Commander Li's voice cut through before the situation turned into something much, much worse... like a body count. "Stand down," he hollered, and his voice echoed around them.
For a second, the soldier looked like he might refuse, and that single second mattered more than anyone wanted to admit.
Zhenlan saw Commander Li notice it too as the commander's body became tense like he was just waiting for someone else to make the first move. Then the soldier lowered the rifle.
Lingyun sighed. "So disappointing. I really thought he was going to give us a bit of entertainment before he died."
"No," Zhenlan said. "Don't even think about it."
"That's not fair!! I didn't even do anything yet. You can't blame me for the thoughts in my head. That's just... not fair!"
"Fair or not... the answer is no. I don't need to know what is going on in your head to know that it is a bad idea."
Lingyun looked offended. "So what?!? You just assume the worst of me?!"
"I have met you."
