Dual Deceptions

Dialla, accompanied by Victor, arrived at the west campsite. Dialla's eyes were widened, bloodshot, and his face seemed to have reached a boiling point. Victor nervously kept his head down, avoiding any eye contact with Dialla, while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

From a distance, Rosseaulyn observed Dialla's angry expression and secretly relished the moment. She put on her 'mask' and activated her acting skills, preparing to greet Dialla.

"Good morning, First Lieutenant." Rosseaulyn greeted Dialla.

"Ah... We've met before, and I remember you! Your height is truly remarkable to everyone. But I just can't recall your name..."

"Rosseaulyn Winton."

"Oh yes, Second Lieutenant Winton... I've definitely heard about you before. You're the one in charge of the whole Luthernza, aren't you?"

"Thanks. Hopefully, I can gain more fame someday, just like you did winning the war recently. Then everyone will remember me for sure!" Rosseaulyn flattered with sarcasm.

"I'm afraid that day won't come judging from what just happened here..." Dialla replied harshly.

"I was only assigned to take charge of this city recently after the Nisaeria guerrillas' attack. I need some time to resolve all this and ensure the city's safety."

"I'm sorry... But you are not innocent and still the one to be blamed for..." Dialla accused, pointing his finger at Rosseaulyn.

"I assume your purpose for visiting here is because of the attack last night. But what does this attack have to do with you?"

"You're right. Three of my platoons were sent down here for joint military training since last week. So, I'm here to check on my men after the attack. I worry about them! Is there a problem with that?" Dialla explained, his displeasure evident on his face.

Rosseaulyn shook her head with a smile, thinking, 'Worrying about his men? What a terrible joke... He doesn't even bother to act concerned for a little bit.'

"Have you managed to catch those culprits already? I want you to hand them over to me!"

"Not yet. We haven't obtained more clues on the assailants."

"Seriously?"

"The only identified assailant is a male with violet hair, according to the soldier."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Are you kidding me? This is all you have? What have you done since the attack? And why are you only here now? Aren't you supposed to be at the scene right after the attack?"

Rosseaulyn started to feel a little frustrated and annoyed, but her strong mental composure allowed her to remain calm. She stared at Dialla for a few seconds before responding to his questions.

"First Lieutenant, I was…" Rosseaulyn began explaining but was abruptly interrupted by Sergeant Whitlock.

"First Lieutenant Dialla! Our Ma'am has been busy from daytime until midnight tracking down the remnants of the Nisaeria guerillas since the attack! It's my fault—I didn't inform Ma'am right after the attack until this morning!" Whitlock interjected, offering an explanation to Dialla.

"Am I asking you?! By the way, who the hell are you?"

"I am Sergeant Whitlock, currently serving under the division of Lieutenant Winton."

"I see. What a loyal dog you have... You should feel glad for that, Second Lieutenant Winton!"

"What are you…?!" Whitlock was about to argue back but was immediately stopped by Rosseaulyn.

"Shall we get back to the main topic, First Lieutenant Dialla."

"Yes, please! Don't waste my time! And one more thing! It's Captain Dialla!"

"Understood, Captain Dialla. Sorry for the mistake, as we were not informed of that, and the badge on your shoulder and chest led us to believe you were a First Lieutenant."

"I must say you've got some nerve with you! But you must know there is a difference between an officer who led the war and an officer who only watches over a city. And the officer even failed her duty to just 'WATCH'! Mind your tone, Lieutenant."

"Don't misunderstand, I never had any other intention except for discussing the attack last night." Rosseaulyn continued, maintaining her composure and a smile on her face.

"Could you show me the security room? I want to see the footage of the security cameras!"

"Yes! Corporal, please show us the way."

"Yes, Sir and Ma'am, this way, please."

The Corporal led Dialla and Rosseaulyn to the security room, with both Sergeant Victor and Sergeant Whitlock following suit. Along the way, Dialla pressed the Corporal for more details.

"Corporal, has anyone checked the camera footage already?!"

"Yes, Sir! I am the one who has seen and checked."

"What have you seen besides the attack?" Dialla asked in a serious and slightly nervous tone, suspecting the Corporal might have seen Geena and Cathie in the footage.

"Sir, the footage only showed those attackers driving a bulletproof vehicle and wreaking havoc inside here. None of the attackers were captured by the camera. I will show you later, and you will have a clearer picture."

"Fine…"

'He seems a little nervous now... Perhaps he's afraid that Geena and Cathie got caught in the camera footage. I should be fine... Corporal and Whitlock should have informed me beforehand already if they spotted anything unusual…' Rosseaulyn thought, concealing her nervousness.

"Sir, Ma'am, this is it. Hey! two of you, replay the footage of last night's attack for Captain and Lieutenant!" The Corporal ordered the security soldiers.

"Roger that!"

The two security soldiers played the video footage captured from the cameras. Both Dialla and Rosseaulyn watched the video a little nervously, fearing it might reveal their secrets. However, the footage only showed the vehicle crashing into the camp, and nothing more.

Dialla felt a moment of relief, and his face seemed less tense after confirming his secret was still safe. Meanwhile, Rosseaulyn also felt relieved as the footage only captured her vehicle.

"Wait a second, I saw the assailant's vehicle drive up the small hill. What's up there?" Rosseaulyn asked deliberately.

"Ma'am, there's nothing up there besides a dilapidated warehouse."

"I see, but why did they go after the warehouse?"

"We are not sure... As far as I know, some soldiers were drinking and having fun over there last night."

"I would like to see the warehouse and the area then."

"Yes Ma'am, I will show you…"

"Are you finding yourself too free and have nothing to do?! The Corporal already said there's nothing there! You should go looking for the assailants instead of wasting your time on a broken warehouse!" Dialla interrupted the Corporal, preventing Rosseaulyn from investigating the warehouse, as he worried she might find any trace associated with his kidnapping.

"Captain Dialla, I'm just hoping to find some clues for you and hoping to bring justice for your fallen comrades. Why do you prevent me from going over there?"

Rosseaulyn's question startled Dialla. The Corporal, together with Whitlock, looked at Dialla suspiciously, as they couldn't understand why he prevented Rosseaulyn from investigating the warehouse.

"Well, I'm… I'm… I mean the warehouse is not their intended purpose obviously. You can see they were actually trying to escape from our men and ended up fleeing up to the warehouse. So, you should not waste any more time on this!" Dialla tried to divert everyone's attention away from the warehouse.

"Perhaps you are right, Captain. I should not waste my time investigating further. I will let the relevant authorities handle the job."

"Lieutenant Winton, how about you let me handle this case for you? I think I have a better vision and clearer direction compared to your approach."

"Captain, are you trying to overthrow me and replace yourself as the new person in charge of this city?"

"Nonsense! Don't forget that I led a victorious war! I am not interested in such an insignificant position in the military!"

"Well, you mentioned you have a clearer vision and direction than me… How do I interpret this?"

"I just simply think you are not fit for your position, and certainly, you don't seem like a competent officer to me!"

'What an arrogant fool?! How can he treat Ma'am in such a disrespectful way?!' Whitlock clenched his fist, simmering with anger.

"Enough of all these meaningless personal attacks, Captain. How about you do it your way, and I'll do it mine? Then let's see who can find out those assailants and even the mastermind behind the scenes." Rosseaulyn challenged Dialla.

"Fair enough! I'm glad to accept what you suggested! How about we make it more interesting by making a bet between us?!"

"What's the deal?"

"If I win, you must resign, and if you win, I will persuade a promotion for you! How's the deal?!"

"Sounds great! I can get a higher salary, why not!"

"Great! I can't wait to see you disappear from the military! Hahahahaha!" Dialla said excitedly with his sinister laugh.

"To make this fair, I will share any information I have right now. The first thing is the attacker's vehicle, as we saw in the footage. Second, one of the attackers is a male with violet hair. Third, we suspect the attack was initiated by the remnants of Nisaeria's military."

"Nisaeria?! Hahahahaha! This has nothing to do with Nisaeria at all…"

"Captain!!!" Victor stopped Dialla immediately before he could say more.

"Hmm? Not related to Nisaeria? How can you be so sure about it? Are you hiding something from us?" Rosseaulyn quickly seized the opportunity and pressed Dialla to speak the truth.

"I…" Lieutenant couldn't find an explanation and became very nervous.

"Ma'am, I think they probably just want to mislead us! We should not share any more details with them!" Whitlock said, still staring fiercely at Dialla.

"Yeah! Not bad! Look at your loyal dog; he is smart! He has been staring fiercely at me since we met. Better tie him up before he goes mad and starts barking at anyone! Hahahahaha!"

"If nothing else, please allow me to leave. I still have a lot of duties to perform!" Rosseaulyn said impatiently.

"Of course, we will see who is better at their job! Victor, follow me!"

"Yes, Sir! Farewell, Lieutenant Winton!" Victor saluted and quickly left with Dialla.

Dialla and Victor left the security room, heading to talk to his men who had engaged in the attack the previous night, hoping to gather more information about Geena and Cathie. Meanwhile, after they completely disappeared from the security room, Whitlock could no longer contain his temper and began criticizing Dialla's behavior.

"Unbelievable… I heard Lieutenant… I mean Captain Dialla is a very mean individual, but I never knew he is this mean!"

"Sergeant Whitlock, my apologies for not defending you. But we should not waste our time dealing with this kind of person."

"He is the one to blame, Ma'am! You did nothing wrong at all! I also can't understand why he insisted on getting himself involved in this case…"

"There must be something he's really concerned about that we don't know. Anyway, he will never have the chance to win this challenge." Rosseaulyn assured confidently with a smile.

"Ma'am, I always believe in your intelligence. There is no way Captain Dialla would have the chance to humiliate us again!"

"Rest assured! You have won yourself the honor since you trusted me from the beginning."

"Thanks, Ma'am!"

"But I also can't completely guarantee I will find out the assailants; my current concern is the safety of this city. We're short of manpower. I guess we have to work with the police department to strengthen security."

"You are right, Ma'am. That's probably the best way!"

"Sergeant, would you mind helping me arrange an appointment with the chief of police? I need to talk to her. If possible, by tonight."

"I will arrange it promptly once I return to HQ! Is there anything else you want to assign me on this case?"

"By the way, you don't have to get involved in this case as well. Just let me handle the rest. Instead, I would like you to check over the security of this camp and see which areas need improvement. Corporal, could you guide Sergeant around the camp and show him what necessary improvements we must make."

"Yes, Ma'am! Sergeant Whitlock, this way, please! I will show you the destroyed wired fence and…"

"Alright."

After Rosseaulyn ended her conversation with them, she went to find Lyon and talked to him again in a place where nobody else was there. They both exchanged glances and started to laugh.