The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 560 - 553 Gratitude and Resentments

Chapter 560: Chapter 553 Gratitude and Resentments

"Seems I’m to be the scapegoat," Murphy mused without surprise. As soon as Larry and Thompson arrived, they stripped him of his command and shackled him. In other words, his political career within the Sanitation Worker was over.

Murphy had actually seen this coming.

The reason for this lay in Murphy’s special relationship with the Ram.

The Ram used to be an S-level client of the Sanitation Worker, having had a very good cooperative relationship with them, and Murphy was the direct contact person for the Ram.

To the structure of the Sanitation Worker, S-level clients were extremely important resources. The ability to personally interface with the Ram indirectly demonstrated Murphy’s high status within the organization.

Murphy belonged to a rank within the Sanitation Worker just below the members of the Elder Council, and his public identity and position were that of a senior officer in the FBI.

Whether overtly or covertly, Murphy was a major figure, but Larry, he was in charge of the military within the Sanitation Worker, of building and commanding an army.

That is to say, Murphy was no career soldier. He was out of his depth in warfare, whereas Larry was the overall military commander of the Sanitation Worker, especially after the Sanitation Worker’s high command suffered heavy blows from an individual named Yang Yi, who also managed to steal the Sanitation Worker’s sacred relic. Larry’s status rose again as he became a member of the Sanitation Worker’s Elder Council through his control of the military.

Murphy did have loyalists, certainly, but they were of no use.

Because the command of all military forces in the Malakal Region was not in Murphy’s hands. The former supreme commander died in the Aliens’ assault on Malakal, and although Murphy was now the highest-ranking person in the entire Malakal Region, he was not the actual controller of the army. The military command rested with the commanders of the remnants defeated by the Solar System Company.

So it was that Larry could so decisively strip Murphy of his military authority as soon as he arrived in Malakal, managing to deal with Murphy by bringing only two guards.

It was quite a joke, really. As one of the high-ranking members of the Sanitation Worker, Murphy should have held real power. Yet he ended up idle here in the Malakal Region, becoming an alternate member of the Sanitation Worker’s supreme governing body, the Elder Council, just because of his past good cooperation with the Ram, as well as their personal relationship.

Because of his relationship with the Ram, Murphy was not trusted. He could only be sidelined, relegated to a position that, while seemingly noble, was in fact an empty shell, wasting his life and talents.

But Murphy was a man of faith. He was unwilling to waste his life. To prove himself, he volunteered to go to the Malakal Region, tasked with securing the safety of the transit lines between several cities, not even ranking as the third most important figure.

Now Murphy had found his chance to prove himself. Those who were originally lower in status but held sway over the Malakal Region were all dead, so Murphy, whose status was genuinely the highest, albeit with no real power, naturally took over all the troops.

But just as he gained control of the military, which hadn’t even warmed up in his hands, the Elder Council sent Larry to strip him of his military power and completely cast him into the abyss.

And they had even thought of the perfect crime, suspecting Murphy of colluding with the Ram, secretly selling out information.

The Sanitation Worker and the Graycloaks were sworn enemies, with the Sanitation Worker boasting the advantage of having secretly formed their own military and the Graycloaks succeeding in penetrating the upper echelons of various governments. However, both the Sanitation Worker and Graycloaks, after falling victim to a decapitation strategy by Poseidon, who had established the Water Organization, were at a disadvantage. The Sanitation Worker lost their sacred relic, and while the Graycloaks preserved theirs, their losses were even greater.

The Sanitation Worker eventually had no choice but to align with the Graycloaks. Originally part of the same group, they splintered off to become mortal enemies, only to cooperate again under duress. Even as they allied once more, the fissures between them couldn’t immediately vanish.

Therefore, the Sanitation Worker should have been in control, for they had the military, and the Graycloaks could only depend on them. But now, Murphy found himself humiliated by a Graycloak riding roughshod over him.

And Larry, once Murphy’s closest comrade-in-arms, was now helping a Graycloak against him.

Murphy wasn’t angry, he only felt sad.

Throughout his long career, whether as a senior FBI officer or as a high-ranking official of the Sanitation Worker, his main adversary was the Graycloaks. He was stained with the blood of Graycloaks, having dedicated his utmost effort to hunt down and eliminate them.

But now everything had changed. His former enemies became his allies. No, closer than allies—they merged together.

The friend whom Murphy once admired the most, with whom he was the closest and had the highest hopes for, had become his enemy, the most formidable and lethal adversary.

With a long sigh, Murphy gently shook his head and said to Larry, "So be it, Larry. You might as well finish me."

Larry shook his head, while Thompson said grimly, "No, you’re still useful. I said you were killed trying to escape when the Ram tried to rescue you. Hmm, perhaps your greatest use will be to lure out the Ram. I actually regard him highly; he’s gotten to where he is today not by luck. If he’s as loyal as legend and records suggest, he might try to rescue you, right?"

Glancing at Thompson disdainfully, Murphy said to Larry, "For the sake of old times, draw your gun and kill me. At least don’t let me die at the hands of a Graycloak unless... unless you’ve been their mole all along."

Upon finishing, Murphy’s expression abruptly froze. Then he turned to Larry and said, "You’re not really with the Graycloaks, are you? Otherwise, how could you betray your own convictions? We, once devoid of ideals and beliefs, are as good as dead. So you... you are with the Graycloaks!"

With a look of disgust on his face, Larry retorted, "What are you thinking? Murphy, I have never been any kind of mole. I’ve just come to understand reality and know what I want."

Thompson waved dismissively, smiling as he said, "Mr. Murphy is quite the master at manipulating people. He has solved many significant cases with his own hands, and it was out of personal interest, not professional necessity, that he personally cracked the psychological defenses of a serial killer who had eluded capture for twenty-four years in just four hours. So, Mr. Larry, he’s just trying to disturb your emotions."

Larry exhaled, but Murphy gave Thompson a cold look and said, "I know who you are!"

Thompson laughed gently, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, we’re busy now. Send out men to retrieve the body of the Pyro-thief; it’ll be useful. By the way, I need to find a way to inform the Ram that you’re about to be executed. Hmmm, I do hope the Ram is as loyal as the legends say."