Xiao Ran quickly spotted the man with a pale, dejected face. He was still wearing Zeon's highly distinctive officer's uniform, but his blond hair was filthy, stained with red blood, black oil, and who knew what else. The only clean-looking thing on him was the emergency bandage wrapped around his head.
Around the man stood a group of Zeon Army soldiers, men and women alike. There were military doctors and nurses in white coats, as well as wounded soldiers. They were presumably those who had failed to board the Zeon evacuation ships after El-Elf had broken into the base. Yet among all of them, the only one who caught Xiao Ran's attention was the woman in a red pilot suit with short, pale green hair.
Everyone looked strange when they saw Xiao Ran enter—lost and helpless, despairing and defeated, hostile and hateful, even stubbornly resolute. Every face bore a different expression, but those expressions revealed their current thoughts: whether they had accepted their fate or intended to resist.
Xiao Ran looked over everyone, then shook his head slightly and said to El-Elf, "What's the point of keeping these people? Other than the targets, let them all go. Have them board a ship and leave immediately. Are they planning to stay and wait for the Federal Army to take them in? Also, bring Lieutenant Shiro Amada here."
Xiao Ran made no attempt to lower his voice. Once his words fell, every wounded soldier gathered there—standing, squatting, lying on beds or the floor—revealed astonishment and disbelief. They had been captured, only to be released after he took one look at them?
Aina Sahalin stood beside Gihren, who was slumped on the ground. She too stared at Xiao Ran in surprise. When she heard Shiro Amada's name, a flicker of joy appeared in