Chapter 76: 61. The Hero Returns 2
Translator: 549690339
“Yes, Sir, I’ll go right away.”
Noland Lee glanced at the staircase behind the two and pretended to look for Pim.
His face displayed an accurate mix of struggle and aggrievement, and finally, he sighed and turned to leave:
“Sir, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. Sergeant Pim… well, never mind, let’s talk about it later. I’ll go get the medical soldiers now.”
As soon as Noland left, soldiers who had been observing them closed in on Grett and the others.
They surrounded the two heroes and started moving towards the medical tent.
Some of the soldiers were impatient and straightforward and couldn’t help expressing their anger.
“Captain Grett, Sergeant Pim was simply appalling!”
“Yes! We wanted to save you, but he stopped us!”
“He suspects Sin Soldier 888 is a Death Notice spy, he didn’t even bother to ask Sergeant Alvin Stafford; instead, he just detained Sin Soldier No. 888 and interrogated him! Isn’t this too much? Isn’t this a slap in the face of us sergeants? After all, Sin Soldier 888 has saved us sergeants!”
“What?! Jarvis was interrogated by Pim? When did this happen?” Corporal Mars was taken aback.
Lieutenant Grett, although his eyes are tightly closed, also visibly trembled. It was clear that he was very concerned about this.
Sergeant Hansen, who had collaborated with Noland Lee earlier, held Noland in high regard.
He continued:
“It happened just after we retreated from the third underground level.
The fact is that there’s nothing wrong with Sin Soldier No. 888! Pim couldn’t get anything out of him. He had no choice but to release Sin Soldier 888… By the way, Mars, where’s Pim? Didn’t he and his four guards go to rescue Lieutenant Grett?”
Yeah, where is Pim?
Everyone looked at each other in front of the dark staircase and had no choice but to turn their gaze to Mars.
Corporal Mars took a deep breath, a flash of sorrow crossing his face, and his voice became hoarser:
“Sergeant Pim… He… He died, along with his four guards. After I and Lieutenant Grett escaped to the Second Underground Layer, we were surrounded by the Stone Tomb Bound Spirits Group. If it weren’t for Pim and his guards sacrificing their lives to rescue us, the ones who died in the Second Underground Layer would have been the two of us.”
“Dead… Pim is dead…”
“He got his just desserts!… Ah, sorry, I mean, Pim was truly brave…”
“Who would have thought… Pim would also sacrifice himself… I always thought he was a total bastard…”
Corporal Mars looked at the soldiers in front of him, feeling somewhat helpless.
He and Lieutenant Grett both knew that Pim was a spy for the Death Notice.
But this news couldn’t be made public at this time.
At least not now.
Because between the Death Notice spies, there exist both dual line and single line connections.
In single line communication, the overseer knows the identity of the undercover, but the undercover doesn’t know the identity of his overseer.
For double line connections, both parties are aware of each other’s identities.
Pim’s real identity is undoubtedly known to other Death Notice spies.
If news of his identity being compromised gets out, it would quickly alert other Death Notice spies and affect Captain Murphy’s future plans.
For the greater good, they would have to bear with it for now and only reveal Pim’s identity after they have completed the mission here.
Just as the soldiers were being sentimental, Noland returned with the medical soldiers.
He just heard about Pim’s death, and his expression became extremely complicated.
There was a sense of satisfaction as if he had finally vented out his suppressed anger.
There was also joy at the sudden death of the one he despised.
There was a hint of surprise, as if he hadn’t expected Pim to sacrifice himself for others.
It took him a long time to express this series of subtle emotions.
His goal is very clear.
That is to portray himself as a common Sin Soldier who knew nothing about Pim’s true identity.
“Sergeant Pim’s sacrifice is truly regrettable. I initially thought he was just a troublemaker. I didn’t expect him to be so fearless.”
With a light sigh and sentimentality, Noland Lee dissipated the complex look on his face and stepped aside:
“Chief Officer, the Medical Soldiers are here.”
Lieutenant Grett was gently placed on a stretcher.
The medical soldiers lifted the heavy stretcher, waved their hands to disperse the crowd, and ran towards the Medical Tent.
After Lieutenant Grett left, the atmosphere on the scene was no longer as intense.
The soldiers went about their business, all heading towards their respective
defenses.
Sergeant Mars grabbed Noland Lee and walked towards their team’s tent.
“Jarvis, tell me what happened. How did Pim interrogate you? What did he ask you and how did you answer?”
Once inside the tent, Sergeant Mars lowered his voice, with an unusually serious tone:
“You didn’t reveal our plan, did you?”
“No, sir. He identified himself as an investigator from Military Intelligence Section Two, and forced me to confess who taught me the Undead Runes using an Electric Shock Collar. I didn’t say anything.”
Noland Lee’s face was earnest as he spoke.
He was determined to extricate himself from this trouble and could not allow any mistakes.
But Sergeant Mars looked Noland Lee up and down, apparently somewhat disbelieving.
He was all too familiar with the tactics of Military Intelligence Section Two.
How many people could withstand Pim’s cruel interrogation methods?
But looking at Noland Lee, he seemed to have not been harshly interrogated, and there were no injuries on his body…
No, something was off. Had Pim used Truth Serums?
Sergeant Mars’ gaze hardened slightly as he stared intently at Noland Lee’s face, fanned his nostrils slightly, and took a few breaths.
The smell of Truth Serums was quite pungent.
Anyone who ingested it would have a distinct smell left in their mouths.
Also, those who drank Truth Serums would experience symptoms like pupil tremor and mental trance. Only those with excellent physical conditioning, such as the “Imperial Fist”, could be immune to side effects.
Noland Lee showed none of these symptoms, and he was not an “Imperial Fist”.
So there was only one answer.
Noland Lee was not fed the Truth Serum, Pim really did interrogate him with the Electric Shock Collar, and Noland Lee indeed did not give away Captain Murphy.
Sergeant Mars suddenly slapped his forehead with a murmur of self-deprecation:
“Ah, I almost didn’t piece it together… If Pim knew that Captain Murphy was hidden in the army, he would definitely leave the Grave Vault immediately, instead of going to the Third Underground Level to find death. So, you definitely did not reveal Captain Murphy’s existence.”
“What? Chief Officer? What are you talking about?” Noland Lee feigned confusion on the surface, but inwardly heaved a sigh—Captain Mars, you finally got it.
“No, no, it’s nothing. You did well, Jarvis. I trust you. You absolutely did not leak the plan.”
Sergeant Mars patted him on the shoulder.
He was about to say something comforting, when a whistling sound came from outside the tent..