Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 576 - 468: The Heroic Overlord_2

But all that remained here were some civilian military personnel. They had small pistols clipped to their waists, offering little to no defense—a mere psychological comfort, really.

Upon seeing the enemy, they immediately surrendered without resistance.

"Where is Deng Puer?" Chen Gu grabbed a civilian officer by the neck, lifting him high into the air. He could clearly see the terror in the man's eyes. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Chen Gu's body had become enormous. As he held the officer by the neck, the man's feet dangled over a meter off the ground.

"In—in his barracks..."

Chen Gu frowned, sharply aware of something odd.

"Why isn't he here commanding?"

The civilian officer stammered in reply, "He—he has already been—been stripped of his command and has been under—under house arrest ever since."

Wang Chengqian and the others were shocked, and Chen Gu frowned again. "Who stripped him of his command?"

"It was—Lord Darkmang."

The [Charge Dominator]? Chen Gu mused, feeling that the situation was far from simple. He asked again, "Does the leadership of the [George Warrior Group] know about this?"

"They should know," the officer replied. "Lord Darkmang came with orders from headquarters, removing Lord Deng Puer from all his duties."

This only made things more confusing. After some thought, Chen Gu said, "Take me to Deng Puer."

This base harbored deeper secrets. Chen Gu fought his way in, dealing with many Crimson Bear Warriors, but encountered no more "Black Crow".

「...」

After all, Deng Puer was a high-ranking member of the [George Warrior Group]. Although he had been stripped of his authority and placed under house arrest, his treatment was not poor, and his barracks were the best-furnished in the entire base.

It was just that outside his barracks, an entire platoon of warriors from the [George Warrior Group] kept watch over him.

As Chen Gu and his team arrived, these guards put up a symbolic resistance. However, after two dual-ended laser swords flew through the air and severed four heads, the remaining guards obediently knelt. They surrendered with their weapons held high above their heads.

Chen Gu kicked the door open, finding a man inside calmly brewing tea.

The man had a centipede-shaped metal scar on his face, an unkempt beard, and a fierce appearance. However, he seemed thinner than in the photograph Chen Gu and his team had seen previously, and his beard was also graying.

"Deng Puer?" Chen Gu asked, noting the restraints Deng Puer wore.

They were not the kind used by the Bureau of Mystic Security; he wondered which Star Nation they came from.

Deng Puer chuckled. "Who are you? You don't look like mercenaries." He had already heard the sounds of battle outside.

Chen Gu walked over and sat opposite him, forcefully pushing aside the tea table. The teapot and teacups crashed and shattered on the floor.

"I'll ask, and you'll answer," Chen Gu asserted.

But Deng Puer didn't get angry; instead, his fierce face now appeared sly.

He raised his hand, signaling Chen Gu to proceed.

"Who exactly is Darkmang, and why would the other high-ranking members of the [George Warrior Group] support her?"

Deng Puer was cooperative. "What you really want to ask about is the 'Black Crow' and Crimson Bear, right?"

Chen Gu didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"You all must believe it was my idea to abduct people as slaves, forcing them to rear the Insect Race to obtain the raw fluid for phantom drugs. But when I first brought people to this planet, my real purpose was to build a complete munitions factory.

"I did capture those civilians. I took them because my munitions factory needed workers, and I also needed them as hostages. This way, if the Confederation discovered us, we'd have something to negotiate with.

"My original plan wasn't to turn them into slaves either. If they were working under me, they would have been mere laborers, and their treatment would have been far better than it is now."

Chen Gu sneered. "So, you know Darkmang is dead, and you want to pin all the blame on her?"

Deng Puer shook his head. "I have too many sins to count; what difference would a few less make? You can check the base's records. Darkmang and her people arrived early—just three years after I had landed on this planet.

"My command was revoked soon after that. From that moment on, I kept hoping the Confederation would notice something amiss here and send troops to wipe this place out."

Deng Puer continued, "I was involved in the large-scale trade of phantom drugs before. I know it's a grievous sin, but what does that matter? We need military funds to succeed. As long as it makes money, what's wrong with selling a little phantom drug?

"However, the phantom drugs I sold are different; I wouldn't rear the Insect Race. The Insect Race is the common enemy of all humankind. If we successfully established a nation, we would also be fighting the Insect Race.

"Rearing the Insect Race... only fools like Darkmang would do that.

"But they somehow brainwashed the Group Leader into agreeing with this.

"I refused to carry out such orders and resisted for three years. So, when Darkmang and her people came later, they captured me, and they took control of this planet.

"It wasn't until I later saw the 'Black Crow' and Crimson Bear that I understood why the Group Leader would agree to such a thing."

Chen Gu nodded. For a rebel faction, such powerful 'warriors' would indeed be a dream come true, he thought.

"But these 'guys' are made from materials taken from the Insect Race," Deng Puer said, his expression turning serious. "I've always felt they're just a bunch of monsters.

"I've always been extremely wary of them. I fear that once their numbers reach a certain level, they could become a threat to humanity, just like the Alien Insect Race."