Chapter 53: The Fate of a Traitor

Deville found it impossible to believe that there could be a traitor among the logistics division.

And worse, a traitor who had colluded with Chaos heretics!

Everyone who joined the logistics division had undergone strict vetting.

Most of their families had contributed to the King's Court for generations, serving the Governor faithfully.

Moreover, the family Arye had accused was none other than that of Vass, Deville's mentor in the logistics division.

When Deville first joined the division, Vass had helped him immensely.

He also learned that Vass's family had served the Governor for nearly a thousand years, with several ancestors dying on the job or from exhaustion.

Vass had even received commendations from the Spire Estate for his hard work.

At that time, Deville had secretly vowed to follow in Vass's footsteps and bring honor to his own family.

But now, that crude one-eyed brute Arye was claiming that Vass was a traitor, possibly even a heretic.

Deville simply couldn't believe it!

Arye, however, didn't care whether Deville believed him or not.

With a cigar clenched in his teeth and a shotgun slung over his shoulder, he said:

"Come on, pretty boy, whether it's true or not, we'll know once we search the place…"

With that, Arye and several guards stormed forward, kicking the door open.

"Open up, we're here to check!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Dad!"

Vass's family, dressed in their nightclothes, were clearly flustered.

But Vass recognized the guards and stood tall, placing himself between them and his wife and son, angrily rebuking them:

"You're with the guards? Who gave you the right to allow these lower hive scum in here? Get out! Right now! According to the laws of the King's Court, you'll be executed for this!"

The guards hesitated at Vass's anger.

After all, he was a legitimate official of the logistics division, holding authority over the distribution of the guards' supplies.

His status was far above that of these lower hive refugees.

Arye, unfazed, stepped forward and stood before the guards, shotgun resting on his shoulder:

"You're suspected of colluding with heretics. We're here to search your home!"

After all, this was the family district of an important unit within the King's Court, and proper procedure had to be followed.

Vass's expression remained unchanged:

"A search? You guards have no authority to search a logistics official!"

Arye cocked his shotgun, pointing it at Vass:

"Damn you! This is an order directly from the Governor! Besides, the guards answer directly to the Governor, just like you. Now step aside, or I'll blow your head off!"

This location had been marked by the Governor himself, so there could be no mistake! After the events of the night, Arye was completely in awe of the Governor's wisdom and godlike insight.

No heretic could escape his watchful eyes! If Vass resisted, Arye had the authority to execute him on the spot.

"You won't fool me! The Governor would never give such an order!"

Vass stood firm in disbelief.

"Mentor, I believe you are innocent, but the Governor's orders are not to be questioned!"

The heavy sound of boots echoed as Deville entered.

He stood before Vass and his family: "Allow me to conduct the search, that way these crude brutes won't mess up your home…"

Vass, looking at his colleague in the black coat with a golden lion badge and a cold expression, finally began to panic.

"Deville, you…"

Deville approached Arye, pulling a document from his coat pocket and showing it to Vass.

"You recognize this, right? It's an order from the Spire Estate…"

Arye felt a bit guilty—it was Kaes who had slipped the document into his pocket, and he hadn't used it until now.

Seeing the document, Vass's face turned pale, and he tried to plead:

"Deville, it's so late…"

"You know the consequences of defying the Governor's orders!"

Deville's expression grew even colder as he sensed something was off about his mentor.

Or rather, he felt that Vass had changed.

His mentor no longer seemed as loyal to the Governor as he once was! Holding the document high, Deville issued orders to the group:

"Watch them closely! Everyone must carry out the Governor's orders—no one is to interfere! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards received the order.

Arye then turned to Deville : "Do you understand?"

Deville was momentarily stunned.

But seeing Arye and the guards all watching him, he reluctantly responded:

"Yes, sir!"

Deville nodded, carefully folding the document and returning it to Arye's pocket before turning to Vass.

"Mentor, I will now conduct the search. If I offend in any way, I ask for your forgiveness…"

"Fine, search away. The truth will prove my loyalty to the Governor!"

Vass showed no fear and stepped aside.

Without comment, Deville searched the rooms one by one, finding nothing unusual.

"Have you found anything?"

"All the rooms seem normal, nothing suspicious…"

Deville glanced at Arye and shook his head.

Vass approached, looking at Deville and the others:

"Well, then, this proves my loyalty. Now, can you leave? My family and I need rest!"

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, while Arye furrowed his brow:

"How can this be! The Governor himself marked this place. It can't be wrong!"

"The Governor is never wrong! Do you not smell something strange?"

"Smell?" Arye sniffed the air: "Yeah, I smell something… it's kinda sweet."

"That's a special type of nano-incense. As far as I know, that incense is used to mask the smell of corpses.

And the area covered by the incense happens to be this living room!"

Vass immediately shouted at Deville: "Nonsense! Look around this living room—what could possibly be wrong?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

From Vass's panicked glances, Deville had already figured out where the hidden mechanism was.

He walked to the wall lamp in the living room, examined it briefly, and pulled it down with force.

The floor beneath them trembled slightly as the mechanism began to move.

It wasn't surprising that Vass's family had installed hidden mechanisms after a thousand years of inheritance.

But what followed left everyone stunned.

In the center of the living room, the floor sank, and an iron bed covered in strange symbols rose from below.

On the bed lay the corpse of a young girl wrapped in thin film.

Her face was twisted in fear and pain, and her body had been dissected! Above her, the rusted ceiling slowly opened, revealing a hidden space.

The ceiling was inscribed with a blood-drawn ritual circle, and several dried corpses hung from it.

"Is this your loyalty to the Governor?

Is this how your family repays the Governor's grace?

Your actions have brought shame upon your ancestors, and I am ashamed to have known you!"

Seeing this, Deville was filled with rage!

This was the most despicable form of betrayal!

Vass's actions would bring shame upon the entire logistics division, leaving them unable to face the Governor or their colleagues!

Deville drew his laspistol, pointing it at Vass.

Vass, realizing he had been exposed, fell to his knees, trembling:

"Deville, I didn't betray the Governor! I never acted against the King's Court! I did all of this just to save my wife's life—she had an incurable disease!

Those sacrifices were just some underhive people on the verge of starving to death.

I traded food for them with their families! Surely you wouldn't punish me for these lowly underhive scum, would you?"

Deville's gaze turned even colder:

"Treachery is a dagger that pierces the soul, an unforgivable sin!

Since you've chosen betrayal, prepare to face the Governor's wrath!"

"Die, lapdog of the false Emperor!"

At that moment, Vass's wife suddenly revealed sharp fangs.

She transformed into a monstrous creature and lunged at Deville.

"No!"

Vass tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Boom!

The powerful blast of Arye's shotgun sent the creature that had once been Vass's wife flying against the wall.

The guards immediately opened fire, shredding the monster until it was nothing but a mangled mass of flesh, silent and still.

Vass, staring at his dead wife, was consumed by grief and rage, quickly reaching for his gun.

But Deville was faster, shooting Vass directly in the head, the las-beam piercing through his skull.

Vass fell dead.

The gunfire ceased, leaving only the sound of pitiful sobbing in the room.

Of Vass's family, only one remained alive.

Vass's son, terrified, was crying uncontrollably, calling out for his parents.

Deville stepped forward.

He looked down at the pitiful child, showing a brief moment of sympathy.

(End of Chapter)