Kraken opened his eyes.
What met his gaze was a familiar scene—the ceiling of the Order Alliance's secret base.
The lights were piercing, and his eyes instinctively narrowed.
He was finally back.
His consciousness had been pulled from the collapsing game space and returned to his own body.
But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he realized something was wrong.
He wasn't alone in the room.
Several gazes were fixed upon him.
Kraken slowly sat up and looked around.
He saw the child-like leader sitting in the very center, hands folded, with a sharp look in his eyes.
Standing behind him were seven or eight alliance members, men and women with various expressions, all watching him with a certain level of scrutiny.
Faced with a scene comparable to a full tribunal, Kraken instinctively frowned.
"You're awake," the leader said flatly.
Kraken didn't say a word. He looked at his colleagues, a complex surge of emotions rising within him—indignation and anger mixed with a deep sense of exhaustion.
Without any preamble, the leader asked directly, "What happened in the Killing Competition?"
"According to intelligence sent back from Avenia, the entire island has run into trouble, and there's been a serious accident with the game equipment."
"Another spy sent by the Alliance has lost contact, and it's suspected that everyone else's consciousness is trapped in the game."
"Only you returned unscathed. How did you manage that?"
Kraken clenched his fists and didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own: "What exactly does the Alliance take me for?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
"What do you mean?" the leader asked impatiently.
Kraken's voice suddenly grew sharp. "I'm asking you, does the Alliance just see me as cannon fodder? A target to draw fire?"
The leader remained silent for two seconds, then nodded and admitted it bluntly.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Your value was to enter the game and attract the attention of all parties so that the real spy would have a chance to infiltrate the game's backend and conduct an investigation."
A single, casual sentence, yet it felt like a massive boulder crushing Kraken's heart.
The leader felt that Kraken himself was an anomaly; there were things about him that the Alliance had never quite figured out.
Making him act as cannon fodder to draw fire allowed them to carry out the investigation while simultaneously observing his reactions.
It killed two birds with one stone.
The leader thought this in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud. He simply said, "This was carefully considered by the Alliance. You have strong abilities, a suitable personality, and..."
"And what?" Kraken asked, his expression grim.
"The greater good must come first," the leader said earnestly.
"The Alliance needs someone to make sacrifices. Your individual contribution bought us the chance for a spy to infiltrate. It was worth it."
"Think about it. If this mission succeeds and we expose the Deep Blue Route's conspiracy, how many people will be saved? How many tragedies can be prevented? Your individual sacrifice ensures the safety of thousands."
"Enough," Kraken interrupted the leader's nonsense.
He glared at him. The leader's aged eyes were shimmering with the light of righteousness.
It was disgusting.
He stood up and met the leader's gaze.
"The greater good?"
"Sacrifice me alone to ensure the safety of thousands?"
"You make it sound so noble."
"Clearly, you were just too afraid to take the risk yourselves, so you pushed me out to die."
"Clearly, you could have formulated a better plan, yet you insisted on making me cannon fodder."
"And then you use those pretty words to cloak yourself in a mantle of justice."
"Have you forgotten the Alliance's motto? 'When in obscurity, cultivate your own virtue; when in power, benefit the whole world.'"
"Or do you have some other hidden agenda?"
The leader's expression shifted, revealing a look of displeasure.
"Kraken, are you questioning the Alliance's decision?"
Kraken didn't back down an inch. "I am questioning you. Do you represent the Alliance?"
"Don't think I can't see how you've been targeting me. Are you trying to eliminate dissent? You use grand principles to cover up your despicable actions, packaging yourself as a good person who had no choice."
The leader's gaze became dangerous. In front of everyone, Kraken hadn't left him any dignity at all.
Where did Kraken get the nerve to say such things?
The others present didn't even dare to breathe.
They had long known Kraken was an upright man, but even a gentleman usually knows when to stay silent. How did he dare to go head-to-head with his direct superior?
Kraken stood his ground against the leader. With the help of that strange girl, he indeed dared to flip the table and break ties.
The leader took a deep breath and stopped defending himself. Instead, he put on an air of helplessness. "According to Alliance regulations, Kraken, you have now committed a serious disciplinary violation."
"You were hiding things from the Alliance when you joined. Otherwise, there's no explaining why you were the only one able to escape this mission safely."
"Go to the interrogation room. Give a detailed account of exactly what happened in the game and how you got out."
"Furthermore, you are sentenced to fifteen days of solitary confinement. Write a self-criticism reflecting on your mistakes. Don't always resort to conspiracy theories; only narrow-minded people see everything as a plot."
"I hope you can be more level-headed in the future and continue to contribute your talents to the Alliance."
As he finished speaking, two alliance members stepped forward, grabbing Kraken by the arms on either side.
The leader gave a meaningful look to a trusted subordinate standing beside him.
The subordinate understood immediately and followed Kraken out toward the interrogation room.
Once they entered the interrogation room, no one outside would know what happened.
No matter how tough a person's bones were, the subordinate had plenty of strength and methods to make them speak the truth.
He would use every means possible to dig out the secrets Kraken was hiding.
Kraken's face was somber, a fire of rage burning in his heart.
Just then, lines of text appeared before his eyes.
【Don't make a sound. Listen to me.】
【I know what's happening on your end. The Order Alliance is going to move against you.】
【Leave this place. Go now.】
【If you don't leave in time, you will face immense torture, and your life might even be at stake.】
【Just nod, and I'll take you away immediately.】
It was the cheongsam girl.
Kraken's breath hitched. In truth, he couldn't tell if it was the Order Alliance as a whole targeting him or just the child-like leader.
But thinking about it carefully, there didn't seem to be a difference.
The child was using the power and violence bestowed by the Alliance!
'The Alliance is good, the child is bad. A few vermin appeared in the collective, and this matter is just a bad person abusing the Alliance's power'—Kraken did not accept such a distinction.
If the Alliance couldn't stop the child from doing evil, then it was the Alliance's fault.
When a murderer slaughters a whole family and is taken in by the police for questioning, he might argue, 'My hand did it; it has nothing to do with me personally. You can cut off my hand to pay for the crime.'
Would anyone believe that?
Chaotic thoughts flashed through Kraken's mind, and in a moment, they had reached the door of the interrogation room.
He gave a slight nod toward the empty air.
In the next second, he vanished from the spot.
Rate on N.U.
