Just as Chairman Patrick at ZAFT Forces headquarters was scratching his head over Lacus's inexplicable phone call...
Inside the Durandal residence, Wang Hu was stopping the bleeding for the pale-faced next chairman who had lost too much blood.
Of course, Wang Hu had already tied up and knocked out the other dark-skinned guy beforehand.
"Did you receive special training somewhere? Your skills—"
True to being the third-generation Coordinator from the original timeline, even in such a situation, Durandal maintained his composure and bantered with Wang Hu before him.
"Bandaging skills?"
Not immediately grasping what Durandal was asking, Wang Hu replied without lifting his head or stopping his hands.
"No, your tying-up skills."
Although Durandal and Wang Hu were meeting for the first time today, the atmosphere between them strangely felt like that of old friends.
Or perhaps Durandal, relying solely on his emotional intelligence, had created an atmosphere where they could talk about anything.
A single joke instantly bridged the distance between two people who should have been opponents.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Wang Hu lifted his eyelids, glanced at the quite dignified guy in front of him, then looked at Dearka unconscious on the floor nearby.
Most importantly, Wang Hu examined the ropes binding the other person—the standard classical binding method for death row prisoners before execution.
As for post-training tying skills?
"Have you been watching too many movies from District 11? Do you see everything as kinbaku?"
After stopping Durandal's bleeding, Wang Hu mischievously patted his wound in retaliation for the easily misunderstood remark.
"Hiss."
Durandal appropriately drew a soft breath, then asked as if in casual conversation between friends:
"By the way, I haven't asked yet—did you come to PLANT this time just to meet me?"
"If that's the case, I'd be truly honored."
"I'm here to extract Lacus. Meeting you was just incidental."
Contrary to Durandal's expectations, he thought Wang Hu would casually make up some lie to dismiss him.
He didn't expect the other to easily reveal the true purpose of this trip.
Could it be what East Asians call the three bonds of life?
He vaguely remembered reading in a book that East Asians consider those who've experienced these three things with them as close friends.
Although the current situation didn't exactly match the three bonds, rounding it off seemed somewhat close.
His eyes shifting, Durandal saw that Wang Hu seemed quite approachable at the moment.
Maintaining his conversational tone, he continued:
"Hahaha, I knew I wasn't that honored to have Qilin Wang Hu of East Asia make a special trip for me."
"But it's understandable. Is there anything I can do to help with extracting Lacus?"
"Of course, other matters are fine too."
"Oh." Wang Hu smiled meaningfully.
"There is actually something you could help with."
"When you take over the Clyne Faction and ascend to the chairman's seat later, please abandon your boring Destiny Plan."
"Let's live our lives properly, and not cause trouble for each other, how about that?"
"So you figured it out after all?"
Upon hearing this, Durandal let out a self-deprecating chuckle. The reason Wang Hu hadn't fled before Yzak and the others arrived was entirely due to his own request—asking the other to play along in this charade.
Otherwise, with Wang Hu's skills and his access to Yzak's internal communication channels, there would have been no need for him to remain in his home and confront the pursuing ZAFT Forces head-on.
Everything he had done, just as Wang Hu had pointed out, was preparation for eventually taking over the Clyne Faction.
From his perspective as an observer of this great war, that hothead Patrick was certainly no match for the East Asian Army. Defeat was inevitable!
Since Wang Hu had appeared on PLANT, aside from Lacus, Durandal couldn't think of any other target significant enough to warrant Wang Hu's personal involvement.
Even himself, to be frank, wasn't qualified enough before formally stepping onto the stage.
And since his speculation had proven true, once Lacus officially cooperated with the East Asian Alliance, it would undoubtedly deliver a seismic shock—no less than a magnitude seven earthquake—to the pro-Clyne Coordinator supporters in the Satellite Colonies.
After all, collaborating with the East Asian Alliance would essentially confirm the accusation of Lacus committing treason!
Although this would also severely disadvantage the Clyne Faction, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. While morale would certainly waver, the Clyne Faction's supporters would only lose their cohesion temporarily, not vanish into thin air.
He could fully exploit the identity of a hidden Clyne Faction member to rally those confused, originally pro-Clyne supporters.
Since, for some unknown reason, Wang Hu's private visit to him had already been exposed, he was now in a situation where even if he wasn't guilty, he looked guilty—like having mud stuck in his pants that everyone would mistake for filth.
So why not maximize the benefits?
Compared to the impending scandal of Lacus's defection, his own troubles were insignificant—hardly worth mentioning.
Unaware that Lacus wasn't genuinely planning deep cooperation with the East Asian Alliance, and oblivious to how Lelouch's actions—aiming to wipe out the entire Clyne Faction in one fell swoop—had led Lacus to overturn her previous plans, Durandal's mind was busy calculating, his mental abacus clicking loudly.
However, two points still nagged at him.
Why had Wang Hu so readily agreed to his proposal to stage this act when he had already seen through his intentions? What reason did he have to help him?
And how did Wang Hu plan to escape?
His own proposed escape plan had been rejected by Wang Hu, so what alternative did he have?
With these thoughts, Durandal stared at Wang Hu, who was listening to the discussion between Yzak and the others outside through the communicator. He put himself in Wang Hu's shoes, trying to deduce what his next move would be.
"Heh, so they're planning to tamper with the Mobile Suit they're giving me."
Wang Hu chuckled lightly, a smile of complete control spreading across his face.
"If I were in your position, I'd do the same."
Seeing this, Durandal smiled in agreement.
"So, what's your next move?"
After pondering for a long time, he still couldn't figure out the most suitable approach if he were facing such a situation himself.
Durandal came straight out with the question, as he didn't believe Wang Hu was the type to sacrifice himself for others.
Moreover, he knew he didn't possess the charm to make someone sacrifice themselves for him—if it were Rey, there might have been a possibility.
"No need for you to worry about that."
Rising to his feet, Wang Hu approached Durandal and crouched down to meet his gaze.
"Remember my advice—your plan really isn't cost-effective."
"That's why I need your help."
Durandal chuckled cheerfully, but he was hardly the type to change his mind easily. In some ways, Coordinators were a stubborn bunch who loved to fixate on things.
Wang Hu nodded without another word.
He had already spent a considerable amount of time accompanying this Mr. Durandal and was beginning to worry about the situation outside.
Taking advantage of his absence, Lelouch had completely let loose.
Wanting to bring an end to the current chaos, Wang Hu bid farewell to Durandal.
"Well then, until we meet again."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a swift chop landed on the back of Durandal's neck. Thanks to his rigorous training, Wang Hu could guarantee that this strike would ensure Durandal had a good, long sleep. Then, he began his final preparations.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Yzak and the others, with the remote assistance and manipulation of the white-haired mother, had finally managed to deliver a tampered Mobile Suit.
Thanks to advancements in modern technology, many things now required intelligent control systems—otherwise, they'd seem outdated, almost too embarrassing to take out in public.
Thus, the MS they prepared for Wang Hu, despite appearing fully powered and operational from the cockpit panel, would instantly enter Sage Time the moment anyone tried to operate it. No matter how hard one struggled, it would be futile—trapped inside the cockpit as if in a prison.
"Will this work?"
Even though it was his own mother's idea and she had provided the Mobile Suit, Yzak couldn't help feeling anxious, given that it concerned his close friend.
"Don't worry."
Heine reassured him, figuring that if anything went wrong, someone taller would bear the consequences. After all, this was his mother's plan, and compared to actually giving Wang Hu a fully functional MS, her idea was infinitely better.
"Alright, I understand."
Perhaps it was his mother's reassurance or Heine's confident attitude that bolstered Yzak's resolve. Taking a deep breath, Yzak and Heine stepped back into the house.
"Wang Hu, I've brought what you asked for."
"But before I hand it over, let me see Dearka first."
Once again, Yzak selectively forgot about Durandal, his concern solely focused on his good friend Dearka.
He waited patiently for a moment after speaking, expecting Wang Hu's response. However, after a brief period of silence, the entire Durandal residence remained eerily quiet, as if no one was inside at all!
Yzak's face instantly paled. Though he found it hard to believe—given that the place was surrounded so tightly not even a fly could escape—Wang Hu had seemingly vanished right under their noses!
And then...
"Dearka!"
Considering the worst-case scenario, Yzak bolted toward the basement.
He needed to confirm whether Wang Hu was still in the basement and whether his friend Dearka was still alive.
"Damn it."
Heine was also startled by the muttered curse.
If Dearka wasn't saved and that Wang Hu escaped...
The consequences would be severe and could greatly affect his career.
So the two of them rushed inside, stepping over the dead bodies of Green Coat members still lying on the ground.
"Dearka!"
Reaching the previous basement at a sprinting pace, Yzak let out a long sigh of relief.
Dearka was still there, along with Durandal who had many suspicious aspects about him.
"Are you okay?"
While speaking, Yzak ran to where Dearka was lying face down on the ground, making moves to help his good friend up.
So he could assess his current condition.
"Wait."
At the critical moment, Heine stopped the impulsive Yzak who had reverted to his old ways.
Then squatting down, Heine pointed to the nearly invisible transparent fishing line-like thread extending from Dearka's body.
"Wang Hu isn't here."
Unlike Yzak who only cared about his friend, Heine had already taken in the entire situation in the basement in an instant.
His face was filled with gravity.
"Now isn't the time to worry about whether Wang Hu is here or not! We need to rescue Dearka quickly!"
Having seen Dearka, Yzak could no longer concern himself with anything else.
He retorted, but fortunately the suspicious fishing line was still there, so he didn't immediately lay hands on Dearka.
He could still discuss with Heine rather than just carrying Dearka and running.
"Wait."
Following the fishing line, Heine walked to a side area piled with miscellaneous items, cautiously moving aside some of the clutter.
Immediately, he spotted a ticking device among the pile of junk.
"A bomb?!"
His pupils contracting sharply, Heine immediately thought of the weapon most favored by ruthless criminals.
(End of Chapter)