40: Epitaph of Loyalty

"...Dispose of them?"

Chen Feng's casual remark was like a poison-tipped ice shard, instantly piercing through all of Reno's psychological defenses. His face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"What... what do you mean?" Reno's voice trembled, but he still forced himself to shout the question. He gripped the handle of the sidearm at his waist, as if that cold touch could provide a sliver of strength.

"It's nothing," Chen Feng's tone was as calm as if they were discussing the weather. "I just want to show you something."

He raised his wrist and tapped lightly on his personal terminal.

A beam of light shot out from his terminal, projecting onto the dusty metal wall opposite them.

A light screen unfurled, and a cold title bearing the official Giant Star Mining watermark seared into Reno's eyes like a branding iron.

"Standard Operating Procedure for Disposal of Low-Value Assets, Version 7.3"

"..." Reno's breathing hitched.

"According to Article 3, Clause 17 of The Convention, when the physical resource extraction rate of a target planet reaches the 95% threshold, all 'local employees' shall follow the principle of cost minimization and undergo a unified 'Ecological Cycle Recycling' process..."

Chen Feng didn't even bother reading the clauses; he just watched Reno quietly, watching as the tough guy's expression crumbled inch by inch.

"...To prevent potential technology leakage and subsequent management costs, any form of severance or transfer is prohibited. Disposal methods include, but are not limited to: high-concentration dissolution, harmless incineration, or backfilling the mining area as organic fertilizer..."

Those familiar, cold official terms now appeared in Reno's eyes as a most vicious epitaph, one that had long since been written for him.

He thought of the seniors who had been transferred and never returned; he thought of the fellow villagers who had vanished after being told they were "promoted"; he thought of the routine look of annoyance on Bachm's face every time "environmental processing" was conducted on decommissioned Mine Slaves.

It turned out that they were never any different from the Mine Slaves who were pushed into the Decomposition Vats.

What they had been guarding was never order or property.

They were merely guarding their own gravestones.

"Impossible... This is impossible..." Reno muttered to himself, sweat dripping from his forehead, his whole body feeling cold.

"Bachm is applying to his superiors to execute this clause ahead of schedule," Chen Feng added calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a final hammer blow that completely shattered Reno's last shred of hope.

"He said the 'great discovery' in Sector B is enough for him to complete all his KPIs early. People like us no longer have any value for continued existence."

"You're lying!"

Reno suddenly let out a beast-like roar; he had finally broken down!

Swish!

He pulled out the sidearm from his waist, the dark muzzle of the energy gun aimed squarely at the center of Chen Feng's forehead!

"You must have forged this! You want to use me! You want to rebel!" His eyes were bloodshot, and his hand holding the gun trembled violently from anger and fear.

Facing the barrel of the gun, there was no expression on Chen Feng's face; he didn't even blink.

He just stood there quietly and calmly raised his hand.

A crudely shaped "Core Sampler," full of violent aesthetics, suddenly appeared in his hand. Ma Liu had hidden it in the deepest part of this pile of junk before the meeting.

"You can take a gamble," Chen Feng said indifferently, his voice echoing in the small space, clear and cold.

"Whether your energy pistol charges faster, or my 'Core Sampler' has more penetrative power."

He paused, his gaze falling on Reno's eyes, which were slightly widened in disbelief.

"Or, you can use your captain's authority right now to connect to the Guard Team's internal network and verify the encrypted digital signature at the head of this document. See for yourself if it truly comes from the head office's highest encryption sequence."

“...”

Reno's gaze shifted back and forth between the "mining tool" radiating a dangerous aura and Chen Feng's all-seeing eyes.

Finally, it was as if all his strength had been drained.

Clang.

The energy pistol slipped from his weak hand and hit the ground with a hollow clatter.

He had lost.

He had lost utterly and completely.

"What... what we've been guarding all this time..." His voice was as raspy as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, "...was our own gravestone?"

Chen Feng watched his soul-crushed state and said nothing.

At this moment, he thought of the business wars he had fought on Earth. Those opponents whose every hope he had destroyed on the negotiation table using precise data and contractual traps.

He knew that destroying someone's faith was sometimes crueler than killing them.

But it was also more effective.

"I don't need your loyalty."

Chen Feng put away the modified Gauss Rifle, breaking the suffocating silence. His gaze drifted past Reno's shoulder, looking out into the endless darkness beyond the door.

"I need a partner."

"A... general who can lead those desperate warriors to fight to the death for themselves, and for everyone's tomorrow."

"Bachm has gone mad; he will soon drag everyone into the grave of Sector B. The report on the depletion of the mining area will be submitted at any time."

Chen Feng turned around and walked toward the iron door.

"There isn't much time left for you."

Click.

The iron door was opened, then closed again.

Chen Feng left, leaving Reno alone in the cold darkness, silently coexisting with his already shredded loyalty and his newly born, burning hatred.