Alien world

Chapter 1657, Section 290: Treason
He was relegated to the role of a supervisor, similar to that of a political commissar, but Soren seemed sullen.

Because after he told his mother yesterday that he had failed to be selected, his mother deliberately said that Hellfire wasn't any good either, and even cooked a nice meal for him. As a result, he received a notice to give a performance review this morning.

Corporal Fermi gave them three days to settle their family matters before officially enlisting.

Frank stayed behind; he was the only orphan among the five.

As soon as Sauron left the camp, he encountered a familiar face on the street: the woodcutter who had been brought back by the scouts.

Soren had intended to avoid him, but he hadn't expected that Soren would see him too, and he stood there awkwardly.

Soren had no choice but to take the initiative to show goodwill: "...You acted very well."

"Really? You're the first person to praise my acting—" Rick's eyes lit up, instantly shaking off the sluggishness typical of the morning, feeling inexhaustible energy.

"Hmm, I never expected you to be a fake woodcutter."

"I'm an method actor. The book 'How an Actor Is Made,' which Kofi Annan directed, says..."

Rick started rambling on and on, and Soren thought he would get annoyed, but to his surprise, he found peace in the midst of the chatter.

Having joined the Hellfire Legion he had always longed for, what more could he ask for?

As they turned the corner, they suddenly saw an incredibly large warship appear outside the bay, and a group of officials in black uniforms, exuding solemnity and coldness, stepped onto the harbor.

……

Imperial officials arrived in Liberty City aboard a dreadnought.

Annan personally came to the gate of the city lord's mansion to greet him.

The dreadnought in the distance wasn't the Shattered Law from last time, but the officials from the Department of Ceremonies were familiar faces—Mr. Schwarz's good friend, Deputy Minister Derek Kason. The military officials beside him, however, looked unfamiliar.

“Lord Stuart,” Albek bowed.

This indicates that the person in the military department is also a deputy minister.

“Albek, the Empire is disappointed.” The deputy minister of the military, named Stuart, remained expressionless, a terrifying centipede scar running from his forehead to the corner of his mouth motionless on his face.

Albek kept his head down and remained silent.

"Come in and talk."

Annan led them to the parliament hall.

Annan was about to go in when he was stopped by imperial soldiers.

As the lord of Free City, being treated this way was undoubtedly a disgrace. However, Derek Kayson was also blocked, and only Albek and Lord Stuart were allowed to enter.

Annan didn't disturb their time alone. After the gate closed, he chatted with Derek Kaysen: "Will Albek and the others be punished?"

"This is inevitable."

The Empire only cares about results. Regardless of Blackwatch's excuses, the fact remains that they were almost completely wiped out.

"How cruel," Annan sighed, feeling that the Empire was too cruel to its own people.

Derek Kayson calmly asked, "How would you react if your Hellfire Legion were wiped out by a bunch of kobolds while clearing out a threat?"

"Send all these war criminals to a military court!" They couldn't even defeat the kobolds, which was shameful enough, but in doing so, Annan also realized just how big a mistake Blackwatch had made.

"But aren't the Legion Commander and the Chief Mage still around?"

"They are already struggling to take care of themselves."

Annan was stunned: "I thought they were arrested on purpose to put on a show for those rebels..."

The deputy minister of etiquette instantly unleashed a chilling killing intent. This was an imperial secret; how could it be known to outsiders? But then, remembering who was standing in front of him, he regained his composure.

"Phew, it suddenly feels so cool." Anan touched the goosebumps on his arm.

Derek Kayson remained silent, telling him it wouldn't hurt—the main problem was that if he didn't say anything, the guy would definitely talk bad about him behind his back.

“It’s just a performance; it won’t make those traitors come forward voluntarily. The Blackwatch Commander and Starlight Oliver being imprisoned can only be real, and the charges against them can be real.” “Understood.” Annan nodded. “Would you like to go see Mr. Schwarz?”

"It's too late, we need to get back as soon as possible."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah."

Annan muttered to himself, "You're the ones who're in such a hurry to get back, and you're the ones who've come here so leisurely in your warships."

He didn't even have a chance to bond with the ship's spirits aboard the new dreadnought docked in the bay.

"By the way, what are Blackwatch's charges?"

"Treason."

What is the crime of treason?

"Of course, it's about beheading the body and annihilating the soul."

Annan's eyes widened, and he was about to speak when the doors of the parliament hall suddenly opened, and the Deputy Minister Stuart walked out, followed by Albek, who remained silent but with sadness in his eyes.

Where are the Blackwatch soldiers?

“You’ll be housed in the new embassy. Come with me.”

Annan led them to the new embassy, ​​where they could already see the black-clad Watchmen of the Dreadnought standing neatly in the lobby outside the window.

"Are they all here?" Deputy Minister Stuart asked.

"Yes, the wounded are here too."

A deputy stepped forward from behind Deputy Minister Stuart and announced: "Albek and 104 Blackwatch soldiers are suspected of treason and will be subject to joint investigation by the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Tribunal."

The Blackwatch soldiers looked grim, but they had expected this day to come. They allowed a squad of soldiers to step forward and put shackles on them that were more humiliating than restrictive.

"Stop!" Annan suddenly spoke up to stop them. "Are you going to put shackles on them?"

"Lord Annan, they are criminals." The lieutenant was still relatively polite to Annan.

"But they are not criminals from Liberty City. Here, they are heroes."

Annan could not allow these Blackwatch soldiers to leave in shackles.

The deputy looked at Vice Minister Stuart and said coldly, "You want to stop the Empire?"

"The Empire has arrived? Where is he?" Annan feigned surprise, turning his head to look around.

The grotesque centipede on Deputy Minister Stuart's face moved: "If you were my soldier, daring to provoke me like this, you would have been stripped naked and thrown onto the parade ground to be exposed to the sun."

“If you were my subject, I would forgive your offense,” Annan said, seemingly conciliatory but actually sharply confrontational.

Deputy Minister Stuart and Annan stared at each other for a few seconds, then snorted coldly, seemingly softening their stance: "Untie the shackles, and put them back on them when we get back on the ship."

The Blackwatch soldier looked at the short figure with gratitude in his eyes.

Deputy Minister Stuart walked out of the new embassy with a stern face. Derek Kayson smiled and said in a low voice, "Don't mind him, that's just his bad temper. Maybe you'll be happier if you stop him."

"Are you sure? His face is so sour it looks like he's about to poop."

God knows how hard it was for Derek Kayson to hold back his laughter. He coughed several times before saying, "He took the law so seriously that he even went so far as to send his father, who had colluded with foreign enemies, to the gallows."

"Then I'll have to look at you differently."

"However, the reason was that his father wanted to kill him."

“He is truly a father to his son.”

(End of this chapter)