As soon as the words fell, the room instantly fell silent, as if everyone could hear their own heartbeat.
The tension grew.
No one expected that someone would dare to stand up and challenge Helena's authority within the Pioneer Squad. And that person turned out to be Yuta!
As an original member, Exiled Immortal knew Yuta's attitude towards Helena. It was nothing short of sycophantic, filled with flattery at every turn.
But now, the person who had been so obsequious was standing up straight, openly confronting Helena.
Exiled Immortal furrowed his brows, shifting his gaze from the puzzle in his hands to Yuta.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"
"I said..."
Yuta hadn't finished speaking when a cold gleam flashed before him.
When he came to his senses, a longsword, shimmering with metallic luster, was already hovering in front of his face, controlled by the breeze.
"Who do you think you are? Do you think you have the right to speak here?"
"Whoa, whoa, Exiled Immortal, calm down. This is the Pioneer Squad base. Are you sure it's wise to attack me so rashly here?"
"If it weren't for the boss holding me back, I would have cut you down long ago, you know that?"
"Exiled Immortal, I've worked tirelessly for the development of Pioneer Squad. The fact that it's grown to this extent is inseparable from my efforts. Treating a contributor like this—what do you think others will make of it?"
"Cut the crap! Bringing this bunch in, besides building your own faction, what other purpose does it serve?"
Exiled Immortal blurted out without thinking. As soon as the words fell, everyone's faces turned serious.
That remark was indeed quite harsh.
Exiled Immortal's words effectively placed him at odds with all the members of Pioneer Squad.
But this was exactly what Yuta had hoped for!
He had emphasized his contributions repeatedly to provoke Exiled Immortal into saying something rash.
In Yuta's mind, what kind of sophistication could a sixteen-year-old kid have?
Speaking without thinking was common for him, which was why Exiled Immortal had never been very popular within Pioneer Squad.
On one hand, Exiled Immortal was straightforward, much like Qing, both of them speaking their minds freely.
On the other hand, Exiled Immortal couldn't be bothered to deal with meaningless interpersonal relationships.
So, when Exiled Immortal made that remark, Yuta knew he had achieved his goal.
He had successfully shifted the conflict from being between himself and Helena to being between Exiled Immortal and the rest of Pioneer Squad.
Deflecting attention was his specialty.
"Exiled Immortal, watch your words. Yuta is right; he has made significant contributions to Pioneer Squad. Put away your sword."
Exiled Immortal realized he had misspoken. He glared at Yuta but remained silent.
"Yuta, what do you suggest for allocating spots for this mission?"
"In my opinion, any member who wants to participate should be allowed to join. Although the mission is indeed dangerous, with the captain around, I don't foresee any major problems. Members need to gain more experience to gradually increase their strength."
"That's a pretty cunning plan! Letting so many people join just to snag rewards, while the boss and I do all the work, right?"
"Exiled Immortal, why are you targeting me like this? We don't have any personal grievances, do we? I'm just stating the facts. Besides, having more participants doesn't necessarily mean the final rewards will decrease."
"Yuta, don't think I don't know what you're planning. This mission, even I can't guarantee coming back unscathed. Sending in a bunch of people who've barely seen real combat—what use are they except to drag us down? You, on the other hand, stay out of the mission and play the hands-off leader. Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"
Exiled Immortal slammed the table, his eyes gleaming with a murderous intent that seemed almost tangible.
Yet, despite this, Yuta remained calm and unruffled, smiling without a word.
"Exiled Immortal, we know you're strong. In this entire team, probably only Brother Qing can match you. But we are team members too. Do you really need to demean us like this?"
"Yeah, just because your talent is better than ours, what's there to be arrogant about? If it weren't for the captain's support, you wouldn't be much stronger than us..."
"What's wrong with what Yuta said? You don't give us a chance to fight, and then you blame us for our lack of strength. Why should you have the final say?"
Yes, Yuta no longer needed to speak.
The others had already been stirred up by his words, collectively turning their resentment towards Exiled Immortal.
"Shut your mouths! What kind of skill is it to murmur behind my back? If you really think you're capable, come and stand before me. A bunch of brainless idiots, only knowing how to be led by the nose!"
"That's enough, Exiled Immortal, sit down!"
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Helena shouted, putting an end to the farce.
"Everyone, shut up! This matter will be discussed later!"
"Captain, I think we should deal with this today..."
"Yuta, I said it will be discussed later, do you understand?"
Faced with Helena's glare, which seemed as if she could eat him alive, the smile on Yuta's face froze instantly.
Clearly, Yuta had overestimated his own position and underestimated Helena's anger.
"I-I understand, Captain."
"Don't. I can't bear being called 'Captain' by you."
With a cold sneer, Helena gave Exiled Immortal a meaningful look before getting up and leaving the meeting room.
Watching Helena's departing figure, Exiled Immortal's expression grew even darker.
"Yuta, you'd better watch yourself. I've got my eye on you."
After the heavy door of the meeting room slammed shut, Qing, who had been silent for a long time, finally let out a long breath.
"Anyway, I'm not joining the expedition. Exiled Immortal is right. Bringing along a bunch of dead weight will only get me killed. This Pioneer Squad is starting to go downhill."
With that, Qing pushed back his chair, pulled the spear that was embedded in the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and swaggered out.
At this point, the room fell completely silent.
Yuta turned his gaze to Lawrence, whose approving look slightly eased his anxiety.
Elsewhere, after leaving the Pioneer base, Exiled Immortal irritably scratched his head and complained, "Big Sis, you shouldn't have stopped me earlier. I should've just killed that bastard with one strike!"
"And then what? Yuta's death is a small matter, but this whole issue would be impossible to resolve!"
"That would still be better than watching Yuta get bolder and bolder. This Pioneer Squad is almost becoming his!"
Exiled Immortal kicked a stone at his feet, squatted down, and kept rubbing the hilt of his sword, as if only that could calm his restless heart.
"Don't you get it, Exiled Immortal? This matter isn't just about Yuta."
Hearing this, Exiled Immortal suddenly looked up, confused. "Big Sis, do you mean that someone else wants to overthrow you?"
"Haven't you noticed? Since earlier, both Qing and Lawrence have been unusually silent."
"...It does seem strange. I haven't interacted much with Lawrence, but Big Brother Qing isn't usually like this."
"Qing is pretty straightforward and wouldn't waste his energy on such things. If he wanted to replace me, he would most likely challenge me directly. He might be aware, but he wouldn't get involved."
"Then it's Lawrence?"
"I hope it's just my imagination."
Helena closed her eyes lightly, her expression somewhat pained.
"Lawrence... he's my friend. In the real world, we've been friends since childhood, what you might call... childhood sweethearts. I find it hard to believe he would orchestrate a plot against me."
Hearing this, Exiled Immortal's lips moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say to comfort Helena. Being betrayed by a friend of ten, twenty years must be unbearable.
"Don't trouble yourself. I know what you want to say, but it's fine. This kind of thing won't bring me down. I just find it a bit funny. For the first twenty years of my life, I thought we were the best of friends.
But since this apocalypse suddenly appeared, I've gradually realized that I don't seem to know him at all.
Well, if he truly did plan this, it only means I misjudged him. I can't blame anyone else."