This sudden move left the mercenary corps starship crew stunned.
The captain stepped forward, frowning as she pointed at her deputy captain. "What are you doing? Put down your gun now."
The deputy captain ignored the captain's words. Her fierce gaze fixed on Red Eyes, the corps leader watching her from the second floor of the hangar. She laughed mockingly, "Leader, though I don't know how I was exposed, even if I am, you won't catch me. Get out of my way now! I'm done serving you! I warn you—if you dare fire on my shuttle before I reach safety, this hostage dies with me! As long as I leave here alive, she can return alive!"
Holding her hostage, the deputy captain backed toward the shuttle behind her. She knew her leader's temperament well—Red Eyes cared deeply for her subordinates and would never sacrifice a crew member.
At this moment, it seemed the deputy captain intended to escape by piloting the shuttle.
Red Eyes stared at her trusted subordinate in disbelief. "Why? Was I not good to you? Why betray us? Why betray the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps?"
Only then did the mercenary corps crew present realize this person was the traitor among them.
The captain who had been trying to dissuade her now glared furiously. "Bastard! So you're the traitor. Do you know how many of us you've gotten killed?"
"Leader Red Eyes, you treated me well enough! But I wanted more. I'm not like you, some saint rescuing all those slaves. Because of that, our resources had to be shared with those damned slaves and useless children. We could have eaten better food, built a stronger mercenary corps, even used those resources to establish a territory! But all that was wasted because of your ridiculous kindness!" the traitorous deputy captain screamed wildly.
Red Eyes stared at her, her eyes now cold. "You could have chosen to leave. I never stopped you."
The traitorous deputy captain sneered, "Leave? After leaving, I'd be nothing. I want a better life. I refuse to remain the lowest trash. So I used you as my bargaining chip. They promised me—if I helped them eliminate you, they'd give me great wealth and even let me command a small fleet!"
"Just for your own selfish desires, you'd sell out comrades who fought alongside you?" Red Eyes said coldly.
"Enough talk! Let me go now!" the traitorous deputy captain roared.
Zhao Chen rubbed his ears. "Sorry, but we're in a hurry. Can we fast-forward through this part?"
As Zhao Chen's words fell, the laser rifle in the traitorous deputy captain's hands emitted an electric current, then seemed to malfunction.
"What's happening?" the traitorous deputy captain stared in panic at her weapon.
Zhao Chen chuckled lightly. "Come on, have you forgotten whose starship this is?"
The T3 Blizzard had some minor security features, one of which allowed internal sabotage of personal weaponry within the starship.
Zhao Chen glanced at Red Eyes beside him. "We're pressed for time."
Red Eyes said in a low voice, "Sister Zhou, enforce our mercenary corps' rules."
This Sister Zhou was the captain.
Sister Zhou glared hatefully at the traitorous deputy captain across from her. "You should never have used everyone's bones as stepping stones for your own gain.
If you wanted to pursue wealth and glory, you could have simply left.
In that case, the sisters wouldn't have blamed you—they would have even wished you well."
"You... you... stay away!" The traitorous deputy captain backed away in frantic fear, instinctively raising her laser rifle. But no matter how hard she pulled the trigger, there was no response.
In the end, several mercenary corps starship crew members stepped forward and subdued the traitor.
Captain Sister Zhou drew her own laser rifle, her eyes bloodshot.
Red Eyes turned to face the wall, while Zhao Chen looked at Red Eyes beside him.
This was the first time the two had been face to face. It had to be said, this girl's aura was icy, even more intimidating than when he first met Charlotte, making one instinctively want to retreat.
And whether it was her personal preference or not, instead of a laser rifle at her waist, she carried a sword.
But judging by its material, it was no ordinary sword—it was forged from a special alloy.
In fact, within the Imperial Army, some generals who admired ancient styles also carried such items.
Bang.
After the gunshot, a pool of blood splattered across the hangar floor, but it was quickly cleaned up. As for the body, it was dumped into space.
Afterward, Captain Sister Zhou silently led her team of crew members back to the shuttle and departed. Though they held their meal boxes, the fact that a sister they had lived and worked with day and night was a traitor was something they struggled to accept, leaving them emotionally downcast.
"How did you figure out she was a traitor?" Red Eyes asked, looking at Zhao Chen.
"Can you let me see your true face beneath the mask?" Zhao Chen countered.
Red Eyes fell silent.
Zhao Chen shrugged and chuckled lightly. "Everyone has their own secrets. Just consider this one of mine."
Red Eyes didn't press further.
After this traitor, four more were uncovered one after another, two of whom were even serving on Red Eyes' own flagship.
Red Eyes never imagined that within what she thought was a solid "family," among those she trusted, there would be so many traitors!
This left her emotions in turmoil.
Zhao Chen watched Red Eyes' expression but said nothing. Such matters could only be digested on one's own.
As for how Zhao Chen could accurately identify these traitors, the reason was simple.
He relied on his "Eye of Insight."
Under normal circumstances, the starship crew of the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps would feel grateful toward him, their savior.
But those traitors naturally harbored hostility, even intent to kill, toward Zhao Chen.
As long as these individuals were singled out and interrogated, results were bound to follow.
The five captured this time had low psychological resilience. The moment they were caught, they essentially exposed their identities as traitors.
Naturally, this made it easy to root out the traitors.
A system notification sounded in Zhao Chen's ears.
[System Task: Save the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps
Mission Difficulty: B-Rank
Mission Content: Save the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps and ensure the safety of the mission target, "Red Eyes"]
Task Reward: 10 Task Points and 6000 points
Additional Mission: Annihilate the enemy fleet pursuing the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps.
Additional Mission: Identify the traitor within the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps.
System Task completed. Please claim the task reward.
Additional Mission 1 completed. Please claim the additional reward.
Additional Mission 2 completed. Please claim the additional reward.
Zhao Chen focused his mind and claimed the task rewards.
[Congratulations on obtaining 10 Task Points and 6000 System Points]
[Additional Mission 1, completion rate 92%. Additional reward obtained: 3500 System Points]
[Additional Mission 2, completion rate 100%. Additional reward obtained: 2000 System Points]
In an instant, Zhao Chen's System Points increased by 11,500!
[System Points: 13,320]
[Task Points: 45]
[Hidden Mission triggered: Recruit the leader of the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps, Red Eyes]
Oh ho, the system is stirring things up.
This time, Zhao Chen looked at the masked girl with red eyes, who wore a sword at her waist, with a different gaze.