"Ahhh—"
Trigger's cry came through the earpiece, startling everyone aboard the passenger jet.
"Trigger? Trigger!"
Ghost shouted urgently into the headset, but there was no reply.
"Flying Fish, Flying Fish, respond immediately. What happened down there?"
The incident had occurred just after the hatch closed, so those on the jet still had no idea what had gone wrong below. There was only silence from the Flying Fish, a long, heavy silence that made the group in the dark cargo hold feel uneasy.
After several tense seconds, a voice finally crackled through the headset.
"Cough, cough… Flying Fish here. We just lost pressure. The connecting tunnel collapsed. But it's okay now. I'm sorry… Trigger didn't make it back to the Flying Fish. I'm truly sorry…"
Ghost slammed a fist into the wall of the compartment. The Flying Fish had depressurized—he could imagine the chaos they'd just endured. The fact that they were still alive was only thanks to their pilot being an ace.
Clearly, Trigger had been unlucky. Owen had tried to pull him up, but something had snagged him inside the tunnel. In the end, to ensure everyone's safety, he had voluntarily let go of his chance to survive.
Everyone in the cargo hold fell into a somber silence. The mood was heavy. The first step of the mission had already cost them a teammate. The young men from the field team had grown close to the Rapid Response Team over the past few days. They trained together, played as each other's mock enemies. No one had expected to lose someone this soon.
No one knew what to say. Then suddenly, a voice cut through the silence.
"Report, Ghost… I'm okay."
It was Trigger—it was Trigger!!!
In an instant, it was as if everyone had come back to life. If they weren't aboard a hijacked plane, they might've screamed with joy.
"I got snagged, then the tunnel collapsed. I got blown away—but thank God, our gear bag had a parachute…"
Trigger made it sound light, but everyone could imagine how desperate the situation had been. He'd fallen from an altitude of 13,000 meters in free fall. He must have felt utter despair.
Maybe the thing that had snagged him broke off after the collapse, or maybe he wriggled free. Either way, he'd been airborne without a parachute—seemingly doomed.
But his mind hadn't gone blank. He'd immediately tried to save himself. The only thing within reach was the second equipment bag—fortunately, it contained a parachute.
It was a small emergency parachute used by special forces, included in the gear by Ghost, just in case. Now, it had saved a life.
As he plummeted, Trigger opened the bag, strapped the chute on, and pulled the release handle according to protocol. The moment the white canopy deployed, he knew he wasn't going to die.
"Ghost, the plane is heavily damaged. We're turning back immediately. Wishing you success…"
The Flying Fish's transmission was faint and garbled. By the time Ghost tried to respond, both Trigger and the aircraft had vanished from comms.
They must've moved beyond communication range—but it was enough to know they were alive.
With that reassurance, it was time to focus on the mission. Ghost issued orders. "Can Opener, check the gear. Everyone else, stay alert."
Can Opener immediately went to inventory their supplies. They had started with two gear bags—now only one remained. They needed to know what was left, as it would determine the rest of their operation.
"We lost the sedative gas and gas masks. The bomb disposal tools are still here. We've got adrenaline, two parachutes, the detectors, and the Rapid Response Team's specialty equipment."
The result wasn't ideal. One bag contained most of the field team's gear—the one they lost.
The sedative gas meant to neutralize the hijackers was gone. That part of the plan was now useless. Everyone turned to Ghost for guidance.
"First, we locate the VX gas. Owen, take your team toward the tail. I'll go with Can Opener toward the front. Stay hidden."
Ghost issued the first tactical command. The team split into two. Each carried a handheld VX gas detector. These devices would trigger an alert if they came within a meter of the gas. Everyone activated their detectors and headed in opposite directions.
They were currently in the lower cargo hold, separated by only a few tarps from the main storage area. A Boeing 747 could carry a lot of cargo—the space was vast. The two teams fanned out and began their search.
Suddenly, Can Opener's detector started beeping. The green light turned red.
His heart pounded as he scanned nearby luggage. Soon, he pinpointed a black suitcase. He gently lifted it from the shelf, used a knife to break the lock, and opened the lid. Inside, it looked like regular luggage.
Frowning, Can Opener felt around the lining of the case. Quickly, he found a switch. Lifting the false bottom, a bomb was revealed.
"Boss, I found it…"
Everyone converged on his position. Owen stared at the device with a furrowed brow.
He had only speculated about VX gas on board. No one had wanted it to be true. But things always seemed to unfold in the worst possible way.
"Oh, shit…"
Heartbeat cursed aloud. No one objected—because what lay before them wasn't some crude, clunky explosive. It was more like a piece of art—horrifying, precise, deadly.
Beneath this twisted sculpture sat two canisters of VX gas. The Amir Freedom Party hadn't held back—this was probably everything they'd bought from the Chechens, and they'd packed it all into one bomb. With this much VX, it wasn't just Washington at risk—the entire East Coast could be in danger.
"I… I can't disarm this thing…"
Can Opener looked overwhelmed. Despite his nickname, he was only familiar with certain bomb types. This one clearly wasn't in his wheelhouse.
Ghost looked at the three members of the Rapid Response Team. He didn't know their exact specialties, but he knew his own people—Can Opener was their top EOD specialist. If he couldn't handle it, their only hope was with the Rapid Response Team.
"Let me try…"
Monica volunteered. She had a master's in electrical engineering and had trained extensively in bomb defusal. Back when she was with SWAT, she'd handled many explosives when the EOD squad couldn't arrive in time.
She pulled a tool out of the remaining gear bag—a device similar to an X-ray scanner. Activating it, she examined the internal electronics of the bomb. After carefully studying the layout, she nodded slowly.
"The builder was an expert. It's got two detonation triggers—one remote, one pressure-based…"
"IQ, can you handle it?"
Monica nodded, then shook her head. "Not sure yet. I need more time to study it carefully. I need a quiet, isolated space…"
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
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Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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