The moment his consciousness returned, the commander's body suddenly tensed.
He saw the face of the young woman in front of him, and his pupils constricted sharply. He instinctively tried to stand up, only to find his hands bound behind his back, rendering him immobile.
His gaze swept across the vehicle's interior. Cold Wind sat in the driver's seat, expressionless, while Iron Bone sat in the passenger seat, watching him with a half-smile.
In the corner of the cabin lay Chen Chen, slumped on the floor, his state unknown.
“You... you people...” the commander's voice was raspy, filled with unmistakable terror.
Su Wan squatted down to look him in the eye, her voice as calm as a placid lake.
“Your 3rd Mobile Brigade started with one hundred and twenty elite infantry, six Level 2 Ability Users, four Level 3 Ability Users, four armored vehicles, one command vehicle, and one fire-support vehicle.”
She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Do you know how many are left now?”
The commander's pupils shrank, and cold sweat dripped down his face.
Su Wan held up a single finger. “Aside from the twelve infantrymen Zhao Long and the other three took out earlier, the rest are all dead.”
“As for the equipment... only one armored vehicle remains.”
“The fire-support vehicle is destroyed. All four Predator-IIs are destroyed. The Messenger-class communications and command vehicle is... damaged. Its communication equipment is totaled, and the navigation system has failed. It can barely drive...”
She pointed toward Cold Wind and Iron Bone in the front. “They are my people now. Zhou Hu and Shadow Blade from Panshi Company are also mine...”
She leaned in, looking at the commander's pale face, and whispered, “Do you know what that means?”
The commander's lips trembled, a wheezing sound coming from his throat.
He knew exactly what it meant.
This unit had been wiped out before they even reached the Terminal Station—before they even saw its shadow.
No matter what reasons or excuses he had, as the unit's commander, he wouldn't escape death if he returned like this!
“Who... who exactly are you...” he managed to squeeze out, his voice incredibly hoarse.
Su Wan didn't answer. She stood up and looked down at him. “I can give you a chance to live...”
A glint appeared in the commander's eyes—the kind of light only seen when a dying man catches a glimpse of a lifeline.
He didn't want to die.
He had climbed from a common soldier to his current position. Only he knew how much he had sacrificed to get here!
“You... speak...”
Su Wan looked down at him.
“When we get back to the Ruin Zone, you will regroup with Zhao Long, the three other Level 2s, and the twelve soldiers. At that time, you will tell them this—”
Her voice was calm and cold, as if she were describing a trivial matter.
“The unit was attacked by Aberrants during a routine march.”
“For some unknown reason, those Aberrants appeared in the Ruin Zone and launched a frenzied attack on your unit.”
The commander's Adam's apple bobbed, but he remained silent.
Su Wan continued, “During the battle, you discovered that the appearance of these Aberrants was related to the ‘Terminal Station.’ Someone from the Terminal Station lured the Aberrants to you.”
“You tried to capture that person, but they were incredibly powerful. Even the four Level 3 Ability Users, including Cold Wind, couldn't take them down.”
She paused, her lips curling slightly. “Without realizing it, the entire unit was lured into the Non-Safe Zone by that person. No one even noticed how they got there.”
“After that, you were attacked by a swarm of Blood-Scythe Ants in the Non-Safe Zone. The swarm was massive, and the ordinary soldiers couldn't hold them back.”
“Only you Ability Users managed to fight your way out and escape by the skin of your teeth.”
After Su Wan finished, she watched the commander silently.
The commander's lips were trembling, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead onto his military collar.
“You... you want me to lie to headquarters?” his voice rasped.
Su Wan tilted her head. “Lie?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Every word I said is the truth.”
“Aberrants did attack you. Someone from the Terminal Station did lure them. You were indeed led into the Non-Safe Zone. And you certainly encountered the Blood-Scythe Ants.”
“The only difference is—the order has been slightly adjusted.”
The commander's pupils constricted slightly.
He understood.
This woman wasn't asking him to fabricate a lie; she was asking him to reorganize the narrative, the sequence of events, and the causality.
The facts remained the same, but when pieced together this way, they formed an entirely different story.
“Also,” Su Wan held up a finger, lowering her voice even further.
“When you report back, you must make headquarters believe that the person who can control Aberrants and toy with your entire elite unit is no ordinary Level 3 Ability User.”
The commander's breathing suddenly became rapid.
Su Wan's voice carried a subtle hint of suggestion.
“Think about it. What kind of person could make Aberrants obey them so submissively?”
“What kind of person could escape unscathed from the combined efforts of four Level 3 Ability Users?”
“What kind of person could lead a fully armed elite unit into the Non-Safe Zone without anyone noticing?”
She paused and whispered, “Such a person would have to be at least...”
She didn't finish the sentence, only giving the commander a meaningful look.
The commander's pupils shrank violently.
He understood.
This woman wanted him to lead headquarters to believe that the mysterious individual was a Level 4 Ability User.
Or perhaps even higher.
The commander's back was now soaked in cold sweat.
“What... what exactly are you trying to do?” his voice trembled.
Su Wan didn't answer. She simply stood up and looked down at him. “You only need to answer me. Do you want to live... or do you want to die?”
The commander lowered his head, his pale face devoid of any color.
His gaze fell upon his trembling hands. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, the pain helping him maintain a shred of clarity.
The entire unit—one hundred and twenty elite infantry, four armored vehicles, one command vehicle, and one fire-support vehicle...
Completely wiped out!
And the mastermind behind it all was the young woman standing before him.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the cabin.
Cold Wind, Iron Bone, and the ones sent by Panshi Company, Zhou Hu and Shadow Blade...
The unit's highest combat power, four Level 3 Ability Users, were all her pawns.
He didn't understand.
Iron Bone had been in the City Defense Force for eight years. He had climbed from a Level 1 soldier to the Level 3 Mid Stage through countless life-and-death situations and solid military merit.
The City Defense Force had treated him well.
Cold Wind had been with the City Defense Force for over a decade. He was a veteran of headquarters, someone personally promoted by Commander Pei.
How could people like them betray the force?
Rate on N.U.
