Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 352 - 271: Ogre Swindler

Chapter 352: Chapter 271: Ogre Swindler

Was this a test?

Unit 37 had this thought as she was caught in a long period of indecision regarding whether to command or not.

As she believed, this was unprofessional.

Making the target aware of a potential attack greatly reduces the success rate of the assault.

But in reality, she also didn’t know how to make a choice, her intuition telling her that perhaps this time the truth was on the Sergeant’s side.

"There is no need to carry an emotional burden. Once you return to the organization, they will overwrite your memory. Just by removing the parts about me, you will forget all the details of this conversation,"

Duan Mingyuan was not a narcissistic person, so he was well aware that Unit 37’s hesitation was not due to feelings for the Sergeant.

Only in TV dramas can a protagonist make an emotionless killing machine develop feelings. In the real world, there were other reasons for Unit 37’s hesitation.

"To move forward, or to go back?"

It was getting late, and he decided to give Unit 37 a push.

It was all overtime now, and Jiuyue was still waiting outside.

"Where will moving forward lead?"

Unit 37 asked blankly.

She was well aware that going back might lead her further down a wrong path, but there lay everything familiar to her: her superiors, her comrades, and the ideals she had always strived for.

Ahead, there seemed to be nothing but the truth.

The question was, does the truth really matter?

"That’s for you to find out yourself. You need to think this through carefully. Once you take a step forward, you become a traitor like me. Your comrades will become enemies, and they will hunt you down, just as you deal with other traitors,"

Duan Mingyuan reminded Unit 37.

In those parts of Unit 37’s overwritten memories, there was a section dedicated to the pursuit of traitors. Many of the traitors had been her classmates, friends, or even teachers at the academy. They tried to appeal to her emotions when cornered, yet they all ultimately failed.

These memories were ones Unit 37 had actively chosen to overwrite, so she wouldn’t develop unnecessary guilt or regret.

All the memories served as proof to Duan Mingyuan of one thing.

—This girl does not hesitate when it comes to taking action, not even her most respected teachers could escape the fate of having their throats slit.

He could only lament that she truly was a meticulously trained killing machine by the Specters, of substantial worth.

From these memories, Duan Mingyuan also discovered internal turmoil among the mechanized humans. A group originally chasing freedom and unwilling to be enslaved had become a highly centralized society, with nearly all power in the hands of each commander of the Specters.

Years of high-pressure rule had taught most mechanized humans to keep silent.

Because when a commander declares you a traitor, your fate is already sealed. Only those who have made significant contributions to the organization can earn a chance to defend themselves in the Tribunal.

Some people in the Tribunal passionately call out, hoping to awaken the majority, but for various reasons, these outcries fail to make any significant impact or change the situation among the mechanized humans.

In Duan Mingyuan’s view, Unit 37 also couldn’t change the status quo of her group.

Though she was a key focus of the organization’s training, she was not exceptional enough to alter the entire system. At best, she would be more difficult to kill than the other "traitors", possibly requiring a higher price to be paid.

"Sergeant, I want to know your reasons."

After a long contemplation, Unit 37 did not draw her thermal cutting blade but asked seriously instead.

Based on the Sergeant’s performance at the academy, as long as he stayed within the organization, it wouldn’t have taken long for him to reach the center of power. She was curious about what made the Sergeant give up everything he could have achieved.

Could the Sergeant be an idealist, a true pioneer believer?

Mingyuan felt an intense sense of guilt from her sincere and clear eyes. But manipulating someone’s memory arbitrarily was a price that inevitably had to be paid; everything she knew about him was fabricated, so there was effectively no question of giving up.

And now was the critical moment whether he could change her mind.

Mingyuan hoped he could alter the perceptions of her and the Ghost Squad so that he wouldn’t have to brutally deal with a group of "former comrades" who trusted him.

"Because doomsday is approaching, I can’t work with someone who only cares about immediate power," he said.

A moment later, Mingyuan concluded.

The highest form of deception is to deceive oneself.

He tried to imagine himself as a Ghost Sergeant, faced with a commander who was obsessed with internal strife even as disaster loomed. He too would have resigned without hesitation.

Determinedly monopolizing power, eliminating dissenters, leaving only one voice, all of which would turn to nothing with the arrival of doomsday.

"To establish a haven and prepare for what comes after, I must defy this mission. Eisenberg-Adler will stay within the Digitalized World," he resolved.

Mingyuan made his stance clear, "One day you all will need this place, and then you’ll understand."

The conversation ended.

As Mingyuan left the meeting room, she kept her head down, pensive. She hadn’t revealed her thoughts till the end, but not drawing her sword against Mingyuan was a clear indication of her leanings.

As soon as he stepped out, Jiuyue, who had been monitoring the whole conversation through the Judge, approached him.

She had activated surveillance because she needed to prevent Mingyuan and the Ghost Agent from being alone together, potentially sparking some chemistry, and Jiuyue had to stress that 37’s style of dress was quite inappropriate, clinging tightly to her body and outlining her figure completely, making it appear as if she was barely wearing anything at all.

Such clothing was very unfriendly to the Fox Demon; there was simply no place to put her tail.

Fortunately, Mr. Mingyuan was consistent inside and out, playing the role of the Ghost Sergeant perfectly.

The meeting also overturned the image Mingyuan had always had in Jiuyue’s mind. She had thought lying was a tactic of the Fox Demon, but Mr. Mingyuan was the one who truly mastered deception, not only spinning 37 around but also using the conversation to shake her faith in the organization.

"Mr. Mingyuan, I told you you had great potential!"

Jiuyue praised him profusely, not knowing why she suddenly felt so excited.

After some thought, she vaguely realized that the thrill came from witnessing an honest man turn into a swindler. No wonder so many odd websites featured themes of "corruption."

"You are the real Ogre Swindler!"

"There is no such profession in the Ogre Tribe," he replied.

"That’s what makes you truly unique," she stated.

"Jiuyue!"

"Here!" she responded.

The human and the fox stared each other down; eye to eye.

Usually, at this time, it would be accompanied by a punishment like "Stand and listen to this lesson" or "Get out," but now, as time passed, Mingyuan noticed a problem.

It seemed there was no way to punish this Fox Demon anymore.

So she had grown increasingly bold.