Chapter 174 Uncover The Truth

"Rocky," Marin said through her gritted teeth. She was starting to get annoyed by Rocky's repetitive reappearances. Her beautiful face was now painted with a dark shade of annoyance. She could not believe Rocky still had the guts to defend himself. He killed people, for crying out loud. It was now obvious he never took her, his Commander, into account.

When Rocky heard Marin's voice, he immediately shifted his focus from Matthew to the commander. He looked firm; his eyes were filled with clearness and indifference. He knew he did not do anything wrong. No trace of regret nor shame could be found in his face.

"Commander, can you believe this guy? He is so arrogant! How dare he do such thing in front of you? He has no respect for the military rules! Commander, you can never go easy on him again. You cannot let this kind of thing slide. Justice must be served. Commander, you have the power to make this right. Please give my two fellow brothers the justice they deserve, after passing so unjustly," Matthew wailed. His face was sullen and morose. He looked like he just lost both his parents. His mind was set on having Rocky killed. If Rocky remained alive, his own life would be in danger. His plan for revenge would be harder to pull off.

"Commander, please listen to Matthew. What he just said is right. Rocky is plain evil! He seems to show no remorse for cruelly killing two spirit manipulators. The crimes he committed are enough to earn himself a death sentence. Aside from that, he also disrupts the northeast military camp operations. Our people's mind would never be at ease knowing a murderer is among our ranks, someone who shows no respect to the military disciplines. If we stay lenient and not do anything about him, the wrath of the public might never die down," Evan respectfully told Marin, all whilst maintaining an intense eye contact. With a situation this bad, he knew Marin would never side with Rocky. Once Rocky was convicted, Marin could no longer do anything to retract it. This would be the end for Rocky.

"Rocky, would like to say anything in your defense?" Marin turned to Rocky. She had known Rocky for a while now. The idea of Rocky killing people without reason just did not sit well for her. Despite her anger towards the murder, she tried her best to keep a clear mind and gave Rocky a chance to speak for himself. She could proceed accordingly only after hearing what the accused had to say.

"Well, for starters, who would you trust more, Commander? Me or Matthew?" Rocky nonchalantly asked Marin. He looked straight at her eyes with utter determination.

Marin was taken aback by Rocky's question. She hesitated for a while and replied, "The truth is of the highest importance today. It has nothing to do with who I believe more."

"Okay then. The truth is Matthew and the two spirit manipulators had been harassing the villagers in the nearby villages. They rob innocent civilians like bandits, all

d for Rocky. The two once laughed at Rocky. But now that Rocky's at the second grade of the Earthly Stage, they were totally frightened of him. They did not dare touch him. They nervously gestured to Rocky the way to where they were headed.

Rocky gave Marin a composed look for a while. Then he glanced at toward Matthew and Evan's direction. He let out a little laugh, then walked slowly out the tent. He did not contest Marin's decision. He trusted her. Rocky knew Marin would deal with this matter, fair and square. Matthew's plan on pinning the crimes on him did not scare him one bit. He did not regret killing those people, and he knew Marin would not let it slide so easily. The worst case scenario was him getting kicked out of the team.

"Deputy Commander Chen, the investigation is on you. I need to find out the truth as soon as possible. Do it as fairly as you can. This investigation has no room for favoritism. Got that?" Marin ordered her right-hand man.

"Yes, ma'am," Deputy Commander Chen answered. With a newly appointed assignment, he left in an instant.

"I really hope you're telling the truth, Matthew. If you were not, your execution would be a grisly one," Marin warned Matthew. She turned to look at Matthew with threatening eyes. Between the two, she totally would pick Rocky. She would definitely believe Rocky more than she would Matthew. Rocky had proven himself incapable of doing something as horrible as what Matthew and the others did. Additionally, the whole time he was speaking, Matthew appeared to be guilty. Marin was already suspicious of Matthew. She'd heard some rumors about him before. She paid them no mind; she had more important things to think about. Marin could spare no time dwelling on some baseless hearsays.

But those were just her initial opinions towards the issue. They needed to wait for Deputy Commander Chen to conclude his investigation. Until then, they could only wait for the truth to reveal itself.