Chapter 2634: Verdict

"Although the Scorpion Squad is infamous for causing trouble, that was a long time ago!" one of the officers on General Gu’s side exclaimed. "Besides, what reason would they have to want Corporal Yuan dead? It’s not as though they have any grudges against him!"

"We all know why they want him dead!"

The officers on General Mei’s side immediately turned their gazes toward General Gu, who remained seated in silence with a calm, almost indifferent expression.

The reason was obvious to everyone in the room, especially after General Mei’s recent accusations against him. Even so, not a single person dared to say it aloud.

Seeing this, General Gu turned toward Mei Feng.

"Do you see this, General Mei? Because of your baseless accusations, everyone now thinks I want Corporal Yuan dead."

"..." Mei Feng remained silent.

"Since we’re already on the subject, let me ask you directly—have you found any evidence to support those accusations? Or do you intend to keep tarnishing my reputation with nothing but lies?"

The room instantly fell deathly silent, with many of the officers holding their breath as they waited for Mei Feng’s response.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke.

"Whatever evidence I possess is not something I intend to reveal here. Once everything is properly prepared, I’ll hand it over to the appropriate authorities."

General Gu sneered in disdain at her response and said, "So you intend to drag the Supreme General into your lies, huh? I have underestimated your recklessness!"

"If you’re truly innocent, you would have nothing to worry about, and I will bear all responsibility for my actions."

General Gu suddenly rose from his seat. "I’m leaving. As for the Scorpion Squad, I’ll leave their fate in General Mei’s hands, even if that means innocent soldiers may end up suffering for it."

He turned toward the exit.

"I want to see just how far her madness will go."

Without another word, he left the room shortly afterward.

A few other officers from General Gu’s side also left, but some of them remained.

"What are you going to do about the Scorpion Squad, General?" someone eventually asked Mei Feng.

Mei Feng closed her eyes and took a deep breath before giving her verdict, "Release them."

"What?!"

Her own officers exclaimed in shock, as none of them expected her to let the Scorpion Squad go for killing Yuan. Even those from General Gu’s side were surprised by her verdict and stared at her with widened eyes.

Mei Feng continued, elaborating on her decision. "Regardless of my personal opinion of the Scorpion Squad—or what I believe their true intentions were—the fact remains that we don’t have enough concrete evidence to convict them."

"But—"

"Moreover!" Mei Feng interrupted before the officer could continue. "There’s still no proof that Corporal Yuan is dead. The Ironwoman is out there searching for him as we speak, so we’ll postpone the Scorpion Squad’s final verdict until we know more."

As much as Mei Feng wanted to find the Scorpion Squad guilty and punish them for Yuan’s presumed death, she was still a general. No matter how strongly she felt, even she couldn’t ignore military procedure and pass judgment based solely on suspicion.

"Also, to prevent something like this from happening again, effective immediately, soldiers of any rank are forbidden from taking personnel into areas they are not qualified to enter. Furthermore, all soldiers leaving the city will be required to officially check out at the gate."

Before anyone could voice their thoughts on the decision, Mei Feng turned around and left the room.

Shortly afterward, the Scorpion Squad was released from custody. However, they were far from completely free. Until a final verdict was reached, every member was prohibited from leaving the military base.

It didn’t take long before word of the situation spread like wildfire throughout the military base.

"Did you hear? The Scorpion Squad is suspected of luring Corporal Yuan outside the city to kill him!"

"The Scorpion Squad? Why am I not surprised it’s them? But why would they do something like that? Did Corporal Yuan somehow offend them?"

"Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but according to some people, the Scorpion Squad was acting on General Gu’s behalf. Apparently, he holds a grudge against Corporal Yuan for refusing to join his division."

"General Gu, huh? I can believe that, especially considering how bitter he’s been ever since the Ironwoman appeared."

"So what’s going to happen to the Scorpion Squad?"

"They’re released for now, but it’s still possible for them to be responsible for Corporal Yuan’s death."

"What a pity... Corporal Yuan’s death, I mean. He was so talented and was likely to surpass the Ironwoman."

Meanwhile, in a private room, Sergeant Bing sighed aloud, "It’s my fault. I should’ve kept a closer eye on him."

"No, it’s my fault. It was my turn to look after him on that day..." Sergeant Quang shook his head.

"You’re acting like he’s already dead..." Wu Wang said. "Knowing that guy, he’s probably still alive."

"No matter how talented he is, there’s no way he can deal with five captains by himself," said Sergeant Quang with a frown on his face.

"I... wouldn’t be so sure about that," said Shi Fa.

At the same time, the Scorpion Squad went to report the situation to their superior. Of course, this superior wasn’t General Gu, as that would be too obvious.

"Tell me what I want to hear."

"Corporal Yuan is dead," said Captain Chen.

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"...Yes."

"Are you certain? Because according to your testimony, he went into the Black Zone and vanished."

Captain Dung sneered. "What else were we supposed to tell them? That we made sure Corporal Yuan died before our eyes?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Captain Chen asked, "What’s going to happen to us now?"

"If you’re worried that something might happen to you, then understand this—you would’ve already been punished if they had enough evidence. The delayed verdict is most likely just a way to buy them more time to continue investigating."

"Even if Corporal Yuan is ultimately presumed dead and you’re held responsible for what happened to him, the most likely punishment would be a demotion for failing to ensure his safety, which is essentially a slap on the wrist. Of course, we’ll help you regain your rank back as fast as possible."

"What if Corporal Yuan returns?" one of the members suddenly asked.

"Is there any reason why you would even have such a thought?"

The superior frowned.

"N-No... I spoke without thinking just now."

"..."

The other members glared at him, but none of them dared to utter another word, fearing the truth might get out.

"In any case, stay put and don’t leave your living quarters until the situation dies down."

"Yes, Colonel Ran."

A few weeks later, just as General Mei was prepared to leave, she noticed a certain presence approaching her office.

"I’m back."

The Ironwoman’s voice resounded as the door opened a moment later.

Seeing the Ironwoman return alone, Mei Feng sank back into her seat and let out a defeated sigh.

"So... he really is dead, huh?"

However, the Ironwoman ignored the remark and asked, "What happened to the Scorpion Squad?"

"We don’t have enough evidence to charge them with murder or conspiracy," Mei Feng replied. "At most, we can hold them responsible for negligence and failing to protect a junior soldier."

"Did you already give the final verdict?"

"No, I was just about to leave to do that. I have delayed it for as long as I could, too."

"Do as you please. It won’t matter, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Mei Feng raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, Corporal Yuan is still alive."

"WHAT?!" Mei Feng slammed the desk as she stood up with a bewildered look on her face.

"H-Has he returned?! Where is he now?!"

However, the Ironwoman shook her head and said, "I’ll tell you where he is as long as you promise me that you won’t get angry at me."

"What the hell are you talking about? Why would I be angry at you?"

The Ironwoman suddenly removed her mask and rubbed her eyes.

"Corporal Yuan... is still outside the city. In fact, he’s currently in the Black Zone."

"W-What...?" Mei Feng muttered with a dazed expression.

"He said it was the perfect opportunity for him to train alone, and he told me to return without him."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Mei Feng began to tremble.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" she shouted, slamming her desk so hard that it smashed into countless pieces.

"Hey, you promised not to be angry."

"I made no such promise!" Mei Feng exclaimed before falling silent again.

"You actually left him behind? In the Black Zone? Alone?" she muttered in disbelief some moments later.

"Don’t make it sound like I did it on purpose. He insisted on being left alone."

"I don’t care what he said! You should’ve dragged him back, even if it was against his will!"

The Ironwoman shook her head and said, "You can say that because you don’t know what he’s fully capable of."

"What are you talking about?"

"You really think I didn’t consider dragging him back here?" the Ironwoman sighed.

"I won’t go into the details because I made a promise, but I don’t think I could’ve dragged him back here without killing him, so I’d be bringing back his corpse if I went that route."

Mei Feng stared at her with a baffled face, as if unable to believe her own ears.

"In any case, there’s no need to worry about him. He’ll return in a few months once he’s done," the Ironwoman continued in a confident voice.