"No, no, Jennifer, I'm fine…"
Seeing the worry in his girlfriend's face, Walker immediately tried to reassure her—but it only made Owen, hidden in the baggage compartment, panic.
"No! You can't tell her—she'll ruin everything!"
Owen tried to intervene, but Walker ignored him and explained everything to Jennifer in just a few sentences.
Everyone in CTU could feel a metaphorical herd of stampeding horses trampling through their minds. Walker had just casually exposed their entire operation. This was what people meant when they said "teammate from hell."
Had he even considered that Jennifer was a delicate woman—emotional, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous to the mission? She could panic, or worse, betray them.
But regret came too late. The CTU agents exchanged glances, ready for the worst.
Yet the dreaded outburst never came. Instead, Jennifer fell completely silent after hearing Walker's explanation. The team waited, hopeful the situation could still be salvaged—they had to stabilize her.
Just as Owen was about to speak again, Jennifer suddenly said, "Honey, I think I know how to do what they're asking…"
Everyone froze. They all wanted to hear what she had in mind, but the earpiece suddenly went silent. From the slit in the curtain, they quickly saw why—the hijackers were coming back, heading right toward Walker.
"Mister Hijacker…"
Jennifer suddenly called out, making all the CTU agents behind the curtain tense up. She was unpredictable—they had no idea what she might do next. Her expression didn't suggest betrayal, but they prepared for combat all the same.
Walker also had no idea what she was about to do, watching as his girlfriend stood up and turned to the nearby hijackers.
"Mister Hijacker, you've killed the flight attendants, and now everyone's hungry. The elderly, the children—they need food. So do the passengers… and you as well. I used to be a flight attendant. I know how to handle this, but I need your permission."
Both hijackers turned to her, momentarily intrigued. It was true—they were hungry. But they hesitated, not daring to make the call themselves. One of them picked up the radio and contacted Najib Harvey.
"Harvey, one of the passengers used to be a flight attendant. She says she can handle the food. Can we let her help?"
"Fine. But keep an eye on her. No tricks."
Harvey's reply came quickly. Everyone heard it. Many passengers were indeed hungry. Some children were near tears from hunger, but their parents kept their mouths covered in fear of provoking the hijackers.
"I can't do it alone. I need my fiancé to help me."
Jennifer made another request. This time the hijackers didn't bother checking with Harvey and agreed directly.
Jennifer and Walker were brought to the galley at the rear of the aircraft—right next to the CTU team hidden behind the curtain. Under the watchful eyes of the hijackers, Jennifer began teaching Walker how to reheat the food. Meanwhile, the CTU agents held their breath. The slit in the curtain had already been folded closed—nearly invisible unless inspected closely.
After heating the first batch of meals, Jennifer began distributing them from a cart. Walker stayed behind to prepare the second batch. During the lesson, Walker had already transferred the camera pin and earpiece to Jennifer, so everything she saw was now being transmitted directly to CTU's monitors.
Because the 747's lower deck contained the luggage hold, the economy cabin on this level wasn't split—just separated by a curtain and galley. The whole layout was easy to see.
After her round through the lower deck, Jennifer returned. The CTU team had already logged the hijackers' positions—two of them, each stationed in a different aisle.
Once she was finished downstairs, Jennifer gestured to the upper deck. The hijackers nodded and radioed something to Harvey. Then she climbed the stairs, where a hijacker was already waiting.
"Hurry up. I'm starving,"
he snapped impatiently, escorting her to the galley. Once again, Walker stayed to prep food while Jennifer pushed the cart for distribution. Meanwhile, the video feed from the upper level began streaming into CTU's monitors.
The upper deck's layout began with two split economy cabin sections, divided by a curtain and the galley. Beyond that was the VIP section, and then the cockpit.
One, two, three, four—plus Najib Harvey, a total of five hijackers. Besides Harvey, the remaining four were evenly spread throughout the four aisles. The galley curtain between sections was drawn shut.
Harvey was seated in the VIP area, reading a book. He looked like a calm academic. If not for the intel, no one would suspect he was the mastermind of a horrific terrorist plot.
"Your meal, sir."
"Thank you."
Jennifer handed Harvey a tray, and he accepted it politely, even thanking her.
"Jennifer, check the cockpit…"
Owen's voice came through the earpiece.
Jennifer calmly rolled the cart through the VIP section. Ahead, not far, was the cockpit.
Suddenly, she felt a burning gaze on her back. Harvey's look was piercing, predatory—like he had transformed from a gentleman into a beast. She knew instantly that if she showed even the slightest abnormal behavior, he would shoot her without hesitation.
"Your meal…"
Jennifer, with her nerves on edge, reached the cockpit door—it was open. Inside, one hijacker stood guard over the two pilots. She subtly adjusted her chest to ensure the pin camera got a clear view of the scene, broadcasting everything directly to CTU.
Once her task was done, she exited as if nothing had happened and rejoined Walker at their seats.
"You did amazing, Jennifer…"
"Let's hope it helps…"
The call ended. Back in the baggage hold, the CTU team began formulating their assault strategy.
Lower deck: two hijackers, one in each aisle—straightforward. As long as CTU appeared quickly, they could eliminate them before either could react. The real challenge lay upstairs.
The upper deck had four hijackers spread across four aisles, divided by a curtain. Attacking from the rear, CTU could easily eliminate the first two. But the curtain blocked line of sight to the second two. If those hijackers reacted in time, a standoff could occur. And if that happened, they might not even reach the cockpit.
It was a serious tactical problem—with no immediate solution.
"I've got an idea…"
Heartbeat suddenly spoke up during the planning. He pulled out a small gadget. "This is my personal invention—a heartbeat detector. It can detect heartbeats within eight meters and show their location. Once we clear the first section of the upper deck, I can use this to pinpoint the remaining hijackers. While you engage the first two, I'll shoot through the lower deck ceiling to eliminate the second pair."
It sounded viable. The team nodded. That solved the second-section problem. But the hijackers in the VIP and cockpit remained an unresolved issue—they would have to gamble on that.
"Boss, I've disabled the remote trigger on the bomb, but the pressure-trigger mechanism is still active. I don't have the tools to disable it for now…"
Monica's voice suddenly came through the comms. Ghost had been worried about their limited personnel, but now Monica could rejoin the operation—and be of great use.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
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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