Chapter 61: Provocation
"I'm so sorry!"
Although he wanted to curse inwardly, Mason still showed some sadness on the surface.
"Come with me. According to procedure, you need to answer some questions. The matter is still under investigation, so just answer truthfully." Scarlett nodded to Mason.
Mason then went through three rounds of questioning by different investigators. Except for concealing his possible suspicions, he answered all the questions truthfully.
Mason guessed that Anna had sent someone to do this. It seemed that his previous actions had rattled Anna, making her feel threatened.
"It was General Hawk's decision to approve your joining G.I. Joe. Although General Hawk is no longer here, his orders are still valid. I'll arrange a test for you next. As long as you pass, you'll be an official member of the team." After the questioning, Scarlett found Mason.
Just as she was explaining the procedures for the test to Mason, an angry roar came from the corridor outside: "Where's that punk? Tell him to get out here!"
"Bang!"
The door was kicked open, and a burly African American man with a furious expression appeared in the doorway. Behind him were a slightly shorter man with a goatee and a man dressed in strange gear, as solid as stone.
"Heavy Duty, what are you doing?" Scarlett frowned and asked sharply.
"He got General Hawk killed. Get him out of G.I. Joe. He's not welcome here!" The man ignored his companions' attempts to stop him and walked up to Mason.
"This has nothing to do with Mason. The matter is still under investigation!" Scarlett stepped forward, blocking the two.
"Scarlett, get out of the way. Are you going to side with an outsider?"
The man called Heavy Duty was a full-fledged member of G.I. Joe. As the team's heavy weapons and fire support specialist, his powerful build matched his fiery temper.
His gaze swept past Scarlett, landing on Mason behind her. "Kid, if you're a man, step forward! I absolutely will not allow a cancer like you to join G.I. Joe!"
Seeing his 200 dimensional coins vanish, Mason was also enraged. His face darkened as he stared at Heavy Duty. "The General's death has nothing to do with me, but I will find the real culprit and avenge him."
"As for you, if you want trouble, I don't mind rearranging your bones!"
"You're asking for it!"
Heavy Duty's eyes reddened from Mason's provocation. He tried to push Scarlett away, but despite her delicate appearance, she only swayed slightly.
She grabbed Heavy Duty's arm, her face icy. "Inviting him was the General's decision. Although the General is no longer here, his orders still stand. Are you going to disobey the General's final directive?"
Scarlett's eyes reddened slightly as she tried to keep them open, refusing to let her tears fall.
Heavy Duty calmed down, took a step back, and said, "Alright, since it's the general's order, I'll respect it!" He glanced at Mason. "Let me see what you're made of. You'd better drop out now, or I'll completely destroy you in the test!"
With that, he left without looking back.
"Wait a minute!" Just as the three of them reached the door, Mason suddenly spoke up.
"Mason!" Scarlett gestured for him not to cause trouble.
"I understand your feelings now that the general is gone. Your time with General Hawk was short, but since I promised him I'd join G.I. Joe, I will keep my word!"
Hearing Mason's words, the others' expressions softened slightly, except for Heavy Duty, who still wore a mocking smile. "I've heard similar words countless times during my service. Perhaps only a few can truly become one of us." Heavy Duty glanced around.
"Anyone can talk big, but few can actually deliver."
"Not only will I join G.I. Joe, but I will also avenge the general myself. No matter who the murderer is, no matter how powerful their backing, I will find them and personally snap their neck!" Mason said resolutely, each word distinct.
As he spoke, a murderous glint appeared in his eyes, sending chills down everyone's spines.
During his detention, Mason hadn't been idle—he'd carefully organized his thoughts.
Cobra Commander had been hiding in his Arctic base. Even if Mason could infiltrate it single-handedly, capturing the commander alive and bringing him to prison would be impossible.
Therefore, the simplest solution was to utilize G.I. Joe.
The mission originally issued by the Dimensional Express Company would have allowed Mason to gain General Hawk's trust, enabling him to infiltrate the Arctic base and capture Cobra Commander with G.I. Joe's help.
However, with General Hawk dead and the team leaderless, Mason's original plan had failed. If he still wanted to rely on G.I. Joe, he would have to reverse course:
incite hatred among the team members, pin General Hawk's death on Cobra Commander, and then seize the Arctic base
in one decisive strike! Mason suspected that this was merely an accidental assassination attempt by Anna against him, which inadvertently killed General Hawk.
However, with some manipulation, he could easily muddy the waters and present it as a conspiracy against General Hawk. Although the specific details still needed careful consideration, Mason already had some ideas.
Now all he needed to do was join G.I. Joe, gain the trust of the other team members, and then he could provide clues at just the right moment...
"I'll be waiting for you at the testing range!" Heavy Duty said, turning and leaving.
"Mason, don't worry about him. Heavy Duty isn't usually like this. It's probably because of the general's death that he's emotional," Scarlett explained.
Mason smiled, seemingly unconcerned. "Let's go—take me to the test!"
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside, Heavy Duty, who had been furious, had calmed down. He rubbed his face. "Seems like a real operator!"
"Breaker, have you noticed anything unusual?"
The one called Breaker was the thin young man—he was the team's tech and intelligence expert.
He adjusted the monitoring device on his eyewear. "His vitals remained stable throughout, and I haven't detected anything unusual in his biometrics. His stress levels only spiked significantly when he mentioned avenging the general."
"I think this matter probably doesn't have much to do with him. Maybe we should investigate from other angles!" Breaker reviewed the data and summarized.
"We can't let our guard down. There's definitely something fishy about this. I have a feeling Mason is hiding something." Heavy Duty frowned deeply.
"Go all out during the test. I refuse to believe this guy won't slip up!"
No one expected that beneath Heavy Duty's seemingly hot-headed exterior, he was so calculating.
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