The silence broke the moment they reached the open yard.
"What the hell was that?" the commander's voice cracked through the night, echoing off the walls. He stormed forward, fury rising in his face. "You just assaulted five of my men inside my camp!"
Lu stood still, hands at her sides, head slightly bowed but posture firm. 24 stepped between them before she could speak.
"They attacked her," 24 said flatly. His tone wasn't raised — it didn't need to be. The words carried weight enough.
The commander jabbed a finger toward the unconscious soldiers sprawled across the dirt. "You expect me to believe five trained soldiers just—what?—decided to pick a fight with one girl?"
24's eyes hardened. "They didn't pick a fight. They thought she was an easy target."
The commander stopped, jaw tight. He glanced at Lu, then back to 24. "And what makes you so sure of that?"
"Because she didn't use her blades," 24 replied. "If she wanted them dead, they wouldn't be breathing."
For a long moment, no one spoke. The commander's anger flickered into confusion, then unease. The silence between him and 24 was taut as wire — one wrong word and it would snap.
Finally, the commander exhaled sharply through his nose. "Fine. My office. Now. All three of us."
They followed him through the corridors of the command building, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. 24's steps were quiet and even. Lu's boots left faint scuffs of dust on the polished floor, each sound impossibly loud in the tense stillness.
Inside the office, the commander shut the door hard and moved to the desk. "Sit."
Lu obeyed. 24 stayed standing.
"Talk," the commander said, voice low now.
Lu took a breath. "I was heading toward the command building. They stopped me in the alley. Surrounded me. One of them tried to grab my mask." She paused. "So I defended myself."
"You defended yourself?" he said with disbelief. "They look like they went through a training exercise with a war machine."
24 spoke before Lu could. "That's because she trained with one."
The commander's glare snapped to him, but 24 didn't flinch.
"I told you," 24 continued evenly. "We didn't come here to cause problems. But if your men can't control themselves, I will make sure they learn respect the hard way."
The commander stared at him for a long second before turning to the console on his desk. He typed in a command — surveillance footage flickered onto the screen.
The alley came into view, grainy under the floodlights. The footage showed Lu walking alone… then the soldiers surrounding her. The first grab, her first strike — the sequence unfolded in silence.
By the end, the commander's face had changed. His jaw clenched, but not from anger this time.
He leaned back in his chair. "They were the aggressors."
24 nodded once. "Now you understand."
The commander looked at Lu. "You could have drawn your blades. You didn't. Why?"
Lu hesitated, then said quietly, "Because there was no need."
That answer lingered. 24 watched her carefully, the faintest flicker of pride in his eyes.
The commander finally sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'll have the injured treated and the incident buried. But from this point forward, you two stay clear of my men unless ordered otherwise."
24 gave a short nod. "Fair enough."
The commander gestured toward the door. "Go. Before I change my mind."
Lu rose, turned toward the exit. 24 lingered a second longer, staring at the screen — the frozen image of Lu standing alone, calm amidst chaos. Then he followed her out.
In the hall, the air felt cooler. Lu glanced sideways at him, voice low. "You knew they were watching?"
24's eyes stayed forward. "Always assume someone is."