Cardias gave Xiao Ran another pleasant surprise. After the Astray Fleet expanded, every member had been personally selected by Xiao Ran and the others. Whether pilots or fleet personnel, they were all outstanding people from within the Federation. The pilots, in particular, were all elite-class or above. Even if not all of them had remained and only a portion stayed behind, it was still a good thing for Xiao Ran and the others. At the very least, they had a trustworthy elite force with abundant experience.
These people would at least prove highly useful in the later cleanup operation against Earth Federation personnel in Brown City and on the Moon, eliminating the need to risk bringing people in from elsewhere and alerting Federation personnel stationed in Brown City.
In truth, Xiao Ran had underestimated his own influence among the Federation's rank-and-file soldiers and the Astray Fleet. Especially after Cardias spread those rumors, the successive disbandment of the Astray Fleet left more than eighty percent of its members deeply dissatisfied. Although some had no choice but to be assigned to other units, others left the Federation out of resentment, and some even joined Anaheim Company.
As for the Federation's ordinary soldiers, they regarded Xiao Ran as their idol and likewise believed he had brought peace. Yet such a great hero had incurred the hatred of the Federal High-level simply because he did not want to cause further casualties, and even General Revil had vanished without a trace as a result. This left many rank-and-file soldiers with a burning rage toward the Federal High-level.
Cruze returned to where the two warships were with Luca, Brera, and Glan Glan, relaying Xiao Ran's arrangements to everyone. Before long, El-Elf, Graham, and Nalo each transferred their mecha to the Frontier and set off for New