Chapter 2644: Yuan’s Testimony

"C-Corporal Yuan?! Is that really you?!"

While most were frozen in a daze, one soldier suddenly called out to Yuan.

Yuan turned to that soldier and responded without stopping, "Yes, it’s me."

"How are you still alive?! I heard you entered the Black Zone alone!"

"I don’t want to explain the entire thing every time someone asks, so I’ll let the higher-ups explain it later," he said.

"A-Alright..."

News of Yuan’s return spread like wildfire in the military, reaching General Gu’s ears even before Yuan made it to General Mei’s office.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" General Gu stood from his chair after hearing the news and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"C-Corporal Yuan is still alive, and he’d just returned to base!"

"That’s impossible! The Scorpion Squad has confirmed his death in the Black Zone!"

"The Scorpion Squad must have lied."

"Where the hell are they?! Demand answers from them!"

"Yes, General."

Meanwhile, inside General Mei’s office, she also received news of Yuan’s return.

"General! You won’t believe this, but Corporal Yuan—the one everyone thought had died a few months ago—has returned to the city alive!"

"Really? When did he return?" Mei Feng asked in a surprised tone, though her reaction was far more subdued than the officer had expected.

"About fifteen minutes ago, and from what I heard, he seems to be approaching the direction of your—"

*Knock* *Knock*

The door was suddenly knocked on, followed by a familiar voice.

"It’s me."

"Speaking of the devil..." Mei Feng muttered. "I’ll speak to you later."

After disconnecting the call, Mei Feng answered Yuan, "Enter."

The door opened, and Yuan calmly stepped into the office a moment later.

Mei Feng drew a sharp breath upon seeing his face. Although she already knew he was alive, there had always been a chance that something could happen to him while he continued training alone in the Black Zone. Now that he was standing before her in person, whatever lingering unease she still harbored vanished like smoke.

"I’m back," Yuan spoke first, acting as if he’d only just gone out for a short adventure.

Mei Feng’s chest rose and fell heavily, as though she were preparing to unleash a torrent of anger. However, after taking another deep breath, she let out a long sigh instead.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked.

"Sorry for making you worried," Yuan immediately added.

Mei Feng rubbed her eyes for a moment before speaking again, "Did you really spend the entire time in the Black Zone?"

"Yes."

"Well? What do you think of the Black Zone?"

"It wasn’t as dangerous as I thought," he replied without hesitation.

"What exactly are you trying to achieve?" she then questioned.

"I already told you. I am training."

Mei Feng frowned at his response and quickly replied, "If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. Your cultivation hasn’t improved in the slightest since I last saw you."

"I never said I was training my cultivation," Yuan said while shaking his head. "I am training another power."

"What—"

"Don’t bother asking. It’s not something you can comprehend, and it’s a power that only I can wield," Yuan quickly interrupted.

"A little conceited, don’t you think?"

"No, not at all."

"Is it related to your physique?"

"You can say that."

"Then was it fruitful? Your training."

"It went smoothly, but it’s not progressing as fast as I want. Therefore, I intend to visit level 2 Black Zone next."

"Level 2 Black Zone...? Did the Ironwoman teach you that?"

He nodded.

"What are the requirements to go there?" he then asked.

"Ask me that once you qualify for the Black Zone—officially."

"I’ll do that after this."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Yuan asked, "What happened to the Scorpion Squad?"

"I was wondering when you’d ask," Mei Feng replied. "Since we didn’t have enough evidence to charge them with murder or conspiracy, the most we could do was hold them responsible for negligence. In other words, they essentially got away with it."

She paused briefly before continuing, "However, now that you’re back, things are different. You can testify against them yourself."

"That sounds fun, but I have a feeling that General Gu might get rid of them before we can serve real justice."

"That would save us a lot of time and trouble," Mei Feng sneered.

"...Not that I am saying it should happen," she added after a brief pause.

Yuan chuckled. "So, when and where do I give my testimony?"

"We’ll do it right now," Mei Feng replied. "There’s a chance General Gu might try something if we wait too long, so I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Alright."

Mei Feng immediately contacted several officers and informed them of the situation.

Then, she brought Yuan to another location, where they waited for about half an hour before a group of officers finally arrived.

"Wow... he’s really alive..."

Even though they already knew Yuan was alive, it was still surprising to see him in person.

Of course, General Gu was among these officers.

’Those useless fucks!’ General Gu gritted his teeth and cursed the Scorpion Squad inwardly after confirming that Yuan was alive with his own eyes.

Although Mei Feng would have preferred to keep General Gu out of the proceedings for obvious reasons, this was an official testimony, and as a general, he had every right to be present.

In fact, the number of officers present for Yuan’s testimony was more than four times the number that had attended the Scorpion Squad’s interrogation a few months earlier.

"I can’t wait to find out how he survived alone out there for so long."

While many were curious about what had truly happened between Yuan and the Scorpion Squad, they were even more curious about how a corporal who had only recently joined the military had managed to survive alone in the Black Zone for several months.

"Are you ready to begin?"

Some time later, the interviewer asked Yuan.

"I am."

"Then we will begin."

After starting a voice recorder, the interviewer spoke again, "Please state your identity for us."