The last soldier they found had died standing. His dead body was weirdly big, much bigger than any human should be. He looked like a mix of different creatures, or a strange giant statue. Simply put, he didn't look human at all. Only half of his scarred face still looked like it used to, his eyes seeming to quietly look at his late comrades.
Ren stood in the shade of the huge figure, looking up at the face he knew well. Everyone in the yard, following Ren's perspective, looked at the warrior's final form.
This alpha had 'mutated'. Everyone quietly said this word in their hearts.
In the last fight, this alpha used his powers too much, more than he could handle. Once he crossed that line, he couldn't resist the lure of psychic power, and finally, his mind slipped into darkness, falling into total madness. In his crazy state, his psychic incarnation and body combined in a messy way, making him look like a monster.
Mutation was the nightmare every low-level alpha feared. Every alpha was like a dancer on a knife's edge, never knowing when they might trip. With a snap, the fuse blew. And so, they would turn into such scary monsters.
The mutated alpha was long dead. Yet, standing tall like a giant black tower, he stared, making all the 'audience' tremble in fear.
There were soft noises in the yard. Some rookies who couldn't control themselves started crying quietly. Some people began to curse. Many more were whispering, discussing seriously the reasons for the soldiers' horrible deaths.
The world in the screen was still silent.
The captain quietly opened his dead comrade's hand, picked up the gun in his hand, and loaded the bullets. He didn't say anything. With the gun loaded, he walked past the bodies of his comrades and kept going.
At the feet of his fallen comrades, one word was written in blood—
"Researcher."
The screen lit up again. It showed the edge of the Polluted Zone, just a few hundred yards from the "door" of the exit.
The researcher held his backpack tightly, standing in front of Ren with a sweaty face. He wore a fake smile that seemed to suck up to Ren. He didn't even seem that scared, as if he felt everything was still okay and could be negotiated on.
"I'll talk, I'll talk, just put the gun away," he wiped the sweat from his forehead, opened a corner of his backpack to show Ren, "Do you know what this is? An insectoid stone, alive, and this big."
He looked around nervously, even in this deserted place, he was worried about being spied on. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Ren, "It's very rare, worth a lot of money. The big bosses heard about it, and sent me specifically to get it."
Insectoid stones are unique rocks found only in the most polluted zones. Some people say they're the heart of the Polluted Zone, others believe they're eggs left by a fallen god. The creatures in the zone will never let anyone take an insectoid stone away.
Whatever the reason, it's a fact that whenever anyone carrying an insectoid stone gets close to the "gate," all creatures in the Polluted Zone get spooked and start to panic. They all rush towards the insectoid stone one after the other.
That's why insectoid stones are rarely touched by humans. Only a few people even know these strange things about the insectoid stones.
Ren's calm voice echoed, "I see. I was wondering why. Why they needed to pull all the alphas from the outpost just to protect you and offered a bigger reward than usual."
His voice was as it always was: steady, clear, and not showing any strong feelings.
"What reward? It's just a small thing, just a trick." The researcher laughed, "Once we get this insectoid stone out, we'll get all sorts of goodies. Money, positions, or maybe you want a beta? Trust me, it's all possible."
His greedy and pleased face filled the big screen.
What he called a 'small thing' was the hope of countless soldiers. For that, they risked their lives to protect him.
"Why didn't you tell everyone beforehand?" Ren asked, wanting to understand.
"This is the normal way. You just didn't know," the researcher said, rubbing his fingers together, "It's a private job, you know? How could it be made public if it involves the big bosses' money? Also, if the soldiers knew beforehand, it would only mess things up."
Maybe it was Ren's calmness, or maybe he really didn't think the death of a few alphas was a big deal. As he talked, he even dared to touch Ren's shoulder.
"Captain Sloan, you're good at what you do. I'll say good things about you. Ever thought about moving to the capital, Imperial Nexus? Or your soldiers are amazing. I heard the other teams that came here all failed. You didn't see it, but one of your soldiers, at the last minute, mutated into a giant bear, as tall as a tower, it scared me. He crushed the remaining monsters, that's how I got here..."
Suddenly, a gunshot cut him off. The man screamed, grabbing his bleeding knee and falling to the ground.
The priceless insectoid stone rolled out from his backpack, landing in the dust at his feet.
The black gun barrel in Ren's hand moved, pointing at a certain spot on the man's lower body.
"No, no. You can't do this," the researcher's voice was hoarse with fear, he quickly said, "Don't shoot, don't shoot, I was forced, I can't defy those people...ah!"
The second shot made the man scream even louder. His cry didn't travel far, it didn't offer any peace to the spirits lost on the battlefield. It only made the guys watching the scene before the screen squeeze their legs uncomfortably.
Next came a scene that everyone had seen over and over before, but this time, it was from Ren's point of view.
When they first saw the video, everyone felt bad for the begging man. But now, seeing it from Ren's side, each person felt that Ren hadn't been tough enough on him.
Crying hard, the man crawled on the ground, picking up the Insectoid Stone that so many soldiers had died for, thinking it could save his own life.
"I'll give this to you, all of it, just let me live," he begged.
"You take it out, you can trade it for lots of money, lots of money."
"Why get worked up over some low-ranking soldiers? They usually die pretty fast anyway..."
The third gunshot echoed in the quiet Polluted Zone, hitting the amber stone. It broke the precious stone and then the begging man who was holding it.
Pieces of the amber stone spread out over the ground. A weird, half-formed creature crawled out from the broken pieces, dragging a strange umbilical cord. It moved a few steps on the gray-black ground before it slowly lost its energy and stopped moving.
The scene suddenly ended there, followed by loud static noise.
"My god. It's true! He really broke the Insectoid Stone!" Officer Hoo jumped up at the window when she saw this, cursing and shouting, "What a fool, an idiot. No, he's crazy!"
She had watched the whole thing, not caring about all the deaths, sacrifices, and unfair things. Only when the stone was destroyed did she yell and feel bad.
The soldiers in the training field were also surprised by what Ren did,
"He broke the Insectoid Stone."
"He must be so stupid, that thing's worth a ton of money, right?"
"You're the stupid one, this thing would end up in their hands sooner or later if it was taken out. Why let them get their way?"
"Or do you think Ren would come out with this gem, hand it over himself, stepping on the bodies of his buddies to get a promotion? Captain Sloan is not that kind of guy." The soldier who said this forgot he had just called Ren a bad guy a little while ago.
Soon, someone got it,
"He's being blamed for something he didn't do, let him go!"
"Yes, you're blaming him for something he didn't do, let him go!"
"It's too much, how can you treat him like this!"
"Let him go. Let him go now!"
A clump of dirt hit the second-floor window of the office. One after another, clumps of dirt were thrown.
The soldiers' anger had been lit, and with a push of wind, it spread across the yard. Someone headed straight towards the execution stand.
The officer in charge of the questioning tried to stop him, but the female alpha who had been protesting earlier stepped up and knocked him to the ground.
"What kind of jerk, where did you just say you were going to send him?" She straddled the fallen officer, raising her large hand, and slapped his face until it swelled. "You've falsely accused him like this. A strong man like him, nearly tortured to death by a petty officer like you. It infuriates me, watch how I slap you!"
She seemed to forget completely that she had also joined in the commotion before, making crude comments about going to the Rose Camp to "tend to Ren's affairs".
Another old soldier, who had been a squad leader, came over and whispered in her ear, "Not here, drag him to the corner."
So, a few people dragged the swollen-faced officer to a corner. Others swarmed the gallows, starting to smash the iron chains, trying to free the nearly breathless Ren. Even more people, their chests filled with suppressed anger, surged toward the Military Administration building. They smashed the windows, demanding release, demanding explanation.
The crowd was on fire, burning like a bonfire. They were all regular soldiers from the lower ranks of society. In such moments, once they gathered and began to shout, it made the high-ranking officials sitting in their offices feel fear.
Soon, the timid voice of the bureaucrat came over the loudspeaker, "He was indeed wronged. We were also misled. We will release Ren immediately."
"Yes, immediate acquittal. Everyone, please stay calm."
By the time this chaotic drama was over, Kestrel's employment and departure procedures had barely been completed.
By the time she came out, the sun was setting.
Roy led Kestrel to wait for the public bus outside the gate of the Military Administration. He looked at the orange sunlight on the street, still somewhat taken aback.
"Kestrel," Roy asked, "I always feel something is off. Did you intentionally protect him?"
"No." Kestrel said calmly, "Everything is factual."
She was still the same, quiet and indifferent to everything.
After a while, she raised her small hand, making a gesture with her thumb and forefinger. "I only hid a little bit for him."
"Really?" Roy's eyes lit up, "I felt that some scenes were suddenly cut off. What was it?"
Kestrel didn't answer his question. She turned her head to look at the alley where the side door of the Military Administration was.
Roy's gaze followed.
In the narrow alley, a small door opened. Two people came out, supporting an injured soldier. They laid the heavily injured soldier down and quickly went back inside. The soldier was wearing a soldier's jacket, leaning against the dark earthen wall for a while. Unable to support himself, he placed one hand on the wall and slowly sat down along the side.
Roy squinted for a while, surprised, "Is that him, that Ren Sloan?"
"The people of the Military Administration are too much. After such torture, realizing they were wrong, they just bandaged him up and threw him out like this."
Roy had a soft spot for people in trouble. He turned to Kestrel and said, "He looks like he's got nobody to pick him up. Should we give him a hand?"
Kestrel looked down the shadowy alley. There, the wounded alpha was slumped against the dirt wall, sitting where the light was a mixed up jumble of shadow and sun, making it hard to see his face.
Kestrel watched for a bit. Something hidden in then dark then drifted back to her from the alley.
"Nah, I don't think we need to." Kestrel finally turned away, "Whoever he's waiting for, it's not us."