Upon hearing that Lacus was in trouble, Xia Chuan became even more anxious than Lu Tianming... After returning to the Archangel at full speed, he opened the cockpit and urged Lu Tianming to go check on the situation.
Lu Tianming shot him an exasperated look before floating out of the cockpit. He spotted Mu waiting for him on the ground and asked curiously:
"What's going on? What happened that's so urgent?"
Mu scratched his head, let out a long sigh, and began explaining as he led Lu Tianming to the scene:
"That Flay Allster, the daughter of the undersecretary... She's grabbed a gun and taken Lacus hostage, saying she wants Lacus to accompany her father in death."
"?"
Lu Tianming was completely baffled by this. None of the original messy plotlines had been triggered this time, so why was Flay still going crazy?
"The process was quite complicated. According to Kira, she had an emotional breakdown when she saw the Montgomery destroyed, recovered somewhat when she heard some crew members had survived, then broke down again upon hearing about her father's death."
"They say she was sobbing on the floor one moment, then suddenly sprang up like a carp leaping out of water and ran to take a hostage before anyone around could react."Lu Tianming fell silent for a long moment, unsure where to even begin with his complaints."
From an outsider's perspective, Flay seemed to have it even worse than in the original story... At least in the original, she wasn't given that tiny bit of hope only to have her fantasies crushed immediately afterward.
But Lu Tianming still didn't understand:
"Lacus wasn't the one who killed her father. Why is she taking it out on Lacus?"
"Though she gave many chaotic explanations, none were particularly logical. I suspect it's simply because Lacus is a Coordinator, so she's being targeted by association."
Mu thought for a moment before explaining. The person in question was already mentally confused, aside from shouting about wanting someone to accompany her father in death, she wasn't acting logically at all.
"We're here... Flay's currently inside that room."
Mu brought Lu Tianming to a stop before a room with an open door, where quite a few people had already gathered... Badgiruel had gone to coordinate with the military, so only Murrue and some staff were trying to talk their way inside.
As for why Badgiruel, the vice-captain, was the one coordinating with the military... Because if their positions were reversed, Murrue was worried that Badgiruel's temperament might lead to some impulsive actions.
Besides them, members of their small group like Sai and Tolle were also at the front of the crowd, calling out to Flay and urging her not to be reckless.
"Mr. Lu... You're here?"
A somewhat weak voice came through. Lu Tianming looked down to find Kira sitting at the edge of the corridor, being bandaged by a doctor nearby.
His arm was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, with blood seeping through the center, staining the gauze crimson. Kira himself looked quite pale - never particularly robust to begin with, he now appeared even more sickly.
"You're injured?"
Seeing the bandages on Kira's arm, Lu Tianming frowned slightly, crouching down to ask in a serious tone.
"Flay shot him. Kira tried to stop her, and she shot him in the shoulder."
Sai let out a long sigh nearby, explaining on Kira's behalf.
"Though Flay looked quite shocked at the time, she probably didn't genuinely intend to harm Kira..."
"Whether it was intentional or not, the act itself is despicable enough."
Lu Tianming frowned slightly. Now that someone had actually been injured... the situation had escalated to another level entirely.
From Flay's perspective, Lacus was an outsider—even a hostage from the enemy side within their ranks—so treating her harshly aligned with Flay's simplistic, black-and-white worldview.
But firing at Kira, a comrade... that was purely an act of venting personal resentment.
Of course, this was from Flay's point of view. If examined from Lu Tianming's standpoint, Flay's initial act of taking Lacus hostage was already unforgivable; now, she had only stoked the flames of his already burning anger.
Lu Tianming's gaze turned cold as he stood up and walked toward the crowd gathered at the doorway, his voice low and powerful:
"Everyone, please step aside."
His commanding tone was highly recognizable; most had heard it when he was rescued from the civilian rescue capsule in Heliopolis. Hearing it again now, no one dared obstruct him, quickly clearing a path.
At the doorway, Murrue was still trying to reason with Flay, hoping to persuade her to stand down, but midway through her appeal, Lu Tianming suddenly appeared beside her... and gestured for her to stop.
"Save your breath, Ms. Murrue. Leave this to me."
Murrue opened her mouth to protest, but the unyielding, almost imperious tone in Lu Tianming's voice made her hesitate. Seeing his unwavering demeanor, she swallowed her words and let him take over.
When Flay saw Lu Tianming emerge from the crowd, her pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, she swung her pistol toward him, like a frightened animal baring its fangs to scare off a threat.
But Lu Tianming showed little reaction to the raised gun, continuing to advance steadily as if nothing were amiss.
"You... stop right there! Or else... or else I'll shoot!"
At the sight of Lu Tianming, Flay's demeanor shifted abruptly—from anger and intimidation to sheer terror.
Her body trembled visibly, the gun barrel shaking along with it. She tried to bolster her courage with loud shouts.
Watching her reaction, Lu Tianming merely let out a cold laugh and offered no verbal reply.
No... to be precise, he responded with action!
In an instant, his hand dropped to his waist, gripping the pistol holstered there. With a sharp upward flick of his arm, he hurled the weapon like a throwing knife straight at the crook of Flay's gun-wielding arm.
The pistol itself had considerable weight, and propelled by Lu Tianming's explosive strength, it shot forward with startling speed. Striking Flay's arm, it caused such sharp pain that she reflexively jerked her hand back.
Seizing the moment her aim faltered, Lu Tianming lunged forward, darting toward Flay like an arrow and planting his feet firmly in front of her.
With his left hand, Lu Tianming chopped at Flay's wrist, striking her gun-holding hand squarely before twisting his grip to seize her wrist and yank her away from Lacus. Simultaneously, his right hand clenched into a fist. Driven by the rotation of his hips and torso, his arm swung in a powerful arc, culminating in a heavy, thunderous punch aimed directly at Flay's face.
In an instant, the chaotic corridor fell into dead silence, leaving only the dull thud of the punch echoing ominously through the room.
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