This Universe Needs Old People - Chapter 72



Only Noblemtl

Apocalypse Needs Old People Episode 072

60. Father (4)

“What, what? Could it be that Your Majesty would… …!”

But Bones immediately shook his head.

“I am the one who suspects you, Your Majesty. Why would you suspect Captain Joseph?”

“Ah, of course.”

Joseph unconsciously kept his gaze directed at Haydam, but he tried to keep his gaze fixed on Bones as he continued to speak.

“But I never thought that Your Majesty would suspect you. You wouldn’t be able to hire someone to kill you, would you?”

Joseph barely managed to answer with a word and keep his expression in check. He tilted his head as if he still didn’t understand even after thinking about it again.

“But why on earth do I suspect you? You were the one who almost died in this incident… … .”

“Team 2’s leader did not confess that he did what Lieutenant General Max ordered him to do.”

“what?”

Joseph’s voice rose for a moment at the unexpected answer.

You didn’t confess that you did it because Lieutenant General Max told you to.

So what on earth is this confession that Your Majesty, Haytham, and Plato heard?

“Then? That confession was all made up?”

“Team 2’s leader’s real confession… no, the real testimony.”

Haydam, who had been quietly listening, suddenly blurted out, and Josef looked at Haydam, but Bones lowered his head as if he knew what he was going to say.

Haydam glanced at Bones before continuing.

“Bones and Lucas, the two of them, were stubborn about getting credit and accidentally killed a teammate. That’s how it all started. They killed and killed their teammates to bury their mistake. That’s what I originally heard from the team leader who was stuck in the crevasse. He said he also fell into the crevasse while running away.”

At those words, Joseph’s eyes lit up.

‘You did as I told you to. Then, the confession that Your Majesty heard was… a fabrication?’

Since it was originally a line he had given to the team leader of Team 2, Josef naturally thought that the part that was known now – that Lieutenant General Max had ordered the murder – was a fabrication, but he took his eyes off it and asked back.

“No… Then what about the confession that is known to the world?”

Bones answered that question in Haytham’s stead.

“I also found out because Heydam told me. His Majesty suspected us and framed Lieutenant General Max as the culprit to see how he would react.”

‘therefore…….’

The story is that the team leader of Team 2 testified that Bones was an insurgent as he had ordered, but the commander fabricated the testimony to find out if it was true.

Then it becomes understandable why the disposal of Lieutenant General Max has been delayed until now.

“But I really didn’t. Team 2 Leader, that bastard told me first that it was Lieutenant General Max who ordered me to do it! Lucas heard it too! My seniors died because Lieutenant General Max ordered me to do it… and now he’s trying to put the blame on me… …!”

Bones was chattering away, but Josef couldn’t hear him very well.

‘To sum up… Bones thought that Lieutenant General Max ordered it, but the dead colonel testified that it was Bones’s insubordination? Since their stories don’t match, His Majesty wanted to detain Lieutenant General Max first and then see how Bones reacts. Lord Haydam trusted Bones, so he brought him to see me.’

Anyway, in this complicated case, the culprit was either Max or Bones, and Josef was relieved that he was not being mentioned.

“If it really was General Max’s doing, the more I think about it, the more disgusted I become. Then why haven’t you testified until now?”

“The reason I didn’t testify until now… is because, no matter how much he tried to kill me, he was someone who showed me kindness and someone I truly respected. However, this is too unfair. Please help me, Captain Josef, so that I can testify.”

Then Bones got down from the sofa, knelt down, and rested his forehead on the floor.

“Hey, look here.”

“Please, I beg you.”

Josef acted embarrassed at Bones’s plea and quickly did the math in his head.

‘What should I do with this… … .’

Even if Bones ends up being the culprit, it doesn’t matter to Josef.

If we lose eight precious soldiers, including the colonel, and are unable to inflict any damage on Lieutenant General Max, then it will have been a waste of time.

In that case, it would be a better ending for Josef if Lieutenant General Max were to be accused of being the culprit and punished rather than Bones.

And this might be the last chance to score points with Haytham, the next successor to the district.

When will Haydam come to you and ask for your help?

It wasn’t like he had to prove Bones’ innocence himself, he just had to believe in the new officer’s innocence.

If I can gain Haydam’s trust with this much effort, it’s definitely a win-win.

After finishing his calculations, Josef raised Bones up and grabbed his hand firmly.

“Lieutenant Bones. I trust you. Let me accompany you to your testimony.”

“Thank you very much, Captain… … .”

“Mr. Haydam.”

Josef looked at Haydam and said with a determined expression.

“Leave this to me. I, the old man, will watch over it until the end, to make sure that no one can distort Lieutenant Bones’ testimony.”

At those words, a strange smile appeared on Haydam’s lips.

‘You seem like a cool-headed person, but you actually take care of your own people very well. Thanks to you, my life was saved.’

In reality, Josef was satisfied with the fact that he could clear Haytham’s debt, not even dreaming that he had actually accused Bones and Lucas of being chased, but had confessed under Haytham’s interrogation that he had done it on the orders of Lieutenant General Max.

And the next day, an emergency executive meeting was called for Bones’ testimony.

Strange rumors began to spread within the area.

* * *

Joseph was working in his office as usual.

His role is to provide a place for Bones to testify and protect him so he can complete his testimony safely.

There was no need for Josef to prepare anything, since it was Bones, that guy, who had to testify on the spot.

‘Heydam didn’t ask for more than that either.’

However, I was concerned about the adjutant who had been fidgeting like a dog for a while now.

After finishing the paperwork he was looking at, Joseph spoke to his adjutant.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“Oh, no.”

“No. I’ve only seen you for a day or two. What’s going on?”

“that is…….”

It seemed that he had something to say, as the adjutant hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Actually, it’s a bit of a tall tale, so I don’t know if I should tell it.”

“The introduction is too long. Let me just get to the point.”

“There are strange rumors going around.”

“Strange rumors?”

“Colonel Sampson. Wasn’t it reported that he committed suicide?”

Even his own aides knew that Colonel Sampson had ‘committed’ suicide.

Even though it was an office with only two people, it was like his adjutant to be careful with his words in case someone heard.

“Yeah, that’s right. But why?”

“There are people who say they saw Colonel Sampson.”

“what?”

Joseph frowned.

He seemed to understand why the adjutant hesitated and did not report to him directly.

“Are you saying that colonel is a ghost or something?”

“That’s not it.”

The adjutant shook his head and spoke in a serious tone.

“Rumor has it that Colonel Sampson is alive.”

“There’s been a rumor going around that colonel is alive? Since when?”

“Some soldiers say they saw Colonel Samson getting into former General Anton’s vehicle a few days ago.”

“What is that… … .”

“That’s why I say.”

The adjutant approached Joseph and lowered his voice.

“The captain and I only received reports that the colonel was dead, but we didn’t actually confirm his death. By any chance… … .”

“Are you trying to say that there’s a possibility that those guys didn’t do their job properly?”

‘Those guys’ are the soldiers who made Colonel Sampson fake his suicide.

Some of the soldiers who were watching stated that they had other subordinates lure him out, and the remaining soldiers pretended to commit suicide and left the place. When they returned, they found him hanging.

What the adjutant meant was that there was a problem with the soldiers’ handling of their work.

“Those guys might have taken more than just our money. If former Captain Anton had taken Colonel Sampson away to prove Lieutenant General Max’s innocence… … .”

‘That makes sense… I guess.’

Just as he bribed the soldiers to kill the colonel.

Anton may have bribed the soldiers to get the colonel out.

‘But it was officially announced that he committed suicide… If Anton had abducted Colonel Sampson, there’s no way His Majesty wouldn’t have known. I also tried to fake it as suicide, but even if the dead don’t say anything, if they were alive, they would have somehow been caught in His Majesty’s information network. Besides, even my adjutant heard the rumor, so the sightings had spread.’

I wonder why the commander left it alone.

There was only one conclusion.

‘Does Your Majesty think that Bones, and not Lieutenant General Max, is the culprit?’

It made sense why Haytham had come to me instead of going to Your Majesty.

“If Colonel Sampson is really alive, then we’re in trouble. He’ll testify that Bones is the culprit, and that’ll put us in a difficult position. You’ve decided to support Lieutenant Bones.”

Certainly, Colonel Sampson will testify that Bones is a traitor.

If it was said that he did it at the instigation of Lieutenant General Max, then Colonel Sampson would not be able to avoid punishment either, but if it was said that he was an insubordinate of Bones, then Colonel Sampson would just be a victim.

“It would be better to cancel the executive meeting even now… … .”

“No, first of all, we need to confirm whether Colonel Sampson is really alive.”

All of these assumptions were based on the assumption that Colonel Sampson was alive, so the possibility that they were just rumors could not be ruled out.

“Find out about the soldiers who saw Anton get into his vehicle. If Anton has secured Colonel Sampson’s identity, then a retired civilian should be held accountable for aiding and abetting a key witness.”

“All right.”

“And bring ‘those guys’ to me. I’ll ask them directly how they handled the matter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Krrrr… … .

Joseph looked up at the sky filled with thunderstorms again.

I didn’t have a good feeling about it.

* * *

-Captain Josef has started to move. Just as you expected, Heydam.

“It’s clear that it has something to do with the dead colonel.”

-But wouldn’t it be more certain to arrest the adjutant and interrogate him?

“If you do that, you’ll just end up being another Colonel Sampson. Leave me alone until the executive meeting. My goal isn’t to uncover the real culprit anyway.”

-If you’re not trying to uncover the truth, then what are you thinking? Okay, I understand. I’ll keep watching.

“Okay. Thanks for your hard work.”

As I hung up the receiver and turned around, I saw Bones shaking his legs with an anxious expression.

Bones asked me, his legs shaking.

“If we don’t reveal the real culprit, how will we prove Lieutenant Max’s innocence?”

And to Bones’ question, I gave a short reply.

“You’re not going to reveal it?”

“yes?!”