"He’s not 00." deia stated firmly. "Didn’t you say he was part of the military’s special forces? Then tell , how can you be so sure Lucian is that guy?"
"Stop lying to !" Max snapped, his frustration boiling over. He grabbed a glass of water and hurled it at her. But before it could reach her, Bear swiftly caught it in his jaws.
"I saw him with my own eyes!" Max continued, his voice sharp with conviction. "My brother and I have lived in the base since the world collapsed, and I used to follow him around when he visited his comrades. One of them was him!"
Ah.
So that was it. Max wasn’t like Ethan and the others, he had been under the current General’s command from the very beginning. No wonder he was tougher, more stubborn than the rest.
"Isn’t that proof that your brother was in the sa division as this ’00’ person?" deia shrugged, her tone sounded almost nonchalant. "Your brother was also a killer, Max."
"No, he wasn’t!" Max gritted his teeth. "General Voss told his mission was to eliminate the Lost! Not humans like that disgusting man!"
deia breathed slowly, trying her best to stay calm.
The system had promised her points for digging out more information, and that was the only reason she hadn’t torn his tongue out yet. If not for that, she would’ve silenced him the mont he dared to insult Lucian again.
"Max," she said, tilting her head, "didn’t you hear what the scientists said? The special forces were created to wipe out many cities, your brother is one of those special force."
"No." His voice was sharp and filled with fury. "They were controlled by 00 with his ability! Their mission was to destroy cities infected by the Lost, not places still inhabited by people who should’ve been saved!"
He actually believed that?
deia almost laughed.
Did he seriously think there were two versions of the special forces—one for the ’good guys’ and one for the ’bad guys’?
What was he, five? No, it didn’t make any sense.
"There was never more than one special forces unit, Max," deia said calmly, watching him carefully. "Back then, the military convinced its soldiers that people could turn into the Lost because of the virus. That’s why they wiped out various cities because they believed everyone inside was already infected."
"If you really lived on a military base for that long, shouldn’t you already know that baMax’s brows furrowed, his jaw tightening.
He didn’t strike her as an idiot. Sure, he was the type who relied more on brute strength than intellect, but even he shouldn’t be this ignorant.
Unless ...
"You’re lying! That’s not true!" Max’s voice cracked with frustration. "The military knew damn well that people turned into the Lost because of extre stress from the very beginning!"
He jumped to his feet, but before he could take a step forward, Bear let out a low, protective growl.
Max froze.
His hands clenched into fists, his frustration palpable. "And where the hell are you getting all this information from?" His eyes burned with suspicion. "You were never even in the military."
deia didn’t respond.
She simply watched him. Studying him.
Sothing was off.
Instead of addressing his accusations, she threw a question of her own, "Do you rember how this planet fell apart?"
"Of course, I rember!" Max barked. His frustration was palpable, his voice sharp with impatience. "It was because of the damn radiation! The radiation ..."
He trailed off, his frown deepening as if sothing wasn’t quite clicking. As if he was digging through his mories and realizing sothing was off.
deia leaned forward, her voice softer now, but pressing. "And the radiation, what caused it?"
"It was caused by..."
Max’s pupils flickered wildly, his mind racing for an answer—one that refused to co. His breathing grew uneven, his fists clenching as if trying to hold onto sothing slipping through his grasp.
His mories had been altered.
’Makes sense...’ deia’s gaze sharpened. ’Could he have a chip implanted in his head, too?’
[You can confirm it by asking Dr. Joy, Host.]
If the system was suggesting it, then there was a real chance.
No wonder he was so easily manipulated by the current General. He wasn’t just being misled, but he had been programd to believe in a distorted version of reality.
He truly thought there were two special forces—one righteous, one corrupt—and that Lucian was the villain who had slaughtered entire cities just to save his own skin.
Lucian had been right all along.
The military had labeled him as a top-priority threat, a monster disguised as a man. A mutant so dangerous that he had to be eliminated at any cost.
And what was the easiest way to ensure that every soldier believed it?
Propaganda. Brainwashing.
Erase the truth. Rewrite the past. Make sure no one ever questioned it.
Max was just another casualty of that system.
deia sighed slowly.
"That’s enough." She rose to her feet, her movents slow, almost lazy, yet her presence felt suffocating.
Max tensed and walked backward.
Without breaking eye contact, she reached into her inventory and pulled out her flute, the wood resting against her fingers. "You should get so sleep now."
Max’s body went stiff. He held his breath for a mont, eyes darting to the exit. "Stay away from ! Do you think I—"
deia brought the flute to her lips and blew a loud lody. Before Max could finish his sentence, his body wavered, his knees buckled, and within seconds, he crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
Right on ti, the door to the eting room swung open. Tian stood in the doorway, his gaze flickering between Max’s unconscious body and deia, who looked entirely too relaxed for soone who had just witnessed a man fall to the ground.
"What the hell happened?" He asked suspiciously.
deia turned to him with an easy smile. "I killed him."
Tian stiffened. "You—"
She laughed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Relax. I just put him to sleep."
Her steps were slow and careful as she closed the distance between them. The smile on her face dropped slightly and her tone sounded more serious than before. "You heard everything, didn’t you?"
She knew Max had deactivated his ability the mont his life was at risk. It was a natural instinct—when backed into a corner, people would always hope soone would co to their aid.
If there had been another person listening in, they might have spun the story, painting her as the villain if she had actually killed Max.
Maybe the system had accounted for that. Maybe that was why it had given her the hidden quest.
She didn’t like giving the system too much credit, but sotis ... just sotis ... it really did have a way of helping her.
deia knew Tian had heard everything, at the very least, he had caught Max’s accusation that Lucian had killed his brother. Or worse, that Lucian had slaughtered entire cities.
But Tian pretended otherwise.
"I didn’t hear anything." He turned his face away, closing his eyes as if trying to erase whatever he had just witnessed. "When I walked in, all I heard was sothing hitting the floor. That’s why I checked."
Liar.
If he truly hadn’t heard anything, he wouldn’t be acting so stiff, like a man balancing on the edge of a blade.
deia leaned back slightly, a teasing smile curling on her lips. "Oh? That’s a relief. We were just talking about my secret affair. I’d hate for anyone to eavesdrop on that."
Tian didn’t react to her joke. Instead, he got straight to the point. "Do you want to take care of him?"
"No." deia waved a hand dismissively. "I’ll handle it myself. But can you ask Lucian to co here? And maybe keep an eye on Sierra for a bit?"
Tian nodded. "Alright."
He turned to leave, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped. His shoulders tensed, his head tilted slightly as if debating whether or not to speak.
Then, without looking back, he said, "Lucian saved my idiot brother’s life." He said firmly, "That’s the only thing I know about him."
deia arched a brow, pretending not to understand. "Why are you telling this now?"
Tian inhaled deeply, as if calming himself. "Because I just realized ... I never properly thanked him." His tone softened. "My father always told us to never forget the kindness soone shows you. Not in life. Not even in death. And I want you to know that I live by that principle with all my heart."
For a mont, deia just looked at him. Then she gave him a small nod. "Thank you for telling , Tian. I appreciate it."
Neither of them needed to say another word or make any empty promises.
From his response alone, deia knew that Tian would take this secret to the grave.
Her good deed had finally paid off.
Whether he realized it or not, Tian had just beco one of her most loyal pieces on the board.
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