As mentioned before, Cagalli underwent significant changes between the First and Second Wars.
The reason for all this was that the tree that once sheltered her from wind and rain had fallen.
From then on, every decision would be made by herself, and she alone would bear the consequences.
More importantly, the carefree girl now had responsibilities she must shoulder.
The entire nation of Orb was like heavy shackles, binding the wings of the free bird.
Doesn't this resemble ordinary people?
Everyone struggling in life?
So...
Quietly exiting Cagalli's room, allowing this girl about to enter society to enjoy one last moment of peace.
Wang Hu felt this was the greatest mercy he could offer her.
"Do you know what you just resembled?"
Just after stepping out, Li Chengzhi, who was leaning against the corridor wall outside, spoke up.
"Resembled what?"
Though he expected nothing complimentary, Wang Hu still gave him the chance to speak.
"A pimp. You know, that particular profession from a certain port city in the past."
Speaking meaningfully, Li Chengzhi fell into step with Wang Hu.
"Hahaha, that."
Of course he understood the reference. Wang Hu chuckled as they walked outward.
"At least I'll sincerely help her, not deceive her like Yuna did."
"And Orb's final outcome will definitely be better than in the original timeline."
"Original timeline?"
Considering his friend's words, Li Chengzhi fell silent for a moment.
"How stupid must we have been in that world to let such a small country display such presence?"
Wasn't that true?
After the Third War, Orb practically became the world's beacon.
Both the Allied Forces and PLANT seemed to become mere background characters for them.
"Enough about that. Any important news?"
After getting into the military vehicle outside the building, Wang Hu asked his friend beside him.
"The Orb remnants have been fully reorganized and will be deployed as the East Asian Allied Forces in upcoming battles against ZAFT."
"Morale and fighting spirit among the reorganized Orb military units remain relatively stable."
"The retained officers are extremely deferential toward us, even to the point of..."
Hearing Wang Hu shift to serious matters, Li Chengzhi immediately adjusted his attitude, speaking solemnly about the Orb military's aftermath issues.
"To the point of?"
Wang Hu glanced at Li Chengzhi, understanding exactly what he meant.
One could reference history for specifics. Fortunately, their side was the East Asian Army fighting for all humanity's happiness.
Otherwise, these inherited traditions might produce some rather unsightly outcomes.
"They're genuinely trying to do it."
Extremely familiar with his friend, Li Chengzhi could guess Wang Hu's thoughts just from his slightly peculiar expression.
"Really?"
What era is this? Have these people made no progress at all?
There's a huge difference between the East Asian Alliance and the Atlantic Federation!
Wang Hu couldn't suppress the astonishment in his eyes.
"Really."
Nodding, Li Chengzhi mentioned a name.
"Seran."
"Understood."
Wang Hu instantly understood why someone in this day and age would still want to do such a thing.
"That guy is unreliable. We should remind the higher-ups."
"No need to tell them—they wouldn't even consider him in the first place."
"Especially after what happened, the master of the Bureau of Barbarian Affairs has already severely reprimanded him."
"Right now, the higher-ups are leaning more toward supporting Cagalli, given the lingering prestige of the Asuha family and her pre-war performance."
"The citizens of Orb are also more willing to accept her."
Wang Hu signaled that he understood—there was no need to say more, as the higher-ups had already thought far ahead of them.
Moreover, Li Chengzhi recalled how the master of the Bureau of Barbarian Affairs had reprimanded the head of the Seran family back then.
That kind of person, who bows and scrapes before the powerful without a shred of dignity, would never earn the respect or reuse of the East Asian Alliance.
Not even as a puppet.
Besides, wasn't Cagalli, whom Wang Hu had a hold over, a much better option?
Why bother with such a disgusting character constantly hovering around?
"Let's not dwell on Orb's reconstruction efforts. There's something else I need to tell you."
After finishing the discussion about Orb, Li Chengzhi slowly steered the conversation toward the main topic.
"What is it?"
Seeing his friend's serious expression, Wang Hu's demeanor shifted accordingly.
Adopting a business-like posture, Wang Hu gestured for his friend to proceed.
"Orb's Mass Driver has been repaired. The higher-ups intend to hand it over to the Atlantic Federation Army for use."
"They'll serve as the first wave of forces heading into space."
"Oh?"
Hearing this news from his friend, Wang Hu fell into deep thought.
After all the effort to capture the Mass Driver, they were just handing it over to the Atlantic Federation?
"Would they agree to such a losing deal?"
Without more intelligence to go on, Wang Hu tentatively voiced his doubts.
"Right now, the ZAFT Forces are determined to blockade our Allied Forces' main strength within the Earth Sphere."
"Destroying the Mass Driver was part of that plan. But even if the Mass Driver remains intact and under our full control, there's another way to blockade us: by concentrating heavy forces to seal off the space above the Mass Driver."
"After all, once we enter space via the Mass Driver, our advance route becomes highly predictable."
"So, intercepting us at the endpoint during transit becomes the most effective way to inflict heavy casualties on our forces."
"Breaking through ZAFT's blockade would come at a significant cost. Is the Atlantic Federation really willing to take that on?"
"Exactly. In fact, during the Allied Forces meeting, when our representative proposed letting the Atlantic Federation take the lead into space, we initially intended to use it as a bargaining chip for other matters."
"Unexpectedly, the Atlantic Federation agreed without hesitation."
"And they seemed utterly confident in their response."
Li Chengzhi answered Wang Hu's questions, though his own bewilderment upon hearing the news was no less than Wang Hu's.
That two-faced character, who considered it a loss whenever he failed to gain an advantage elsewhere—why the sudden change of heart?
Was he really willing to make such a sacrifice just to pave the way for the other two factions of the Allied Forces?
According to assessments by their own military committee's staff, securing a path to ensure ground forces could smoothly reach space would be no small feat.
The Atlantic Federation's space fleet is really going all out this time, investing massive resources!
They must be deploying their entire force!
"Are they revealing some trump card, or are they provoked by our achievements?"
Seeing his friend equally puzzled, Wang Hu could only voice his own analysis.
"Through several battles against Coordinators and Orb, we have severely shaken the Atlantic Federation's hegemony."
"The Panama campaign showed they want a standout performance to prove they're still the world's dominant power."
"Unlikely."
Shaking his head, Li Chengzhi rejected Wang Hu's theory.
"Think tanks proposed similar views, but they were dismissed after comprehensive discussion."
"Relevant personnel are working at full capacity to probe the Atlantic Federation's deeper considerations."
"But regardless of their success, it won't affect our operations."
"Oh?" Growing interested, Wang Hu vaguely sensed something.
"The East Asian spaceport has been repaired?"
"Correct."
Answering affirmatively, Li Chengzhi wore a proud smile.
"ZAFT Forces' new weapons did catch us off guard, but we possess comparable arms ourselves."
"While developing offensive capabilities, we've also created defensive countermeasures."
"So although we publicly claimed severe damage to our mass driver, the actual losses were minimal."
"It was repaired even before our attack on Orb."
"Strategic deception, then."
Wang Hu revealed a sly grin, understanding their superiors' intentions.
As the saying goes, a convincing act requires full commitment. To conceal their intact mass driver,
the East Asian Army leveraged a war—with global support—to eliminate the Atlantic Federation's lurking threat.
Now they plan to use the Federation as a pawn, directing the Coordinator ZAFT Forces' attention toward their troublesome allies.
While both forces clash fiercely in space,
their own side will calmly depart from the spaceport
and safely reach the L4 Nova Colony Satellite region.
"Feigning movement in one direction while advancing in another—brilliant strategy!"
Thumbs up, Wang Hu genuinely admired this wisdom passed down from their ancestors.
"No one's forcing them. If they truly refuse to act, we have contingency plans."
Returning to camp by vehicle, Li Chengzhi mentioned casually while disembarking,
"Flay wants to see you. She asked me to relay the message—find her when you're back."
"Flay?"
Hearing the girl sought him, Wang Hu was momentarily stunned.
Truthfully, he had only placed her as a casual pawn, never expecting her to perform exceptionally well.
Hadn't he noticed?
Kira was completely ensnared by her, despite spending extensive time with Lacus in the PLANT satellite cluster.
After Kira returned, he remained utterly bewitched by Flay.
Rumors said that after the Orb conflict concluded, Kira even insisted on taking Flay to meet his parents.
"Just wonder if they actually met."
Stroking his chin, Wang Hu wondered if he'd been neglecting his attention on Kira lately.
"Met whom?"
Staring intently at his friend and noticing the odd expression on his face, Li Chengzhi kindly reminded him:
"Kira holds great respect for you. If you had asked during the Orb battle, he might have taken up arms as well."
"So, you understand what I mean."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Wang Hu's face instantly stiffened, and he punched his friend in the arm.
Then he stomped off angrily toward the ground camp of the Archangel crew.
By the time he reached the camp and found Flay, his expression had returned to normal.
Wang Hu looked at the girl before him and asked:
"What did you need me for?"
"This is secret intelligence my father sent. I thought you would want to see it."
Without negotiating terms first, Flay directly revealed the cards her father had worked so hard to obtain.
"What is this?"
Taking the documents from the girl, Wang Hu barely registered the contents before gasping aloud.
In an instant, he understood why the Atlantic Federation had so readily agreed to their proposal that offered them relatively little benefit.
"They wouldn't actually use this thing to clear their path, would they?"
That even someone with Wang Hu's composure would blurt this out showed how shocking the intelligence was.
"My father wants to secure his rightful place in the post-war world."
Only then did Flay state her desired reward.
"Agreed." Wang Hu accepted immediately, skipping any negotiation.
Clutching the documents, he hurried toward the flagship.
If the Atlantic Federation truly used this to pave their way, one could foresee the upheaval it would bring to the world.
Putting aside other consequences, the Coordinators in space would undoubtedly fight to the death.
They might even use Genesis to turn Earth into a ripe fruit ready for picking!
(End of Chapter)