"Mr. Lu... should be in the Strike Suit right now."
Kira looked toward the fixed frame on the other side of the hangar and was about to continue when he suddenly saw the secured Strike Suit... abruptly emit a flash of golden light?!
This sudden flash startled Kira, leaving him momentarily confused about what had happened.
"What's wrong, Kira? If it's inconvenient, we can take Flay there later."
Seeing Kira suddenly fall silent, Sai thought he might be hesitating about something and spoke up.
Kira rubbed his eyes, noticing that the golden light seemed to have vanished after that brief flash, leaving him somewhat incredulous:
"That... did the Strike Suit just flash with light?"
"Huh? Did it? I didn't notice."
Tolle turned back curiously, only to see the Strike Suit looking exactly as before—gray and unpowered—with no sign of any flash.
"...It did seem to flash for a moment?"
Katz said uncertainly. The others had their backs turned to the Strike Suit, so only he and Kira were facing its direction.
He too had seen that instant when the Strike Suit's body lit up as if coated in gold, but it ended as quickly as it began.
"It's probably normal, right? Didn't Mr. Lu say the Strike Suit has a Machine Spirit? Maybe Mr. Lu and the Machine Spirit had a pleasant chat, and the spirit manifested itself?"
Tolle shrugged, indicating there was nothing to be surprised about—it was just a minor miracle.
If Buddha statues can have divine light, why shouldn't their "mechanical idol" emit a little glow?
Flay was also somewhat exasperated by this sudden interruption. She cleared her throat lightly and spoke again, emphasizing her request:
"So... Kira, is it a good time for us to disturb Mr. Lu now?"
Brought back to the main topic, Kira nodded as if waking from a dream:
"It should be fine... Should I go over and let him know?"
"I'll go with you."
Flay nodded and, seeing Kira about to leave, decided to follow along.
Watching Flay walk off without him, her fiancé Sai was momentarily stunned. In the past, Flay would always ask if he wanted to come along... Why was she ignoring him this time?
But he assumed she was just anxious to apologize and sighed, deciding not to make an issue of it.
Inside the Strike Suit's cockpit, Lu Tianming excitedly watched the number displaying the Resonance Level in the corner of the screen—though it was now slowly falling from 90%, it had just successfully reached 100% and maintained it for a period of time!
The flash earlier was the indicator that the Resonance Level had hit 100%.
"To think it actually succeeded... Two grown men achieving 100% mental resonance? Just thinking about it is bizarre."
After his initial excitement, Lu Tianming couldn't help but sigh in disbelief.
"What's the big deal? As the ancients said, 'No one knows a son better than his father.' Reaching 100% resonance is only natural, isn't it?"
Xia Chuan's intelligence once again reached new heights, surpassing his usual limits as he employed the advanced technique of quoting ancient wisdom!
"You're right. It's normal between father and son."
Surprisingly, Lu Tianming didn't refute this but instead nodded in agreement.
After all, he hadn't specified who was the father, so by default, he could assume he was the one with the higher status.
After saying this, both fell silent simultaneously, then spoke at the same time:
"Let me make this clear—I'm the one in charge here!"
At that moment, the falling Resonance Level instantly returned to 100%.
Watching the value climb back up, Lu Tianming couldn't quite hold back a sigh, pressing his forehead in mild exasperation.
Just as he was about to comment, Kira's voice came from below the Strike Suit:
"Mr. Lu, do you have a moment now?"
"Huh? Kira, you're still here?"
Lu Tianming was somewhat surprised that Kira remained. Although in the original storyline they had stayed on the Archangel... he thought his presence might have caused them to leave this time.
After all, Kira was no longer bound to the Strike Suit, and there wasn't any compelling reason for him to stay.
"Well... I'm still a bit reluctant to leave this place..."
Kira scratched his cheek sheepishly, then tentatively glanced back:
"Um... Mr. Lu, Flay said she wants to apologize to you in person. I was wondering if you have time."
As he spoke, Flay stepped out from beside him, looking up at Lu Tianming with seemingly sincere eyes.
"Damn, she's putting on an act again."
Xia Chuan immediately saw through Flay's feigned innocence and muttered under his breath.
Lu Tianming shrugged. Since Kira had come to plead her case, even if he didn't want to humor Flay, he couldn't disrespect their precious technician. With a soft sigh, he reluctantly prepared to disembark.
But just then, another communication came through—this time from Mu:
"Tianming, how are things on your end? Captain Ramius wants to have a word with you."
"? I thought you were in a meeting?"
"Haven't started yet... The Eighth Fleet leadership is still in their internal session. It's not our turn to report separately."
Mu waved his hand dismissively, then raised an eyebrow suggestively:
"The Captain seems quite eager, you know?"
Lu Tianming scratched his head. Why did Captain Murrue and Flay both want to talk to him at the same time? Was this some kind of showdown?
After a brief consideration, he decided to choose Murrue's side... Flay's insincere apology wasn't worth listening to anyway.
"Good choice. Murrue's clearly bigger than Flay—bigger should have priority."
Seeing that Lu Tianming was communicating with Mu, Xia Chuan remained silent but added a line of text on the display.
Lu Tianming felt speechless at Xia Chuan's unique logic... What kind of measurement are you using for "bigger"? Is that even appropriate?
Suppressing another internal sigh, Lu Tianming nodded to Mu through the comms, indicating he'd be there shortly.
After muting Mu's channel, Lu Tianming switched on the Strike Suit's external speakers to respond to Kira:
"Sorry, the Captain needs me for something. I don't have time right now."
Kira below the Strike Suit nodded understandingly, then turned to Flay with an apologetic look:
"Mr. Lu says something came up suddenly..."
"...I understand. The Captain's matters are more important. My business isn't urgent anyway."
Flay's smile remained graceful, though the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Internally, her frustration peaked.
Everything was fine just a moment ago, but the moment her name came up, he suddenly had Captain's business? What could the Captain possibly need while she's in meetings with the Eighth Fleet?
He's clearly still holding a grudge against me!
But Flay also knew full well that she no longer had the leverage to make a scene—all she could do was endure, endure, and endure further...
As long as her plan succeeded, whether it was avenging her father or retaliating for that bastard's past actions against her, everything would fall right into her hands!
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