The dozen or so Tekkadan members who remained in the plaza all responded to the recruitment, including Biscuit's two younger sisters, who were at most in the first or second grade of elementary school.
After agreeing to the voice in his head, Orga looked at Reid, who had deactivated his Mobile Suit and stepped out of the now-open cockpit, and asked doubtfully, "Is that it?"
Reid looked down at the group, whose loyalty scores ranged from a high of 46 (Biscuit's two clueless sisters) to a low of 32 (Mikazuki), and felt a bit of a headache coming on.
The good news, he supposed, was that only Mikazuki was below 40 loyalty. However, Mikazuki listened to Orga one hundred percent of the time, and Orga now understood that he couldn't defy him. Thus, Orga's loyalty was right at 40, the threshold for not slacking off.
Reid could understand Mikazuki's situation, though. After being electrocuted by him like that, even if Mikazuki didn't say anything, he must harbor some resentment.
But this was a minor issue. As long as he improved the treatment of the Tekkadan members in the future, Mikazuki's loyalty would naturally rise above 40. In any case, they could no longer betray him.
So, Reid sat on the edge of the cockpit's unfolded outer armor and said with a hint of mischievousness, "That's it. You've all been branded with a Mind Imprint. You can't betray me anymore."
Perhaps the Tekkadan members didn't quite grasp the concept of a Mind Imprint, or maybe they just thought Reid was bluffing. Orga didn't dwell on the topic and instead asked, "So, my new boss, what do we do next?"
Hearing Orga's question, Reid said directly, "Logistics personnel, bring over a container. The rest of the gold is yours. You can divide it amongst yourselves. When we get back to my territory, you can exchange it for money to buy things or have someone make it into jewelry. It's up to you. Consider it your settling-in allowance."
Orga was a little surprised and asked again, "Just like that? Don't you need us to pilot Mobile Workers and set up some traps nearby to hinder Gjallarhorn's attack?"
Reid just shook his head at this question and said, "No need. Like I said before, I don't think your current tactical skills will be of any help. But since I've taken you in, I'm naturally responsible for your lives. You will all have to undergo military retraining and learn relevant professional knowledge. You won't be assigned to combat missions until you graduate. What I said earlier about using you as cannon fodder was mostly to scare you, but I really don't need subordinates who are afraid of death."
"For now, let's just chat. Although there's an outsider present and I can't tell you my name yet, I'm a bit curious. Orga, you had no choice because of our bet. As for the rest of you, what made you give up a life of freedom to work for me, a complete unknown, for the rest of your lives?"
After Reid said this, Orga finally let out a long sigh of relief, knowing he had made the right bet. His new boss seemed a million times better than a pure exploiter like Maruba Arkay.
He then gestured for Mikazuki to give the new boss some face and be the first to answer his question.
Although Mikazuki was still resentful that this new boss had taken his Barbatos and subjected him to continuous electrotherapy, he also knew it had happened on the battlefield, so there wasn't much to complain about.
Since Orga had decided to follow the new boss, he naturally had to follow suit. So, he said seriously, "Wherever Orga goes, I go. It's that simple."
Reid wasn't surprised by Mikazuki's words. After all, in the original story, he carried out Orga's orders until his death. He looked directly at the others.
When Reid's gaze swept over him, Norba Shino straightened his chest and said, "I want to make a name for myself in the future! You can't do that by scurrying away like a rat. Since you're so rich, boss, it'll be easier to reach my goal by following you."
After Norba Shino finished, Eugene Sevenstark, who was beside him, also spoke up. "I think the guys who left are too naive. Even if they can get past Gjallarhorn's blockade, not many of them will actually be able to exchange the gold for money. They have no force to protect themselves, and many of them are just kids. They'd be lucky if the people at the gold shops or black markets don't just kill them and take the gold."
Eugene Sevenstark's words made Akihiro, Chad, and Dante all nod in agreement. As the leader of the three, Akihiro said, "I, Chad, and Dante are all 'Goods for sale.' To the outside world, we're just cargo. If we go out with gold and get robbed, we can't even appeal if they frame us for theft. To be honest, I don't see a good outcome for the other 'Goods for sale' who left with gold."
After Akihiro finished, Ride Mass scratched the back of his head and said, "I just felt I couldn't abandon my comrades. It's one thing for the others to leave the group, but Orga, Mikazuki, and everyone else here didn't leave, so I couldn't leave either."
Finally, only the chubby Biscuit was left. He scratched his cheek and said awkwardly, "Actually, I only stayed because I didn't think I could leave with my two little sisters and grandmother. But boss, please don't think my family is a burden. They're great at farming and cooking; they won't hold anyone back."
Hearing this, Reid could only smile and reply, "Children should be in school, and the elderly should be enjoying a peaceful life at home. Biscuit, believe me, as long as you work normally, the salary I give you will be enough to support your grandmother and send your two sisters to school. Besides, I just said you can all divide the remaining gold. Don't worry, on my territory, no one will dare to shortchange you on your gold. The gold shops will exchange it for whatever it's worth. Of course, the exchange rate and the cost of living will definitely be different from here on Mars. But it will certainly be enough to get you settled."
For people from the bottom rungs of Martian society, the ordinary life Reid described was already paradise. Biscuit now truly believed Reid's words, bowing repeatedly and crying out "thank you" through his tears.
Seeing this, Reid just waved his hand and said, "Alright, we'll discuss the specifics when we get back to my territory. Go pack your luggage. We'll put all the people, gold, and luggage into one large container. Otherwise, I can't transport all of you at once."
With Reid's instructions, Orga naturally directed the others to go back and pack their things, leaving the hangar.
After they left, McGillis, who had been watching the whole show, asked, "Is what you said about the Mind Imprint true? And can you really transport all those people away?"
Reid looked down at the "curiosity-filled" McGillis and replied, "You can guess about the Mind Imprint yourself. As for the transport, you'll see it if you just walk a little slower when you leave. Oh, look, Kudelia, your original target for coming to Mars, is walking over. Aren't you going to say hello?"
As Reid and McGillis were talking, Kudelia and Fumitan, who had been watching from a distance, walked over one after the other.
Approaching them, Kudelia performed a ladylike curtsy and said, "Good day, sir. My name is Kudelia Aina Bernstein. May I have a moment of your time? There is something I would like to discuss with you."
Seeing that Kudelia wasn't there to see him, McGillis naturally didn't join the conversation and continued to be a spectator.
Reid could only respond, "Miss Kudelia, I'm sorry, but I cannot give you my name. However, you can tell me directly what you need."
Kudelia got straight to the point. "I would like to request that you transport me and Fumitan directly to Earth. You can name your conditions."
Reid nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard this. This Kudelia was really daring, wanting to get everything done in one step and have him transport her to Earth.
Lacking both the ability and the reason to do so, Reid naturally refused flatly. "Impossible. You don't really think this kind of transport has no restrictions and can be used on just anyone, do you?"
Kudelia was a bit confused, because Reid had just agreed to take the remaining members of Tekkadan away from here. Being a stranger shouldn't have been a restriction.
However, Kudelia couldn't force the issue. After all, he had no reason to help her.
Reid was also waiting for Kudelia's reaction, so the scene fell into an awkward silence.
Fortunately, Fumitan was a competent maid and bodyguard. She spoke up directly, "Sir, in that case, could you help us break through Gjallarhorn's encirclement of this area? Tekkadan has disbanded, and the remaining members have been recruited by you. We no longer have a guide who can help us escape."
Hearing this, Reid thought that getting the two of them out of the encirclement would be simple. He just needed the Blade Angel to fly them out while cloaked. So he replied, "That's not difficult. But why should I help you?"
Seeing that there was room for negotiation, Kudelia immediately said, "I can give you..."
Kudelia trailed off mid-sentence, realizing she had nothing to offer this mysterious man.
Money? He had just tossed out a small mountain of gold without batting an eye.
Power? She didn't seem to have any authority to grant.
Possessions? She didn't seem to have anything that would catch the eye of such a wealthy man.
Her beauty... Kudelia thought that she couldn't just sell herself and Fumitan, and besides, it was debatable whether he would even be interested.
Seeing Kudelia choke on her words, Reid knew she had realized she had nothing to offer.
However, Reid didn't want to make things difficult for her, because she should know a piece of information he wanted, even if she didn't know its value.
So this time, Reid took the initiative. "Miss Kudelia, if you can give me all the details and technical files of Mars's original atmospheric modification, I can take you out of Gjallarhorn's encirclement."
Kudelia was very surprised to hear this. All the details and technical files of Mars's atmospheric modification? What did this person want that for? While it couldn't be said that this information was worthless, its value was only meaningful to a planetary-level civilization. For a single individual, organization, or a relatively weak nation, it was like having a dragon-slaying technique but no dragon to slay.
So Kudelia hesitated for only a moment before saying, "I can. I know that the Martian capital's archives hold the technical files for the atmospheric modification. I can tell you the specific location."
Hearing this, Reid smiled and said, "Alright. Give me the coordinates, and I will take you directly to the archives. After I get what I want, I will let you go. Is that acceptable?"
Kudelia hadn't been lying to Reid, so she naturally nodded in agreement.
Reid then had Nein inform Orga via communicator that he was taking Kudelia out of the Gjallarhorn encirclement and would be gone for a while, telling them not to worry.
After receiving Orga's "Understood" reply, Reid restarted the Blade Angel, had Kudelia and Fumitan climb onto its right hand, and then protected them with the Lambda Driver.
Then he said to McGillis, who was beside the Mobile Suit, "McGillis, I'll take you for another spin."
Without waiting for McGillis's reply, he grabbed him with the left hand, pulled him in with the Lambda Driver, and McGillis was once again lying in the Blade Angel's left palm.
McGillis was somewhat numb to this. After all, he had already experienced bungee jumping from space back to a planet. What was another flight at high altitude?
But even if McGillis protested, Reid wouldn't care. After the Blade Angel took off, it immediately activated its Electronic Camouflage System.
The Electronic Camouflage System could cover humanoid targets clinging to the Mobile Suit, so there was no need to worry about the three of them being photographed flying at an altitude of several thousand meters.
The anti-gravity of the GN Drive, combined with the powerful thrust of the Miniature Nuclear Fusion Reactor, resulted in a super-speed in the atmosphere that far surpassed anything before.
At this point, air resistance was the only factor limiting its speed. According to computer calculations, if the Hermes Zero were to be fitted with such a combination, and the Lambda Driver was used to reinforce the frame instead of creating a Fluid Shroud, its speed in MA Mode within the atmosphere could approach Mach 8. And this wasn't the limit of the system, but the limit of the Lambda Driver's frame reinforcement.
Of course, the Blade Angel couldn't fly that fast. The Lambda Driver had to be used to protect people and couldn't be used to reinforce the frame, and the Blade Angel didn't have an MA Mode.
However, a speed of Mach 2 was still achievable. A round trip to the Martian capital would only take about two hours.
The entire process went very smoothly. Upon arriving at the Martian capital's archives, Reid had the Mobile Suit hover directly over the roof. After breaking through the firewall, he had Nein begin transferring the data.
It could only be said that although the Iron-Blooded Orphans universe's exploration of the solar system ranked among the top of all Gundam Universes, their computers were still not quantum computers. (The fact that the trash computer on the Iokton could hack into Gjallarhorn's communication system showed that Gjallarhorn's computer performance wasn't that great either.)
Therefore, with just the quantum computer on the Blade Angel, they could still infiltrate the Martian capital archives' database with a virus. Nein then copied and took away a large amount of data related to Martian agriculture, resource storage points, topographical maps (which would certainly be different from an untransformed Mars, but still had reference value), and atmospheric data.
After finishing, Reid kept his promise and dropped Kudelia and Fumitan on a nearby street.
This place was a world away from Tekkadan's headquarters, far outside Gjallarhorn's encirclement. However, without Tekkadan, only heaven knew if Kudelia would be able to get to Earth later on.
But that was the end of Kudelia and Fumitan's involvement. Reid took McGillis and flew back to the Tekkadan headquarters.
On the way back, Reid could already see large numbers of Gjallarhorn troops assembling.
But Reid didn't disturb them. He would leave with the remaining Tekkadan members as soon as he got the Medical Pod. Even if the Gjallarhorn forces on Mars had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to attack before McGillis was a safe distance away.
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