Chapter 114: I Have Evidence

Chapter 114: I Have Evidence

The remaining members sat in the back.

Receiving treatment, no one spoke.

"Steward, we need an explanation for this. We can't set a precedent for desertion in the middle of a battle," Fischer said through gritted teeth. "If this is allowed to slide, what squad will dare to act as a unit in the future? They'll all just run when danger comes."

Hearing this, the steward's frown deepened.

Although Wu Heng had just arrived in Luntam City, he didn't seem like someone who was afraid of death or trouble.

In one month, he had earned two Tier 3 merits and caught a Tier 9 wanted criminal on his second day.

A coward wouldn't be capable of such feats.

But Squad 8 was an established local team; they had no reason to lie.

After some thought, the steward said, "Let's wait until Wu Heng returns and hear his explanation. After all, he was appointed by the headquarters, so we can't just remove him on a whim."

Fischer frowned and continued, "I'm afraid he'll run away when he realizes there's a problem."

It wasn't uncommon for guild members who committed crimes to flee.

The steward sat back without responding.

"Steward, look at what he did to us."

"We were personally recruited by you."

Fischer continued speaking.

Squad 8 did look rather miserable, and in this state, they would need to rest for a while.

After thinking it over, the steward said, "A warrant is out of the question. For now, let's suspend all of Squad 12's duties until we can resolve this…."

Thud, thud, thud~!

Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door.

Then, the door was pushed open, and Wu Heng walked in confidently with Bagdong and Barson.

Glancing at the injured squad members, he whistled and said, "Wow, what happened to you guys? Did you fall down? This should count as a workplace injury."

Everyone in the room was stunned.

No one expected him to show up at the last minute.

Fischer glared at him and demanded, "You dare to flee during battle?"

"Captain Fischer, watch your words. Who fled? I, as the captain of Squad 12, would never run away," Wu Heng retorted without backing down.

"Then where were you during the fight?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I was at Boulder Bridge looking for clues, and when I looked up, you were all gone."

"So, what were you doing afterward?" Fischer pressed further.

"Do I need to report to you? You're the captain of Squad 8, not of Squad 12."

"You…." Fischer's eyes flashed with anger, and he reached for his sword.

But Bagdong was faster.

He kicked Fischer in the abdomen, forcing him back a few steps.

Clatter, clatter~!

Immediately, Wu Heng drew his gun, and Barson unsheathed his sword, while the members of Squad 8 also stood up.

"Enough!" The steward suddenly stood up and roared.

If the two squads fought in the study, it would be a joke if word got out.

Seeing Squad 8 sit back down, Wu Heng also holstered his gun.

The steward then asked, "Wu Heng, Fischer claims you were nowhere to be found during the battle. Explain yourself."

"Steward, I was investigating when we encountered the giant spider swarm. I didn't see Squad 8, and when I returned, someone had taken our horses. If I had fled first, how did they get back with the horses before us? If we hadn't hitched a ride with a caravan, we wouldn't have made it back before the city gates closed."

Given the current situation.

There was no need to hold back anymore.

It was somewhat surprising that Squad 8 had gone to the steward to complain.

It was like elementary school students having a spat and then running to the teacher to tattle.

Fischer immediately retorted, "You're lying! We fought the giant spider, and we didn't see you at all. That's why we took the horses back. And with the injuries my men suffered, you expect us to believe you fought too and came back unscathed?"

Wu Heng could understand Fischer's reasoning.

Squad 8 had suffered heavy losses, the mission had failed, and they were venting their anger on them.

Someone had to take the blame, and the newly formed squad with only two members was the perfect target.

But it wasn't entirely their fault. Squad 8 hadn't shared information or provided clues along the way.

Now, after taking a beating, they complained that Squad 12 hadn't helped.

Of course, both sides knew the truth, but it was all about whose story was more convincing.

In this world, there were no recordings or videos.

It all came down to how well you could spin your tale.

"Wu Heng, you need to provide an explanation. If you can't, I'll submit this to the headquarters and recommend removing you as captain," the steward said.

It seemed he believed Squad 8's version more.

After all, the injuries were right in front of him, with one person missing an arm.

Who would injure themselves just to falsely accuse someone?

"I have evidence," Wu Heng said directly.

Fischer looked at him, smirking inwardly. You've only been a captain for a short time.

At that time, only members from both squads were present. What evidence could you possibly have?

"Go ahead, show us what kind of excuse you've cooked up."

"Steward, I'd like to call a witness."

"Fine, but make it quick, don't drag this out," the steward urged.

Wu Heng nodded, opened the door, and called out, "Mr. Abdu, the steward requests your presence."

The door opened, and a middle-aged man, who looked much better than before, walked in.

He glanced at the injured men in the room, frowning slightly.

Then he looked at the steward sitting in the main seat.

"Steward Gomez, thank you. If it weren't for your people, we wouldn't have made it back," the man said gratefully.

This was the person Wu Heng had rescued from the cocoon, the target of the rescue mission.

Gomez's frown deepened as he immediately understood what this meant.

"We were just doing our duty," Gomez said, then asked, "What danger did you encounter?"

The man quickly replied, "We were on a mission to collect materials when we were attacked by a swarm of giant spiders. We were lucky that your people arrived in time."

"Ahem! Who was it that rescued you?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "It was Captain Wu Heng. Why? Wasn't this a guild mission?"

"No, just confirming. It's good that you're safe. Rest well and be more careful in the future."

"Yes! Thank you, steward, and thank you, Captain Wu Heng. Once we've dealt with the aftermath, I'll personally come to thank you again," the man continued.

"No need for formalities."

The man expressed his thanks repeatedly, then left the room.

The study fell into a stunned silence.

The members of Squad 8 were dumbfounded.

They knew exactly what had happened.

Did Wu Heng really manage to rescue him?

How could that be possible?

Wu Heng directly said, "Steward, Captain Fischer, do you still need more evidence?"

"You…."

The steward slammed his hand on the desk.

"Enough! This has gone far enough. Squad 8's duties are suspended, and you are to reflect on your actions while awaiting your next mission assignment. The rewards for this mission will go entirely to Squad 12."

"Steward, he's lying," Fischer protested, still unwilling to give up.

Though he said this, he was also a bit confused.

Given the strength of the giant spider swarm, if he couldn't defeat them, there's no way Squad 12 could.

How could they have possibly rescued the target?

"Enough. That's final. And don't cause any trouble for Squad 12," the steward said coldly.

Fischer glared at Wu Heng, gritting his teeth.

"Did you hear me?" the steward asked again.

"Yes!"

"Steward, shouldn't his captain status be revoked? Falsely accusing a teammate is no small matter," Wu Heng interjected.

The steward looked at him and said, "Fischer has contributed a lot to Luntam City. This incident will be noted, but if anything similar happens again, his captain status will be revoked."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead, steward," Wu Heng replied, not pressing the issue further.

It was clear the steward was favoring Squad 8.

If he had made a mistake, his captain status would have been revoked, while they only got a suspension from missions.

It was practically a paid vacation.

But the steward had a lot of power locally, so it wouldn't be wise to push things too far.

Having the upper hand in this situation was enough.

"Alright, everyone, go rest and recover!" the steward dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

The two captains left the study.

Squad 8 members glared at Wu Heng.

"What? Is there still something?" Wu Heng asked, looking at them.

"You used us to draw the spiders away so you could rescue the target," Fischer finally realized.

With just Squad 12's members, it would have been nearly impossible to defeat the giant spiders.

In essence, they had been tangled up with the spider swarm while Wu Heng's team found a way to rescue the target.

"How you want to interpret it is up to you. You're all injured, so it's best to rest up."

"Just wait, we'll see who has the last laugh," Fischer said, glaring at him.

Wu Heng glanced at him, then pushed open the door and said, "Steward, Fischer is threatening me, saying he wants to kill me."

"Fischer, enough of this nonsense," the steward's voice came from inside the study.

Squad 8 left with dark expressions.

Wu Heng also headed toward the lounge.

...

Back in the lounge.

Duke was sitting there, polishing his battle axe.

In two missions, he hadn't even had a chance to fight.

It felt like he was just a guide, leading them to the location, with the fighting left to others.

The door opened, and Wu Heng walked in.

"Captain, what did the steward say?" Duke asked.

Wu Heng recounted the incident of Squad 8 going to the steward to complain.

"Those guys are terrible. If we hadn't rescued the target, they really would have framed us," Duke said angrily.

"Yes, although we proved we didn't run away, we've created tension with Squad 8. Be cautious when dealing with them in the future."

"I'm not afraid of them. If it comes down to it, we'll just fight," Duke said, patting his battle axe.

"Try to avoid conflict as much as possible."

"Understood, Captain."

Wu Heng then shared the reward from the rescue mission with Duke, which was a decent haul.

"Alright, there's nothing more to do at the guild. Let's go home and rest."

"Yes, Captain."

The two of them closed the door and left the guild.

...

Back at their residence.

The construction crew had already finished their work.

Only the foreman was waiting at the door.

Seeing Wu Heng return, he greeted him with a big smile.

"Captain, everything's done. Please take a look."

"Alright!"

The two of them entered the residence together.

They inspected from the first floor to the third.

The overall layout was that the first floor had a living room, dining room, kitchen, and a bedroom; the second floor had two large bedrooms and two small ones; the third floor was Wu Heng's private area with the master bedroom, a study, and a separate bathroom.

Going straight up to the third floor, they entered the study.

A circular fur rug lay on the floor, with dark wood bookshelves and furniture. On one wall hung a landscape painting.

It wasn't as grand as the steward's study, but it had a cultured feel.

From now on, reading here, no one could say he didn't look like a mage.

After inspecting the study, Wu Heng checked the bedroom and bathroom, and everything seemed satisfactory.

Of course, it couldn't compare to modern amenities, but it was much better than the cramped place he had rented in the crowded district.

Overall, he was quite pleased.

"Not bad. You can finalize the contract with the guild tomorrow," Wu Heng said.

They had collaborated through the guild's platform, so the final payment would also be settled through the guild.

This arrangement was beneficial for both parties.

It avoided a lot of potential issues.

"Thank you, Captain," the foreman said gratefully.

Wu Heng nodded, "Alright, you can head home now."

"Okay."

...

The workers all left.

Wu Heng placed a few skill books from his space ring on the bookshelf.

Skeletons with souls could also learn necromancy skills.

Moreover, the four wraiths under his command were also spellcasters; he could have them study these when there was time.

He took out his personal belongings and arranged them in the wardrobe.

After everything was set, he directly headed to the Zombie World.

As he stepped outside, the first thing he saw was the massive spider corpse atop the pile of bodies.