The echo of Ryan's furious "bullshit order" still reverberated in the cold briefing room.
Gestalt leaned against the cold alloy wall, his combat-gloved fingers wearily massaging the bridge of his nose. He looked at his squad, feeling as heavy as lead.
Ryan's chest heaved violently. Beneath his "Enhanced Sentinel" combat suit, his "Crimson" core radiated scorching heat and unstable fury.
He was like a bomb with a lit fuse, and the high command of the Federation had lit it with their cold-hearted treatment of them as consumables.
Nadeshiko tried to soothe him; the energy of her "Jadeite Green" core was like faint spring rain. However, it clearly wasn't enough to extinguish the raging fire in Ryan's heart—a fire born from a sense of betrayal.
Shen Kai, the center of the storm, stood by the viewport with his back to them, a lonely silhouette as if separated from this dispute by an entire world.
Gestalt knew Ryan was telling the truth. The tragedy of Sergeant Jones's squad was a cautionary tale.
The so-called "controllable risk assessment" was nothing more than a cold phrase used by the higher-ups in their offices to appease their consciences or report to their superiors.
Now, the "controllable risk" butcher's knife was finally hanging over the heads of their "Pathfinder" squad.
His earlier reprimand stemmed from the disciplinary instinct engraved in the bones of a Federation Master Sergeant. But, looking at the angry, worried, and lost faces of his squad members at that moment, he realized that simple orders and discipline could no longer put this team back together.
They were about to venture deep into the Withered Bone Forest Sea, a land of death about which even the Federation knew little.
What's more, a pair of cold, merciless "eyes" from the Technology Division and the Internal Affairs Investigation Department were following them.
If he couldn't reunite the team and find a common goal that transcended being treated like lab rats, then complete annihilation awaited them.
Complaining and anger wouldn't solve anything. He had to give them a new direction, a new hope, even if it led them down a more dangerous, insubordinate path.
He made his decision.
"Ryan," Gestalt's voice sounded again. This time, the previous severity was gone, replaced by deep exhaustion and a certain degree of compromise.
"I know you resent this mission arrangement. So do I."
"But as soldiers of the Circumpolar Federation, the first thing we must learn is to preserve ourselves as much as possible when faced with an unchangeable order and find another way to complete the mission."
"Another way?"
Ryan turned his head and let out a cold laugh. His eyes were full of disbelief and mockery.
"Boss, you can't be naive enough to think we can pull any tricks under the full surveillance of that Courier-7B, can you?"
"Its multispectral energy analyzer and psionic wave sensors could probably analyze the composition of our cores if we so much as farted out energy!"
"The eyes of those 'Gray Doves' from Internal Affairs are more venomous than the 'Crystal-Winged Falcons' of Deep Sector L3!"
"I didn't say we'd pull tricks."
Gestalt's gaze swept over every squad member, finally landing on Shen Kai.
"The fact that the Federation High Command wants to observe Chengkong's core characteristics, as well as assess his potential risks and value, through this mission is unchangeable."
"However, the mission objective area, the 'Withered Bone Forest Sea,' is full of unknowns and variables."
"While we carry out the 'official' tasks of exploration, cartography, and investigating the communication loss, perhaps..."
He saw a flicker of confusion in Ryan's and Nadeshiko's eyes. Even Shen Kai, who had been silent this whole time, seemed moved by his words and turned slightly.
It was time.
A nearly imperceptible, cold arc formed on Gestalt's lips. His body, dressed in the standard training uniform, seemed to be clad in his "Reinforced Fortress" interface, exuding a heavy sense of pressure.
"Since they're treating us as a 'sharp blade' sent deep into the tiger's den," he said, ensuring every syllable was branded into his team's minds,
"then, while cutting down its target, if this 'blade' were to 'accidentally' injure the eyes of certain 'observers,'"
"or...if, during the 'experiment,' due to the 'force majeure of the Deep Sector environment,' some unexpected 'by-products' were generated,"
"such as certain key data being 'accidentally lost' or 'interfered with by a strong signal,' that would be unavoidable, wouldn't it?"
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Ryan and Nadeshiko were stunned, their eyes filled with shock. They had never seen the captain with such an expression nor heard him utter words so close to "rebellious."
He was a completely different person from the captain they remembered, the one who always placed the "Standard Operational Regulations for the Circumpolar Federation Deep Sector Intervention Forces" above all else.
Gestalt immediately retracted that dangerous expression, returning to his usual seriousness.
"Of course, the premise for all of this is that we must have enough strength to deal with any threat that may arise in the Withered Bone Forest Sea, including those... 'surprises' that the Federation may have deliberately omitted from its intelligence."
"We must be more cautious and more united than ever before."
"Not only do we have to face enemies from the Deep Sector, but we also have to be wary of the ever-present eyes 'behind us.'"
He watched his team's reactions.
The fire in Ryan's eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a sharper, more dangerous look. He tightened his fists, feeling his "Crimson" core stabilize yet pulse with greater explosive power, driven by a new will.
"I understand, boss," Ryan said, taking a deep breath. "I'll let those who want to show off know that assaulting the 'Pathfinders' is not such easy bait!"
Shen Kai also spoke softly, his gaze calm yet firm:
"I will do my best to protect everyone."
"I will also try to interpret those 'whispers' to provide the team with more useful information."
In Nadeshiko's eyes, fear and unease gradually gave way to trust. She nodded vigorously.
"My medical skills and logistical support will definitely be useful!"
Good. Gestalt watched his team's spirits rally, and the heavy stone in his heart finally shifted, letting a sliver of light through.
"Remember how we feel right now," he said in a low, powerful voice.
"This resentment and anger will be our most primitive driving force to survive in this land of ash and ultimately tear open the shadow."