My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Chapter 168 The Evidence
She knew all too well that explaining things to Aston with words alone would be futile. Although Aston, as a soldier, understood the complexities of spies and potential framing, nothing could surpass the impact of indisputable evidence. When she first suspected that Duke’s predicament was connected to Aston and that he had been betrayed while they were outside, she took meticulous steps to prepare. Not only did she strategize to prevent them from being caught off guard by an enemy ambush, but she also took the precaution of wearing a mini camera connected to her phone via Bluetooth from the moment they left the shelter. She realized that only by showing Aston the complete footage of what transpired would he believe that he had truly been betrayed and that neither she nor her team had framed anyone or killed indiscriminately.

She realized that providing concrete evidence was the only way to gain Aston’s trust and prove that she and her team were not his enemies. When Kisha noticed Aston’s suspicious gaze, she stepped closer, but Aston instinctively backed away, his eyes turning hostile.

Kisha sighed in defeat before speaking. “Look, I know it’s hard to believe, especially when you’ve trusted your people with your life. Trust me, I know how much that betrayal hurts.” She pulled out her phone from her pocket, and immediately, all eyes were on her, everyone on high alert. Aston and his team were tense, likely fearing an assassination attempt at any moment.

Kisha didn’t care about their suspicions or hostile glares. After pulling out her phone, she tapped a few times until the video appeared on the screen. Without playing it, she extended the phone towards Aston, gesturing for him to take it. “See for yourself,” she said, her expression remaining indifferent. Aston, sensing no malice or hostility from her or anyone else, reluctantly took the phone. He saw a video paused and ready to play.

Aston glanced up to see Kisha, who seemed indifferent to what he intended to do with the phone or the evidence. From everything that had transpired and what Kisha had said so far, he surmised that this was some kind of proof about the traitor in his team. Instead of looking at the evidence, he looked at Kisha and narrowed his eyes. He wanted to ask her how she had obtained the evidence and why she seemed so prepared. Her readiness made him feel exposed and vulnerable as if Kisha knew far more than she was letting on and had anticipated every eventuality.

These qualities might reassure her allies, but for her enemies, they were intimidating. At this moment, Aston was uncertain whether she considered him an ally or an enemy.

As if reading his thoughts, Kisha said, “Don’t worry, if I considered you my enemies, you’d be like that traitor by now or dead the moment we left the shelter. You wouldn’t stand a chance against us.” Her tone wasn’t sarcastic, just matter-of-fact. Aston could sense the truth in her words. Based on what he had seen so far, he knew that if Kisha and her team truly wanted them dead, it would have been easier to kill them outright rather than escort them around.

After taking a moment to clear his thoughts and make sense of everything that had happened, Aston finally had a clearer perspective. He took a deep breath, repeating the action a few more times to calm his mind and regain his logical thinking. Though he wasn’t adept at human relations or scheming, he wasn’t stupid either.

Aston looked down at the phone in his hands and pressed the play button. At first, the screen showed only darkness; Kisha must have been in a very dark place or the camera was obstructed. Soon, the camera began to move, likely capturing the moment they had just arrived. After watching a bit more, he confirmed this was indeed their arrival. Realizing it would take too long to watch the entire footage, Aston dragged the timeline forward to the point where they were supposed to be eating.

As the video played, it matched his memory perfectly. Kisha had been resting in a quiet spot, and although the lighting was dim, the 4K resolution made it easy to identify everyone. He could see his team and Kisha’s team eating voraciously, all consuming the same food. However, there was one person who hadn’t taken a bite of their food or a sip of their soup. This person sat silently, watching the others with a smile. Even from a distance, Aston recognized him—it was his second in command, a man who had been with him through the academy and the army, like a brother.

Aston felt his heart thump so loudly in his chest that it was almost painful. His hands trembled ever so slightly. He knew what was coming next, and part of him wanted to put down the phone and simply believe what he had known for so long. It was difficult to accept that the person closest to him could be labeled a traitor. He had known and grown up with this man, knowing him to be inherently good-natured.

After that initial thought passed through his mind, Aston managed to relax a bit and resumed watching. “There’s no way it could be Chad,” he reassured himself. Nearly five minutes into the video, with nothing seeming amiss, it happened. His team, even Sparrow and Vulture, all dropped to the floor like flies, motionless.

Even in the video, Kisha displayed a hint of weakness, her breathing turning into slight panting as she struggled not to pass out like the others. Aston observed how quickly she checked on Duke, who was beside her, even placing her hands under his nose to confirm he was still breathing. Only when she was certain that he was alive did she let out a shaky sigh of relief.

The silence in the room was palpable, allowing everyone to hear the events unfolding on the video. Even without seeing the footage, they could infer what Aston must be witnessing at that moment. As the only female in the group, they recognized that the person in the video was undoubtedly Kisha.

Then, they heard his voice—Chad’s voice—but the tone and words he spoke were so venomous that they all felt rooted to the ground in shock. They had never heard him speak this way before, especially Aston, who was witnessing the footage of his friend’s demeanor while conversing with Kisha. Aston felt the most profound blow to his heart. The friend and brother he had believed Chad to be turned out to be adept at deception. They had all thought Chad incapable of harming even a fly, joining the army solely because he was poor and needed to support his family quickly, not being particularly intelligent, as he had often admitted.

It was only now that Aston realized the truth—that the friend he thought he knew was merely a facade. Chad had likely joined Aston’s circle to attach himself to him, perhaps to spy on him or for some other ulterior motive.

Perhaps there would be no way for him to ever uncover the real reason, especially now that Chad was dead. However, Aston had no desire to probe further into the depths of his wounded trust, which felt as though it were oozing blood at that moment.