For the next few hours, Zhou Hanxiang remained secluded in her private cabin.
The lawyers aboard the shuttle were chatting when one male lawyer gazed thoughtfully at Zhou Hanxiang's cabin.
A female lawyer nearby teased, "What? Taken a liking to her?"
The male lawyer smiled and turned back, "I wouldn't dare."
"That's unusual. Do tell."
"That voice earlier sounded like Zhou Junguo's."
The female lawyer's expression turned shocked as she lowered her voice, "Are you sure?"
"Pretty certain. Besides, look at those East Asian lawyers—all familiar faces, elites in the field. Who else has the influence to gather such a proud group together?"
"Wow~" The female lawyer stole a glance at Zhou Hanxiang's cabin. "At that age, she must be Zhou Junguo's daughter? What a huge gift."
"Indeed. Never expected such an unexpected windfall," the male lawyer mused. "Among the Three Council Nations, East Asia has been neutral toward PLANT. Unfortunately, the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation have blocked Siegel-sama from contacting East Asian leadership, and East Asia itself remains strictly professional with no leanings. This was pure serendipity."
"Fantastic! Now PLANT won't have to worry about the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations targeting us."
The female lawyer beamed, her tone brimming with excitement.
The male lawyer chuckled at his companion's reaction before casting one last glance at Zhou Hanxiang's cabin and murmuring, "If only it were that simple."
...
Several hours earlier, Siegel's shuttle had approached PLANT.
They later transferred to two separate shuttles in space, heading to different PLANT cities.
Siegel and his team proceeded to the capital, Aprilis City, to clean up the aftermath of the assassination attempt.
Meanwhile, Zhou Tianming and Ogsha traveled to Februarius City for medical treatment.
Throughout the shuttle ride, Zhou Tianming kept tabs on Zhou Hanxiang's situation. The legal team Siegel had assembled was highly professional, and the unexpected arrival of East Asia's elite lawyers made them an unstoppable force.
Their combined efforts crushed the opposition so thoroughly that Zhou Tianming, rarely one to laugh heartily, couldn't contain his joy—until his outburst frightened Lacus into tears, earning him a "death glare" from Ogsha that instantly silenced him.
Ogsha then ordered him to calm Lacus down.
Holding the tiny Lacus, Zhou Tianming felt none of the awe one might expect from cradling the future "Songstress of Gundam." Instead, he found her wailing unbearably loud.
Even at her young age, Lacus possessed astonishing vocal prowess—her cries were piercingly high-pitched and melodically shrill.
Ogsha, meanwhile, donned noise-canceling ear muffs and gave Zhou Tianming a thumbs-up.
Helpless, he could only recall scenes from TV dramas he'd watched in his past life and try to comfort her accordingly.
After what felt like ages, Lacus finally quieted down and fell asleep.
Though she had stopped crying, Zhou Tianming's ears still echoed with her sobs that refused to fade. His face bore an utterly defeated expression.
After smoothly entering Februlius City, Ogsha wanted to head straight to the prearranged medical center, but Zhou Tianming shook his head in refusal.
"I'm waiting here for Mom."
Ogsha teased upon hearing this: "I didn't realize you were this attached to Hanxiang."
Zhou Tianming's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he snorted and turned his head away.
Sincerity begets sincerity. In this life, everything Zhou Hanxiang had done was seen and remembered by Zhou Tianming. She had never fallen short of the title "mother," so the word "Mom" naturally rolled off his tongue with ease.
Several hours later, another shuttle landed. From a distance, Zhou Tianming spotted Zhou Hanxiang's figure.
Yet when mother and son reunited, there were no dramatic displays. They simply hugged each other tightly before parting, then naturally held hands as they walked up to Ogsha.
Zhou Hanxiang bowed slightly. "Sister Ogsha, thank you for taking care of Tianming."
"It's me who should be thanking Tianming," Ogsha replied with a smile. "If not for him, Siegel, Lacus, and I would never have seen each other again."
Zhou Hanxiang caught the lingering fear in Ogsha's tone and gave Zhou Tianming's hand a tight squeeze, shooting him a sideways glare.
In response, Zhou Tianming flashed a silly grin, hoping to charm his way out of trouble.
The three then took a car to their destination, during which Ogsha and Zhou Hanxiang discussed in detail the subsequent rehabilitation plan for Zhou Tianming.
Zhou Hanxiang listened with a serious expression, constantly offering suggestions.
Though there had been no formal checkups in the past five years, she had pieced together Zhou Tianming's physical condition through daily observations, even noticing details that medical examinations might miss.
Yet Zhou Tianming felt no gratitude upon hearing this.
From the two women's conversation, he learned that for the next month, he would have to drink three types of herbal medicine every morning—one for nutrition, one for organ regulation, and one to boost development.
At noon, he'd need to undergo rehabilitation exercises.
In the evening, there would be acupuncture and massage.
And before bed, a sedative tonic.
"Actually, I think I might not need treatment..."
Zhou Hanxiang grabbed both sides of his mouth and pulled them outward. "What did this mouth just say?"
"Treat me! Treat me to death!"
In the end, he was dragged into the hospital by the two women, his face the picture of despair.
...
Meanwhile, Siegel arrived in the capital city, Aplilius. As soon as he stepped off the shuttle, he spotted a man in his thirties standing in the distance, arms crossed, eyebrows raised as he watched.
The man stood tall and straight, his eyebrows sharp as blades, his gaze piercing like a hawk's. After sweeping a scrutinizing look over Siegel with his black eyes, he subtly exhaled in relief, though his tone remained stern. "Learned your lesson?"
Siegel gave a bitter smile. "Patrick, did you come here to laugh at me?"
"I came to see if you were dead. Taking so few people with you in this situation was reckless—endangering yourself and others."
"My apologies."
With a snort, Patrick turned and walked ahead. Siegel, wearing a resigned expression, quickened his pace to catch up. "How's Lenore? Is she doing well? Once Ogsha returns, have her take good care of Lenore."
Patrick's expression softened, his tone shifting. "She's in good spirits, though her belly's gotten bigger and it's hard for her to move around. With Ogsha back, I can rest easier. The recent situation is unstable—the S2 Flu has left us on the back foot."
"Didn't find the target?"
"No. Or perhaps those below simply didn't want to look. You must have sensed it too—the Zodiac Alliance we built with our own hands has started to change."
"Indeed." Siegel's face darkened with sorrow. "But how can we blame them? They've seen too much, known too much."
Patrick shot Siegel a glance and snorted coldly. "Save your kindness for where it's needed. Leave this to me—I'll root out the pests hiding in our ranks."
Sighing heavily, the two parted ways.
Siegel arranged for the families of his fallen subordinates to be contacted. Since this incident stemmed entirely from his personal actions, he intended to personally apologize and offer compensation where possible.
After leaving the spaceport, Patrick boarded a black private car waiting for him. Leaning back against the plush seat, he asked, "What's the status of the investigation?"
"We've found leads. These individuals have been secretly maintaining contact with the Eurasian Federation. They were the ones who leaked Siegel's whereabouts for the assassination attempt."
"The reason?"
"It appears Siegel recently expressed dissatisfaction with their work, so..."
Patrick let out a derisive laugh. "Eliminate them. We Coordinators have no need for such low-quality individuals—worse even than Naturals."
"Understood." The driver continued, "Lord Patrick, Siegel's shuttle has been recovered. There's a surviving Mistral unit aboard—they'd like you to examine it. The combat data is... astonishing."
"Is that so? Then let's take a look." Patrick's tone suddenly turned grave, thickening the air in the car. "And send a warning to that group. I understand their sentiments, but now is not the time. If they cause trouble, don't blame me for cutting away the rotten flesh."
The driver broke into a cold sweat, swallowing hard. "Understood."