"You?"
Murrue, Mu, and Badgiruel all turned to look simultaneously, though each had distinct expressions in their eyes.
Mu's gaze held the delight of finding hope, Murrue's eyes showed concern about having to trouble Lu Tianming again, while Badgiruel... her eyes held clear suspicion, evidently not yet fully trusting Lu Tianming.
Facing their varied reactions, Lu Tianming simply smiled faintly and continued:
"During the battles and transport operations earlier, I noticed a factory ruin... It seemed to contain quite a few MS parts. We might find some useful supplies there."
The factory wasn't something Lu Tianming made up - it actually existed.
At first he wondered why there would be an MS factory in Heliopolis, then he remembered - in the original story, ORB's five Gundam Astray units were manufactured here.
It seemed the previous battles had likely affected that area, exposing this MS factory that was originally meant to be discovered by junk dealers only after Heliopolis' destruction.
Lu Tianming didn't know why this variable had appeared here, but since they currently needed spare parts, he couldn't possibly ignore it just to maintain the original plot.
Besides, the plot progression... might have already been derailed from the very beginning.
"If you trust me, I could pilot the Assault Suit to bring back some parts from there."
Lu Tianming glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Badgiruel as he spoke.
"...After two consecutive battles, don't you need some rest or something?"
Murrue was still concerned about Lu Tianming's condition. After all, he was currently their only MS pilot. If he became exhausted, when Creuset's team arrived, they'd have no choice but to send Mu out in his small fighter.
"We don't have that luxury right now."
Lu Tianming shook his head. Knowing the plot, he not only knew that Creuset would attack soon... but that this attack would likely directly lead to the space colony's destruction, forcing the Archangel to launch.
In other words, this was their only chance for resupply - the next opportunity would be far away.
"In that case, we'll have to trouble you again."
Mu sighed helplessly. It was unfortunate he wasn't familiar with MS operations, and the Zero couldn't be used as a transport... otherwise he'd be quite willing to share some of Lu Tianming's burden.
After all, watching someone younger than himself running around while he couldn't help inevitably made him feel somewhat guilty.
Seeing that both Murrue and Mu agreed, Lu Tianming didn't bother waiting for Badgiruel's response and prepared to return directly to the Assault Suit.
Watching Lu Tianming completely ignore her, Badgiruel called out anxiously:
"Wait!"
"Hmm? Lieutenant Badgiruel, is there something you need?"
Lu Tianming turned around, looking at her without surprise, though his brows furrowed slightly, appearing somewhat serious.
Badgiruel was startled by Lu Tianming's calm, seemingly anticipated gaze, but continued:
"I'm coming with you. After all, your suspicions haven't been completely cleared yet. I can't allow you to take the Assault Suit alone to some strange place."
Seeing that Badgiruel was still preoccupied with the spy suspicion, Murrue's voice turned cold:
"Lieutenant Badgiruel!"
She could understand Natarle Badgiruel's concerns - as the last remaining mobile suit, the Assault Suit naturally required cautious handling.
However, such continuous and overt expressions of suspicion felt somewhat unreasonable.
Lu Tianming was working hard for the Archangel despite his exhaustion, and here you were questioning his loyalty? It seemed no one present was more devoted than him.
What if he got angry and quit? He was just a Private First Class - piloting the MS was voluntary, not his duty... If they strictly followed military protocol, it was questionable whether they even had the authority to order Lu Tianming to pilot.
Moreover, if they pushed him to the point of having to use military orders to force him to pilot, he might defect on the spot, and then everyone aboard the Archangel would be doomed.
Just as she was about to say more, Lu Tianming slightly waved his hand:
"It's fine. Even if I refuse her now, her suspicions about me won't disappear. Better to let her experience it personally."
"Whether I'm friend or foe, I believe Lieutenant Badgiruel will make her own judgment in time."
Seeing that Lu Tianming didn't mind, Murrue didn't press further, simply nodding silently.
As Badgiruel moved to follow Lu Tianming onto the Assault Suit, she noticed him stopping a few steps before the machine and asked curiously:
"What's wrong?"
After a moment's thought, Lu Tianming turned back with a smile:
"Before boarding the Assault Suit... we must first pay respects to the Machine Spirit."
Badgiruel sighed helplessly, somewhat reluctant as she considered this superstition. She went through the motions perfunctorily, offering a simple gesture of respect.
This time, unlike when Kira had paid respects, there was no noticeable response from the Assault Suit, so Badgiruel naturally thought nothing of it. She followed Lu Tianming into the cockpit, standing at its side.
The Assault Suit's cockpit wasn't designed for two people. Badgiruel had to press her left shoulder against the pipeline grooves in the bulkhead, her military boots wedged in maintenance gaps between hydraulic rods. When the machine started and inertia made her lean forward, Lu Tianming could clearly smell gunpowder residue.
Has she been through too many explosions...
Lu Tianming thought with amusement, then cleared his throat as a reminder.
"Watch your balance, Lieutenant."
While reminding her, Lu Tianming familiarly activated the systems. As the machine shifted from crouching to standing, Badgiruel had to grab his seat's shoulder straps to maintain balance. Through the synthetic fabric of the pressure suit, Lu Tianming could distinctly feel a warm, soft pressure against his right arm.
However, having previously experienced riding with Murrue, his composure had improved... though he found it somewhat strange.
Why was Xia Chuan so quiet this time when bringing someone into the machine?
Probably that birdman was sleeping in the system...
Lu Tianming shrugged. Having fought two consecutive battles earlier, it was good to let him rest. Anyway, with his previous two experiences... he had somehow become familiar with the Assault Suit's operation methods.
Even without Xia Chuan's assistance, moving some objects shouldn't be a problem.
After restoring the Assault Suit to a standing position, he stepped on the pedal and was about to pilot the Assault Suit out of the hangar when he suddenly felt an unnatural tremor in the machine. The lights inside the cockpit abruptly went out.
Badgiruel, who had just regained her balance, stumbled again and fell directly into Lu Tianming's arms, following the seat she had been leaning against earlier. Her voluptuous figure pressed firmly against Lu Tianming—as if the machine felt the fall wasn't dramatic enough, it jolted once more.
Feeling the lingering effects, Lu Tianming finally understood what had happened.
He had initially thought it might be his own operational error—but it turned out that damn Xia Chuan was behind it all. Otherwise, the machine would never have trembled again without any input from him.
That bastard wasn't sleeping at all—he was just waiting there to ambush him!