Betrayal

After understanding what had happened, everyone sighed together.

It was a sigh for the corruption of society, and also for their past service to this dark society.

If they had once regretted leaving their hometown, feeling sorry, feeling sad and upset, then at this moment, everyone felt a sense of relief in their hearts.

They were grateful to have escaped from this society, to have freed themselves from this darkness, grateful for their rebirth, and for running towards their own selves.

Of course, these emotions and thoughts didn't form all at once but gradually took shape in the days to come.

At this moment, everyone's attention was still focused on the issue of corruption.

"Maybe we can blackmail Raul or even the military in this opportunity," Virus said with some excitement.

"What do you want to blackmail them with? A girl and a gun? Besides showing that we are bandits, what else can it prove?" Reno countered. "Don't forget, the reason Raul is involved in this matter is that the military can use him as a scapegoat when necessary. We have no evidence, just like Edward Hospital."

Empty talk wouldn't harm the Tianhe Fleet.

"Even if we had any, it wouldn't matter," Claire interjected. "What can we blackmail them with? Force them to send us to Tianhe IV? Or simply watch us attack the research institute while they stand aside?"

Obviously, Tianhe Fleet wouldn't agree to either of these conditions.

"Well, consider it me talking nonsense," Virus shrugged. "I just thought it was a pity. I thought we had obtained valuable intelligence, but it turns out to be worthless."

"It may not be entirely worthless; the key is how we use it," Reno said. "We can't negotiate with the military; that will only lead to their pursuit, but it may not be impossible to negotiate with Bert Raul."

Nava understood Reno's meaning. "Do you think he can send us to Tianhe IV?"

"Since he can run errands for the Tianhe Fleet, he must be able to move freely in the Tianhe Star Domain."

"The question is, will he agree?"

"We won't know until we try. It's a bit risky, but we don't have a choice." Reno raised the terminal in his hand, looking at Marsha.

Marsha understood and walked towards Elizabeth. "What's your father's terminal number?"

"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked sharply. "Why do you know what I'm thinking?"

Marsha tilted her head, listened for a moment, then nodded. "Got it, thanks."

Elizabeth looked at her in horror, then suddenly screamed, "You don't need that, I can tell you without it!"

Marsha smiled sweetly. "I know, but I like using it."

A typical mischievous little girl.

Elizabeth collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Virus, block the signal," Reno said, dialing the number. "Mr. Bert Raul? Your daughter is in my hands."

He aimed the terminal at Elizabeth, and Nora pinched the little girl until she let out a loud scream.

Standard kidnapper tactics.

A trembling voice came from the other end of the terminal, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"You can call me X. What we want is simple, a ship to leave here..."

Three minutes later, Reno interrupted the call.

"He agreed," he said.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"But don't be too happy," Reno turned to Virus. "Monitor Bert Raul's terminal."

"We're already on it," Ike Kane replied promptly, accompanied by a dazzling array of operations.

Soon, Bert Raul's voice came through the terminal.

He was talking to someone.

"... Yes, it should be the people from the day, they used the sample."

"Do they know about those savages?"

"They didn't mention it during the conversation. Can't be sure if they know."

"Will your daughter tell them?"

"Elizabeth is a good girl, I believe she won't betray me. But it doesn't matter anymore, whether those people know or not, they have to be dealt with. Only dead people can keep secrets."

"You're right. Leave the rest to my people."

The call ended.

"Damn it!" Tyckus kicked the wall, shaking the entire inn.

Nora rushed over, and with a wave of her hand, a black short blade appeared in her hand, the tip of the knife pressing against Elizabeth's eyelid. "It seems your father doesn't love you that much!"

"No!" Elizabeth screamed in terror, but no matter how she screamed, she couldn't break free from Nora's grip.

"Nora!" Reno shouted, "This has nothing to do with her!"

Nora turned to look at Reno, then at the girl, still not letting go.

Claire approached, holding Nora. "Sister, Reno is right, she is innocent."

Nora finally let go.

Elizabeth was already crying loudly.

This sadness was for her own misfortune, and also for the cruelty of her father.

It wasn't until now that everyone realized that she was actually a pitiful girl.

Nora was a little annoyed.

She put away the short blade. "At least we helped you recognize your father's true face."

Then she returned to her seat.

Bert Raul's behavior disappointed everyone.

Although they expected to face a heartless father, when a person truly revealed their coldness and cruelty, it made those with a conscience extremely uncomfortable.

Claire shook her head repeatedly. "How could he do this? That's his own daughter!"

"That's why the darkness in the world is always beyond your imagination. You should never have too many beautiful expectations for human nature," Camella said leisurely, at this moment, she was like a poet.

"The question is, what should we do now?" Modi asked.

Bert Raul's non-cooperation had rendered Elizabeth useless. The desire for freedom held this girl, and neither killing her nor letting her go left them in a dilemma.

Everyone looked at Reno.

Reno knew they were waiting for his opinion.

The more difficult and unresolved the situation, the more he needed to have his own opinion. This was the responsibility of a leader. Regardless of whether the opinion was right or wrong, as a leader, Reno couldn't afford to appear indecisive.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Reno lowered his head for a moment. Then he said, "Bert Raul is a selfish man. Threatening him with anything else is useless. For people like him, the only meaningful thing is themselves."

"You mean..."

"Although I prefer a more low-key approach, since fate has led us down the path of kidnappers, we can only continue on that path. Catching the small fry won't work, so we catch the big fish. Let's capture Bert Raul!" Reno lifted his head and looked at everyone.

Everyone pondered.

Honestly, it was a method, but there was also a suspicion of escalating the situation.

"What if capturing Bert Raul doesn't work? I mean, after all, he's a businessman. Maybe he can't do as much as we expect. We need to be prepared for things not going smoothly," Wang Yile reminded.

"Then let's broaden our target. What about also capturing the military officer colluding with Bert Raul?" Nora said fiercely.

Reno tilted his head. "That's an idea. Ike, have you found that guy?"

Virus smirked. "The person who was talking to Bert Raul is called Blakem, the deputy chief of staff of the Tianhe Fleet."

Claire's eyes lit up. "This position should be able to guarantee our passage to Tianhe IV."

"Maybe we can salvage a few engines too. I mean... if they can sell weapons to Bazu Lu, there might be some engine stockpiles too," Modi was most concerned about his engines.

Reno stroked his chin. "Hmm, in that case, we need to prepare well. Maybe we can do it like this..."

Two hours later.

Reno clapped his hands. "That's roughly it. Inform Raul that we'll exchange ships by this time tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Tyckus took out a dagger from his body, chuckled twice, and said, "The federal government should thank us. We're helping them root out the tumor!"

With that, he tossed the dagger, which flew past Elizabeth's cheek and stuck into the wall behind her, eliciting a gasp from Elizabeth.