaps they would never know at all.
This oppressive atmosphere persisted until a piece of news arrived.
"Have you heard?" a man in the living area eagerly grabbed a passerby and exclaimed.
"What news?"
Because of the tense atmosphere, the passerby had no desire to get involved, but being held back, he couldn't walk away.
So, he reluctantly humored the other person.
He planned to wait for this seemingly irrational man to finish speaking before breaking free and hurrying back to his cabin.
"The vanguard! The vanguard has come to meet us!"
The man, overjoyed, shared this excellent news with the impatient passerby.
"The vanguard?" The impatient passerby's voice rose an octave, and he was so thrilled by the news he nearly jumped for joy.
"Where did they come from? You're not lying to me, are you? How did they make contact? Isn't space full of interference?"
Then, fearing the man might be deceiving him, the passerby tightly grabbed him in turn, adopting a stance of not letting him leave without a clear explanation.
"Weren't you in a hurry?"
At this point, the man suddenly put on airs, glancing sideways at the passerby as he asked.
"Just tell me!" Originally, the man had intended to wait for the passerby to beg him before speaking.
But faced with this news, how could the passerby still bother with social niceties?
Gripping the man's hand with even more force, the passerby pressed him anxiously.
Since it concerned everyone's personal safety, the crowd that had overheard the conversation gathered around, all glaring at the man to urge him on.
"Alright, alright, I'll talk." Seeing that he might provoke public anger, the man had no choice but to explain honestly.
"Didn't we make a brief stop at Artemis Fortress earlier? It was then that the Archangel sent a communication to the Allied Forces headquarters."
"Even though Artemis Fortress was later breached by those damned Coordinators."
"The Allied Forces fleet that went to rescue the fortress survivors used that as a basis to dispatch a small fleet to search for us!"
"Oh, oh, oh! So that's how it is!"
After hearing the logical and well-reasoned analysis, everyone's spirits lifted even higher, but that wasn't all!
The man puffed out his chest proudly and continued.
"Not only did the Atlantic Federation Army send a fleet to rescue us, but the East Asian Army also dispatched a battleship to accompany them!"
"What?" The crowd exclaimed in surprise, their excitement growing even more intense than before.
The arrival of the vanguard was good news, but everyone on board was well aware of the Atlantic Federation Army's track record, and the ship was still being pursued by ZAFT.
It could be said that the vanguard was like the proverbial plums that quench thirst from a distance, but the East Asian Army's battleship was the actual water that truly slaked that thirst!
Compared to the ship's guardian Wang Hu, the ordinary Orb citizens taking refuge on board clearly placed greater trust in the East Asian Army to which Wang Hu belonged!
They even trusted them more than their own nation's Orb military!
"Kira, did you hear that?" The ordinary citizen Katz was itching to rush into the crowd and celebrate with them.
But since Tolle and the others weren't going, he felt too embarrassed to go alone, so he could only speak with a somewhat encouraging tone.
"Yeah." Stirring his drink with a spoon, Kira responded listlessly.
"Kira?" As if doused with cold water, Katz's enthusiasm vanished and he sat back down with an unnatural expression.
"Kira, did something happen?"
As Kira's good friend, Tolle had actually noticed his unusual behavior much earlier.
Ever since Kira and Flay had gone to the bridge with Wang Hu, he had become noticeably withdrawn and unhappy!
If not for the fact that Kira was just in low spirits and had explicitly stated it wasn't because of Wang Hu,
Tolle would have long ago confronted Wang Hu directly to ask what he had done to Kira!
"Flay!" Sai, who should have been on duty on the bridge at this time, came running over excitedly.
Speaking to Flay who was sitting at a corner of the table, he said with some cheer in his voice,
"Your father is in this vanguard unit too!"
Hearing Sai's words that sounded like he was purely coming to claim credit, Flay suddenly looked up with immense joy.
"Father is in that fleet?"
"Yes, yes, Foreign Undersecretary Arsida is in that fleet. Flay, you'll see your father soon!"
Nodding his head like a pecking chicken, Sai repeatedly confirmed.
"That's wonderful." Except for that time on the bridge when she had revealed her true nature in front of limited people,
and now with the additional presence of her rival Lacus on board, Flay's external goddess-like aura was particularly strong.
Crossing her hands in front of her chest, Flay gave Sai a perfect goddess smile.
Enchanted by Flay's smile, seeing how radiant she looked, Sai felt his entire being melting away.
Instantly, he pushed aside the matter that had been bothering him - Flay and Kira being called to the bridge alone earlier.
"Sigh." Watching Sai's besotted expression and then glancing at the dazzlingly smiling Flay, Kira let out a deep sigh.
Oh Sai, oh Sai, you have no idea how terrifying Flay can be, or perhaps all beautiful women in this world are terrifying!
Somewhat like someone who once bitten by a snake remains fearful of ropes for ten years,
Kira felt from the bottom of his heart that both Flay and Lacus were terrifying, beyond what ordinary people could handle.
"Kira." You might avoid trouble, but trouble finds you.
Unexpectedly to everyone, Flay suddenly called out to the despondent, head-bowed Kira.
"What is it, Flay?" Kira looked up blankly and asked.
"Flay?" Sai's face immediately stiffened - he also wanted to know why Flay was seeking out Kira.
"These three people?"
Tolle, Miriallia, and Katz exchanged glances, each lost in their own thoughts.
Some were worried, some were curious, and some just wanted to watch the drama unfold.
"Come with me." Flay proactively stood up and took Kira's hand, showing no intention of explaining herself to the others.
Ignoring the probing and hurt gazes from those behind her, Flay simply pulled Kira along and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Thank you for coming to our aid. This is truly a relief."
On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue, acting as the captain, expressed her gratitude to the commander of the advance team, whom they had finally managed to contact.
After Arsida delivered a formal and polished speech, he still insisted on meeting his beloved daughter, just as in the original timeline.
The conversation below devolved into meaningless pleasantries until the members of the East Asian Army, who had accompanied the Archangel for support, made their appearance.
Only then did the discussion gain some substance.
"Captain Wang Hu, it's an honor to see you safe and sound. Your combat record is truly legendary."
Appearing on the screen was a man with the rank of lieutenant on his shoulders. His bright smile made him seem like a likable and upright character.
However, everyone on the bridge of the Archangel wore expressions of "as expected," feeling that he perfectly fit the stereotypical image of an East Asian soldier.
Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi, on the other hand, twitched their faces as if they were extremely reluctant to see this person.
"Is something wrong, Captain Wang Hu?"
The newcomer flashed two rows of gleaming white teeth, his youthful radiance almost shining across the battleship and the void of space onto the bridge of the Archangel.
"I've brought a special gift from the higher-ups for you. If you don't want it, I'll take it for myself!"
"Special gift?" Murrue and the others' curiosity was piqued. What kind of gift had Wang Hu's superiors in the East Asian Army given him?
Was it a commendation, a medal, or perhaps a promotion in rank?
"No, thank you." Wang Hu replied without a hint of hesitation.
"If you like it, you can take it. Also, you can leave now. The Atlantic Federation Army's advance team is more than enough."
To Murrue and the others' astonishment, Wang Hu outright rejected the so-called gift from his superiors.
"Really, you don't want it?"
Unfazed, the newcomer maintained his brilliant smile as he pressed Wang Hu further.
"No, and it was nice to see you."
Wang Hu continued to stand his ground. After speaking, he even took two steps forward, approached the communications officer, and directly cut off the connection.
"Captain Wang Hu?" Noticing Wang Hu's unusual attitude, Mu's barely concealed curiosity was practically written all over his face.
"Who is this new East Asian Army colleague? It seems you're not too happy to see him?"
"Thank you, not familiar, don't know him."
With three rapid denials, Wang Hu swiftly changed the subject.
"Prepare for the battle ahead."
"Battle?" Almost thrown off by Wang Hu's abrupt shift, Mu stared intently at him.
"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. No need to be so alarmist, is there?"
"Remember the captured reconnaissance Gene? They're here to search for Chairman Clyne's daughter, Lacus."
"Logically speaking, what would you think if Lacus wasn't found and Gene didn't return?"
His expression turned serious, and the others stopped trying to pry into Wang Hu's gossip. In the original timeline, none of them had considered this possibility.
Therefore, they were still foolishly dreaming of joining up with the advance team and safely returning to the Allied Forces' ranks.
But after Wang Hu's reminder, they belatedly realized this overlooked threat.
"Who might come? The search team shouldn't have many people, right?"
With a hint of wishful thinking, Murrue asked hopefully.
"Who knows?" Wang Hu shrugged, a smile playing on his face.
"Maybe it's our old friend."
"This..." Upon hearing the term "old friend," Mu's first thought was Creuset.
But after losing so badly last time, could he bounce back so quickly?
And was there really enough time?
"Don't indulge in wishful thinking." Just by glancing at everyone's reactions, Wang Hu knew what they were thinking.
"Always plan for the worst-case scenario when calculating the future, so we won't be caught off guard when facing danger."
"Mu, come with me. There's something for you. I believe that item will be of great help in our upcoming journey."
"For me?" Mu pointed at his own nose, feeling both surprised and honored.
A gift from Wang Hu? How unusual!
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