Cultivation Online

Chapter 2623: Scorpion Squad

"Say that again for me."

A deep frown formed on Mei Feng’s face when she heard the news.

"T-There have been reports that several officers under General Gu approached Corporal Yuan in the mission hall and took him somewhere. We’re currently trying to locate them," one of Mei Feng’s officers reported after barging into her office.

After a moment of silence, Mei Feng turned her gaze toward Sergeant Bing and Sergeant Quang, who were also in the room, their heads lowered, as if trying to hide the shame on their faces.

"Where were the two of you when that happened?" Mei Feng asked them in a calm yet cold voice.

"We have no excuses," Sergeant Quang said as he raised his head to look at Mei Feng with a resolute face, as if he accepted his fate.

Sergeant Bing spoke up a moment later. "I’m not trying to make excuses, but Corporal Yuan always heads straight to the mission hall after returning from a mission. We never expected them to make a move in such a crowded, public place. Besides, we usually don’t even learn that he’s back until he’s already accepted and left for another mission."

Mei Feng rubbed her eyes and sighed. "As much as I want to blame you, I can’t ignore my own complacency. I should have seen this coming, especially after his reputation began rising so rapidly."

She had already known that General Gu felt threatened by Yuan’s talent. Once Yuan’s reputation started soaring, she should have anticipated that General Gu would eventually make a move.

"And for it to be the Scorpion Squad... It’s like they don’t even care about hiding their intentions..." Mei Feng sighed again.

"Did you say the Scorpion Squad?!" Sergeant Bing exclaimed in shock.

The Scorpion Squad was infamous for its ruthlessness. Its members constantly disregarded regulations and were widely regarded as nothing more than a band of troublemakers.

However, because they were talented and came from influential backgrounds, none of them had experienced any real accountability, especially with General Gu protecting them.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and spoke loudly from outside, "General! I have information on Corporal Yuan’s whereabouts!"

"Enter!"

Once the soldier was inside, he revealed that some soldiers witnessed Corporal Yuan at the northern gate.

"Some even claimed they saw Corporal Yuan using the teleporter!"

Hearing this, Mei Feng immediately searched the system to determine whether Yuan had officially accepted a mission. As she had expected, however, no such record existed.

"Bring the soldiers from the northern gate to me for questioning!" Mei Feng commanded the soldier.

"Yes!"

"They must have lured Corporal Yuan outside the city. However, I doubt they’d be foolish enough to kill him outright. They’ll most likely try to make his death look like an accident," said the other officer in the room.

Mei Feng turned to her and said, "Discreetly dispatch several squads to search for Corporal Yuan. If my guess is correct, they’re likely headed to the Purple Zone."

Then, she stood up and started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"A little chat with General Gu. You can bring the soldiers on duty to his office," she said before disappearing entirely.

"I’d like to volunteer for the search," Sergeant Quang said to the officer.

"Me too," said Sergeant Bing.

"Even if you didn’t ask, I would’ve sent you so."

While Sergeant Quang and Bing prepared for their mission, Mei Feng went to General Gu’s office.

When the guards saw Mei Feng, they said nothing and silently stepped aside, allowing her to enter General Gu’s office.

However, unlike her previous visit, Mei Feng did not enter calmly. She kicked the door off its hinges, startling everyone inside.

"G-General Mei?! What are you doing?!"

"Even if you’re a General, you can’t just barge in here like a bandit!"

General Gu was not alone in the office, and several other officers were present.

"What brings you here this time, General Mei?" General Gu greeted her calmly, as though he had been expecting her arrival.

"You know damn well why I am here," she responded as she walked into the room, ignoring the others. "Where did you take Corporal Yuan?"

"You’re making it sound as though I had him kidnapped." General Gu raised an eyebrow, appearing genuinely puzzled by the accusation.

"Numerous witnesses saw the Scorpion Squad take Corporal Yuan out on an unauthorized mission."

"An unauthorized mission? How can you be certain they’re even on one? And even if they are, I fail to see why that warrants such concern—much less why you would assume I ordered them to abduct him. They may belong to my division, but they are also officers with the authority to bring soldiers on missions at their own discretion."

"As we’re all likely aware, Corporal Yuan has become quite the topic of discussion lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took him to a tunnel to see for themselves whether he can truly defeat a Void Guardian alone. Besides, with five captains accompanying him, I highly doubt anything will happen."

Mei Feng sneered. "If a group of notorious troublemakers secretly taking away a talent you failed to recruit—and nearly killed during the recruitment—isn’t enough to warrant my concern, then I don’t know what is."

General Gu shook his head and sighed. "That is another serious accusation, General Mei. I understand that you’re still upset about what happened during the recruitment, but Captain Gu had no intention of killing him."

He continued, "And while I admit that the Scorpion Squad has earned a certain degree of infamy, that alone does not justify treating them like criminals. Moreover, they have been making an effort to improve their behavior lately, and their increasingly positive reputation is proof that they genuinely wish to change for the better."

Suddenly, another officer in the room spoke up. "General Gu is right, General Mei. At this point, you’re merely hurling baseless accusations. Unless you have solid evidence that supports your claim, please leave for now and allow us to finish our meeting that you’d so brazenly disturbed."

One might have assumed that everyone present supported General Gu, but in truth, many of the officers remained neutral and had taken neither side.

However, their presence there was not a coincidence.