Shaking his head, Wang Hu responded calmly to Balthfeld's inquiry.
"I merely revealed the truth of this world to him. Over 210,000 Coordinators died due to conflicting interests - I don't know how many were adults and how many were children."
"Following that was the April Fools' Crisis claiming one billion lives. To this day, I still don't know how many adults and children were among them."
Spreading his hands open, Wang Hu's face showed traces of mockery in the eyes of Balthfeld and the others.
"In today's world, you can't even openly declare that you love Coordinators and their children, or that you love Naturals and their children."
"You're only allowed to hate the other side. But truthfully, I don't hate Coordinators, and we don't hate Coordinators either."
"What we despise and detest is injustice! What we loathe and abhor is the indiscriminate retaliation and slaughter by Coordinators!"
At this point, Wang Hu pointed toward Balthfeld's chest.
"We detest the malicious siege against all humanity in the Earth Sphere."
"Before the Atlantic Federation and PLANT ruin everything, the least we can do is ceasefire."
"Yet these cowards in the Atlantic Federation and PLANT can't even manage to ceasefire and negotiate disputes."
"Mutually numbing themselves with cruel hatred, the Atlantic Federation and PLANT actually dare attempt to spread this hatred throughout all of humanity."
Leaning back completely on the sofa, Wang Hu's tone gradually fluctuated, carrying both helplessness and frustration.
"In the end, it's the innocent, ordinary Natural and Coordinator civilians who bear all the blame and endless wars!"
"What kind of nations are you? And what have we soldiers become?"
"Balthfeld, from a national standpoint, we're fighting for our respective countries."
"But examining this war born from interests, looking from the perspective of all humanity..."
"Executioners - that's the true identity of all soldiers on the battlefield."
"The current war cannot be called just!"
"An unjust war?"
Balthfeld wasn't the type obsessed with Coordinator supremacy. Having his own views about this war, he found many parts of Wang Hu's words coinciding with his own thoughts.
The man known as the Desert Tiger within ZAFT Forces fell silent, clasping his hands and lowering his head so no one could see his expression.
"Andy." Seeing this, his beloved Aisha quickly stepped forward to Balthfeld's side.
Her slender arms embraced the despondent-looking Balthfeld, Aisha attempting to support her lover in this way.
"How to end the war? When will the war end?"
Suddenly looking up, the urgency in Balthfeld's tone was evident to everyone present.
Regarding this question - repeatedly asked by Balthfeld - anyone could tell how much he cared.
Dipping his finger in coffee, Wang Hu drew two circles on the table under everyone's gaze.
Then he drew an even smaller circle beneath the two larger ones.
"The Requiem of Zero—someone must pay the price for it. Compared to the vast number of ordinary people, the ambitious individuals who caused everything are few."
"Place all the blame on them, make them bear the sins of all humanity, and finally put them on trial before all mankind."
"Take this opportunity during the execution of the plan to completely unify the world, then redirect humanity's desires toward the infinite universe."
"The Requiem of Zero."
Whether it was Balthلد and his companion or Kira and his companion.
They murmured the plan proposed by Wang Hu, and the more they thought about it, the more it seemed like the best solution currently available.
First, the Naturals as a group could not represent evil; second, the Coordinators as a group could not be evil either.
But with the war having progressed this far, someone had to take responsibility, right?
If no one was at fault, then everyone was at fault!
So, to prevent everyone from being at fault, only a small group could be at fault!
Ultimately, the true trigger of the war—the interests of the Satellite Colonies—would be alleviated by the infinite universe.
"Brother Wang Hu!" Kira was excited about the solution Wang Hu had proposed. He stood up and said passionately, "I will fight tirelessly for this plan, for the true transformation of the world!"
"Kira?" Cagalli looked at the usually timid boy beside her. The light shining in his eyes at that moment was so dazzling.
Then Cagalli turned her gaze to Wang Hu, the man who had proposed the plan. Could he truly accomplish such a grand undertaking?
But pressing her hand to her chest, Cagalli found herself involuntarily wanting to devote herself to this plan.
Because war only brings hatred and death!
Yet Wang Hu's plan had the potential to bring about true unity in the human world.
A vibrant new world, filled with fiery determination and fighting spirit, would descend upon this world as the plan progressed.
Thereby transforming the current flawed world!
"A brilliant plan. You've woven a beautiful dream."
Just as the atmosphere in the room grew fervent, Balthلد raised his head and voiced his agreement.
However, his expression was cold, even to the point of indifference. Rising, Mister Tiger freed himself from Aisha's embrace and walked to the fireplace where he kept his coffee.
Then, Balthلد picked up a pitch-black gun and aimed it at Wang Hu, who remained calmly seated on the sofa.
"Balthلد!"
Seeing this, Kira immediately stepped in front of Wang Hu, using his own body to shield him.
"Andy?" Even Aisha, who was familiar with her lover's ways, wore a look of astonishment.
She couldn't understand why Balthلد would adopt such a stance.
"How can you guarantee that your plan will be implemented? How can you ensure that during its execution, it won't become a tool for another ambitious individual to exploit?"
"When we defeat the ambitious individuals you speak of, could you and those you represent become the new ambitious ones?"
"How can it be guaranteed? How can it be assured? In the end, all of this might just be a beautiful dream."
The gun in his hand was steady, and Balthلد's questioning was equally firm.
The issues he raised were not alarmist but had been proven time and again throughout the cycles of history.
Rising to his feet and pushing aside Kira who stood before him, Wang Hu smiled at Mister Tiger.
"Hope? I can't even be certain whether I'll live to see that day. All I can tell you is that this is hope."
"Yet having hope and a goal to strive for is enough. From the moment the spark of hope is sown upon this land..."
"It means there will inevitably come a day when it spreads like wildfire."
"Hope? Spark? Wildfire?"
Balthلد laughed, his finger gradually applying pressure on the trigger. The distinct sound of the hammer cocking echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
"Then if you fall here, your spark will be extinguished before it can even be sown."
"Andy!" Witnessing her lover's actions, Aisha had never intervened when Balthلد was dealing with outsiders before.
But this time, she genuinely wanted to stop him.
"Let's play a game." Just as Aisha was about to take action, Wang Hu produced a remote control from his person.
"Boom." As Wang Hu pressed a button, violent tremors and an explosion reverberated through the area.
"What's happening?"
The sudden disturbance broke the tension in the room. Balthلد, steadying himself, stared out the window where a section of his mansion had collapsed.
"When did you...?" Shocked and furious, Balthلد fixed his intense gaze on Wang Hu who held the remote control.
"Captain! Captain Balthلد!"
Outside the room, the hurried footsteps of his loyal adjutant Martin could be heard, followed by swarms of soldiers pouring in.
"It's a terrorist attack! The Naturals are attacking us!"
Entering the room, Martin glared at Wang Hu while shouting to his captain.
The Coordinator soldiers following Martin also raised their weapons. It appeared that with just one command from Balthلد or Martin,
they would immediately open fire and riddle Wang Hu and his two companions with bullets.
"See? This is what we call 'those who stand for justice will receive plenty of support.' Many things on this land were built through our selfless assistance and reconstruction."
"The seeds we planted yesterday have borne fruit today. Isn't that proof enough?"
Completely ignoring the dangerous soldiers and their raised weapons, Wang Hu actually took another step forward under their aimed barrels.
His hand holding the remote control remained steady as Wang Hu tilted his head slightly.
"Care to try again? Our people are everywhere!"
Since both Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi had anticipated why Balthلد burned the village, how could they not have made any preparations?
After all, this continent had undergone a century of cultivation by the East Asian Alliance. There were many places and things that even locals might not know as well as East Asians.
Countless people had received favors from the East Asian Alliance. Sometimes when the East Asian Alliance truly wanted to accomplish something, not even the Coordinators - nor even their former nominal rulers, the Eurasians -
could stop a determined East Asian Alliance on this continent!
Staring at the remote control in Wang Hu's hand, Balthلد - a newcomer to this land - rapidly calculated the situation.
He understood what Wang Hu meant to convey, but others might not!
"Captain, he's bluffing!"
Martin felt as if he'd been slapped in the face by Wang Hu's actions - after all, he was responsible for the mansion's security arrangements.
Such a major oversight occurred today—bombs were planted silently by others, and it seemed there was more than one.
No matter what, Martin refused to believe it, nor did he want to!
"Oh?" Wang Hu's gaze shifted, settling on the fuming Adjutant Martin.
His hand twitched slightly as he extended it toward Martin, and Wang Hu spoke softly.
"Care to give it a try?"
"This—" Faced with Wang Hu's leisurely expression and his confident demeanor, Martin's anger surged to his head, and he felt an urge to gamble.
Stepping forward, Martin made a move to press the button on the remote control in Wang Hu's hand.
"Stop, Martin!" Suddenly, Balthfeld shouted sharply, stopping his adjutant.
"Captain! It's fake!" Martin turned his head and argued defiantly with Mister Tiger.
"What if it's real?" Balthfeld looked directly at his hot-headed subordinate and posed a hypothetical.
"Then I'll take responsibility!" Martin blurted out, his mind clouded by anger.
"I am the captain. The responsibility falls on me." Balthfeld took a deep breath and finally made his decision.
"So, we're just going to watch them leave."
Before Mister Tiger could announce his decision, Wang Hu revealed a smile that would displease most people.
"You!" Martin was so furious he felt smoke might pour from his nostrils. He turned to look at his captain and saw that Balthfeld had made up his mind.
"Ah—" He let out a long sigh. Though reluctant, he understood.
In the face of the potential bombs, Captain Balthfeld had made the right choice.
"Stand down." With a wave of his hand, Martin ordered the Coordinator soldiers on site to lower their guns.
"Think it over carefully. I look forward to seeing you join us on the journey, Captain Balthfeld, the Desert Tiger."
Calmly surrounded by the Coordinator soldiers, Wang Hu leisurely led Kira and the others away as if taking a stroll.
At this moment, Wang Hu turned back and extended an invitation to the coffee-loving tiger.
(End of Chapter)