Boom!
Clarice was slammed against the wall.
She wanted to scream, but a large hand covered her mouth.
Before Clarice could see who it was, she instinctively kneed the person in the abdomen. The assailant grunted but still held Clarice in place, saying, "It's me!"
Only then did Clarice recognize the figure—it was Reno.
Her terrified eyes turned mute, the initial panic gradually subsiding into a sense of calm.
"I can let you go, but no screaming, okay?" Reno whispered softly.
Clarice blinked rapidly.
Reno slowly released his grip, and Clarice pushed him away with force, exclaiming, "What are you doing in my room? I admit you saved me once, but that doesn't mean you can just barge in here... Oh, my goodness!"
Her words were cut short as she saw Reno wincing in pain and collapsing.
"What's wrong with you?" Instinctively concerned, she rushed to support him.
"I think I may have cracked a rib," Reno replied, somewhat strained.
While the injuries on his face were alarming, they were superficial. It was the attack on his ribs that was more severe, causing Reno to almost lose his breath from the pain.
"I'll take you to the infirmary," Clarice said.
"No!" Reno grabbed Clarice's arm. "I can't go."
Clarice looked at Reno in surprise. "What exactly happened?"
Reno shook his head. "I don't know. Someone attacked me on my way back. I managed to escape, but it's not over."
He limped to the window, gesturing for Clarice to come over.
Clarice approached.
"Look over there," Reno said.
Following Reno's indication, Clarice saw a figure dressed in black standing in the shadows of a distant tree.
He seemed casual, but his gaze was fixed on Reno's room.
Clarice's expression changed, and she recoiled from the window. "Oh, damn, what's going on?"
"I told you, I don't know," Reno replied, laboring.
"Why would they want to capture you? Did you do something illegal?" Clarice asked, her robe slipping to reveal a sight that startled her, prompting a scream before she hastily wrapped it back up.
Reno turned away, pretending not to have seen anything. "I'm a mecha commander and acting captain, Austen. Do you think I'd commit a crime?"
"It's hard to say. Maybe you're smuggling contraband using your authority? Just last month, they caught someone doing that," Clarice said.
Reno sighed in frustration. "If that were the case, the police would come for me, not this secretive capture. The illegal ones are them, not me."
"Yeah," Clarice realized. "Then you should call the police!"
Reno shook his head.
The people coming after him were trained in military combat techniques, well-organized. The police probably wouldn't handle it.
The problem was he couldn't figure out who would target him. Russell Hill? But that didn't make sense. Hill wouldn't need a secretive capture. He could have detained Reno forcibly in the bureau.
So who could it be?
Reno couldn't find the answer.
After a moment of thought, he said, "I need your help, Austen."
"What do you want me to do?" Clarice looked nervous.
"Don't worry, it's nothing troublesome. I need you to find some medicine for my injuries and a bottle of bone recovery serum," Reno said.
Clarice finally understood and nodded. "Okay, wait a moment. I'll be right back."
She hurried back to her room to change clothes before quickly leaving.
She didn't know that Reno's eyes had been following her until she confirmed she was headed to the infirmary.
Twenty minutes later, Clarice returned with the medicine Reno needed.
After applying the medicine, Reno felt a significant reduction in pain.
He sighed in relief. "Thank you, Austen."
"I think we're even now," Clarice replied. "I mean, if everything's okay, I hope you can leave my room."
"Well... actually, I'm afraid I need your help with something else," Reno said, somewhat embarrassed.
Clarice was on the verge of tears.
She looked at Reno with despair in her eyes.
Reno reluctantly said, "Don't worry, it's still a small favor. I need to borrow your terminal. Mine might be monitored and located, so I can't use it for now."
In the 73rd century, there were no phones. Every citizen had a personal service terminal—a portable micro-optical brain that could be worn like a watch and had communication functions built-in.
Personal terminals were directly linked to identity chips, and the identity number served as the communication number, never changing. This was the greatest means of control the new federal government had over its citizens, leading to numerous protests. Although some companies produced communication equipment that could evade surveillance and change numbers, interestingly, due to lack of supervision, people generally distrusted those who used such devices. Coupled with government suppression, these devices ultimately failed to gain traction.
Clarice raised her left hand, opened her personal terminal at her wrist, entered the password, and handed it to Reno. "Who are you trying to contact?"
"Alec Davril and Ibby Faulkner, officers of the Abrody, staying with me at this sanatorium," Reno gave her their identity numbers.
Clarice entered the numbers and shook her head after a moment. "No answer."
Reno was surprised. "Both of them?"
Clarice shrugged. "Maybe they didn't bring their terminals."
"That's impossible. They're military personnel. According to federal regulations, soldiers must not deactivate communication tools unless on official leave, ensuring readiness for deployment. One of them might occasionally disregard the rules, but both simultaneously is unlikely," Reno said.
"Maybe they're having a rendezvous," Clarice made a not-so-funny joke.
But Reno wasn't in the mood to entertain it.
His expression grew serious. "Clarice, search nearby using their identity information."
"That requires their authorization," Clarice said.
"I have it," Reno replied.
Clarice was surprised. "I thought you were just an acting captain?"
"A respected acting captain," Reno corrected.
Rolling her eyes, Clarice began the search.
If the corkscrew and woodpecker were nearby and couldn't receive messages because they didn't have their terminals, then her search should reveal their locations.
But the reality quickly disappointed Reno.
Clarice said, "They're not here."
"Can you expand the search? They sometimes go to the nearby mountains," Reno requested.
"The search radius has been expanded to ten kilometers," Clarice replied.
Reno's heart sank.
Watching Reno's expression, Clarice gradually understood.
"They're not just after you, are they?" she asked.
Faced with Clarice's question, Reno shook his head.
He didn't know.
He didn't know who wanted to target them, nor did he know whom they wanted to target.
But there was a way to confirm, and that was to contact more people.
After some thought, Reno picked up Clarice's personal terminal and dialed a number.
This time, someone answered.
"Who's this?" a sweet voice came from the other end.
"Claire, are you okay?" Reno asked gravely.
"I'm fine. What's going on?" Claire asked.
"...Nothing," Reno hesitated before replying, "I just wanted to see how you've been lately. I mean, everything's okay over there, right? Any security issues? Have you seen any strange people?"
"Come on, I live in a barracks. It's so safe here that even a fly needs to report if it wants to fly in," Claire humorously replied. "Trust me, there are no strange people here."
Relieved to hear that, Reno cautioned, "That's good. Take care of yourself."
"If you're really worried, why don't you come and see me yourself?" Claire suggested.
Reno was stunned.
Claire continued, "Reno, I miss you."
Reno froze.
On the other end of the communicator, Claire's voice continued, "Reno, are you there?"
Taking a deep breath, Reno replied, "Yes, I'm here. Claire, you're right. Why don't we meet? But I can't leave right now. I need you to come to New Darwin."
"Okay! Tell me where you are? I'll come find you," Claire replied decisively.
Click!
The call ended.
Clarice looked at Reno in surprise. "What's wrong?"
Reno's face turned pale. "Claire wouldn't say she missed me, let alone come to see me alone... That wasn't Claire!"
...
On the other end, a man in a trench coat and a hat slowly put down the communicator.
He raised his head, and under the black sunglasses, his eyes glowed red.
A hoarse electronic voice sounded: "He's found out."