The old man whimpered from the pain in his shoulder and he was aware that this young masked man will let him know that death was a luxury. So he said, “My name is Ramone Stitch, I am from the renegade division.”

Shi Lang was surprised and asked, “Why don’t I know such a division existed in the military?”

Ramone shook his head, “We are not the military, but a few agents and soldiers retired from the military.”

Shi Lang was shocked to hear this and said, “Keep going.”

The old man continued, “I will tell you everything I know, but just kill me after that.”

Shi Lang tilted his head and said, “I will do that, eventually. However, when I do that will depend on you.”

The old man said, “The whole organization has twenty people. We all were given retirement because we were too old and weak in comparison to the young blood. However, we were not given much support later on. A huge group of retired soldiers was dissatisfied but then most of them were given job opportunities in small-scale companies and all.

p anda nOvel.cO,m I was offered one too, but it could not satisfy me, the people in that place did not respect us, and they did not see us as veterans, who stoked their youths in the military for their safety. This feeling gnawed at us, and then some of us gathered together to leave our jobs. We sought out a cabinet minister and asked him for some support, but he ignored us.

Later on, we received a mail stating the things we could join hands together and form a syndicate. At first, the entire business seemed shady and we did not want to do it, but then all of us who sought out the minister seemed to be troubled with household troubles and even putting bread on the table was a difficult thing. In all despair, we gave in, and then became a part of the renegades.

Some of us tried to leave, but they were punished so severely that none else dared to even think about that.”

Shi Lang nodded and took a deep breath, then he asked, “Why did you not approach the general council if you were troubled?”

The old man froze and then said, “We tracked the email, it originated from the general council.”

Shi Lang froze and said, “What did you say?”

He was shocked to hear this, then he asked, “Is he telling the truth?”

Darcx was also stunned and nodded, the information they received was too shocking for them. Shi Lang said, “Get me the secret division heads, and tell them it is urgent.”

The old man heard this and was shocked. He asked, “Who are you?”

Shi Lang did not bother to keep his mask on any longer, the statement was recorded by the visor’s camera and was uploaded to a secure nano drive. He took off his mask and said, “My name is Shi Lang, Fleet general of the first fleet as well as the Council head of the general council.”

His aura flowed out like a massive tide. The old man was shocked, but some part of him was relieved as well, from the agony of doing this shady business. Now that the big shot has taken action personally, things will come to an end, and the culprit will be uncovered as well.

…

Darcx reacted quickly and he informed the twelve secret division commanders about the meeting that Shi Lang called for. They were all shocked to receive the urgent notice, after all, the first general has been laying low for quite some time. They did not expect a summon at all.

Shi Lang stayed inside the warehouse and a couple of hours later all twelve of the secret division commanders arrived at the place as well. The four operatives were shivering and sweating from anxiety, while Darcx leaned against a wall with his hands crossed in front of his chest.

The commanders all arrived with their own teams, the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost tangible. The twelve people were not even offered chairs to sit down, and they did not mind as Shi Lang was strolling in the center as they stood around him in a circle. The twelve commanders all had their face masks on.

Shi Lang said, “Take off your masks. We already know what we look like, as for the video evidence of this meeting, let your teammates record this.”

This was an unusual order, as taking off their masks was a taboo for the secret division but since it was from a high chair, they all followed it regardless. After the masks were taken down, Shi Lang said, “What will you all do if I told you that you all failed in your duties?”

The people were surprised, and one of the commanders asked, “Sir, can you please tell us where we lapsed?”

Shi Lang looked at the man, and said, “Commander Scar, you will lead the following operations, and I will hold you responsible for any mistake, even if it is non-consequential.”

Then without giving the people a chance to refute or react, he played the holographic video. The confession of Ramone Stitch was shown to the higher-ups of the secret forces and the entire tape left them shocked and stunned. Shi Lang did not stop at the mail but also asked about everything in detail.

The old man replied and the more he talked, the more shock it brought to those who listened. Shi Lang was looking at all the commanders with his spirit sense and could sense that none of them was shocked. Their heads were slightly drooped and their backs were not as straight as it was when they came into the warehouse.

After the tape finished playing, Shi Lang said while his eyes were locked on to the teammates that followed the commanders, “If this information was leaked, I will locate you all, and kill you all regardless of who was responsible or not.”

The people shivered when they looked into those scarlet eyes. Shi Lang was serious and he even let out killing intent, making everyone fear his wrath. Archie Arkham asked, “Sir, what shall we do?”

Shi Lang turned to look at her and said, “Do I have to teach you what shall happen to those who harm the Federation? Do you not understand that these people will hollow out the entire civilization at this pace? How do you deal with bugs? You squash them. Based on the level of involvement and crime, feel free to punish these people in distant colonies with menial work, or directly kill them.

Those who hollow out the civilization shall die hollow too. Spill out their guts while they can feel it. Do you understand?”

The commanders nodded and they replied, “Sir, Yes sir.”

Shi Lang nodded and said, “You may leave, I will deal with the ten higher-ups of the so-called syndicates. As for the people in the renegades, verify their situation and backtrack everyone involved in this. If they come clear and help you out, leave them a way out, but the rest of the culprits must pay the price.”

The commanders nodded, and suddenly, Archie Arkham asked, “Sir, why have you not gone ahead to take action on your own yet? I mean, you are obviously angry about it.”

Shi Lang sighed and said, “I might end up killing everyone involved in this without exceptions.”

His voice was sincere, and his clenched fists showed how outraged he was and how he was restraining himself. Archie Arkham said, “Do not worry, we will redeem ourselves, Ace.”

Shi Lang closed his eyes and calmed his mind. He said, “Commander Silence, lend me your team for a few days. I need their help in cleaning this city. I have been away from the class a bit too long, my students will need me. I need your team to follow my instructions and work along with Darcx and the rest here.”

Archie Arkham nodded and said, “They will stay here.”

The people nodded and Shi Lang waved his hand as he said, “You can go now. I just hope that this matter is cleared up as soon as possible, and don’t be afraid of making this public. List the crimes as well. However, make sure that if the families of the culprits had nothing to do with it they should not have any backlash from this.”

The people nodded and they left quickly. Commander Scar was given all the responsibility and he was going to arrange a team and will jointly lead the operation with all the secret divisions. The strength of the twelve secret divisions was higher than the fleets when combined. The secret divisions were the hidden dagger that was slashed to reap lives.

…

Shi Lang delegated the work to people and left the place to visit his students, tomorrow they were going to display their mech pilot skills, and he needed to be present on scene.