Reincarnated with a Military System in Another World

Chapter 92: The One Hiding

Chapter 92: The One Hiding

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As they rounded the corner, they were met with an unexpected sight-alone elf, clad in dark, nondescript clothing, crouched behind the crates. The elf looked up, eyes wide with surprise, clearly not expecting to be found.

"Hands where I can see them!" Vincent barked, his rifle trained on the elf.

The elf hesitated for a split second before slowly raising his hands, his expression a mix of fear and resignation.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Vincent demanded, keeping his weapon steady.

The elf remained silent, his gaze shifting nervously between the team members.

Vincent took a step closer, his tone growing more authoritative. "It looks like my suspicion is right. The elves are really keeping tabs on us," Vincent finished.

The elf, still on his knees with his hands raised, finally spoke, his voice shaky. "I-I was only sent to observe. I mean no harm."

"Observe?" Vincent's eyes narrowed. "On whose orders? And what exactly were you supposed to report?"

The elf hesitated again, clearly weighing his options. Vincent could see the conflict in the elf's eyes-loyalty to his people versus the fear of what might happen next.

"I'm not authorized to say," the elf finally replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, we are going to assume that you were sent here by your king. Now espionage is something that you would do to your enemies, not allies. So that means, you are our enemy. We can kill you right here and now for espionage, but I'm giving you a chance to make this right," Vincent said, his tone menacingly calm. "You start talking, or this ends badly for you." The elf's eyes widened further, and he swallowed hard. The elf's gaze flickered between Vincent and the other team members, searching for any sign of leniency, but finding none.

"I was sent by King Thandor," the elf finally admitted, his voice trembling. "He wanted to make sure that you were holding up your end of the deal. He's worried that you might not deliver what you promised. I was just supposed to observe, nothing more."

Vincent considered the elf's words, his expression unreadable. "And what exactly were you supposed to report back? Details, now."

The elf took a deep breath, clearly struggling with the decision to betray his orders. "I was told to monitor your activities, to see if you were bringing in the weapons as promised. The king was concerned that you might try to hide something, or that you wouldn't be able to deliver. He didn't trust you fully, so he wanted eyes on you at all times."

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "So, your king doesn't trust us, even after we signed that contract in good faith. Interesting."

The elf remained silent, his expression pleading for some kind of mercy.

Vincent took a step back, lowering his rifle slightly but keeping it ready.

"How many are you?" Vincent demanded.

The elf hesitated, glancing nervously at the ground before responding.

"I... I was sent alone," the elf stammered. "There are no others. My task was to remain undetected and report back. I swear, I'm the only one."

Vincent's eyes narrowed as he observed the elf's body language. The subtle hesitation, the slight tremor in his voice-there were clear signs that the elf wasn't telling the whole truth.

"You're lying," Vincent stated coldly, taking a step closer, his rifle still trained on the elf. "You were sent alone, yet you're this scared? I don't buy it. You're hiding something, and if you don't start talking, this will end very badly for you."

The elf's eyes widened in panic, his fear evident as he realized his deception had been caught. But he couldn't risk the location of his comrades so he remained silent. He had come to a decision that should the humans force him to answer, he wouldn't give them the answer.

Vincent watched the elf's internal struggle with cold detachment. He could see the determination in the elf's eyes, the decision to hold onto whatever secret he was protecting. Vincent had seen this look before, and he knew it meant the elf wouldn't break easily.

"You're making a mistake," Vincent warned, his voice low and dangerous. "If you think staying silent will protect you or your comrades, you're wrong. We will find them, with or without your help. But if you cooperate, you might walk away from this."

The elf remained silent, his jaw clenched in defiance. Vincent sighed, shaking his head slightly. He respected the elf's loyalty, but it was misplaced.

"Shadow Actual to Reaper," Vincent said into his radio, his voice steady as he stepped back from the elf, keeping his rifle trained on him.

"Reaper here, Shadow Actual," came the quick response from the Reaper drone pilot.

"We've secured a hostile. I need you to expand your thermal scan, focusing on a one- kilometer radius around our current location. I want to know if there are any more heat signatures out there."

"Copy that, Shadow Actual. Expanding the scan now," the pilot replied.

Vincent turned his attention back to the elf, who remained on his knees, visibly shaken but still silent.

"The moment we find your accomplices, we will not hesitate to take them down. After all, what you are doing is an action usually made by an enemy, not an ally," Vincent continued, his tone icy. "And enemies don't get second chances."

The elf's defiant expression wavered, but he still held his silence. Vincent could see the resolve in his eyes, but he wasn't impressed. He knew that this elf was caught in a tough spot, torn between loyalty to his king and the immediate threat of death.

The radio crackled back to life, interrupting the tense silence. "Shadow Actual, this is Reaper. We've completed the scan. We've detected multiple heat signatures by the treeline outside the perimeter of Ferm, approximately eight hundred meters from your current location." Vincent's expression hardened as he processed the information. The elf had lied-he wasn't alone, and now Vincent had confirmation that there were others nearby.

"Copy that, Reaper," Vincent replied, his voice steady. "Maintain overwatch on those signatures and alert us if they make any moves toward the city."

"Roger, Shadow Actual. We'll keep an eye on them," the Reaper pilot responded.

Vincent turned back to the elf, his patience wearing thin. "Your friends are hiding in the trees, aren't they? You want to protect them, but here's the thing: we've already found them. You know what will happen to them, consider it a prelude to what's going to happen to you

afterward."