Ling Yao continues to run as Gluttony continues to purse him and Lan Fan and Ling finds himself trapped in a corner. As he follows the blood trail left by the injured Lan Fan, noticing an explosion that was likely caused by Scar, Wrath orders Gluttony to go after Scar and deal with it while he finishes things here. Realizing her injured left arm has rendered her useless, Lan Fan states for her prince to leave her behind or else his dream for the sake of his clan and people will be endangered if he continues to travel with her. As Ling states that will never happen, Lan Fan states that there are some things that must be left behind and takes out a kunai knife and Ling fears what she might do with it. Meanwhile as he dodges Al's alchemy attacks, Scar takes pity for Al's body being hallow because of alchemy, which Al counters that he doesn't see it that way despite the problems he has due to his Blood Rune since Ed saved his life that day. Just as Scar uses the water from a damaged water tower to turn into steam to blind Al and finish him off, Ed returns and stops the attack. After confirming that Winry has been rushed off to safety and that he made her cry due to seeing him in combat, Ed prepares to resume the battle, but then Gluttony arrives. Scar recognizes him from an earlier encounter and the Elrics realize he is a Homunculus due to the Ouroboros tattoo on his tongue. When Gluttony charges at him, Scar dodges and uses his decomposition technique on his head. As Wrath follows the blood trail, Gluttony quickly regenerates and knocks back Scar, injuring him. As the Elrics attack Gluttony, Wrath discovers that the trail led to Lan Fan's severed arm since Lan Fan severed her left arm at the moment to throw him off their trail.

A shirtless Ling emerges from the sewers at that moment in the Elrics location and lands on Gluttony's head to feed him a grenade. Warning everyone to stand back, he escapes as Gluttony's upper body is blown away by the explosion. Having Ed transmute railroad track into a steel wire, Ling uses it to bind Gluttony's body before he can fully regenerate so it can bind Gluttony and prevent him from moving. While Wrath admits how well he was played due to the severed arm tied to a dog, Lan Fan, using Ling's coat to bind her wound, hides in the sewers as she is using her right hand to hold back the blood loss from her severed arm. Just as Scar learns that Gluttony is a Homunculus, Hawkeye arrives in a jeep wearing her disguise and shoots him in the leg. Realizing they have to pretend they don't know her, the Elrics continues the battle against Scar as more MPs arrives, while after placing Gluttony's body in the jeep, Ling leaves with Hawkeye. Before they can finish off Scar to avenge the murders of Winry's parents, a mysterious girl and her pet arrives and uses martial arts to knock them both down and infuriates Ed by calling him a beansprout. Just as more MPs arrive, the girl uses Alkahestry on some nearby trains to create an explosion to use the smoke as a diversion for her and Scar to escape.

While they are driving Hawkeye reveals that she has already been informed of Ling Yao's identity and explains they are headed to a safe house. Ling demands that they pick up Lan Fan first since she will die if left by herself for too long without medical aid. Despite her initial objections, Hawkeye reluctantly agrees as long as Ling can make it quick. They pass Bradley along the way, who recognizes Ling, along with Hawkeye through her disguise while admitting he is tired of the games that Mustang is playing. As May is healing Scar's leg wound, Scar recalls the expression on Winry's face was the same as his before he devoted his life to revenge. Yoki arrives and informs them that the MPs are closing in, and as they are leaving, May notices her pet Xiao-Mei is missing. It turns out that she is traveling with the Elrics as Al hid her inside his armor because it was alone on the battlefield and he doesn't want to leave it by itself. After Xiao-Mei fails to bite Al and thinks that he is above the chain of power compared to her master and Scar, the Elrics arrive at Central Command and Al puts her inside his armor. Finding Bradley with Winry, he encourages them to protect their childhood friend before leaving. Winry then asks Ed to fulfill his promise about telling her everything. After Ed tells her about what he heard from Shan, they return to their hotel to learn Winry has a phone call from Mr. Garfiel who wants her back at Rush Valley due to her customer's complaints since she does a better job at fixing automail than he does.

The Elrics see her off at the train station and Winry is happy since she still has a home to go back to. After her train departs, Winry realizes she may be falling in love with Ed. Mustang picks up the Elrics, and then drives to Doctor Knox's house since he is in need of his surgical skills. Mustang states that he'll understand if Knox declines. After agreeing since he no longer has an attachment to his family, Mustang drives them to his safehouse and Knox is angered when he learns Lan Fan walked through the sewers with her left arm cut off. As Knox begins the painful procedure to close up the bleeding with Hawkeye's assistance, the Elrics meet with Ling who is blaming himself since it was his idea to assist the Elrics with this mission and that he wasn't ready to deal with the consequences. Once the procedure is done Ed asks her if there is anything he can do, and Lan Fan admits that trap he used against her before was effective and that it helped her survive. Ed promises he'll set her up with a mechanic to get an automail arm.

At that moment Roy Mustang and Ling Yao formally introduce themselves to each other, and Ling thanks Mustang for providing him with a doctor, as Mustang thanks Ling for his assistance in the Maria Ross incident and capturing Gluttony. Just as Knox is informed on Gluttony and Mustang admits they can use him to find out who in the military is involved, Ling delivers the cold-hard truth: King Bradley is likely a Homunculus himself, since he has an Ouroboros tattoo on his patched eye and worked together with Gluttony in their last mission despite not having the same inhuman presence that Gluttony has. Knox then reveals despite having a son, Selim Bradley is actually adopted with no actual blood-ties to the Führer. As Mustang comments on how great a development this is to remove Bradley from power, once he announces his intention to interrogate Gluttony and then remove Gluttony's Philosopher's Stone, it leads to an argument on what to do with it. Mustang needs it for treating Jean Havoc's paralysis, Ling reminding them of the sacrifice Lan Fan made for catching Gluttony and despite his status as an illegal immigrant, he wants it for Immortality, and Ed needs it to restore his and Al's bodies. Just before Knox can leave, Gluttony hears Mustang's name from their argument. Gluttony recognizes Mustang as Lust's killer and begins to break free from his restraints as his stomach open revealing a giant eye within that destroys a part of the house just before Hawkeye, who was outside, can re-enter the house.