Chapter 192: Clone
Chapter 192: Clone
Everyone gathered in one place as they all looked at one person in the group. Hugh and Serena both had a sharp eyes as they both scrutinized every side of the person in front of them.
It was the platoon leader. However, this was not the original platoon leader, this was Beru in his clone form.
Everyone was looking towards Beru to see if there was anything wrong with his clone. They needed it to be believable for their plan to work.
Beru only had a nonchalant face as he observed everyone who was looking towards him.
"He needs to have a bit more spiteful look," a soldier said.
"Yeah. He needs to have a punchable face for him to look like the platoon leader."
"I agree. This platoon leader looks amicable and cute, definitely not like the real platoon leader."
Everyone could agree on the stark difference between the two different versions of the platoon leader. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not get Beru to have the right kind of look.
Beru titled his head. He did not know why everybody thought that he was different. He looked towards the real platoon leader, and he could not see anything different.
The real platoon leader was still unconscious, so he had a relatively peaceful look on his face. So, Beru had copied this kind of gentle look.
"It will have to do," Hugh said as he rubbed his chin.
He would have preferred Beru to have the same art as the real platoon leader, but it seemed that it would not be possible.
"His face is done, the only problem would be his voice," Serena said as she looked at Beru with gentle eyes.
Everyone nodded their heads. In the hours that they trained Beru, he had never said one single word. Hugh realized that Beru could not speak like a real human since he was just a dog-wolf.
"Ruff!" Beru shouted.
Even though he looked like the platoon leader, all he could do was bark.
"Beru, don't try to speak when you get there, okay?" Hugh said as he patted Beru's head.
Beru nodded his head furiously and put out his tongue in the air like a dog.
*poof*
Beru's tail appeared behind him and waddled like a dog.
"Don't try to bring out your tail either, okay?" Serena said as she also patted Beru's head.
Beru nodded furiously and displayed a serious face. This was his game face, signaling to everybody that he was ready to that what was he was trained for.
"Beru, we wish you luck!"
"We're counting on you, little guy!"
"Just howl at us if things go wrong, and we'll back you up!"
All the soldiers gave their word towards Beru. They all became super close with Beru as they all treated him as their dog.
"Okay Beru, it's time," Hugh said as he patted Beru's back and pushed him towards the road.
All the upper ranks of the army were supposed to gather together. This was by the command of the commander, and it was mandatory to attend.
Beru was liked like a real human towards the center of the army, towards the place where the commander was located.
"He'll be okay, right?" Serena asked as she looked at Beru with worried eyes.
"We can only hope," Hugh said as he balled up his fists.
At this stage of the plan, Beru could only rely on himself. He would have no other connection other than Hugh. If things go wrong, he would be surrounded by all their enemies.
Beru would be swimming in the belly of the beast. This was a mission that only he could do since he was the only one who could copy the platoon leader.
Beru walked towards the large tent set up in the middle of the plains. Soldiers clad with full metal armor walked around and saluted Beru as they walked past him.
Beru would smile at them and would not salute back. Everyone thought that this was weird, but they did not stop him.
Beru pushed the curtains aside and saw the interior of the giant tent. There, he could see a gathering of upper ranks soldiers that were all good allies of the commander.
They all sat in a circular table with the foremost table empty reserved for the commander himself. This was also the most luxurious seat and the seat that could oversee everyone.
Beru walked towards the circular table with a smile and sat in the nearest seat near the entrance of the tent. His fellow upper ranks looked at him and frowned.
They all seemed suspicious of the platoon leader. They could feel that something was wrong with him.
"Hey, why are you seating like that?" a lieutenant frowned and looked at the platoon leader.
Everyone looked at Beru and saw that he was sitting like a dog in a chair. His hind legs were sitting crossed while his tongue was out in the open.
Then, Beru realized his mistake. This was what he was trained for, and he quickly changed his position. Everyone still felt that something was wrong with the platoon leader, but they could not point it out.
"What's wrong? You usually complain about your platoon at this point," the lieutenant said as he looked at Beru.
Beru's forehead sweated as he got asked that question. He did not know what to say since this was not part of their plan. What's more important was that he cannot speak at all.
The lieutenant frowned as he looked at Beru. More of the upper ranks looked at Beru and had suspicious eyes. At this rate, they would get suspicious of him.
*tuturutut*
A horn sounded out, and everyone repositioned themselves. They all stood up with their backs straight and looked at the entrance of the tent.
Beru was surprised, but he copied the others. Then, everyone watched as the tent opened up and the commander himself showed up.
Everyone could feel the pressure emanating from the commander. Even though they were part of the same army, they still could not get used to the commander's presence.
"Commander!" the upper ranks shouted out as they all bowed towards the commander.
Beru also bowed with them, but he could not help but take a peek at the commander, the most fearsome entity in this army.
"Do you sense something?" Serena asked as she looked at Hugh with worry.
Everyone was looking at Hugh since he was the only one who could sense Beru. They all got ready to risk their lives to bring back Beru if things went wrong.
"His heart rate is elevated," Hugh said as he closed his eyes and felt his connection to Beru.
"Is something wrong?" a soldier asked.
Hugh was silent as he concentrated on the connection. The connection was faint, but he could feel the basic emotions that Beru felt at that moment.
It felt like Hugh was swimming in an endless void with a green string from his stomach that reached towards the front.
Hugh reached out to the green string and pulled on it. Surprisingly, he was pulled closer and closer to the faint dark blue light in the distance.
Hugh felt like that was Beru's soul. The green string was their connection.
Beru sneaked a peek at the commander and saw his fierce aura. It was as terrifying as people described him to be.
Every step could bring earthquake, every breath could bring tornadoes, and every look could pierce the heavens.
Then, Beru watched as the commander's eyes looked towards him as they both made eye contact. Beru's heart stopped at that moment.
Hugh could feel the fear and trepidation that Beru was currently feeling. He could feel that Beru was starting to get in trouble.
He pulled the green string faster and faster to try and get a better connection with Beru. As he got closer, he suddenly got a vision in his eyes.
Deep, dark red eyes stared back at him. It was a terrifying aura behind those eyes, and it was not an exaggeration that his 'looks' could kill.
This was the commander, Hugh was sure of it. Why was the commander looking at Beru?
It was then that he realized that Beru was in deep trouble now than he thought. He needed to get to Beru's would faster or else he would get in real trouble.
"Do you have something to say?" the commander said as he looked down at Beru.
Everyone looked at Beru with sorry eyes. They did not know what Beru had done, but they knew that he had gathered the ire of the commander.
Beru could not say something. Even if he tried to, all he could do was bark at the commander, which would not make the situation better, only worsen it.
"Are you deaf?" the commander said with a deeper voice. Everyone could feel the temperature of the room drop several degrees.
The commander frowned. Even with that, the platoon leader still did not respond.
The commander decided to kill him at this very moment.