Chapter 346: Framing and Shifting Blame

"It must be the Zieglers."

Ronan Rowan said.

"Not necessarily."

Nina Jacobs said. At first, she’d also suspected the Zieglers.

But since these two were still alive, it couldn’t have been them.

"It was..."

Atticus stammered, seemingly afraid to speak.

"A woman, wasn’t it?"

Nina Jacobs recalled the middle-aged woman who had shown up at Mordecai Quinn’s house two nights ago.

She remembered Mordecai Quinn calling her Miss Sutton.

"How did you know?!"

Atticus blurted out.

"It was a woman named Rosalind Keane! She’s the one who hired us!"

Cyril Vance confessed.

"Her? Miss Sutton’s daughter?"

Both Ronan Rowan and Alice Gallagher looked shocked.

"Didn’t she used to pursue Commander Quinn?"

Alice Gallagher said.

’Could it be that love turned to hate?’

"A pledge of loyalty, I’m guessing."

Nina Jacobs said.

She remembered Miss Sutton saying her daughter, Rosalind, was now with Zachary Ziegler.

If this Rosalind Keane had pursued Mordecai Quinn in the past, then killing him would be the only way to prove her loyalty to her new partner.

"We were blinded by the promise of supplies. We’ll never do anything like this again."

Cyril Vance said.

"Never again? You think the Commander is just going to let you go?"

Ronan Rowan said coldly.

The two men’s faces turned ashen.

"I failed Mr. Coleman and the others... I’m the one who took this job. I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"

Atticus wailed.

They had been so hungry.

And when they thought about how the base’s mismanagement had led to their current predicament, they’d steeled themselves and accepted the job.

"You want to live? I can tell you how."

Nina Jacobs said.

The wailing stopped abruptly. The two men looked up at Nina Jacobs, stunned.

"What is it?"

Atticus asked immediately.

Ronan Rowan and Alice Gallagher exchanged a look. They could tell how much Mordecai Quinn cared about the woman in front of them.

’But she wants to let go of the people who tried to kill him?’

"If you go before the entire base and say that Zachary Ziegler hired you, and you can produce convincing evidence,"

"I will make sure you leave this base alive."

Nina Jacobs pointed toward the center of the base’s plaza in the distance.

Everyone in the base was gathered there, listening to Zachary Ziegler share his vision for its future.

Atticus and Cyril’s eyes widened.

"I have evidence! I have it on me!"

Cyril Vance said, suddenly remembering something.

They had gone back to retrieve it, which was why they’d sent Mr. Coleman, Valen, and the others ahead to find the woman.

As a result, Mr. Coleman and the others were killed, leaving only him and Atticus alive.

"What is it?! Take it out!"

Ronan Rowan demanded.

Alice Gallagher loosened the vines binding Cyril Vance’s upper body, and he pulled a battered cellphone from his pocket.

"We were afraid she’d go back on her word, so we secretly recorded her. Valen messed it up, though, so the beginning isn’t clear..."

Cyril Vance explained.

Nina Jacobs took the phone and listened. A moment later, she smiled, satisfied. "This is enough."

’Such good evidence. It would be a waste not to frame someone with it.’

Meanwhile, in the center of Meridia Base’s plaza, Mordecai Quinn listened silently to Zachary Ziegler’s accusations and grand pronouncements.

"...And so, I promise that in the future of Meridia Base, nothing like this will ever happen again! The base needs reform! It needs to innovate! I believe everyone has the right to participate, which is why I, Zachary Ziegler, will be so bold as to nominate myself..."

"The Ziegler Family loves to foster good connections, because we believe that good deeds yield good results. To this day, my grandfather has gathered quite a number of followers..."

The crowd below listened with numb eyes. Most were expressionless, but some held their hands together in pious prayer.

Nearby, Alice Gallagher explained, "The Ziegler Family has been pushing this superstitious nonsense in the base for a while. A lot of people have bought into it, and that old man Ziegler used it as a chance to recruit a lot of followers."

"So those talismans they’re holding are...?"

Nina Jacobs understood. No wonder she’d seen so many people in Meridia Base making offerings with Talisman Paper.

Alice Gallagher nodded. "They claim everyone has survived because their dead relatives are helping them kill the ghouls. They say you have to buy lots of Talisman Paper to worship your departed family and ancestors to ward off disaster."

The Talisman Paper wasn’t cheap. It could be bought with Crystal Cores, Gold, or supplies.

In this post-apocalyptic world, countless people had lost their families. Seeking spiritual solace, many began to place their unwavering faith in Master Ziegler.

"It’s a pity. No matter how eloquent he is, a pack of instant noodles is still more appealing."

Nina Jacobs remarked.

A smattering of applause broke out as a white-haired old man stepped forward.

"Fame and fortune are fleeting. Our Zachary simply wants to make the base a better place, so this old man wants to support him."

"Zachary is a kind boy. I hope you will all give him your full support in the days to come."

Caspian Ziegler was dressed in a simple Taoist robe, which at first glance gave him the air of a venerable sage.

Just then, an accusation rang out from the crowd:

"Kind, my ass! Zachary Ziegler hired us to kill Mordecai Quinn, then tried to silence us afterward! He’s a heartless monster! He killed several of our brothers!"

Atticus’s face was red as he screamed, his eyes welling with tears.

The thought of his fallen brothers fueled his outrage.

An uproar instantly swept through the crowd.

"What nonsense are you spouting?! When did I ever ask you to do something like that?!"

Zachary Ziegler was completely bewildered, but he quickly realized what was happening. ’Is someone trying to frame me?’

He turned his head and frowned. "Mordecai Quinn, don’t tell me this is your attempt to frame me."

"We have proof! If you don’t believe me, I’ll play it for you!"

Cyril Vance took out the battered phone. Its volume wasn’t very loud, but Nina Jacobs had given them a megaphone.

After a burst of static, a woman’s voice became audible:

"Once Mordecai Quinn is dead, the position of commander will belong to Zachary. Not only will you get your payment, but I can also get you a stable job in the base..."

"But are you sure he’ll really go to Mornfell?" This voice was Atticus’s.

"I’m sure. He’s the commander; he has to go to Mornfell... We have everything prepared on our end. When the time comes, all you have to do is..."

The recording quality was poor, but thanks to the megaphone, everyone present heard it clearly.

"That voice... isn’t that the woman who’s always with Zachary Ziegler?"

Someone in the crowd remarked.

"Now that you mention it, it really is her!"

"Commander Quinn went to Mornfell... was he looking for food?"

"That Ziegler is so two-faced! How despicable!"

"Life isn’t easy for any of us. And it wasn’t entirely Mordecai Quinn’s fault that the base lost its supplies. He hadn’t even taken command yet..."

"We can’t let that Ziegler become commander! We support Mordecai Quinn!"

"..."

The scene spiraled out of control. Even Mordecai Quinn hadn’t anticipated this sudden turn of events.

He knew, of course, that someone had set him up on the trip to Mornfell, but he had never planned to address it like this.

"Everyone, don’t believe these two! Zachary would never do something like this."

Caspian Ziegler shot a look at the men beside him.

’If the soft approach doesn’t work, we’ll have to do this the hard way.’