Chapter 269: The Confession of a Betrayer

“Kill me…”

“Do it already…”

Half a minute later, Zheng Cheng reverted to his old self, as if completely disheartened, and gave up resisting.

Ignoring his comrades’ pained stares, he simply fixed a calm look on Yenir, seeking nothing more than a swift end.

There was nothing worth fighting for.

Having witnessed Yenir’s power firsthand, he knew there was no chance of escape. Otherwise, why would he have betrayed Zhang Qiming to save himself?

He had used ‘burn wounds’ as a means of communication—a method born of caution, knowing Yenir’s indomitable will made mental dialogue impossible.

In his mind, Yenir had long proposed blowing up the Awakener from the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones. A burn wound under heavy bombardment was totally expected—who would suspect a war casualty?

He thought that selling out Zhang Qiming would clear his name, but fate played a cruel trick, turning it into his Achilles’ heel.

It was clear that he had underestimated Yenir.

After a brief exchange of glances, Yenir did not rush to kill him; instead, he asked softly, his face composed:

“I’m really curious—why did you become a spy?”

“I’ve reviewed your records; they’re flawless.”

“At fourteen, you lost your parents and were rescued by the Military. By sixteen, you enlisted and, with first-class strength, diverted a Second-Stage mutant to save a Supply Squad.”

“Your talent shone brightly. By twenty-six, you had become a Third-Stage Awakened and earned a spot in the Special Forces. You’ve battled through six challenging operations and thirteen border skirmishes, and you’ve been gravely injured twice—nearly giving the Military every last drop of your blood.”

“You have no attachments; no one can hold you back.”

“Moreover, the late Captain always looked out for you like a brother. When Zhang Wei was ‘captured’ by the Japanese Battle Zone, you even treated her like a little sister—you nearly lost your life for her.”

“Don’t you hate it?”

“I’m curious—what promises did the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones offer to make you betray your teammates? I find it hard to believe you could really pull that off.”

“Or have I truly underestimated you?”

With that, Yenir fixed his curious gaze on Zheng Cheng’s eyes.

His record was so perfect that he hadn’t doubted him from the start—even though Zheng Cheng, with his mental fortitude and far-reaching connections, had the means to pass on information.

He had even suspected Ming Luo, since as the successor to the old Captain, the Awakener was logically the most likely infiltrator planted by the enemy Battle Zone.

In the thick silence that followed.

The squad members all stared intently at Zheng Cheng.

Yes, as comrades who had fought side by side, they were even more desperate than Yenir to understand why the battle hero who had always cared for them would betray his country!

Every recalled failure, every fallen comrade, made it all seem utterly absurd and fake.

A long, eerie silence ensued.

After a moment of inner turmoil, Zheng Cheng’s face, as if aged a decade, trembled before he spoke in a parched tone:

“I asked for a clean break, didn’t I?”

He lifted his eyes, carrying one final plea.

Before Yenir could nod, he slowly exhaled:

“I’ve always believed I didn’t betray the country. Do you believe that…”

“I’m not lying—I truly never meant to harm anyone…”

“Quite the opposite—I only wanted to make one final effort for the Huaxia Battle Zone…”

“Oh?”

Yenir raised an eyebrow, urging Zheng Cheng to continue.

With a bitter smile, Zheng Cheng ignored his teammates’ stunned looks and murmured:

“This story goes way back…”

“Yenir, you’re right. I wasn’t coerced by the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones or even Southeast Asia, nor did I seek anything from them.”

“The Military treated me well; as a solitary figure, I didn’t need to cling to anything…”

“In fact, I despise those scum more than any of you…”

“I wish they’d all perish—I even wanted to kill Dahe Yicheng myself!”

“The reason I betrayed and passed on information was that I wanted to save everyone! I only wished to ease the suffering of the Huaxia Battle Zone!”

Listening to Zheng Cheng, Ming Luo suddenly roared in disbelief:

“Zheng Cheng! What the hell are you saying!?”

“Have you lost your mind?! Betraying us supposedly for our own good—can you even face Zhang Wei? What about the old Captain?!”

Meeting Ming Luo’s furious glare and looking at the Captain he had practically cared for like family, Zheng Cheng smiled indifferently before speaking earnestly:

“I did what was necessary.”

“If I hadn’t betrayed you and cooperated with them…”

“Do you think you could have survived?”

“Last time, even one from the Constitution Type died for the old Captain! Do you know why no one chased us afterward?!”

“And remember when you tried to seize Zhang Wei’s body? If I hadn’t stopped you and confessed that I couldn’t trace them, had you thought about the consequences?!”

With a grim expression, Zheng Cheng suddenly straightened his back, as if ready to spill every secret from his heart.

“We stand no chance against them!”

“Ever since I joined the Special Forces, do you know how many comrades I’ve seen fall right before my eyes?!”

“They come at us with forces from over a dozen nations! They hold all the advantages! And us? We can only risk our lives—yet have we ever succeeded?!”

“I see no hope! I don’t want to witness any more deaths!”

Gasping heavily, Zheng Cheng’s face flushed red; the scar on his cheek seemed to shimmer with unshed tears.

“Do you think I don’t suffer?!”

“No…I truly can’t take it anymore. As an intelligence scout, every time I face the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones, I know we’re doomed to fail again!”

“I don’t want this—I don’t want to lose any more brothers…”

“But will you retreat? Will you abandon the mission?!”

With a tear-laden cry, Zheng Cheng tore open his combat uniform, exposing a chest covered with countless wounds:

“A soldier’s duty is to obey orders! But I don’t want you to die! Tell me, what choice did I have other than cooperating with them to save more lives?!”

Sweeping his gaze over everyone, Zheng Cheng, like a shattered wanderer, grabbed each person by the collar:

“Do you think I don’t want to save Zhang Wei or the old Captain?!”

“I treat her like a little sister and the Captain like a brother! I’d rather die than see them suffer—but what could I do? Those bastards wanted to keep us out of the dungeons; they had to make an example by taking down the Captain!”

“I begged them—pleaded like a dog—but what did it accomplish?!”

“They just wanted to humiliate us!”

Gripping Ming Luo’s collar tightly, Zheng Cheng’s face twisted in desperate agony as he glared at him.

“Ming Luo! Do you even realize whose life was traded for yours?!”

“You secretly left the team to take out that scum—did you really think they wouldn’t know?!”

“Let me tell you, your so-called stealth was seen through a long time ago!”

“We lost seven brothers—three of them sacrificed for your life!”

After that, as if all strength had been drained from him, Zheng Cheng staggered, letting go and laughing maniacally like a madman.

“I couldn’t save everyone—I could only save those with potential.”

“We’re like pigs in a sty; only by sacrificing a few can we ensure the survival of the rest…”

Watching the nearly deranged Zheng Cheng, Yenir’s eyes softened with a hint of pity in the silence.

“So you really believe you were saving everyone by working with them? Betraying the country?”

“Do you think that even if opposition means death, it’s better to lose fewer lives?”

Hunched over, Zheng Cheng slowly looked up at Yenir and sneered:

“Yes.”

“But you say I betrayed? No—I’ve made it clear, I can’t be called a traitor!”

“Before you showed up, the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones was willing to sell us ore in exchange for my intel.”

“Had I not sweet-talked them, the ore trade would have long stopped.”

“In the end, we’re all dead anyway, with nothing to gain. I dare say that, looking at the final outcome, I’ve done right by the country and every single one of you!”

With one final spark of defiant stubbornness, Zheng Cheng stared unflinchingly at Yenir, as though his conscience stood clear.

His choices had been righteous.

Better to cling to life than to die in vain—at least then, hope endures!

In his heart, living such a wretched existence was far worse than a brave, glorious death in battle!