"Take them away!" Deputy Commander Chen barked, ordering his men to take away the villagers. He then turned to Rocky and sneered maliciously. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"
"I should not have trusted you, Commander. I thought you were above this level." Rocky ignored him, looking right past him and stared straight at Marin. He shook his head with disappointment. It was difficult to swallow that Marin would be fooled into thinking of him as a murderer.
Marin felt a tug at her heart upon hearing Rocky's admonishments. The look in his eyes also made her feel a twinge of guilt, as if she was the one who had done something wrong.
"Commander, we have solid proof now. Let's have Rocky publicly executed to be made an example of!" Deputy Commander Chen turned to Marin and suggested.
"I need to think about how to deal with Rocky first..." Marin murmured, but then Evan interrupted her. He stepped up and saluted, saying, "Commander, if you do not order the execution of Rocky this instant, what would the troops think? That committing such crimes will be met with tolerance?"
"Please, Commander. Have Rocky executed!" The spirit manipulators from the other squads all suggested to Marin.
Very soon all troops, instigated by Evan, seconded this suggestion and shouted for his immediate execution.
Marin grew solemn at this outcry. She had thought that this was going to be easy. Now it appeared that it would have a huge impact on troop's morale. If she postponed her verdict, her command would come off as being unstable. However, for some inexplicable reason, she was not entirely comfortable at having Rocky executed. But the most important matter at the moment for her was to stabilize the morale of the troops. She had to face this hard decision. "Rocky committed the crime of murdering innocent villagers and fellow soldiers, as well as raping a young woman. He has violated multiple military codes in his conduct. Therefore I order his immediate public execution!" Her eyes grew sullen after this announcement.
A laugh broke out right after Marin finished her sentence.
Everyone looked on and saw that it was Rocky who just laughed.
ture, looking utterly perplexed. They started to discuss among themselves as they could not understand why the Commander in Chief would personally give an order to spare Rocky's life.
"Commander, what is going on? Why would Commander in Chief...? Deputy Commander Chen looked at Marin, all confused and he saw that Marin was not surprised at all. He then realized that Marin must be the one who reported it back to the headquarters.
Evan looked sullen, kicking at the dirt. He knew there was nothing that he could do now.
Evan and Deputy Commander Chen had done many calculations, but they still missed the fact that Rocky had another secret identity. They had no clue that this would be his saving grace.
"Rocky, you may keep your life, but you are still punishable for what you have done. I have decided to banish you from the northeast military camp." Marin then immediately order the exile of Rocky. He would leave with his life, but she had to do something about the crime that he had committed. To stabilize the morale of the troops, she had to be strict and fair.
Rocky looked at Marin for the last time before he turned and left.
At this moment, a commotion broke out from the soldiers who were surrounding the camp. They then parted the formation to make a way for someone. A powerful beast emerged, looking at these soldiers ferociously. It was followed by a petite woman in an old cloak, walking briskly towards the center.