He was not bluffing; he had indeed locked the opponent's self-destruct system.
If it had been any other Mobile Suit, it wouldn't have been so easy to pull off.
The main reason he was able to do this was because the Work Pod originally belonged to PLANT. With his high-level personnel clearance, it was easy for him to override the Work Pod's original commands.
All he had to do was package the command in a special way and transmit it through communications.
And just like that, the opponent fell for it.
"Will you surrender?"
Fred asked again.
However, this time, the response he received was a burst of chaotic gunfire and the noise of metal violently colliding.
"What a pity."
Fred sighed softly, already knowing what the opponent had done.
The other side had been completely brainwashed by Blue Cosmos, even willing to die.
Before dying, they deliberately fired at the console to destroy as much evidence as possible. Such a fanatic would never surrender.
No matter how eloquently he spoke, it was useless.
Death was the best outcome for the opponent. Moreover, his main reason for going through the trouble of disabling the self-destruct system wasn't to save anyone but to trace the origin of this Work Pod.
Whether they lived or died didn't really matter.
Even if they had fired inside or pulled the pin on a grenade, as long as the Work Pod wasn't completely destroyed, many clues could still be found.
"Fred! Are you okay?"
Finally, shortly after the chaotic gunfire subsided, Alec's familiar voice rang out.
Accompanying him were the members of the security team behind him.
"I'm fine."
"Retrieve that Mobile Suit."
"It's over."
Fred's calm words fell,
and the gazes of the other security team members toward Fred could only be described as reverent.
Having just learned the whole story from Alec, they were now in awe of Fred's series of actions.
Just watching Fred's recent maneuvers was enough to leave them stunned.
He seemed even more impressive than when he fought against Andrew.
After all, back then, Fred hadn't been able to control the Mobile Suit so skillfully.
But now wasn't the time for idle chatter. As professionals, they didn't say much and simply focused on their tasks—inspecting the damage, securing the perimeter, and examining the now completely motionless Work Pod.
This tense and dangerous yet ultimately harmless incident had finally come to an end.
...
"Mr. Freed, how did you know there was someone in Sector One?"
"And how did you lock the opponent's self-destruct system!?"
As soon as they returned to the port and finished their work, several members of the security team quickly gathered around Fred.
Each of their faces was filled with intense curiosity and excitement.
Although it seemed close, Sector One was actually quite far away in space.
Moreover, strictly speaking, the Mobile Suit wasn't in Sector One but slightly outside it, a bit farther away.
It was positioned there to avoid detection by the precise radar. Yet Fred had spotted a Work Pod from such a distance.
It was simply unheard of.
As for the self-destruct system later on, it was even more so.
In their eyes, it seemed almost miraculous.
"Well, I just happened to see it."
"As for the self-destruct system, I just implanted a virus."
In response to Fred's words, everyone's mouths slightly opened.
It wasn't that what Fred said was particularly shocking, but rather that it was as good as saying nothing.
Happened to see it? Implanted a virus?
Why did he make it sound as simple as killing a chicken? Was it really that easy?
But considering what had happened earlier with Fred, it seemed quite reasonable.
After all, this Freed clearly wasn't an ordinary Coordinator.
While everyone was muttering to themselves,
Fred, on his side, was also quite pleased.
The virus matter was effortless for him.
What truly surprised and delighted him was his own Golden Finger.
With this skill of his, as long as he was aware of it, he seemed able to see exactly what it was and even check the Health Bar.
This skill was even more powerful than he had imagined.
After all, seeing and seeing clearly were two entirely different things.
And with this skill, it meant that as long as he saw it, he could see it clearly.
Blitz, Mirage Colloid?
The implications of this were absolutely enormous.
"Alright, Freed still needs to go check out the captured Mobile Suit."
"You all have work to do too."
Seeing that after quite some time, everyone was still gathered around Fred as if it were some celebrity meet-and-greet, Alec immediately floated forward to intervene.
Hearing this, everyone chuckled awkwardly and made way.
As Freed's bodyguard, they really didn't dare offend Alec.
After all, even a fool could tell that this Freed's identity was anything but ordinary.
Even if his identity were simple, with such abilities, his life was destined to be anything but ordinary.
They would have loved to cling to him; how could they possibly offend him?
"If Mr. Freed ever needs bodyguards, you can call on us."
Someone couldn't help but speak up.
"Alright."
Fred responded half-jokingly, a faint smile appearing on his face as he saw Alec's somewhat flustered expression.
"Alright, let's go."
Alec, who was naturally honest and straightforward, flushed slightly and led Fred away from the area.
In the corridor, without the chatter of the squad members, it felt unusually quiet.
Only the faint hum of the conveyor belt in the corridor echoed softly.
"The attacker's Work Pod has been placed in one of the small storage rooms. Are you sure you want to go now?"
On the way, having composed himself, Alec expressed some concern.
Fred's identity wasn't entirely clean either, and going there might raise suspicions from higher-ups.
"It doesn't matter."
Fred shook his head in response.
If they still thought he was a spy just for inspecting the Mobile Suit, then they were truly beyond help.
Moreover, after such an incident, it would be even stranger if he didn't go inspect it.
After all, he was directly involved, and since there was no order from above preventing it, why not go?
Besides, his anger toward the culprit still lingered.
There was definitely a spy involved in this matter, and since his family was here, it also threatened their safety.
Only by handling this himself could he feel at ease.
"Alright."
Hearing Fred's resolve, Alec didn't try to dissuade him further.
Walking and talking, Fred soon followed Alec into the sealed small warehouse.
The work pod he had just retrieved from outside, soaked in blood, appeared before him.
"Fred..."
At that moment, Alec stepped forward to block his path.
The person inside had committed suicide. One could imagine what the scene must have been like in a zero-gravity state.
It was absolutely horrific.
In Alec's eyes, although Fred was strong, he was still a young man who had never seen a real corpse.
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