"Bullet Time refers to the period during which a Quicksilver Needle can enter a high-alert combat state. The duration each Quicksilver Needle can sustain varies... You already knew that, right?"
Hesta nodded.
"Good," Chiba continued. "Once they enter Bullet Time, Quicksilver Needles can't completely relax, either. We need to maintain that state—like when you're fighting someone, you have to keep your fists clenched."
As Chiba demonstrated, Hesta clenched both hands into fists as well. But in the next instant, Chiba suddenly drew her gun again and fired at the distant target.
The thunderous crack of the bullet leaving the barrel caught Hesta completely off guard. She instinctively raised her hands to cover her ears—though it was already too late.
Chiba laughed. "But there are always unexpected changes that make people forget to 'clench their fists,' just like your reaction now. Maintaining Bullet Time is the same. Except for Quicksilver Needles, once we forget to maintain our state, we rapidly fall out of Bullet Time and enter Constraint Time."
"Constraint Time..." Hesta murmured, repeating the term.
"Think of it like a car. Once it's started, you can hit the accelerator to speed up or turn the wheel whenever you want. But if it stalls midway, you have to spend time restarting it. During that process, your car is no longer a nimble driving tool. Unless the engine restarts, there's almost nothing you can do with it—and the bodies of Quicksilver Needles are the same.
"After entering Constraint Time, Quicksilver Needles become weak and powerless. During that time, forget fighting—even standing on their own is difficult.
"For example, if a Quicksilver Needle has around ten hours of Bullet Time, and during a battle he chooses to rest after working continuously for no more than five hours, then he will usually experience a period of weakness lasting somewhere between ten and twenty minutes.
"During that time, he can do nothing. Only after that Constraint Time ends can he reenter Bullet Time—we call this kind of situation 'Incomplete Constraint Time.'"
Hesta considered this. "Then there's 'Complete Constraint Time'?"
"That's right," Chiba said with a smile. "Using that same example, if that Quicksilver Needle worked continuously for more than five hours, then when he stopped again, he would directly enter Complete Constraint Time."
"Complete Constraint Time is generally half the duration of Bullet Time. Whether that Quicksilver Needle had worked continuously for six hours, seven hours, or ten hours, once he stopped again, he'd have to lie down obediently for five full hours before he could move around."
Hesta furrowed her brow in thought. "I see."
"Have you ever wondered how the length of Bullet Time is determined?"
Hesta tilted her head slightly. "Through some kind of... limit testing?"
"Haha, more or less." Chiba smiled. "Secondary Special Training means that, in a controlled location, active Quicksilver Needles release Chelated Beings onto newcomers who haven't yet undergone their 'second awakening.' In battle against Chelated Beings, a rookie Quicksilver Needle's Bullet Time naturally awakens. Everyone else is responsible for timing it from the sidelines."
"...Until Bullet Time fails?"
"It's more than simply failing," Chiba said softly. "As they approach their own limits, a Quicksilver Needle's abilities undergo an extremely intense burst, increasing another twenty to one hundred and fifty times beyond their original Bullet Time. But it usually only lasts from several dozen seconds to a few minutes, at the cost of self-destruction—afterward, the person suffers extremely severe hemorrhaging and total organ failure, just as Chelated Beings do when they die naturally.
"That final burst period is the Acheron Moment," Chiba said quietly. "And the calculation of Bullet Time runs from when you enter combat state to the end of the Acheron Moment."
Hesta suddenly spoke. "Is that... why the base requires Bullet Time to exceed four hours before someone can participate in combat...?"
"Mm-hm." Chiba lowered her voice. "Excluding some extreme values, the average time for a Quicksilver Needle squad of around five people to kill a Chelated Being is fifty-seven minutes. Bullet Time below four hours is too dangerous on the battlefield. Never mind the Acheron Moment—once you enter Constraint Time, forget a Chelated Being. Even a five- or six-year-old child could easily slit your throat with a knife."
Only then did Hesta suddenly understand many things that had happened in the past—such as the night Ligo attended special training, when she had entered the base's underground hospital because of severe injuries.
Thinking of this, Hesta suddenly realized something. "...But Chelated Beings usually only survive for two weeks to a month. How does the base ensure there are enough Chelated Beings available for special training? Do they catch them on the spot?"
"Aha, that's content with an even higher security classification." Chiba smiled. "If you want to puzzle it out, you can think about it yourself. But don't let a third person know anything I told you today—can you do that?"
Hesta nodded solemnly.
"Back to Shawn. Listen," Chiba continued. "His Bullet Time is four hours and fifty-five minutes, and his intermittent Constraint Time is twenty-two minutes. In other words, if he enters Bullet Time and you interrupt him, then you'll have at least twenty-two minutes to do whatever you want."
"But how am I supposed to—"
"Generally speaking, the stability of Bullet Time is related to the person's will to fight. Do you remember the question I asked you last time?"
Hesta sank into thought.
Chiba continued, "As for exactly what you should do, figure it out yourself."
"...Understood."
Chiba let out a soft breath and turned to look at the distant target. "Do you want to practice a few more rounds today? In another hour, I'll have to take you back."
"Does Miss Chiba have something else to do this afternoon?"
"Not really, but Molly only approved half a day for me." Chiba spread her hands. "You've seen it too. It's a special period right now, and your photos are everywhere outside. It really isn't convenient to have you wandering around with me all day."
Hesta lowered her gaze and thought for a moment. "Then can we keep practicing today? I can explain things to Ms. Moly."
"Sure." Chiba smiled. "Then I'll go get a few more boxes of bullets."
Inside the base, in Sophie Moly's office, Liz stared at Ms. Moly across from her with a shocked expression. She had risen to her feet, her voice somewhat agitated. "Why stop the investigation into Shawn now?"
"We will get to the bottom of this," Molly said calmly as he looked at Liz before him. "But we truly found no evidence on his equipment, didn't we?"
"You clearly believe that the power outage in the Grammar Classroom and the missing surveillance footage were Shawn's doing—"
"Yes." Molly's voice sank. "But if we continue investigating now, it will only give people with ulterior motives something to exploit."
Before you continue