"Far?" Murrue had a good temper, but that didn't mean just anyone could criticize her.
Hearing Mu's reply, especially seeing everyone around except Li Chengzhi pricking up their ears, her face immediately darkened.
"What do you mean?" Murrue asked with a warm expression but a chilling tone.
"Uh oh, this is bad." Mu was a clever man. He had just been casually joking when commenting about Murrue, but now sensing her displeasure and remembering she was a woman, he inwardly groaned.
This is terrible, just terrible, he thought anxiously while quickly putting on an ingratiating smile. "Murrue, look at my big mouth. It deserves to be slapped, really deserves it."
As he spoke, Mu completely shed any sense of shame. Right in front of everyone, he reached out and slapped his own mouth twice.
His comical actions not only made everyone around stare, but even Wang Hu and Arsida, who were conversing at the front, couldn't help but glance over, wondering what Mu was up to with his antics.
Seeing Wang Hu and the others looking over, Mu chuckled again. Only after the two turned back to continue their mutual flattery did he quietly explain to Murrue and those around them.
"You all know Wang Hu's usual attitude toward us, right? He looks down on our Atlantic Federation from the bottom of his heart."
"And it's not just the Atlantic Federation - he doesn't think much of the Eurasian Federation either."
Hearing this, Murrue and the others thought for a moment and then nodded one after another.
With the precedent of Artemis right there - first openly supporting that General Charle's attempt to seize the Archangel, then turning around and using General Charle as a scapegoat - without any regard for the potential consequences of such actions, if anyone said Wang Hu took the two largest powers besides the East Asian Alliance seriously...
None of those present would believe it!
"Hiss!" Murrue was kind but not stupid. If Mu hadn't mentioned it, that would be one thing, but now that he had...
This woman quickly made other connections. If Wang Hu personally wasn't afraid of the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations...
Did that also mean the East Asian Alliance no longer took the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations seriously either?
After all, as the current top representative of the East Asian Alliance, Wang Hu must know something about the higher-ups' attitude to some extent!
Not to mention Wang Hu was accompanied by Li Chengzhi, who had substantial background connections!
"But look at Wang Hu's current behavior."
Mu didn't know what Murrue was thinking; he was just saying what he observed and thought.
"Even though he fundamentally doesn't care about the Atlantic Federation, when facing Arsida, the Deputy Foreign Minister who currently represents the Atlantic Federation..."
"How is he handling it?" Pouting his lips forward, Mu continued.
"Arsida extended his hand early on, and Wang Hu very promptly saluted, giving him plenty of face and respect."
"If it were you, could you act as naturally as he does?"
"This?" Murrue looked at Wang Hu, who was chatting very enthusiastically with Deputy Foreign Minister Arsida, then lowered her head and thought.
"Probably wouldn't be that natural." Murrue answered honestly.
"Also, this advance team was dispatched from Admiral Halberton's Eighth Fleet." Mu added.
"Do you think that fleet knows what happened at Artemis Fortress?"
"Probably, maybe, possibly?" Murrue replied uncertainly.
In space, long-distance communication was severely disrupted due to the effects of the Neutron Jammer.
The connection between the Archangel and the United Forces Lunar Base had always been intermittent, but that didn't mean an entire fully equipped 8th Fleet couldn't establish contact.
If even a main force like the 8th Fleet had lost communication with headquarters, it would be far too exaggerated.
If the Allied Forces' communication was this fragmented, how could they even fight against the Coordinators?
The entire Allied Forces would just be devoured by the enemy, one bite at a time!
"Right, by now, both the Allied Forces and ZAFT's rescue teams should have reached Artemis."
Mu chuckled meaningfully. "That guy Charle might be dead—though the most likely scenario is that he survived."
"After all, he's such a high-ranking official. Those bureaucrats may lack many skills, but survival instincts aren't one of them. And after suffering such a huge loss, do you think he'll take this case all the way to Allied Forces headquarters?"
"He probably will," Murrue said after a moment's thought, recalling her interactions with General Charle back at Artemis.
Given that man's temperament, she doubted he would ever swallow such a humiliation.
"First, there's the Artemis Fortress incident, and then returning Lacus Clyne right under their noses."
Mu shrugged suggestively.
"The Atlantic Federation is currently steeped in anti-Coordinator sentiment, with Blue Cosmos gaining widespread support. For the sake of political correctness, even high-ranking officials like Vice Foreign Minister Arsida—despite being part of the Deep State—have to bow to this ideological wave."
"But look at them now. Anyone unaware of the situation might think they're about to swear brotherhood over a blood oath."
"Wang Hu's methods are definitely not the
"That's why it's so frightening. Politics is something you can never truly master."
Following Murrue's sigh, Mu also shook his head while watching the two men who had just concluded their pleasant conversation.
"Hahaha, Captain Wang Hu, you will surely keep advancing within the East Asian Army. Perhaps by our next meeting, I should address you as General Wang Hu."
Vice Foreign Minister Arsida flattered with a beaming smile.
"Not at all, not at all. If the opportunity arises, Vice Foreign Minister Arsida could also represent the Atlantic Federation on a visit to East Asia."
"We in the East Asian Alliance always welcome good friends, and even more so if they are old friends."
As everyone joined in the mutual flattery, Wang Hu stepped aside and extended his hand in an inviting gesture.
Although the Archangel's ownership belonged to the Atlantic Federation, and the majority of its crew were from the Atlantic Federation, Wang Hu gave off the impression that he was the true master of this ship.
"Old friends?" Arsida murmured the phrase, carefully savoring its meaning. His aides' expressions shifted slightly at Wang Hu's words.
Yet from beginning to end, the smile on Vice Foreign Minister Arsida's face never wavered.
Though he always appeared outwardly as a doting father, when it came to official matters, he knew exactly how to prioritize.
Wang Hu didn't know what others were thinking internally, but both he and Li Chengzhi recognized that the man before them was someone of substance.
"Since official matters are concluded now." Wang Hu walked alongside Arsida toward Murrue and the others who were lined up in welcome.
By all reasoning, Vice Foreign Minister Arsida should have exchanged a few words of greeting with Murrue and the welcoming party.
But instead, Arsida bypassed Murrue and her group, directing his question directly to Wang Hu.
"May I have a private conversation with my daughter Flay? After all, I am her father, and she has been through so much recently."
"As a concerned father, I'm quite eager to know how she's been doing."
"Of course, perfectly reasonable. Vice Foreign Minister Arsida is truly a devoted father." Wang Hu waved his hand, indicating that Arsida was free to do so.
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."
Nodding toward Murrue and the others, Arsida's smile at this moment was undoubtedly genuine.
Spreading his arms open to his daughter without any concern for others' opinions, Vice Foreign Minister Arsida embraced Flay as she flew into his arms like a young swallow returning to its nest.
Right before everyone's eyes, Vice Foreign Minister Arsida gently stroked Flay's beautiful hair and said,
"You've been through so much, Flay, but don't worry - Daddy is here now."
"Daddy." Tears streamed down as Flay freely released all the fear that had been pent up inside her recently into her father's embrace.
"Flay, why don't you take your father back to your room."
Wang Hu appropriately offered his suggestion - they couldn't let this father and daughter continue crying in public and affect military morale.
Was there anyone present who still had living relatives?
But not every family member could use their official position to directly come aboard a battleship to reclaim their daughter.
"Yes, of course."
Vice Foreign Minister Arsida also noticed the emotional shift in others present, so he readily followed the suggestion and motioned for Flay to lead the way.
Soon, the figures of father and daughter disappeared from everyone's view.
"You can handle whatever comes next from here."
The main figures had already withdrawn. Wang Hu gave Li Chengzhi a meaningful look, intending to leave the tedious tasks to Murrue and the others.
Without waiting for Murrue's response, Wang Hu took Li Chengzhi and Zhang Hong—who had previously accompanied Vice Foreign Minister Arsida aboard the ship—and the three of them disappeared down the corridor.
"That bastard," Mu complained helplessly, then steeled himself and stepped forward with Murrue to receive the remaining members of the advance team.
"Flay, you've suffered."
While Murrue and the others dealt with the entourage left behind by Arsida, the man himself, now playing the role of a doting father, was conversing with his daughter.
"Dad," Flay recounted everything that had happened to her recently. Having already cried her heart out, she was far from the delicate young lady her appearance suggested.
This was a woman who, after her father's death, had resolutely devoted herself to Kira to seek revenge. A woman who, when other women posed a threat around Kira, swiftly engaged in rivalry.
Now that her father was safe, she would only grow stronger than in the original timeline.
"There's something I want to discuss with you," Flay said earnestly, locking eyes with Arsida.
"I want to invest in Kira Yamato."
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