Chapter 114: There’s an Imposter amongst us… and I think she did it!

Everyone immediately entered a deadlock as their eyes ran through the faces of their colleagues, and their grips around the hilts of their swords tightened.

The Commander didn’t immediately want to jump to conclusions and approached the body to inspect it for himself. From the visible signs on the body, it indeed looked like the man had been poisoned, and this made the Commander frown deeply.

He closed the man’s eyelids before standing up and glancing at the tense situation within the group.

The best course of action was to root out the perpetrator before advancing any further, or better still, return to the stronghold to resolve the matter. But the past few days they had wasted going back and forth in the wasteland, including the men and supplies lost, didn’t give him much of a choice.

If they were to return now, that would basically terminate the mission, as they were already racing against time to get to their target before the Stronghold 3 secret forces.

"Everyone, stand down." He ordered grimly.

The men hesitated for a moment, still exchanging wary glances and internally checking their bodies for any signs of poisoning.

"I said STAND DOWN." The Commander barked with an ashen expression.

The mercenaries finally yielded and slowly sheathed their blades.

"It turns out there seems to be an imposter in our midst." He began. "After repeated attempts to make it to the Grand Canyon that gave away our discretion, I’m not surprised in the least. I just never expected it to be someone in our circle, and I don’t understand why the person chose now to strike. But if you were the person responsible for Berthold’s death, I’m giving you the chance to step forward right now and explain yourself. We’ve fought so many battles together and taken on so many missions to be recognized by the Stronghold 8 government and chosen for this assignment. So if you are the person who poisoned Berthold, or know the person who did, this will be your last chance to come clean." The Commander said as he ran his eyes across their faces.

As tension simmered in the air, someone suddenly stepped forward, and all eyes immediately fell on them.

"Yelena?" The Commander asked in surprise.

"I want to see the body for myself." She said as she walked past the Commander and Kaelen and crouched to inspect the body.

The Commander exhaled softly and returned his gaze to the men, while Kaelen decided to keep an eye on Yelena as she ran her eyes over the body. Her gaze eventually locked onto his arm and closed in on the bite mark perfectly disguised like a vein on Berthold’s veiny arm.

The thick hairs across his arm didn’t make it any easier for one to spot it, but Yelena had done so almost immediately, which made Kaelen suspect she was using a skill.

She stared at the bite mark for a moment before standing up and walking back to her place beside the others without as much as sparing Kaelen a glance.

This made Kaelen frown.

She had probably discovered that the bite mark was the cause of death, which could’ve only been from an insect and not poisoned rations or even a lethal injection. Yet, she chose to remain silent.

Kaelen suddenly raised his hand, drawing everyone’s attention as he pointed at Yelena’s back.

"I think she did it."

Kaelen’s words made everyone freeze, including Yelena, who paused in her steps.

"What the hell is your problem, Kael?" Reiner frowned. "If it weren’t for the Commander clearing you, I’d swear on my ex’s life you did it."

"What made you say so, Kael?" The Commander asked as his brows furrowed.

"It’s called a Hunter’s hunch. I know a predator when I see one." Kaelen said with a straight face. "She probably came here just now to erase every piece of evidence."

The Commander’s expression darkened. "Is that all?" He asked with a blank look.

"I also came to notice Yelena is not part of your core team, based on the way y’all have been interacting with her. So if you think you can trust your men’s innocence, then Yelena might be the overlooked daredevil in our midst. She’s probably too stunned to speak, which is why she’s just standing there like a deer caught in the headlights."

As those words left Kaelen’s lips, Yelena’s shoulders began shaking, making everyone’s gaze fall on her.

Her shoulders shook for a moment before she threw her head back slightly as a melodious laugh escaped her lips.

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as they watched the indifferent woman laugh for the first time, which made their brains go blank.

"This is your second attempt at making me laugh today, and it worked. I know you’ve been trying to get my attention all this while, so I hope you’re happy now." She said and tilted her head to steal a glance at him before continuing to walk and climbing into her truck.

It was the sound of the door shutting that pulled the mercenaries out of their daze. Meanwhile, Kaelen had a dark expression on his face.

He had to admit her getaway card was smooth, because defending herself from his allegations might still make her a suspect in the hearts of the other mercenaries, and calling him out for his lies might only backfire and make her look desperate to defend herself, which was never a good sign.

So she did neither and simply laughed it off while throwing in a joke, completely charming the men and making her look as innocent as a child in their eyes.

Tch. So much for trying to throw her under the bus.

Kaelen suddenly felt a death glare on him and turned to see Reiner heaving like an angry bull.

The Commander coughed awkwardly to clear his throat. "Ahem. Kael, your intuition is not entirely wrong. Yelena is indeed not one of us in name, but we’ve contracted her for top missions that required her specialties and have worked with her for a few years now. So it’s safe to say we trust her as much as we trust one another... except that trust has been broken today." His expression darkened as he shifted his gaze to his men.

"Since neither of you has chosen to admit to murdering Berthold, we have no choice but to keep moving forward. But whoever is responsible, mark my words. I’ll be watching your every move from here on out, and the moment you slip up or attempt to take out another one of my men... then I won’t be so lenient. I’m going to find you. And I’m going to kill you with my bare hands."

"That’s the spirit, Commander." Kaelen commented from the side, making the man’s lips twitch.

"Pack it up. We’re hitting the road."

"I want the Grand Canyon in view before nightfall."