Super Mothership
I was minding my own business defending the tower, but then one after another, the ones who rushed out howling to start team fights kept getting into trouble. Not only is the top lane in critical danger, but now the bottom lane looks like it’s about to collapse in a team wipe too?
What am I supposed to do with teammates like this? I’m desperate too!
“What’s going on? What happened to Gustav’s fleet?” Isabel asked in confusion.
Was the enemy really that strong? Almost a triple kill in just one exchange?
Nie Yun chose a very clever time to strike.
Because Gustav’s fleet was orbiting planet Kara, when the battle broke out, the battlefield happened to be on the far side of the planet. As a result, Isabel’s fleet stationed at the spaceport of the second planet couldn’t receive any optical visuals of the fight—only radar readings to go by.
“Um… Lady Isabel, based on the observed outgoing trajectories, the attack doesn’t seem to have come from Kara, but from within Lord Gustav’s own fleet!” a military officer reported.
From inside the fleet? Isabel’s face changed immediately upon hearing this.
Had the mysterious spy from the Unity Cult finally acted, even at the cost of exposing themselves?
Gustav’s escort fleet was elite to begin with. To achieve a triple kill in such a short time, even with the element of surprise, isn’t something a single escort ship’s firepower could manage.
Plus, now the only ship left on the battlefield is a very suspicious flagship…
That means the attacker is most likely the only one left standing!
Think about it carefully: only a destroyer-class sea clan flagship would have the strength to take out three escort ships at once!
Which means, the spy wasn’t just on board the sea clan flagship—they’ve probably already taken control of Gustav, using either coercion or other methods to gain full command of the flagship and ultimately trigger an internal rebellion!
In fact, ever since a few internal leak incidents, Isabel had suspected the spy was likely someone close to Gustav, and not in a low position either—someone with access to higher-level permissions.
But since it was an internal matter of the sea clan, she couldn’t interfere too much and only gave Gustav a subtle warning.
Now it seems, the spy may have really succeeded!
“Get me Gustav on the line!” Isabel ordered immediately.
If she wanted to confirm her suspicions, this was undoubtedly the fastest way…
But surprisingly, the call connected quickly, and Gustav’s familiar face appeared in front of Isabel.
She stared intently at Gustav for a full 3 seconds.
No signs of tension. His eyes were calm. He even had a slight smile at the corner of his lips… This didn’t look like someone under duress. Everything seemed normal.
But seeming too normal—that’s the most suspicious thing of all!
Who could smile so calmly after losing their entire escort fleet, now left all alone?
Even if he weren’t panicking, he should at least be frowning or visibly upset, right?
Something’s wrong—definitely wrong!
“Gustav, what happened on your side?” Isabel asked, probing for answers.
“What happened? Haven’t you already guessed?” “Gustav” replied with a strange smile.
Seeing his abnormal expression and unexpected response, Isabel’s heart sank…
No way… Could it be…?
She had considered many possible suspects for the spy—but never Gustav.
He was her long-time partner. Though they didn’t always get along, Isabel believed she understood Gustav’s character well—80 to 90 percent, at least.
He might play little tricks now and then, but overall, he was a straightforward guy. You could see right through him at a glance. The idea that he could be spy material—no way. Isabel simply refused to believe it!
But in this situation... could she really have been fooled by his acting too?
Was he really that calculating?
“No! You’re not Gustav! Who are you?!” Isabel demanded.
With the level of technology in the Gemini system, there were countless ways to perfectly replicate a person. A matching face didn’t prove anything.
What’s more, Gustav was a legion commander—he held great power and status. What kind of price would the Unity Cult have to pay to make someone like him defect and serve a shadowy, unknown organization?
It made no sense!
“If I’m not him, then how did I get into this position?” “Gustav” replied with a smile.
Isabel frowned.
The commander’s seat wasn’t something you could just sit in on a whim. Without identity authentication through the ship's AI, simply taking that seat would trigger an immediate alarm.
The Gemini military’s authentication system was extremely advanced. A face could be copied, but identity verification couldn’t be faked—not even by clones.
From the looks of it, the person before her truly had access to Gustav’s original authority. Otherwise, he couldn’t have taken control of the entire warship to orchestrate a mutiny.
“Gustav once took a truth serum. He wasn’t the spy!” Isabel shook her head.
“Haha! It’s not like truth serum doesn’t have an antidote. I just had to hide an injector inside my prosthetic arm. I could trigger it anytime.
Did you really think… I’d be stupid enough to willingly take a truth serum test?”
“You mean… you did it on purpose?!” This time Isabel was truly shocked.
This guy… had planned that far ahead?
“Haha! That kid Alsace must be feeling pretty proud now. Look—just a small sacrifice, and I cleared all suspicion of being a spy.
No matter how bold my actions became afterward, no one ever doubted me again. Why wouldn’t I go for it?” “Gustav” said smugly.
“No! The Gustav I know would never betray Gemini. He had no reason to!” Isabel was shaken, but after a long pause, still shook her head.
“Loyalty only lasts until someone offers a better deal,” “Gustav” chuckled.
“So what deal did they offer you?” Isabel asked, frowning.
“They… gave me this...” “Gustav” smiled, then lightly pressed on his prosthetic right elbow. His entire right arm jerked suddenly—
Clatter—! A pile of metal parts fell off, revealing bronze-colored skin beneath.
“You…” Isabel’s eyes widened in shock.
What appeared was a real arm—solid, muscular, brimming with explosive power like chiseled marble.
“Gustav” reached down and picked up one of the scattered metal parts, then, unbelievably, crushed it barehanded, deforming it with brute strength. Isabel's brow twitched involuntarily at the sight.
“Longer life. A stronger body. A higher evolutionary level. What do you think?” “Gustav” smiled at Isabel.
“You mean… the Water of Life?!” Isabel said in disbelief.
She hadn’t expected the other side to use something as rare and unrecovered as that—still in enemy territory!—as a bargaining chip to win over Gustav.
They’d bought loyalty with something they didn’t even possess yet—talk about getting something for nothing!
“Exactly! We’re out here risking our lives, and in the end, that cosmic treasure would just end up in the hands of those corrupt old politicians. Don’t you think that’s unfair?” “Gustav” said bitterly.
Isabel fell silent.
Of course she knew. Once something like the Water of Life was secured by the Gemini civilization, it would be used for research on the surface—but in truth, it would be secretly hoarded and divided by those high-ranking officials. People like her and Gustav would never even see it.
Still…
“That’s no excuse to betray your civilization!” Isabel said sternly.
So you suffered a little injustice, and your answer is to betray everything? What happened to the 19 years of patriotic education you were raised on?
But at this point, even Isabel had to admit she was beginning to believe Gustav might have betrayed them.
Given Gustav’s obsession with power, it wasn’t impossible that he’d be tempted by something like the Water of Life. The benefits were just too immense.
If it weren’t for her own family responsibilities, Isabel might’ve even been tempted herself.
That said, with how far things had progressed, whether Gustav was the spy or not didn’t really matter anymore—it no longer changed the bigger picture.
“Haha! Is that so? Then let’s just say we’re no longer on the same path.
But as an old friend, let me give you a word of advice: the strength of the Unity Cult is far beyond what you can imagine.
They didn’t just give me the Water of Life—they gave me stronger subordinates too. As you’ve seen…
So… try not to die on the battlefield, Isabel. Hahaha…”
TL Note- Among Us.....
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