In the blink of an eye, just as Xiao Ran pressed Kira and Cagalli to the ground, a tremendous explosion roared overhead. Feeling fragments scattering everywhere and the table shaking so violently it almost **, Xiao Ran's mind went blank. Faced with such a close-range blast and the sensation of death brushing past him, even though he had long prepared himself mentally, his scalp still went numb, and he could not recover his senses for a moment.
Compared to Xiao Ran, Kira was much calmer. Though he was equally shocked and frightened, he could at least keep watch on the situation around them. Having piloted the Strike Gundam in battle up until now, Kira had long developed the composure to remain calm in a crisis. After quickly sweeping his gaze around the area, his eyes sharpened. Bracing himself with one hand, he slipped out of Xiao Ran's embrace, then leaped up and grabbed a pistol that had flown in from who knew where. He immediately hurled it at an attacker who had run out from around a corner. By the time Xiao Ran regained his senses amid the chaotic gunfire, Kira had already fully unleashed every advantage he possessed as a Coordinator. With speed like a thunderclap, he rushed up to the suddenly appearing attacker, then sent the man—who looked far sturdier than Kira himself—crashing to the ground with a flying kick and a punch, leaving him unable to move for a long while.
The gunfire had yet to stop, so Xiao Ran could only hold Cagalli tightly in his arms and hide behind the temporary barricade Andrew had made. He had no idea what the table was made of, but its defenses were astonishingly strong. Even the attackers' submachine guns could not penetrate it; the bullets merely lodged in