Chapter 88: Not Negotiating with Terrorists is an International Consensus

The small gathering between Reid, Mao, and Kurtz proceeded harmoniously. Since none of them were particularly familiar with each other, they only drank some beer during the mission period, and their conversations mostly revolved around past experiences. Later, even Sagara Sousuke, who had failed to find Kaname Chidori, joined them.

During the gathering, Reid deliberately shared some stories from his early days as a recruit on Earth. Mao and the others were successfully misled into believing that Reid had been trained at a secret special forces camp in Europe and had also operated in North America.

This made the three more at ease when communicating with Reid. When parting ways, Mao even gave Reid a gift—her personally written "Big Sister Mao's Marine Corps Training Manual."

Reid clearly remembered how Sagara Sousuke had used this manual in the future to train a football team, resulting in players who were exceptionally fierce and loyal. Reid planned to take this manual back to the CE universe and give it to Noin to toughen up the new recruits.

After bidding farewell to the trio of Mao, Kurtz, and Sagara Sousuke, Reid began wandering around various areas of the Tir Na Nog based on his memory, even visiting the bathhouse—of course, the men's bathhouse.

His purpose in doing this was to find the room where Kowloon was being held. Reid wanted to secretly administer a slow-acting poison to Kowloon's room, especially since two of the SRT members guarding him were actually spies. There was little fear of collateral damage, and if any allies were accidentally poisoned, Reid could always administer the antidote as long as they were still alive.

However, Kowloon's interrogation clearly had nothing to do with Reid as an inspector, so Colonel Mardukas hadn't informed him of the exact location of Kowloon's confinement. Reid decided to rely on his Newtype abilities to search slowly.

Even while imprisoned, Kowloon's twisted thoughts should stand out like a beacon in the night.

After awakening as a Newtype and returning to Earth, Reid finally understood why Char often spoke about Earthlings' souls being weighed down by gravity. Whether souls were truly bound or not, Reid wasn't sure, but the radius of his Newtype emotional perception had indeed shrunk.

Moreover, the Tir Na Nog was filled with metal partitions, further reducing his ability to sense others' emotions. Still, as long as he came within a 20-meter radius, he would definitely sense something. In open corridors, Reid's perception range remained quite extensive.

Thus, Reid didn't need to break into random rooms to identify heavily guarded areas. Even as he wandered around aimlessly, he didn't arouse any suspicion.

Unfortunately, after several rounds of searching, Reid still couldn't locate Kowloon's holding area. It was likely that Kowloon wasn't confined near any of the corridors Reid knew about.

So Reid decided to return to his temporarily assigned room to rest. If he couldn't find Kowloon, he would simply wait for Kowloon to make his move. He needed to conserve his energy for the inevitable confrontation.

About three hours later, Reid was abruptly awakened by a piercing alarm. Checking the information board in his room, he saw it was a fire drill warning, explicitly labeled as an exercise.

Reid couldn't help but think that Kowloon had no idea he was here as an inspector. Who had ever heard of an inspector being included in a fire drill? At this point, all Reid needed to do was stop someone and explain the situation, and Kowloon's little act would fall apart.

However, Mithril's mercenaries were all elites. By the time Reid finished putting on his specially made protective suit, there wasn't a soul left outside. He had no choice but to rely on his memory and head toward the captain's quarters first. Kowloon hacking Tir Na Nog's systems was actually a good opportunity for him. Reid was quite interested in Tir Na Nog's fully automated AI control system.

But Reid didn't get far before he was stunned. The route he knew required going from the officers' rest area in the mid-front section of the ship back to the central cafeteria, then taking the path from there straight to the bridge.

However, after the fire drill, the crew of Tir Na Nog had closed all the hatches along the way to simulate "fire containment" for realism.

These hatches weren't like the central bulkhead doors that couldn't be opened manually, but opening them one by one would still waste a lot of time.

Reid had no choice though. He could only pray that fewer people had gone through this unnecessary trouble along the way, otherwise manually opening the hatches would cost him precious time. Also, he remembered that in the original story, Kurtz and Sagara Sousuke hadn't participated in the hangar drill, right? Why hadn't he run into them yet?

Actually, the reason Kurtz and Sousuke hadn't appeared was Reid's own fault. In the original story, there was no inspector like Reid, which was why they had been suspicious of this sudden, unannounced drill.

But now Reid's presence gave them a reason—this drill was specifically for Reid's benefit. Not only did they think so, but anyone who knew Reid's identity or was aware that an inspector had come aboard didn't question the purpose of this fire drill. Even the troublemakers cooperated, so naturally everyone else followed protocol. As a result, they were all now locked in the front half of the ship by Kowloon.

It wasn't until Reid reached the cafeteria area that he encountered the first group of people: Kaname Chidori fleeing, with Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan in pursuit.

Since the corridor ahead was a long passageway, Reid sensed the three running figures from far away. He then hid around a corner, grabbed Kaname as she ran past, and pulled her to his side. Raising his gun at the two pursuers, he feigned ignorance and said sternly:

"Now, would someone care to explain what kind of farce is happening aboard Tir Na Nog? Two SRT Force members chasing an underage girl down an empty corridor? And this fire drill—who exactly is this performance for?"

Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan were clearly the type who trained their bodies so much that their muscles had replaced their brains. They had some intelligence, but not much. Seeing Reid, they suddenly remembered there was such a person on board. An unannounced fire drill would naturally seem highly suspicious to an inspector like him.

What little brainpower they had left was devoted to battlefield assessment. They didn't recognize Reid's outfit, but they could guess it had bulletproof capabilities. They weren't sure if their handguns could penetrate it.

However, Kaname Chidori didn't give Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan time to think of a response. Once she confirmed Reid wasn't with them, she immediately shouted from behind him:

"They're traitors! They helped Kowloon escape and took over the command center! I barely got away with Teletha's help!"

Kaname hadn't experienced much warfare yet. She didn't realize that her loud outburst was practically throwing Reid under the bus.

Originally, the other side might have wanted to stall for a moment to find an opening to attack—which would also have been Reid's chance to spot a weakness—but now that she had shouted like this, they would definitely open fire immediately.

This was something Reid could deduce without needing a Newtype's ability to sense killing intent. So before Kaname Chidori's words had even fully left her mouth, he seized the initiative and fired at Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan.

Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan, true to their reputation as SRT Force members, reacted instantly. Despite Reid's near-sneak attack, they relied on tracking the shift in his gun's muzzle and their own instincts to drop to the ground, narrowly avoiding the two shots aimed at their heads. Then they immediately returned fire.

Seeing this, Reid shoved Kaname Chidori around the corridor corner, pulled out an explosive-proof Shield from his system, and blocked the front. The 9mm pistol rounds from Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan couldn't even penetrate the Shield.

At this point, Reid discarded his pistol and exchanged it for a submachine gun from the system, unloading a full burst at the two men on the ground.

In the narrow, coverless corridor, there was simply no dodging the submachine gun's barrage. Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan died without ever understanding how their opponent had conjured an explosive-proof Shield and a submachine gun out of thin air—their bodies riddled with bullets.

After killing them, Reid put an extra bullet in each of their heads for good measure before retrieving his discarded pistol and returning to Kaname Chidori. Noticing her urge to peek around the corner, he warned:

"Miss, if you don't want to lose your appetite tonight, I'd advise against looking. Honestly, there's no such thing as a 'nice-looking' corpse."

Hearing this, Kaname Chidori understood the fate of the two pursuers. However, she didn't question how Reid had suddenly produced the Shield and submachine gun—Sagara Sousuke had long since shown her just how absurdly armed a single person could be.

So she resisted the stubborn urge to confirm Ruan Wenwu and John Dunnigan's condition. Instead, after taking a deep breath, she said:

"Captain Reid, my apologies—I forgot to introduce myself last time. I'm Kaname Chidori, invited here for a tour of this ship."

Reid nodded, then asked knowingly:

"Understood, Miss Chidori. Actually, Sergeant Sagara Sousuke later explained your situation to me. To be honest, after you ran off, he couldn't find you anywhere. He was really worried."

"Now, to business. You mentioned Kowloon has taken control of the command room, and you escaped, correct?"

At this, Kaname Chidori suddenly remembered Teletha's instructions and quickly added:

"Yes, Captain Reid. Could you please assist in retaking the command room? I need to head to the captain's quarters—there's something else I have to handle afterward."

Here, her lack of experience showed again. If Reid had even a shred of ill intent, the key to the captain's quarters and the safe combination in her possession would have changed hands immediately.

But Reid had no intention of going to that so-called Our Lady's Chapel. That system required the innate knowledge of a Whispered and perfect synchronization with Teletha—without those, he'd just be staring blankly inside.

So he played the good guy here, pulling a small knife from his arm compartment and handing it to Kaname Chidori, saying:

"Understood. Then let's part ways here. Take this dagger for self-defense. Firearms are too dangerous for those who don't know how to use them—a knife is just right. Remember, if you encounter someone you want to kill, aim straight for the neck."

Kaname Chidori currently held a high level of trust in Reid. Accepting the knife, she bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle in gratitude.

"Thank you, Mr. Reid. I'll do my best."

With that, she dashed off with quick, light footsteps—"clack, clack, clack."

Reid didn't pay her much more attention. She wouldn't encounter any enemies from here on out. His task now was to reach the command room and complete what needed to be done before she rebooted Tir Na Nog's systems.

Since Kaname had managed to run all the way here, it meant the path ahead likely had no sealed bulkhead doors left.

So Reid moved at top speed straight to the command room entrance. Leaning against the door, he used his Newtype abilities to sense the positions of those inside.

However, Reid overlooked one thing: Kowloon possessed extraordinarily sharp battlefield instincts. Though not a Newtype himself, his sixth sense alerted him to being watched.

Immediately, Kowloon rose from the captain's seat, yanked Teletha up, and pressed his pistol to her forehead as he called out toward the command room entrance.

"An odd sensation of being watched—just like on the Baird Orb Island. We have a guest, don't we? That strange AS pilot. Why not open the door and introduce yourself?"

Reid knew he'd been exposed. More importantly, he couldn't just stand by and let Teletha be killed. The system hadn't specified the consequences of a faction commander's death on the campaign, but if Teletha died here, he wouldn't be surprised if it resulted in an instant mission failure.

Switching his pistol to nano-tracking bullets (a submachine gun would inevitably hit the command crew), Reid boldly raised his weapon, pushed the door open, and leaned in, aiming at Kowloon while addressing Teletha.

"Colonel Testarossa, I told you capturing this terrorist was pointless. You should've just killed him."

Even as he spoke, Reid's Newtype psychic senses instantly connected with Teletha, transmitting another message:

"I'll save you, but I need you to play along."

Teletha was far more composed than Kaname. She gave no outward reaction, only replying with steady determination in her eyes.

"You're right. Perhaps I should have listened to you."

Kowloon, feeling ignored, grew irritated. He jabbed the pistol harder against Teletha's temple, eliciting a pained gasp from her before snapping:

"Hey, you two—do you not understand the situation here? Kid across from me, what's your name? Drop the gun, hands on your head, and kneel. Otherwise, this delicate little captain might never speak again."

Reid's response was to fire directly at Kowloon's head.

Kowloon's reflexes kicked in—he ducked, narrowly avoiding the shot.

Truthfully, Kowloon didn't actually want to kill Teletha. If this hostage died, he'd be forced into a shootout with the kid outside. Regardless of the outcome, given the other's current actions, he clearly wouldn't hesitate to disregard the command crew. That would mean Kowloon's hijacking plan would fail entirely.

Kowloon had no intention of dying here alongside these worthless command room lackeys. He hadn't had his fill of killing yet.

So, taking cover behind the captain's seat, he shoved Teletha forward, pressing the gun to the back of her head as he issued another threat:

"Kid, do you really not care about this girl's life? Do you think you can explain losing a Whispered to your superiors?"

Reid had already retreated into the corridor and responded:

"Hah, I'm not a member of Tir Na Nog. I have no attachment to this girl. Besides, not negotiating with terrorists is international consensus. I'd say destroying your plans is worth the entire command crew's lives. As for Whispered, haven't enough died already?"

With that, Reid exchanged for his custom grenade and threw it into the command room.

Kowloon saw it was shaped like a standard fragmentation grenade and stopped doubting Reid's words—this kid genuinely didn't care about anyone in that room.

He quickly threw Teletha onto the grenade, using her body to suppress the explosion and reduce its lethal radius and power.

Kowloon himself took cover behind the captain's chair, shielding his entire body on the opposite side to avoid shrapnel in case one body wasn't enough protection.

What Kowloon didn't realize was that Reid hadn't thrown a fragmentation grenade at all, but a container combining high-concentration isoflurane with a liquid atomizer, merely disguised as one.

It wouldn't explode, but would instead release massive amounts of sleep-inducing isoflurane like a smoke grenade.

The command room was small, and by the time Kowloon recognized Reid's smoke grenade, he'd completely lost the initiative. Reid had already charged back in, taking aim at Kowloon.

Kowloon now had two choices: shoot Teletha on the ground to at least take someone with him when he died, or dodge and return fire at Reid to regain the upper hand by defeating him.

Reid was gambling too—betting that Kowloon wouldn't trade one-for-one with Teletha. To Kowloon, Teletha meant little. Had it been Sagara Sousuke lying there, Kowloon would likely have taken the trade. Or maybe considered it for the entire ship's crew.

Reid's gamble paid off. Kowloon didn't attack Teletha, dodged desperately, and returned fire with a shot aimed straight for Reid's heart.

In this exchange, Reid hit Kowloon's left shoulder, spraying blood, while Kowloon's bullet struck Reid's right chest—only to be perfectly blocked by Luna Titanium Alloy. However, Kowloon's gun was SRT Force-issue, reserved for special operations, stolen from John Dunnigan.

Reid only felt like he'd been rammed by a 200-pound man, stumbling back four or five steps until he hit the command room wall, otherwise unharmed.

Kowloon saw the bullet spark off Reid's chest and knew he probably remained combat-ready. He also realized the smoke was problematic and had been holding his breath.

Meanwhile, Reid's space-rated helmet had an oxygen recycling system with top-tier filtration—ordinary isoflurane couldn't affect him.

Seeing Reid unaffected by the smoke, Kowloon immediately recognized the disadvantage of fighting in the command room. His opponent didn't care about the others, and the gas had already knocked everyone unconscious.

Seeing the exit of the command center cleared as Reid staggered, Kowloon immediately seized the opportunity to flee. His speed was such that Reid's follow-up shots likely only grazed his lower back, leaving him still mobile.

But Kowloon ran, and Reid didn't give chase. With everyone in the command center now unconscious, Reid swiftly exchanged for a server storage drive (the same model from Artemis Fortress, analyzed alongside the G Weapon data) and a portable computer. He connected it to the data port on the captain's console and began forcibly copying all of Tir Na Nog's data.

This time, Reid didn't bother removing Kowloon's virus—he simply packaged it along with everything else. If the virus somehow managed to corrupt the system through the Factory Module, so be it.

The data transfer speeds of the CE era far surpassed those of this time. In less than ten minutes, all of Tir Na Nog's server data had been copied. Kaname Chidori still hadn't rebooted the system.

Truthfully, Reid wasn't worried about leaving traces. Once Kaname restarted the system, the compromised data would be wiped anyway—no one would even know a copy had been made.

Besides, once Reid dealt with Kowloon, his mission would be complete, and he could leave. Teletha might not even wake up by then.

Once all the data finished downloading, Reid stashed the server drive and computer into a newly exchanged long bag. Activating his tracker, he slung the bag over his shoulder and set off in pursuit of Kowloon.

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