A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 71: Father (3)

Rumble…

Josef looked up at the sky, where a thunderstorm was brewing.

The sky had been unsettling for the past few days.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if a blizzard had hit at any moment, given the clouds, yet the only thing falling from the sky was sleet, more like tiny hailstones.

Sometimes, the clouds seemed to gather unnaturally in one spot, then the sky would clear, only to become cloudy again shortly after.

*‘Even the weather station couldn’t figure out the exact cause…’*

Unpredictable weather was never a good sign.

Humanity had already faced an apocalypse once before, during the Ice Age.

*‘I still haven’t resolved the issue with General Max, and now the weather’s making things worse.’*

It had been thirteen days since General Max was detained on suspicion of ordering a hit on his adopted son, Bones.

And yet, there was still no decision on how to deal with him.

Even with testimonies from the Commander, Plato, and the 2nd Team Leader, the punishment kept being delayed.

*‘Could it be… that someone’s caught on…?’*

Not a single shred of evidence had been left behind.

Josef had only discussed it verbally with the 2nd Team Colonel, so the only one who knew of his involvement was the Colonel himself.

And that Colonel? He’d already been disposed of, staged as a suicide.

*‘I heard he was still using General Max’s name even while hanging off a cliff. I really know how to train a loyal dog, don’t I?’*

As loyal as the man was, he hadn’t executed the plan properly.

Of all people, it was Bones, General Max’s adopted son, who managed to come back alive.

The original plan was to kill Bones during the confusion of the subjugation battle, then frame it as self-defense.

Bones had a bad temper and was quick to flare up. The idea was that he’d resist his superiors, raise a gun in anger, and then get shot in self-defense. That was how it should have gone down.

But instead, a sudden ambush by large-class monsters on the Commander’s 1st Team during the search had thrown everything into chaos.

Originally, after the search was completed, they would have moved in a group of over a hundred, making it easy to take him out unnoticed. However, when the ten-team formation was reorganized into five teams, it became impossible to discreetly handle the situation.

The Colonel, tasked with eliminating Bones before the subjugation was over, must have decided to place Bones in the reorganized 2nd Team, planning to take him to a secluded area for execution.

It would’ve been difficult for the Colonel to handle it alone, given there were ten team members. He must have recruited a few, but since Bones and Lucas were both alive, it seemed some uncooperative officers had interfered.

*‘Bones… that guy is tough.’*

Despite knowing from the 2nd Team Leader that General Max had tried to kill him, Bones still kept his mouth shut.

The guy had always been fiercely loyal to Max. Even though he knew Max had tried to kill him, he probably didn’t want to betray the man he saw as his father.

It was ruthless, really. Even though he knew Max had abandoned him as a son, Bones chose silence over betrayal.

Just like Josef had trained the Colonel as his loyal dog, Max had raised a loyal one in his own household.

*‘At least, the fortunate part is that His Excellency, Lord Haydam, and Anton’s son heard the Colonel’s testimony.’*

If only the Commander and Haydam had heard the testimony, there would have been backlash from the pro-Daphne faction. But since Anton’s son, Plato, had testified alongside them, no one in any faction could raise doubts.

Even though Plato was a bit of a madman, everyone knew he wouldn’t bend his principles to make a false testimony.

The only piece of evidence was the Colonel’s statement that General Max had ordered it.

*‘But something doesn’t add up.’*

Josef had only ordered the Colonel to kill Bones and frame it as self-defense. He hadn’t instructed him to directly frame General Max.

While the plan had been to take down General Max, what Josef had envisioned was a scenario where Max, enraged by Bones’ death, would shoot the Colonel in a fit of rage.

He had never imagined that seven valuable officers would die as a result.

The Colonel had been executed and staged as a suicide largely because Josef had found him disgraceful.

*‘Even if the plan went awry, I had explicitly told him to frame Bones as the one instigating a rebellion…’*

If the Colonel, who wasn’t even part of the pro-Daphne faction but aligned with Haydam’s faction, had truly acted under General Max’s orders, the Commander and Haydam would surely find it suspicious.

Moreover, there was no benefit to General Max in killing Bones.

So why had the Colonel lied, claiming that Max had threatened him into attempting to kill Bones?

Was there something else forcing the Colonel’s hand into that confession?

*‘In any case, now that the testimony has been given, there’s nothing I can do about it.’*

Unless new evidence came to light—and even if it did—the Commander wouldn’t suspect Josef.

Yet, the fact that General Max hadn’t been punished even after all this time made Josef anxious.

It almost seemed as though the Commander had no intention of punishing Max at all.

At that moment, someone knocked on his office door.

“Come in.”

“Captain.”

His adjutant stepped in, approaching him to whisper in his ear.

“Lord Haydam is here to see you.”

“Lord Haydam?”

Haydam had never sought Josef out before.

And now, of all times, Haydam was coming to see him.

As the heir of the zone, Haydam’s visit should have felt like an opportunity, something to be excited about. But to Josef, it felt more like the arrival of the grim reaper.

Perhaps it was because of his current guilty conscience, but the sight of that angelic face, wiping the blood of General Batom off with a casual smile, had left a kind of trauma burned into Josef’s mind.

*‘No…’*

If it was the grim reaper, there was no point in hesitating.

There was no way to send him away just because he was unwelcome. If a beating was in store, it was better to take it sooner rather than later.

No matter how terrifying Lord Haydam was, he wouldn’t execute Josef, one of His Excellency’s closest confidants, on the spot.

“Lord Haydam has arrived, and you’re standing here asking me questions? Show him in already, and bring out some tea.”

“Well…”

The adjutant hesitated before lowering his voice even more.

“Lieutenant Bones is with him.”

“Lieutenant Bones?”

“…What should we do?”

Why would Lord Haydam bring along Bones, who should be under protection at the Commander’s residence, and come to see him?

Just as Josef was about to start worrying again, he realized this wasn’t the time for that.

The grim reaper wasn’t only terrifying, but also had a temper. Keeping him waiting outside for too long could lead to unforeseen consequences.

“…Bring them both in. I’ll prepare the tea. You can leave.”

“Yes, Captain.”

After the adjutant left, a smiling Haydam and a haggard-looking Bones entered the office.

Seeing Haydam’s pristine face, Josef was secretly surprised.

*‘They call it the Crevasse Miracle, and he really doesn’t have a scratch on him.’*

How had he survived that fall from the cliff and remained completely unscathed?

Looking into Haydam’s eyes, there was still no trace of humanity in them, just an eerie coldness that sent a shiver down Josef’s spine.

*‘What kind of eyes are those? Who could look at this child and believe he once lived in a slum at the age of ten? Even a monster’s offspring wouldn’t exude this much menace…’*

Josef could almost understand why Anton had quickly retired and distanced himself from the military.

**”No, that’s not it.”**

Anton was just a coward who ran away because he feared something would happen to his son.

He’s currently the Commander’s closest aide, but in the near future, he dreams of being an advisor to Haydam.

With a genial smile plastered on his face, Josef greeted the two men.

“It’s been a while, Lord Haydam. When I heard about the subjugation battle, this old man couldn’t have been more shocked. I’m relieved to see you’re safe.”

“I didn’t realize I was on your mind so much. You didn’t even visit me while I was recovering. I thought perhaps you’d forgotten. You know, at your age, it wouldn’t be surprising if you mixed up whether His Excellency even has a child or not.”

Though Haydam’s words were dripping with sarcasm, Josef knew better than to respond to them. From his observations, if you got caught up in Haydam’s words, it wouldn’t just be the barbs of the conversation that would hurt—you might end up with your own bones shattered. Josef simply chuckled as if he hadn’t understood the underlying meaning.

“I heard the young officers were constantly around you in the hospital, so I thought my visit might have been an unnecessary burden. I also heard Lieutenant Bones took good care of you during your stay.”

Josef deftly shifted the conversation toward Bones, smoothly inviting them to sit down instead of standing.

“Please, take a seat.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Bones responded promptly, taking his seat.

Haydam, on the other hand, stood there silently, staring at Josef as if he were thinking deeply about something. Only when it seemed like Josef was about to repeat his offer, did Haydam finally sit down.

“Very well, for now,” he said, his words laced with a hint of foreboding.

Josef fought to keep himself composed, walking over to where the refreshments were and starting to prepare tea.

“So, what brings you to this old man? From what I understand, Lieutenant Bones has been avoiding leaving the Commander’s residence due to… recent unfortunate events.”

“It’s nothing complicated, really. I was hoping you could help with something, Josef.”

Help with something?

*‘Is Lord Haydam asking me for help right now?’*

Relaxing just slightly, Josef prepared enough tea for all three of them and asked, “You mean, Lord Haydam requires my assistance?”

“Not exactly. It’s Lieutenant Bones here who needs help.”

“Lieutenant Bones?” Josef asked, turning to the young man.

“Bones, go ahead. You can speak freely with Josef,” Haydam prompted.

Being called “Josef-ssi” (Uncle Josef) by Haydam in such a familiar way was surprisingly pleasant to Josef’s ears. He looked at Bones with an expression that seemed to say he was ready to listen to anything.

But Bones hesitated, startled. He couldn’t bring himself to speak easily and hesitated.

Josef, with great patience, waited for him to gather the courage to talk. Finally, after the tea had been poured and placed in front of each of them, Bones opened his mouth.

“I’d like to testify… that my adoptive father, General Max, tried to kill me.”

Josef raised one eyebrow slightly.

*‘After all this time of keeping quiet, has he suddenly decided to change his mind?’*

Josef glanced over at Haydam, but Haydam’s faint smile seemed to say, “You two should talk now.”

Turning back to Bones, Josef asked, “…Why do you need my help to testify?”

“I would like you to accompany me when I give my testimony, Captain.”

*‘Hmm.’*

Accompanying him meant ensuring his safety while he testified.

It wasn’t strange that Bones would ask Josef for such a favor.

Considering that General Max might have ordered a hit on him, Bones couldn’t very well go and ask a pro-Daphne faction officer for protection.

Besides, Josef had actively worked to ensure that Bones and Lucas could be protected at the Commander’s residence just recently, so it made sense that Bones would expect him to help.

“It’s not difficult for me to assist, but if that’s the case, why didn’t…”

Before Josef could finish his question, Bones seemed to anticipate it and answered.

“You’re wondering why I didn’t ask Lord Haydam, right?”

“That’s correct. His Excellency knows you and Lord Haydam are close, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t help.”

“I did ask Lord Haydam to speak to His Excellency about it, but… His Excellency seems to believe that General Max isn’t the culprit.”

Josef felt his heart sink as if it had dropped into his stomach.

*‘His Excellency thinks Max isn’t the culprit…?’*

He almost lost his composure, but forced himself to maintain an air of calm, asking in a tone meant to convey curiosity rather than concern.

“If Max isn’t responsible, then who do they believe is?”

“Well…”

Bones hesitated to answer, and Josef, who hadn’t even set down the teacup he’d picked up, swallowed hard in his growing anxiety.

*‘Did they bring Bones here with Haydam because His Excellency suspects me as the culprit?’*

This time, Josef couldn’t hold back and asked again.

“Who do they think it is?”

“It’s someone present in this very room.”

Josef, without realizing it, dropped the teacup he had been holding.