Chereads / Interstellar Legend / Chapter 118 - Determination

Chapter 118 - Determination

"They were killed by me!"

"Captain Jeram was killed by me!"

Reno's words were like muffled thunder, leaving Russell Hill dizzy and disoriented.

Watching him, Reno sighed and patted Russell Hill's shoulder before walking away.

Suddenly, Russell Hill turned and shouted, "Reno!"

Reno halted, turning back to look.

Russell Hill, his voice deliberate, asked, "Why? Why did you do that?"

Reno tilted his head. "That's the second question, Mr. Hill."

Then he ignored Hill and left.

Watching his departure, Hill felt lost.

Looking around, he saw the soldiers all staring at him.

Russell Hill shouted, "Did you hear? It was him, Johnny Reno, who killed his own commanding officer! He killed Captain Jeram! He's not the hero you imagine, he's a traitor, a murderer! Will you still follow him?"

The soldiers remained silent, their expressions indifferent, continuing to eat.

Some wanted to speak but were nudged by neighboring soldiers and lowered their heads.

A few soldiers finished their meals and quietly left.

More soldiers simply sat, staring at Hill as though he were already dead.

Hill felt a chilling indifference emanating from the depths of his being.

It was disdain, naked disdain!

Suddenly, he understood.

He had been wrong from the start.

This was never a secret; everyone here knew what had happened.

This was never a personal murder committed by Reno.

It was collective.

It was mutiny!

Russell Hill trembled involuntarily.

Finally understanding what had happened, Russell Hill was filled with agony, despair, and a betrayed anger that he couldn't release, making him feel uncomfortable for a long time.

Hill sat down weakly in his seat, unable to speak.

His despairing expression finally made some people unable to bear it.

A soldier walked over, patted Hill's shoulder, and said, "Hey, buddy, stop thinking about it. Some things you're destined not to understand. Actually, some things aren't as you imagine."

Hill looked up at the soldier, who then turned and walked away.

Watching the soldier's back, Hill suddenly spoke loudly, "What do you mean by destined not to understand?"

The soldier paused, turned back to look at Hill, and said, "Nothing, just advising you to give up trying to understand things you can't comprehend."

"How do you know it's something I can't comprehend?" Hill retorted.

The soldier hesitated.

Hill turned back to look at everyone in the dining hall, the soldiers all stopped eating and stared at him together.

They didn't speak, only their eyes were full of indifference.

But Hill understood.

He nodded, "So that's how it is. No wonder, no wonder Johnny Reno left me here and didn't care. There are 2,800 soldiers here, exactly 2,800 people. Under normal circumstances, some people would inevitably speak out about what happened before. But I've been on this ship for many days, and I've never heard any of you talk about what happened on Abradhi, no matter how I tried to probe, I didn't get a single hint. Because you all abide by military discipline? Give me a break, I don't believe that. If every soldier were good kids, why would we need military police and investigators? Now I understand, because you also don't know the truth, right?"

He looked at everyone and said slowly, "You participated in a mutiny, but you don't know the truth about this mutiny?"

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, at that moment, he knew he had guessed correctly.

Hill nodded, "It's unbelievable, I don't know why, but I will find out the truth. If Reno won't tell me, I'll find out in my own way. I will find the answers!"

He shouted loudly, like a lone warrior standing under a fluttering flag, making his solemn declaration.

Clare couldn't bear to watch anymore.

She stood up and walked to Russell Hill.

Standing in front of Hill, she said, "I admire your persistence, but why can't you try to let go? Less stubbornness would do you good."

"Let go? Less stubbornness?" Russell Hill repeated Clare's words, then burst into laughter.

He laughed wildly, proudly, and recklessly.

He suddenly jumped onto the table, shouting loudly, "For this case, I've sacrificed my whole life. To get to the truth, I even became an accomplice to treason! The stupidest decision of my life was believing Reno and helping him save you all for the sake of this damned justice! But what did I get? I got caught up in a mess, became a wanted criminal just like you all, and the answer I got was this? A mutiny? How can I let go and face all this? My life has been ruined by Reno, from the beginning, I shouldn't have believed him!"

All the soldiers fell silent.

"Why did you believe him in the first place?" Claire said, "Wasn't it because he tried to save us at that time? You thought he was a good person, right? So why don't you choose to continue believing in him?"

"Believe in what? He admitted himself that he killed Captain Jeram!" Russell Hill shouted.

"Believe in his character," Claire said.

She grabbed Hill's arm, calming him down as he stepped off the table.

Then she said softly, "Sometimes we not only need to use our eyes to see, our ears to listen, but also learn to use our brains to think and our hearts to understand. Mr. Hill, you've known Reno for some time now. Do you think he's the kind of person who would resort to anything for his own gain?"

Russell Hill hesitated, then shook his head, "Do you want to tell me he had reasons? That he did it under duress? Then why didn't he say?"

"He doesn't tell you because he wants to help you."

"What?" Russell Hill was taken aback.

"He wants to let you go," Claire said. "Your heart isn't here. You're different from Amon Palma and Sarah; your heart isn't here, and there's no space for you to showcase your talents. We've realized this during this time of observation. Maybe it was a mistake to bring you on board from the beginning. So Reno wants you to leave, but it requires the right opportunity."

Hill finally understood.

"He doesn't tell me the truth because it might lead to what happened on the Abradhi being known to the Federation?"

Claire nodded.

If Reno told Hill the truth, then when the Federation found Hill, it would be the moment the Federation government knew everything—even without mind reading, modern instruments would provide them with enough methods to get confessions, and Hill himself knew he couldn't keep a secret.

But what kind of truth was it that Reno didn't want the Federation to know?

Hill couldn't understand. With Reno's current situation, they didn't have to worry about anything anymore, after all, they were all wanted criminals, no longer needing to worry about any charges.

Claire stood up.

She walked past Hill, leaving behind a sentence:

"The fleet will arrive in Canton in two months. By then, we will let you leave, and we will claim that we kidnapped you. As for the truth of the Jeram case, listen to me, let it go."

Watching Claire's figure, Hill fell into contemplation.

Claire's meaning was already clear. If he didn't give up, he might find the truth, but he might also face permanent confinement.

The moment of truth was also the moment of losing freedom.

What should he do? At that moment, Hill's heart was also wavering.

Hill had a deep love for solving cases from the bottom of his heart.

Every time he solved a case, found the truth, Hill's heart would be filled with immense satisfaction. Without this disdain for the truth, he wouldn't have become an excellent investigator, nor would he have come to the Abradhi.

Once, he thought he could disregard life and death for the sake of solving a case.

But now, at this moment, between freedom and truth, Hill hesitated.

He didn't know how to choose.

Reason told him that stopping immediately was the best choice, but his passion always made him unable to resist wanting to uncover the mysterious veil.

The soldiers were still noisy in the dining hall, talking, and the past events didn't affect their mood.

But looking at them, images of them holding weapons, launching mutiny under Reno's leadership, and hunting down those officers flashed involuntarily in Hill's mind.

Those young faces, who were chatting, laughing, and joking, turned into terrifying faces reveling in bloodshed and gunfire in Hill's eyes, making him shudder.

He couldn't reconcile this disparity; every person in his eyes became like ferocious beasts, making him unable to believe anymore.

Unless he found the truth!

Unless he found the truth!

Unless he found the truth!

These words echoed in his ears like a curse, almost driving him mad.

At that moment, he finally made a decision.

He stood up again, his movements slow but firm.

All the soldiers stopped at once, watching Hill together.

He said, "I know, some may think this is a foolish decision. But in a person's life, who wouldn't be foolish once? The reason I appeared on this ship was to find the truth. Threats or temptations, there's no reason for me to stop seeking the truth. So I won't give up, I won't give up searching for the truth."

"Johnny Reno led you to start a mutiny. This is treason! Of course, for you, who are already fugitives, this charge doesn't matter anymore. But I believe there are still some people who have their own honor, who won't accept charges that aren't theirs! Even if they have become fugitives, they will defend their honor! That's the dignity every soldier should have!"

"So, if anyone feels they are innocent, feels they haven't committed treason, if they also want to know what happened on the Abradhi and why it happened, then please come to me."

"My room number is 1412, and I'll be waiting for you there!"

"You give me an answer, and I'll give you the truth!"