Upon hearing that familiar voice, NPC Maggie immediately froze in her tracks.
Why would Colonel Washington be here, had she discovered something? NPC Maggie hesitated, not daring to move forward, retreating backwards instead, but only a few steps in.
Then, several 500-watt patrol searchlights shone directly at them. She and Number 0 instantly became the focus.
Completely exposed under the lights, the two had different expressions; NPC Maggie nervously bit her lip, her hands fidgeting with the hair on her shoulder.
Number 0, however, acted as if nothing was amiss; her hands instinctively covered her eyes, and under the blinding light, she used the gaps between her fingers to accurately locate her target.
Standing together with Colonel Washington and a few Patrol Army soldiers was Mrs. Misi. The truth was now clear as day. This couple, they really were a perfect match for each other. Number 0 was irate; one's betrayal hadn't succeeded, and the other followed suit immediately.
Colonel Washington's features looked more three-dimensional at night and even less human. She turned her face towards Mrs. Misi, her fingers rubbing a laser gun that seemed to be a modified version of the AK submachine gun.
"Maggie, where's your mother?" Colonel Washington was on patrol tonight around the perimeter of the rebel army's camp—the Dinosaur Forest. Just as she started her patrol, Mrs. Misi had come to her, claiming she had important information to report.
"My little brother has a cold, and mom is staying with him," NPC Maggie opened her mouth and pushed out a sentence, hands sweating from lying.
Her hand was warmly clasped in return, NPC Maggie was taken aback, seeing Number 0 grinning, showing off her white teeth.
Colonel Washington knew the personality and preferences of every child in the rebel camp, and she understood NPC Maggie very well.
"Maggie isn't a child who lies, and she's also very proud. If she senses my suspicion, I will lose her trust," Colonel Washington pondered in secrecy. She looked again at Mrs. Misi, who seemed much less trustworthy than Maggie.
"Colonel, don't listen to Maggie's nonsense. Pami isn't at home at all, she must have been bewitched by this Government Army. I overhead Pami saying this evening she was going to the rebel camp, and I just checked her house before I came here; Pami is definitely not at home," Mi Si had told Anke the news as soon as she got home this afternoon; by all accounts, Anke should now be here with the Colonel's reward, but there was no sign of him yet.
"Mrs. Misi, I wonder, with the eagerness you're throwing mud at Maggie's family, might you have an ulterior motive?" Number 0 could feel NPC Maggie beside her was on the verge of breaking down. The hatred in her heart for someone like Mi Si reached its limit, this shameless woman should have never been treated with kindness.
"How could I possibly have an ulterior motive, I am just telling the truth," Mrs. Misi sniffed.
"Then let's go back, and have Maggie's mother come out," Number 0 suggested, causing NPC Maggie beside her to grasp desperately at her attempting to walk back.
Number 0's suggestion made Maggie even more scared, something was off with Number 0, and if this continued, they would reveal their true colors in front of the Colonel.
"Look, what is that?" Number 0 pointed to some grass tufts behind the group, where a segment of white bone was exposed.
The Patrol Army surrounded the area and after briefly clearing the grass tufts, the complete skeletal remains of a male corpse were moved out.
"A human skeleton?" Colonel Washington crouched down and turned over some thigh bones. Recently, there were no reports of a missing person in the camp, so where did this body come from? The specific identity could only be confirmed by comparing it to the genetic database.
Number 0 couldn't wait for any data comparison.
"Colonel, is there a smell of alcohol on the body?" The members of the Patrol Army reported first thing after inspecting the surroundings of the corpse.
"Alcohol?" Colonel Washington heard and went to examine the body, when suddenly Mrs. Mi Si thumped down on the ground, looking at the corpse in terror.
NPC Maggie bravely walked up to the corpse, and after hearing about the alcohol on the body, she probably also guessed the identity of the corpse. In the rebel army camp, or rather the entire Prehistoric Society, it was only Uncle Anke who would secretly hoard alcohol.
Number 0 watched as NPC Maggie hesitated and walked towards the corpse—this time, she used her finger to touch it, even though her fingers continued to tremble with fear.
However, fear quickly disappeared from Maggie's face, and she spoke with certainty, "It's Uncle Anke. I've checked the joints of his bones, and there's osteoporosis, and his femoral head shows signs of necrosis, all of which are caused by years of alcohol abuse."
Truly divine. Number 0 subconsciously looked at her own fingers, realizing that reconnaissance skills could yield relevant information on the living, and likewise provide diagnostics on the dead.
Turns out, after she further improves her Loli Reconnaissance Skill, she could also guest star as a coroner.
"The cause of his death? Time of death?" Colonel Washington temporarily set aside the matter of Maggie's mother. NPC Maggie's action further highlighted her importance at the rebel army camp.
Number 0 also temporarily suppressed the urge to indulge in the role of a coroner. She too watched the corpse and NPC Maggie, who was probing the skeleton, feeling uneasy. If NPC Maggie revealed that Anke was murdered in the evening, she could very well become a suspect.
"I'm sorry, Colonel, if his body had intact skin, I would be able to deduce the cause and time of his death. But with only a skeleton, I'm powerless," NPC Maggie's legs gave out, and she sat down on the ground. The previous shock had taken a toll on her, and the initial reconnaissance had used some of her spiritual power. Maggie was still a child, with very limited spiritual power.
"You have done what you could," the Colonel said soothingly as he patted NPC Maggie's head, "Confirming Anke's identity is already sufficient, we'll leave the rest to be determined tomorrow. Before that though, there's one more thing I need to clarify."
Colonel Washington turned his head to look at the ashen-faced Mrs. Mi Si, "Who permitted you to secretly brew alcohol in the camp." The dead person's accounts could not be settled, so they had to pursue the responsibility of the living.
After hearing Colonel Washington's words, Number 0 flashed a triumphant smile at NPC Maggie. However, she received no response, only staring at those white bones on the ground, lost in thought.