The inspection of the other houses didn't go any better. In many ways, Khan actually felt worse about the situations he was forced to face.
The solitary, old, or recluse ex-soldiers and criminals were fine. Amox could always handle those who opposed human presence in those political activities. The scene with the first Thilku also deterred resistance, allowing Khan to go on with his job without feeling too bad.
However, the situation was entirely different whenever families were involved. Simple couples were still okay, but the presence of children made Khan's heart plummet.
One house, in particular, had a young Thilku who couldn't have been older than ten. The long golden strands from the nape marked her as a girl who was quite well-behaved and calm. Still, her eyes never left Khan during the inspection, and the feelings hidden behind her emotionless face left a mark on his already moody thoughts.
The fear, faint curiosity, and confusion created by a youthful mind hit Khan deeply, and those emotions accompanied him throughout the inspections. The sadness of being a simple gear in a big and heartless machine didn't match his mindset, but his desperation was stronger, so he was ready to compromise himself for his goals.
Mindset aside, the inspections didn't reveal anything incriminating. That wasn't ideal for the Global Army, but Khan couldn't help but rejoice at that outcome. The lack of punishments preserved the tense peace in the block, which he preferred over battling simple workers.
That trend almost gave Khan hope since only a few houses were left. He was a few minutes away from calling it a day, but one of those habitations ended up featuring problems.
A middle-aged male Thilku welcomed Amox and Khan without making any fuss. He didn't even launch the usual comments about the human presence. Yet, that didn't save him from Khan's senses.
Khan's sensed that something was off as soon as he entered the small living room. His eyes snapped on the metal floor, and Amox noticed that reaction.
"[What is it, sirs]?" The middle-aged Thilku asked, seeing that both inspectors were eyeing the floor.
"[There is something down there]," Khan explained shortly, trying to find more clues on the floor.
"[Ah]!" Amox exclaimed, lifting his huge arm to prepare a descending blow.
"[Amox]," Khan called, and Amox interrupted his attack to look at him. The symphony guided Khan's steps, making him reach a carpet he uncovered with his feet.
A trapdoor became visible after the gesture, and Amox immediately approached it. However, loud steps resounded in the room, making Amox turn toward the entrance. The middle-aged Thilku had disappeared, and, to Amox's surprise, Khan had also left the living room.
Khan had moved as soon as the Thilku showed the urge to escape. The alien crossed the door, but something landed on his back, disrupting his balance and pushing him forward.
The middle-aged Thilku fell on the street and slid due to how slippery the rain had made it. He tried to stand up, slamming his palms on the ground to push himself, but something landed on his nape, flinging him back down.
Khan stood on the Thilku with his right foot glued to his nape. He was ready to apply pressure at the slightest movement, but the alien was only a first-level warrior, and the previous struggle taught him the difference in power.
Amox peeked past the entrance only to nod in approval. Khan wasn't giving the Thilku any chance to escape, and reinforcements were also arriving.
"[You good]?" Amox shouted.
"[I'm good]," Khan confirmed, and Amox returned to the house to explore the trapdoor.
Soldiers reached Khan and grabbed his prisoner's arms, allowing him to step on the wet street. Those troops applied metal handcuffs to the middle-aged Thilku, which the latter didn't like. His face morphed into a cold expression, showing his long canines when Khan fell into his view.
Khan took his time to inspect the Thilku. Two soldiers were pressing on his shoulders, keeping him on his knees, but his eyes never fell. The alien matched Khan's gaze, even if his inspection happened on a completely different level.
The Thilku's mana told Khan a story only he could hear. Khan tried to use that energy to assess the type of criminal before him, and the inspection disappointed him. The Global Army was looking for aliens with the guts to smuggle bombs into the Harbor's system, but the Thilku didn't fit that profile.
'A small-time criminal,' Khan concluded. 'This guy can't be part of an organization with connections to the Harbor's system.'
Khan could be wrong, but that eventuality wouldn't lead anywhere. The Thilku couldn't know much, even if he belonged to the targeted organization.
'What are we even doing here?' Khan couldn't help but wonder, diverting his gaze from the Thilku to inspect the district. 'How can someone at that level get caught by a simple inspection?'
Smuggling a bomb was no small feat. The criminal organization in question probably was as resourceful as the Hive. Its members would have fled as soon as Lord Exr restricted access to vehicles.
An explanation for that odd situation existed. On the surface, the Thilku were cooperating with the Global Army, but catching the actual criminals wasn't necessarily what the aliens had in mind.
The Empire probably wanted to handle the serious issues internally, and the Global Army would be fine with a scapegoat and reparations. Meanwhile, Lord Exr could use Ambassador Abores' team to fix problems in his domain before orders from above changed his approach.
Khan knew all of that, but his knowledge didn't make him feel any better. He basically was doing the Thilku's dirty work for political credits.
Amox left the house carrying a metal box in his arms while Khan was deep in his thoughts. The alien approached the prisoner and slammed the case on the street, uncaring of the rain falling inside it.
The box contained a few guns, food, and what looked like a grenade. All in all, that wasn't the worst, but Amox had a different opinion about that.
"[Where did you get all of this]?" Amox questioned, grabbing a piece of meat sealed in a transparent bag from the box. "[This is contraband]."
Khan didn't know Neuria's social structure, but Amox's words told him that the districts had different food. The city could have precise rationing, making that meat illegal in those houses.
The prisoner pretended not to hear the question. He wore a smug grin and lowered his head to express his silence. Yet, Amox threw the meat back in the box and delivered a rising slap that made the Thilku lift his chin again.
"[Where did you get this]?" Amox pressed on, reaching for the prisoner's white hair to keep his head lifted.
The prisoner had felt the slap. A few drops of blood had started to fall from his lower lip, blending with the rain. A first-level warrior was powerless in that situation, but he still didn't speak.
"[Answer me]!" Amox shouted, delivering a second slap with the back of his hand. The prisoner groaned, but the attack did little to break his silence.
Amox growled in anger. He was ready to deliver a public beating, but the Thilku's pride went both ways. There was a good chance hurting the prisoner still wouldn't give him answers.
So, Amox opted for a different approach. He let go of the prisoner's hair and spread his arms, turning toward the rows of houses to shout an announcement. "[Since you have been found guilty of housing a criminal, the entire district will receive a pay cut for a month]!"
The prisoner gasped but quickly lowered his head again. He hoped the rain would cover his reaction, but Khan noticed it and conveyed it to his companion. "[He seems to care about the district]."
Khan hoped to bring the focus back to the prisoner, but his words had the opposite effect. Amox shouted again, and his threats involved something else at that time. "[And since you know how to get food by yourselves, the district will receive fewer rations for the same amount of time]!"
"[You can't do that]!" The prisoner finally broke his silence. "[There are families here]!"
"[I know]," Amox stated, turning toward the prisoner, "[And they have decided to stay silent about the contraband. They are as guilty as you]."
Khan couldn't feel any happiness inside Amox. His companion didn't enjoy saying those words, but they felt natural when they escaped his mouth.
'I underestimated them,' Khan understood. Notions of good and evil were similar between humans and Thilku, but the latter were used to tougher methods. In their minds, it was right to rule with an iron fist as long as it benefited the Empire.
"[Why don't you start talking]?" Amox asked. "[We'll see what happens to the district afterward]."
Khan could only stay still and let his companion handle the conversation while he adjusted his mindset. He knew the Thilku were strict, but that bordered cruelty, which he hated.
The opening of a few doors distracted Khan from his mental process and made him inspect his surroundings. Thilku started to come out of their houses, shouting complaints that spread the news throughout the district.
Amox also noticed the event and promptly pulled up his sleeve to send orders through his device. "[Gather in the fourth block. We might have a riot]."
The shouts grew louder as more Thilku dived into the street. Their complaints fused with the rain, but the soldiers and Amox didn't hear them. They only focused on the number of people that had appeared, which was troubling.
'That's almost fifty Thilku,' Khan counted. 'This doesn't look good.'
"[Why do we have to pay for someone else's crime]?" One Thilku shouted.
"[Do you know how many hours we spend in the factories]?" Another Thilku added. "[How would I notice criminal behavior]?"
"[I served the Empire for forty years]!" A third Thilku said. "[I'm still serving it here]!"
Some complaints involved the children, while others addressed the factories' conditions and salaries. The situation looked far from happy, and Khan memorized anything that reached his ears.
The crowd was slowly getting closer, approaching the political group from both sides. Only four soldiers were with Amox and Khan, and two were keeping the criminal down, making it impossible for them to handle the situation.
Tension spread as the soldiers wore their most serious stances. They were ready to give their everything to quell that riot, and Amox was with them. Khan was on the same page, but something flared in the symphony, making his hand shoot toward Amox's back.
A whooshing noise pierced through the heavy rain, turning the soldiers' heads. Amox also peeked past his shoulder and saw Khan's stretched arm. The alien didn't initially understand what was happening, but the smoke lingering on Khan's hand gave him a clue.
Thinking turned out to be unnecessary since a blue light flashed among the crowd and flew toward the soldiers. The latter could recognize the bullet now, and Amox raised his right arm to intercept it. Still, Khan's leg ended up being faster.
Khan delivered a rising kick, perfectly matching the bullet's speed and trajectory. His foot slammed on the mass of mana, dispersing its power and overall threat.
"[Incoming fire]!" Amox shouted, speaking to the device on his forearm. "[We need riot control forces now]!"
"[Watch the criminal]," Khan ordered, waving his right hand to disperse the smoke. The [Blood Shied] had protected it from the bullet, so he could immediately shoot ahead.
Khan sprinted, basically teleporting above the bullet's source. Part of the crowd had screamed in fear and had run toward the houses, making Khan's job far easier.
The assailant was an old male Thilku who conveyed nothing but bitterness. He had fired through the crowd, uncaring of who he could hurt, and that resolve remained even after his second shot.
The alien was about to fire again, but a foot landed on his lifted gun, shattering it. The Thilku was a second-level warrior, so he lacked the reflexes to react to the event. He didn't even notice the kick moving toward his face.
Khan kicked the alien, holding back enough to avoid killing him on the spot. His foot hit the center of the Thilku's face, sending blood in every direction and flinging him away.
The Thilku flew backward before slamming his back on the street. He fainted, but no one in the area had Khan's senses, and his bloody face hinted at something very different.
Khan knew what was coming even before the crowd. The symphony kept him informed on the changes in the general vibe, and it didn't take long before a predictable shout pierced the rain.
"[The human killed him]!" A random Thilku among the crowd cried, triggering an unstoppable chain reaction.
"[He's dead]!" Another Thilku cried.
"[The Empire sent a human to kill us]!" A third Thilku shouted, and more echoed that feeling.
Khan was ready to escape into the sky to minimize the damage, but more flares appeared in the symphony, forcing him to sprint to his left. Three bullets pierced his previous position, spreading more chaos among the crowd.
Many Thilku hurried toward their homes. Some jumped on the ground, hoping to avoid the shots. Yet, the district had several weapons, and a few aliens didn't hesitate to draw them in their anger.
Khan sensed the guns even before they fired. Mana moved toward his legs, generating a sprint that brought him to the other side of the street. Bullets shot forward at that point, but Khan had long since disappeared.
As the bullets pierced the rain, Khan dived into the crying crowd, moving too fast for anyone to notice him. He had already spotted the three shooters, and his speed increased as he ran toward them.
The three shooters were in different spots on the street, but their guns exploded simultaneously. Khan also reappeared near the last one, stunning him. The Thilku's legs lost strength when he noticed Khan, making him end butt-first on the street.
Khan didn't dare to attack anyone else in that general panic, but another flare appeared in the symphony. He recognized it since it belonged to a weapon he had already cleared, and turning to his left confirmed that guess.
A big mass of azure mana was flying in Khan's direction. That bullet belonged to a shoulder-fired missile Amox and Khan had found before. The Thilku was authorized to own it, but Khan had never thought he would fire it at him.
Khan didn't have problems dodging the bullet. He jumped backward, and the missile flew past him. Its trajectory didn't even endanger his companions, so Khan was ready to disregard it. However, his eyes widened in worry when he realized where it would land.
The panic had made many Thilku fall on the ground, leaving more people than intended outside. A family of three was among them, with the young child doing her best to help her parents on their feet.
The child's father lifted his face only to see the incoming missile. The azure light it radiated threatened to blind him, but that worry didn't exist in his mind since his child stood between him and the bullet.
The father tried to pull his child away, but the street was wet, and he had only managed to plant one knee on the ground. His panic made him slip, failing to grab his daughter properly and pull her away.
The missile landed a mere meter from the father, exploding and sending scorching mana in every direction. The Thilku could only jump toward his right to cover his partner with his body, but his eyes quickly opened to check the area.
Tears left the father's eyes when he noticed the empty spot before him. The scorching mana had burnt his baggy clothes, setting them on fire, but he felt no pain. He couldn't experience any emotion looking at the fuming and empty metal.
"[Papa]!" A familiar cry suddenly resounded, and the father gasped. He inspected his surroundings but only saw emptiness or fellow panicked Thilku. He realized what was happening only when his crying partner pulled his sleeve and pointed at the sky.
Khan had used his top speed to grab the child before the explosion could engulf her. The place didn't have safe areas, so he flew her into the sky with him. He had risen for many meters due to the accumulated momentum, but the young Thilku didn't mind it.
The missile's explosion had brought nervous peace to the street. The crowd put the panic aside to inspect the situation, noticing Khan's descending figure. He had wrapped an arm around the child's torso while his graceful steps slowly brought them down. He was flying, and that feat filled everyone with shock.
Khan landed on a safe spot beside the two parents and let the child go. The young Thilku wanted to jump at them right away, but Khan grabbed her right shoulder before whispering a single word. "Disperse."
The flames flickering on the father's clothes released a whooshing noise, disappearing on the spot. That fire was surviving the heavy rain, but a single word from Khan dispersed them.
The father noticed his injuries after the event. His mind made room for pain, which didn't hesitate to arrive due to the burns on his left arm and back. Still, before he could react, Khan put a knee on the ground before him and grabbed his wounded limb.
"Help him," Khan said, his eyes wandering among the injuries before rising to inspect the rain.
The father couldn't understand what was happening, but his eyes suddenly shot on his arm. The burns were still there, but the pain had waned. He only felt an annoying itch now.
The Thilku couldn't help but focus on Khan again. Yet, Khan was busy admiring the mana with his bare eyes. He had seen what that energy had done to help the alien, and the sight had been mesmerizing.
"[You need a doctor]," Khan eventually said, straightening his position and patting the child's back. The latter had frozen when Khan had restrained her, but that gesture made her jump toward her parents.
The family was happy about their child's well-being, but the father only looked at her briefly before focusing on Khan. He had already shown his back to the group, but the Thilku couldn't stop studying him.
Part of the crowd shared the father's shock. Many couldn't see much due to the rain, but those who did were enthralled. Khan had flown, saved a child, and helped an injured Thilku. His gestures also carried grace, almost forcing the aliens to feel awe.
A loud cough broke the silence. The fainted Thilku woke up and turned to his side to throw up. Only a few aliens noticed that, but rumors quickly spread, even reaching Khan's side of the street.
Soon, everyone realized that Khan didn't kill anyone, which added value to his graceful moves. The crowd began to see Khan in a different light, but he didn't hesitate to ruin that image.
Khan performed slow steps toward the Thilku with the shoulder-fired missile. A few aliens who had used their weapons on Khan were nearby, and none dared to move during that steady walk. Khan's performance had left them stunned, but fear replaced that feeling.
The rain began to echo Khan's mindset, growing heavier and colder. His eyes remained on the Thilku with the heavy weapon while he drew his knife. The blade was already glowing with purple-red light, and needles with a similar color appeared in his right hand, joining that glow.
Khan spread his arms, showing his knife and spell while approaching the criminals. He even crossed his fellow soldiers, who didn't dare to utter a word. Anyone could see how bad his mood was. It seemed that the faintest noise could make him explode.
The rain, the purple-red glows, and Khan's cold face created a terrifying picture. No one in the crowd wanted to deal with him, and even the Thilku with the shoulder-fired missile dropped his weapon, throwing it away to plant his knees on the street.
Many imitated that gesture, expressing their desire to surrender, and that reaction spread throughout the crowd. Soon, everyone was on their knees, ready to face the consequences of that riot.
Khan felt the urge to vent, but the symphony warned him once again, making him put away his spells and weapon. A loud, whooshing noise followed in the next few seconds, and red lights fell from above, bringing more artificial illumination to the street.
One look at the sky revealed the presence of a big, circular ship. Reinforcements had arrived, formally putting an end to the riot.
