"Justice? Real justice is when you've got a gun!"
Hearing Wang Hu spouting nonsense even at death's door, Zhang Changbao revealed his ferocious side, taking two steps forward to pull out his belt and whip him.
But before Zhang Changbao could reach Wang Hu...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In Zhang Changbao's vision, over a dozen green lights flashed out of thin air from the sky.
Then the Steel Skulls closest to Wang Hu exploded.
A series of fireballs erupted, and countless metal parts fell from the sky due to the explosions.
The falling debris sent the Secret Service Agents under his command scattering like frightened rats, while the explosions left Zhang Changbao dumbstruck, completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
"Enemy attack!"
A sharp cry rang out as the Secret Service Agents were the first to regain their composure. Watching the sudden appearance of...
A giant humanoid robot standing 20 meters tall, they fought back their fear and attempted to retaliate with their weapons.
Another smarter group, just from seeing the target of this humanoid robot's attack...
They guessed that this robot that had suddenly appeared...
Was probably here to rescue Wang Hu, so they charged recklessly toward Wang Hu.
Trying to subdue Wang Hu to use as leverage!
Wang Hu paid no attention to these Talons rushing toward him as if they were nothing.
But Wang Hu cared deeply about the surrounding spectators.
Zhang Hong piloting the MS from the CE world made his entrance, inevitably causing panic among the crowd of onlookers.
To prevent a stampede, Wang Hu charged straight toward the crowd. After a running start, he executed several small jumps.
Wang Hu appeared on top of a Steel Skull, shouting with all his might to the crowd:
"Don't panic! Don't be afraid! Justice won't harm an innocent person, nor will it let a guilty one escape."
"All able-bodied young people, prioritize protecting the women, children, and elderly around you. Leave this area in an orderly manner."
If anyone else had shouted these words to the already somewhat panicked crowd, it would have been like throwing a stone into the ocean.
At most creating a few ripples before sinking without a trace.
But Wang Hu's words had the power to calm the restless hearts of all who heard his call.
Additionally, among those brought along by Zhu Yuanhao, the media reporters had some worldly experience, and most ordinary citizens were strong laborers anyway.
Seeing that the giant robot was clearly on Wang Hu's side - essentially an ally -
The crowd calmed down slightly.
Then Su Shuang, overcome with emotion, vaguely guessed who was piloting that robot. Knowing the inside story, he sent servants to organize the crowd.
The stampede threat subsided as the crowd dispersed to a distance, continuing to indulge their natural curiosity.
Ready to watch the spectacle of the giant robot beating up the Steel Skulls.
While the crowd prepared to watch the show, Zhang Changbao, protected by several Secret Service Agents, gritted his teeth and fled to a relatively safe location.
He stared frantically at the MS rumbling over from the other side of the estate.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Zhang Changbao screamed hysterically, jumping up and down.
The currently known mainstream weapon in this world - the Knightmare.
The average height is around four and a half meters, with rare exceptions in the Britannian Empire.
In that world's most powerful empire, there are occasional robots exceeding five meters, at most six meters.
But those five-to-six-meter-tall robots are all in the hands of imperial princes or powerful individuals!
It is absolutely impossible for them to appear within the borders of the Zhonghua Federation.
Moreover, the robot before them is a colossal 20-meter-tall behemoth, unheard of in the current world.
"Wang Hu!" A fierce glare shot toward Wang Hu, who stood atop the Steel Skull and, from his perspective, was currently inciting the crowd.
Zhang Changbao nearly spat blood. "Who is piloting that Steel Skull?"
He violently grabbed the nearby Secret Service Agent and unleashed a torrent of furious shouts.
"That's a wanted criminal, a convict who falsely accused the Attendant of attempting rebellion!"
"He's standing on the Steel Skull—is the fool inside just letting him stand there?"
"And another thing!" After venting about the Steel Skull issue at his subordinate, Zhang Changbao pointed at the Mobile Suit piloted by Zhang Hong and continued.
"What are you all standing around dumbfounded for? Waiting for me to treat you to a meal?"
"That thing is just big in size—it's actually not durable at all. Order the Steel Skulls to attack!"
"Oh, oh, yes, yes."
Facing Zhang Changbao's twisted visage up close, the Secret Service Agent—drenched in spit—nodded repeatedly.
Right, no one in the current world has ever heard of a 20-meter-tall Knightmare being manufactured.
So this 20-meter-tall giant robot must be a Silver-Plated Spear Shaft!
With this thought, he conveyed the idea to all the Steel Skull pilots under his command.
Under this Secret Service Agent's direction, the Steel Skulls controlled by the Adhesive Rod Agency launched an assault on the Mobile Suit piloted by Zhang Hong.
"Bang, bang, bang."
From the four Anti-Knightmare Rifles on the Steel Skulls, countless bullets swarmed toward Zhang Hong's Mobile Suit.
"Thud, thud, thud."
The bullets struck the Mobile Suit's armor, but the Zeta Gundam's predecessor—the East Asian Alliance-manufactured Gundam Mk-II—stood firm and unyielding.
"PS Armor provides complete immunity against attacks from this world's Knightmares as well."
Listening to the clattering sounds outside, Zhang Hong in the cockpit even had the leisure to document this battle detail.
Thanks to the excellent visibility of the panoramic cockpit, Zhang Hong also witnessed something quite amusing.
Wang Hu had single-handedly commandeered a Steel Skull—the very one he had been standing on earlier.
"Truly remarkable. Wang Hu from that world is no ordinary individual."
Firmly convinced of this, Zhang Hong officially began combat operations in Lelouch's world.
After all, he was piloting the Gundam Mk-II—if his performance couldn't outshine Wang Hu's under these circumstances, he'd be laughed at by all his colleagues back home!
The Gundam Mk-II from CE East Asia, making its debut in this world, holstered its rifle.
To avoid excessive chain explosions from Beam Rifle attacks harming distant spectators—earlier actions were for dramatic impact and carefully calculated, but circumstances had changed and such risks were unnecessary.
Zhang Hong gladly took the easier approach: he lifted his foot and stomped down.
One unlucky Steel Skull became the first victim of the Mk-II's merciless trampling.
The Steel Skull, with its heavy head supported only by two thin legs, was clearly unable to bear the weight of the Gundam, which far exceeded its load capacity.
With a "crack," like a crab struck by a hammer, the Steel Skull crumpled limply to the ground.
Then, dark brown oil flowed out from its crab-like body, spreading unchecked across the earth.
"Poor lower limb support, and weak armor pressure resistance."
In the cockpit, Zhang Hong meticulously noted down another observation.
Removing the shield from his left arm, Zhang Hong childishly crouched halfway down, as if playing a game of whack-a-mole at an amusement park.
Gripping the edge of the shield, he aimed at another Steel Skull and swung it down.
Even though that Steel Skull tried its best to evade, it was no match for the Mk-II Gundam's shield descending like a crushing seal from the heavens.
With a "splat," it followed the fate of the previous Steel Skull.
"From what I can see, our MS holds an overwhelming advantage over this world's Knightmares."
Ignoring the attacks from the surrounding Steel Skulls, Zhang Hong flipped the shield over to inspect its front surface.
Noticing only a slight scratch on the anti-beam coating, he smiled with satisfaction.
While Zhang Hong was pleased, his clansman Zhang Changbao was anything but.
Trembling like an epileptic, Zhang Changbao watched as the enemy effortlessly toyed with his forces like an adult bullying a child.
His eyes turned red with fury.
"Fools, fools! If you can't fight head-on, then maneuver! Flank that robot and attack from behind!"
Unconsciously ignoring or unwilling to accept reality, Zhang Changbao had clearly seen that the Steel Skulls' attacks were ineffective against the Gundam.
Yet he stubbornly urged his subordinates to their deaths.
"Wait!" A sudden thought struck Zhang Changbao—Wang Hu.
He scanned his surroundings but found no trace of Wang Hu.
"Where is Wang Hu? Did he escape in the chaos?"
"That turtle's grandson ran fast!" he spat out bitterly.
Zhang Changbao wondered if, since Wang Hu was gone, he could leave too.
He could claim he was pursuing Wang Hu, which might help him avoid charges of desertion even if his forces were wiped out.
"No, that's not it," a timid Secret Service Agent beside him stammered.
"Wang Hu didn't run. I saw him hijack one of the Steel Skulls!"
"What?" Zhang Changbao felt like kicking this idiot beside him, along with the fool who let a Steel Skull get stolen.
"It's true," the honest agent continued, oblivious to Zhang Changbao's seething hatred. "There's an emergency rescue button on the outside of the Steel Skull, right? Wang Hu used it to open the cockpit door."
"Then, with one hand, he yanked the pilot out and climbed in himself."
"Really, everyone saw it! I'm not lying!"
Gesturing animatedly, the agent vividly described what he had witnessed.
"What an idiot!" Zhang Changbao slapped a hand to his face in despair, feeling hopeless about the world.
For now, it seemed his only hope lay in the remaining 30 or so Steel Skulls—down from over 50—to hold their ground.
At least they still had the advantage in numbers. He didn't expect to win, but maybe they could force a stalemate and drive off that giant robot.
"Oh?" Inside the cockpit, Zhang Hong had failed to capture the crab several times. He was surprised to discover the Steel Skulls beginning to assemble.
"What's this?" Frowning, Zhang Hong felt anger rising within him.
Probably knowing they couldn't handle him directly, someone—whether the pilot inside a Steel Skull or the commander—had come up with a terrible idea.
These Steel Skulls, originally meant to protect the citizens, were now forming a defensive line in front of the onlookers.
Clearly intending to use the civilians as human shields, though they maintained some semblance of dignity by not hiding directly behind the crowd.
But the outcome would be the same—if Zhang Hong launched an attack with his Mk-II Gundam.
The slightest mistake could harm the innocent people behind them!
"Hmm, whose idea was this? I must reward them handsomely."
Seeing the giant robot seemed somewhat restrained, Zhang Changbao became energized.
"Order the military to announce to the robot—if it doesn't surrender, we'll start killing civilians."
While the Steel Skulls were merely using civilians as hostages, Zhang Changbao had taken it a step further by using them as bargaining chips.
"Chief Archivist, isn't this inappropriate?"
The honest Secret Service Agent still had some conscience, hesitantly trying to advise.
"Hmph." Drawing his gun in one fluid motion, Zhang Changbao shot this subordinate who had repeatedly displeased him.
Snorting coldly, Zhang Changbao said.
"None of us are good people, yet you pretend to be righteous here. Your hands are already stained with blood—do you still think you can wash them clean?"
"I think you're planning to become a traitor."
Having killed the Secret Service Agent under false pretenses to vent his anger, Zhang Changbao's narrow eyes swept over the other agents nearby.
"Chief Archivist, I am completely loyal to you." Hurrying to pledge his loyalty, before other agents could speak.
Zhu Yuanhao bowed obsequiously, then became the first to relay Zhang Changbao's order to all the Steel Skulls.
Soon after, the Steel Skulls began hailing Zhang Hong according to Zhang Changbao's command.
"Damn it!"
Pounding the console with his fist, an enraged Zhang Hong glared at a specific unit among the Steel Skull formation.
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