Command center.
Looking at Mike's pale face on the screen, Reno asked, "What do you know?"
Mike struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva. "Reno, come out and surrender immediately. I assure you, we won't hurt you."
"That's not the answer I want." Reno shook his head. "I'll give you three chances. You've wasted one already. Now, this is the second time I'm asking. If you don't understand my question, I can make it clearer... Why did you capture me?"
The old black-clad man shook his head. "You can't threaten me. Reno, you can't do anything to me."
"My finger is on a button. Press it, and the elevator's brake will disengage. Then this big tin can will free-fall. I think you know what that means." Reno's voice turned icy. "Now, for the third time, why did you capture me?"
The old black-clad man stared at the camera.
After a moment, he suddenly laughed. "You wouldn't dare to kill me."
"Wrong answer." Reno sighed, his finger gently pressing the button.
The elevator first trembled with a roar, then plummeted downward.
"No!" Both black-clad men screamed loudly.
As the elevator was about to crash to the bottom, a sharp, grating sound of friction echoed. The elevator gradually came to a stop amidst the unpleasant screeching of brakes. The elevator floor indicator displayed "-5", indicating they were nearing the bottom level.
But before the elevator doors opened, it began slowly ascending again.
Reno's voice echoed once more. "Mike... Your name is Mike, right? Congratulations, you won a bet once. I'm not someone who easily resorts to killing. I hesitated and had a moment of weakness at the last minute. But as a soldier, there's no doubt that such behavior lacks courage and bravery. So, I intend to correct this mistake. Fortunately, we have the chance to try again... and even more than once."
"No, no!" Mills was already trembling from the free fall earlier. "Don't do it again, Mike, tell him, tell him the truth. You damn bastard, if we keep going like this, we'll scare ourselves to death even if we're not thrown off. My heart is about to jump out!"
Old Mike's face turned grim. "Fine, I'll talk. Reno, I know you find it strange why the Secret Police suddenly came to arrest you, but Francily, it's not just about you."
"I know, it's about all the survivors of the Abrody."
"So you already know about this. As for why, it's simple. There have been some problems with the people on the Abrody."
"What kind of problems?"
"I'm not sure of the specifics, but I've heard that some strange things have been happening on that ship."
"Strange things?" Reno's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What kind of things?"
"That's for you to find out, Reno," old Mike replied. "Have you noticed anything unusual about yourself recently?"
Reno's eyes suddenly sparkled with an eerie light. "What do you know?"
Old Mike shook his head. "I don't know anything. Reno. All I know is that events are never isolated. Many things may seem unrelated on the surface, but in reality, they are interconnected in very complex ways. They are causally related and mutually influential. If you want clearer answers, you should go to those with greater power."
"Who has the greatest power? That small mustache? Who is he? What's his name?"
"He's called Ned Brad, the deputy director of the Secret Police Earth Headquarters."
"A deputy director leading the team to arrest me. It's truly an honor."
"I've told you everything I can. I've said what I shouldn't have said. Maybe I won't even live to see the retirement I've been expecting. But Reno, before you decide what to do, I hope you understand that everyone here is just following orders."
Old Mike sat down, seemingly resigned to fate.
Reno fell silent.
After a while, he said, "I've always understood that, so you've been able to stay alive. Don't worry, old Mike, you'll safely reach retirement."
Old Mike was taken aback, finally understanding Reno's meaning. He nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Stay honest in the elevator and don't come out," Reno said, pressing a button, and the elevator began descending.
Clarice, standing nearby, felt puzzled.
She looked at Reno. "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand?"
"Nothing." Reno replied lightly. "Just that what I thought was a secret may not be a secret after all. Some people may have discovered my problem before I did."
Clarice became even more confused, but she knew now wasn't the time to dwell on it. She could only ask, "What do we do next?"
"Next?" Reno smiled. "Of course, we continue to capture the leader. Old Mike knows too little, I need more intelligence."
As he spoke, his finger pressed heavily on a button.
Far Voyager Starship.
Director Brad, the small mustache, was still searching everywhere.
Suddenly, the hotel shook with a bang.
The massive tremor made everyone unstable, and some even fell.
The sudden shock threw everyone into panic.
"What's happening?" Someone shouted.
Still no answers, but people found the space they were in beginning to tilt.
"Oh my God, it's tipping!" A black-clad man exclaimed in horror through his terminal. He was on the edge of the hotel and could see clearly that the scenery outside was becoming level with him.
"Reno!" Director Brad finally realized. "It's Johnny Reno, he's done this. He's taken control of this damn starship; he's in the command tower!"
"Didn't they say this place had been modified? Why hasn't the control function of the command tower been removed?" Another black-clad man couldn't help but shout.
"I heard those damn merchants bribed the inspectors to maximize the preservation of the starship's original appearance and function. It looks like it's true. Many obstacles can be bypassed as long as there's money." The black-clad man who pocketed the money from the Ral Group's executive director replied leisurely.
"Those damn corrupt officials!" All the secret police cursed simultaneously, never before had they hated corruption so much.
Director Brad said, "Stop talking nonsense. Everyone, go to the command tower now!"
"Understood!" Before speaking, the secret police had already rushed towards the command tower.
But just as they took a few steps, a female voice sounded:
"Warning, warning, starship self-destruct system activated. The ship will explode in ten minutes. All personnel on board are advised to proceed immediately to the escape pods!"
What?
Upon hearing this, the entire crowd in the Far Voyager Hotel exploded.
Everyone was in a state of panic, running around.
They didn't know where the escape pods were, but fortunately, this place had been converted into a hotel, so there was a parking lot of their own. Everyone ran towards the parking lot in a panic.
The secret police were dumbfounded too.
They didn't know what to do, whether to advance or retreat.
Faced with self-destruction, no one could remain calm.
Director Brad still had some courage left; he shouted loudly, "Don't believe him, it's Reno's lie. This starship has been modified, and there can't be any weapon systems left!"
This reassured many people.
"But sir, Reno might have brought weapons on board himself, right?" A black-clad man suddenly said.
Director Brad immediately froze.
Yes, he couldn't guarantee that this possibility didn't exist.
"And the inspectors were bribed, right?" Another black-clad man added.
No one was sure if the Golden Palm Group had left some backdoor open. The warning of self-destruction was ninety-nine percent fake, but as long as there was a hint of truth, everyone hesitated, afraid, and stopped in their tracks.
Some people had already started moving towards the escape pods or the airfield.
Only Director Brad remained firm: "No, I don't believe it!"
He walked towards the command tower.
But just as he took a few steps, there was a bang, and the door in front of him suddenly closed.
"Open the door!" Brad turned back and shouted to the black-clad men behind him.
One of the two black-clad men stepped forward to the door, took off his sunglasses, and two red beams shot out from his eyes.
It turned out that this black-clad man was a robot.
The robot's face appeared on the big screen in the command center, and Reno's face suddenly darkened. "TX Series 35 Infiltrator, damn, hasn't this series of robots been discontinued long ago?"
In response, the Infiltrator's laser fell on the door, and the alloy door began to melt bit by bit. Light traced a precise circle on the door, and then the Infiltrator punched at the center of the circle.
With a loud bang, a large piece of alloy steel plate flew up.
An Infiltrator had already passed through the hole.
Brad was about to follow, but at that moment, the ship shook again, flipping back from an upright position.
But this time, it wasn't flipping sideways but standing upright.
The Far Voyager performed a 60-degree bow, and Brad, caught off guard, felt the ground disappear beneath his feet and began to plummet downward. The long corridor turned into a bottomless abyss in an instant.
"No!" Brad shouted in horror.
At that moment, another Infiltrator, who hadn't entered yet, flew out just in time. Flames erupted from his feet as he flew straight down, catching up with Brad before he hit the ground, grabbing him. Without this grab, Brad would have broken his leg even if he didn't fall to his death.
Escaping death, Brad breathed a sigh of relief. "Take me up, Number Two, go join Number One."
Before the Infiltrator could react, there was a rumbling sound, and one door after another began to close.
"No, you damn bastard Reno!" Brad watched helplessly as the doors fell, cursing angrily.
Then Brad felt the ground shake beneath him again, and the starship flipped back from its upright position, followed by another flip, tossing Brad out from another direction. The previously closed door suddenly opened, and after Brad passed through, it slammed shut again. In the repeated turbulence, Brad lost his sense of direction, not knowing where he was anymore.
Having done all this, Reno removed the Invader Brain and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Clarice hurried to catch up.
"Going to see our Chief."