Chương 168: Less Schemes

Wyatt used his foot to kick the two corpses over, their eyes still wide open in death. He then turned around. Watching the bustling crowd at the gas station in the distance, and Vince's group inspecting the vehicles and supplies under Evelyn's guidance, he gave Raven a thumbs-up.

"Beautifully done... If you thought their arrangement was flawed, why didn't you say anything back then? You had Holden sweating bullets..."

"Beautiful, right?... I made it all up on the spot." Although Raven looked like a battle-hardened veteran, she had never personally experienced killing another human being. Wyatt and Cole had done the dirty work this time while she just watched from the sidelines, but her face was still a bit pale and her stomach was churning. Hearing Wyatt bring up what had just happened, she hunched over and let out a bitter laugh.

"I didn't realize the flaw in their discussion last night until I saw him throw that ice sphere. It was too late to warn them, so I just grabbed my gun and ran back myself..."

"Huh? Well, the fact that you managed to interject makes you better than your Uncle Holden. He was getting ready to drop to his knees and kowtow again..." Wyatt was surprised and gave her another thumbs-up. Scheming and strategizing had always been Evelyn and Holden's job; the rest of them just executed the orders. Raven, in particular, was mostly just the subject of research, apart from the occasional recon, hot-wiring, or sniping. He hadn't expected her to possess such quick wits.

After disposing of the bodies, the three of them headed back toward the gas station together, chatting as they walked.

"So Evelyn told you to put him in your crosshairs?"

"No, my sister told me to keep my sights on Travis..."

"You calling him 'Uncle' left and right sounded sweeter than when you talk to us. How were you so sure he'd buy it...?"

"Didn't you see the two women standing behind him the whole time?"

"They're both pretty, and judging by their gear, they're Awakened, not weak either... He has a thing for pretty Awakened?"

"Who told you to look at that? Can't you see one's a mature woman and the other's a young girl? Think about it—don't my sister and I look just like them when we stand together...?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah..."

"Right? Uncle Holden and the others ran a whole profile on him, but completely missed this... My sister always treats me like a kid, but I'm not stupid!"

"She was faking it!" Zoe hugged Claire's arm, wrinkling her nose as she spoke to Vince.

"Don't let that little brat fool you with all her sweet 'Uncle Vince' this and 'Uncle Vince' that. It was totally an act!" Evelyn had taken Vince on a quick tour. The supply inventory wasn't finished yet, and Evelyn's group hadn't eaten breakfast. Seeing how exhausted she looked, Vince told them to go eat first. Even Cody and Seth had been assigned to Ben by Vince, so they could familiarize themselves with the camp's management and military gear.

Cody had a good head on his shoulders, and Seth's abilities weren't suited for direct combat. Vince planned to shove these two over to Evelyn's side so they could learn a few tricks from the veterans. With some free time finally on his hands, Vince pulled Zoe and Claire aside for a quick private meeting.

"Well, when you first met me, you kept calling me 'Dage' so sweetly. Was that an act too?" Vince shot back, hearing Zoe sound so certain. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"That was hitting it off at first sight! It's completely different!" Zoe argued, refusing to concede.

"Little bro, I actually think Zoe is right on this one. That girl doesn't seem like the shameless, overly familiar type..." Even Claire pondered for a moment before agreeing.

"Right, Claire?! You think so too!" Zoe shook Claire's arm, grateful for the validation. Vince cast a silent glance at a certain "shameless, overly familiar type" that Claire had just described. Seeing her currently basking in self-satisfaction, he decided not to burst her bubble. Claire naturally met Vince's gaze, her gentle eyes brimming with an amused smile that seemed to say: See? This is what a true genius at playing dumb looks like...

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not stupid either." Vince simply pulled the two of them back up onto the roof of the bus. The bus was now parked inside the gas station, and sitting on the roof gave them a perfect vantage point over the crowd.

"Did you really think I believed I was exuding some kind of 'Conqueror's Haki' wherever I went, making underlings instinctively drop to their knees and swear loyalty?" He watched as the command tent was dismantled from the lobby. Four or five veterans, refusing any help, carried the canvas and poles themselves, relocating it to a nearby empty patch of concrete. The two 'clowns' who had kowtowed earlier were right there among them.

"Schemes... it's all schemes..." Vince called this a private meeting with the two women, but in reality, he just needed a place to rest and review exactly where he had lost the initiative... After running it back in his head, he realized it started from step one: when those two 'clowns' suddenly lunged out and slammed their heads against the ground, completely hijacking the momentum.

"Such a slick ice-breaking strategy," Vince couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Impressive bastards..."

"Colonel Lin..." A veteran stood by the bus and called up to Vince on the roof. It was the same man Vince had briefly met before—Wyatt.

"The tent is pitched. You can head over whenever you're ready."

"Alright," Vince answered Wyatt, then turned to Zoe and Claire.

"My two staff officers, why don't you tag along..." The two girls hopped down from the roof with Vince. Trailing behind Wyatt, they walked together toward the newly erected command tent.

"Schemes, it's all schemes... Can we have a bit more sincerity and a few less schemes around here?" Vince joked with Wyatt as they walked. After all, when he claimed to be Evelyn's 'old friend' earlier, he had basically been scheming him too. Moreover, they hadn't even entered the tent yet, but they were right at the flap. Vince obviously wasn't just talking to Wyatt; he was making sure the people inside heard him too.

"Everything else is water under the bridge, but do enlighten me: who exactly told you to come get me?" Vince asked Wyatt with an amused grin.

"Colonel Lin, you don't need to ask him. It was me..." Just as Wyatt lifted the tent flap, a male voice rang out from inside. Vince looked in and saw one of the 'underlings' who had kowtowed to him earlier. The man snapped a crisp military salute toward the entrance. All traces of his earlier goofy demeanor had vanished. He spoke with absolute solemnity:"Holden Hu, Chief Staff Officer of the Mount Ji Quarantine Zone Research Institute Guard Platoon!" Vince instantly realized. Ah, an actual staff officer.

A professional schemer. He gave a nod and scanned the interior of the tent. Evelyn, Raven, and the other four veterans were all present, minus the two who had gone with Ben to inventory the supplies. The tent was quite spacious; even with so many people standing inside, it didn't feel crowded. There was absolutely no furniture inside—not even a single stool.

"Allow me to introduce everyone," Evelyn stepped forward from the group and addressed Vince.

"The first one you asked about is Major Holden, the staff officer of this squad.

"Major Marcus, whom you've already met. He's our combat captain.

"Captain Wyatt and Captain Cole, special forces operators from the Mount Ji Garrison, and squad members.

"The two who went with your Captain Liu to inventory supplies are Lieutenant Clint and Lieutenant Chuck, also former special forces from Mount Ji." After introducing the veterans in the tent one by one, she slowly introduced herself.

"I am Evelyn Ye, former Department Head at the Mount Ji Biotechnology Research Institute, holding the rank of Colonel. I was later integrated into the Mount Ji Quarantine Zone Research Institute, in charge of research projects related to the Awakened." She then gestured toward Raven standing beside her.

"This is Raven Ye. She was the first Awakened we discovered, previously dubbed 'The Hope of Humanity.' She is my biological younger sister. Before, she was primarily our research subject, but now she handles the squad's reconnaissance missions... As for our squad's mission..."

"I heard the radio broadcast..." Vince interrupted her.

"And the reason I said I knew you is because someone asked me to pass this on to you..." He reached out to Zoe, taking her backpack. He pulled out the Colonel's epaulet and the empty handgun, handing them over.

"This is... Joseph's?"

"Uncle Joseph!"

"Colonel Zhou?" Not only Evelyn, but Raven and all the veterans immediately crowded around, passing the epaulet among themselves. A sliver of hope seemed to ignite in Raven's eyes. She looked at Vince anxiously.

"Uncle Vince, is Uncle Joseph..." Her voice trembled slightly, Her bright, metallic blue eyes flashed with a childlike plea.