Living as a Salted Fish, No Snake on the Marshal's Wrist

Chapter 16: Mutiny

The room became eerily quiet. Taio Ru however didn't notice as he was too focused on the mecha in front of him.

"Officer Lang come here real quick." An officer from the reconnaissance crew suddenly said as he stood by the door.

"The Marshal asked me to remain here." Officer Lang answered back as he continued to stand on guard not far from Taio Ru.

"It's important. You need to come here quickly." The man said once more he face a shade darker.

"I have orders." Officer Lang reiterated.

"Tch... don't blame me for not trying." The man said.

Bang*

A large man appeared behind officer Lang and grabbed him from behind. His arm wrapped across his neck.

Officer Lang struggled but soon fell unconscious.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" The officer who was previously standing by the door asked as he approached.

"Course not. He was just doing his job. Don't make me out to be a traitor lieutenant Shayu." The large man said.

"No one will ever think your a traitor officer Xiniu. What we are doing is investigating an enemy spy and eliminating a threat. When did is done, the empire will praise us." Lieutenant Shayu said as he patted officer Xiniu on the shoulder.

Soon several other men all wearing the same outfit as the reconnaissance team and crew outfits entered the mecha bay. At some point they had lured Jun De's men out or knocked them unconscious.

"Seal the door. We don't need any interruptions while interrogating this enemy spy." Lieutenant Shayu said as he approached the mecha where Taio Ru was.

...

Grab*

Taio Ru suddenly ducked forward, he didn't know why but he suddenly had a shiver run down his spine.

Lunging forward he barely escaped the hand reaching out behind him.

"What the hell do you want?" He snapped staring at the man who had just attempted to grab him.

"Stop acting the fool. We know your an enemy spy." Lieutenant Shayu said from behind officer Xiniu who'd just attempted to grab Taio Ru.

"Spy? I'm not a spy. Jun De, I mean Marshal Xiongmao should have made that clear to everyone." Taio Ru said as it dawned on him that something was going terribly wrong.

"The Marshal may have been fooled by you, but our Captain can clearly see through your tricks. Now, it's our job to prove her right and show your true face to the Marshal." Lieutenant Shuya said.

"What? Why does this guy sound like those crazy cult believers?" Taio Ru thought as he tried to back away from the men in front. He'd faced these types of overzealous people before and no amount of words could sway them.

"Don't think you can escape so easily." Lieutenant Shiyu said as the larger officer Xiniu moved forward once more.

Taio Ru's mind went blank. Relying on the instincts of a snake he weaved and dodged the man as best he could.

Bang*

From the side came a bright light. It only grazed the side of Taio Ru's body. However it was enough to send a shockwave throughout his body.

"They want to kill me. I need to run. I need to hide." Taio Ru thought as he looked for the smallest crack or crevice on the mecha's armour to sneak into.

Fortunately, he wasn't far from the knee joint and managed to slip inside.

"Shit! Grab him!" Lieutenant Shayu shouted, but he was too late. Taio Ru had hidden himself inside and out of reach of his pursuers.

"Quick, don't just stand there, get the tools. We need to get him out before the Marshal comes back." Lieutenant Shayu shouted irritated.

...

"Captain Baihu, what did you need to urgently discuss?" Jun De asked the moment he entered the room.

"Jun De, are you really planning on choosing that unknown man to be your spouse? He clearly can't be trusted. He is also affecting your judgment. Think this through." Captain Baihu said tears welling up in her eyes.

"Captain Baihu, it's Marshal Xiongmao. I also do not need to explain my choices to a mere captain." Jun De said displeased.

"It is my business. My team members are waiting for rescue, but because of that snake your judgment has been clouded I can't go save them!" Captain Baihu stated desperately.

"Taio Ru has no bearing on my command over this ship and mission. We are leaving for Capital Star because remaining here will put my crew at risk. I can understand and sympathize with your desire to find your missing team members, but I will not put my crew at risk for your wild goose chase." Jun De directly said.

"Please, Jun De." Captain Baihu said once more tears trickling down her cheeks.

Despite her desperate pleas, Jun De turned and left the room.

Walking back to the mecha bay, Jun De had a bad premonition. The bustling area was too quiet. The uniformed officers he could see all had the reconnaissance teams uniforms and not that of his own crew.

His steps quickening he moved forward.

...

"Why is the gate closed?" Jun De asked. The mecha bay gate was to remain open to insure access when needed. Without his permission it should not be closed.

"Marshal forgive me, but I've been ordered to stop others from entering." The officer said.

"Orders? Who dares to give orders on my ship?" Jun De exclaimed rage filling his mind.

The officer standing guard froze in fear. He had often heard of Marshal Xiongmao's prowess on the battlefield. Despite that, after meeting him in person he couldn't help but think they had exaggerated the facts to cater to his noble lineage.

Until this moment. The fierce aura emanating from the Marshal froze his very blood in his veins.

Jun De had no patience to wait for the officer in front of him. He grab the man and threw him across the hall. Than proceeded to open the door.

Swoosh*

The door opened to reveal a group of men surrounding his mecha with tools and weapons in hand.

"If you can't grab him then just shoot him tell he comes out." A gray haired older man commanded from the side.

Hearing those words Jun De's kind went blank. He rushed forward and began beating everyone in sight into a bloody pulp.

"No wait!" One man shouted before having his face punched in by Jun De.

"Marshal, stop. We must apprehend the traitor. Just let us interrogate him and prove to you he isn't the innocent beastmen he claims to be." Lieutenant Shuya said as he stayed off to he side out of the marshal's area of attack.

Jun De was furious by the lieutenants words. Unable to calm down he attacked everyone in sight until there was no movement left in the room.

...