Chapter 453 How Do You Want to Talk

The captain slumped into his chair, utterly bewildered. The Alliance's highest-level "heartbeat protocol" had been so easily shut down by a "primitive civilization." The "safety signal" sent to their home planet sent a chill down his spine. This meant that their ordeal would remain unknown to the Alliance, or at least not in a threatening manner.

"You... what exactly are you?" The captain looked at Zhou Jue, his eyes filled with terror.

Zhou Jue didn't answer him; she was looking at the data stream on the Kunlun Mirror. The entire starship's main control system had been completely taken over by the system, including even the energy core and weapon systems.

"Bring all crew members under control," Zhou Jue ordered.

Cheng Gan directed his team to escort all the aliens from the bridge off the ship. Thor also put away his hammer, scratched his head, and looked somewhat puzzled. "That's... it?"

Marcus walked over, looked around, and said with a glint in his eyes, "This ship's energy system seems to be quite special."

Lu Changfeng stepped forward, surveyed the interior of the bridge, and casually picked up a fragment: "Their technology is more complex than we imagined."

"Don't rush to conclusions," Zhou Jue said.

She walked up to the captain, who was being held captive by two special forces soldiers and unable to move. He stared intently at Zhou Jue, trying to discern some emotion from her face.

Zhou Jue ignored his question and just stared at him quietly. Her gaze made the captain's skin crawl.

He had only ever seen that look in the eyes of researchers in biological laboratories when they observed samples to be dissected.

"Relax, Captain."

Zhou Jue finally spoke, using the official language of the Silverwing United Fleet, which was incredibly pure and even carried the accent of the nobility of the capital region.

boom!

The captain's mind went blank, as if a psionic bomb had been detonated.

Although Cheng Gan, Thor, and the others standing nearby couldn't understand what was being said, they could clearly see that the alien captain's expression changed from lingering arrogance to extreme horror in an instant.

He opened his mouth, and made an unintelligible "clucking" sound from his throat, like a chicken being strangled.

language.

They can even speak the language of their own planet!

How is this possible?!

A race they assessed as a “primitive civilization,” a group of monkeys who, in his eyes, were still playing in the mud, not only defeated his fleet in an unbelievable way and cracked the Alliance’s highest security protocol, but now they were even speaking to him in the language he knew best.

This is even more absurd than seeing a planet grow legs and run!

"You...you all..."

The captain finally regained his voice, but was trembling violently from shock.

He forced himself to calm down, and his remaining composure allowed him to straighten his spine.

"I won't say anything."

He stared intently at Zhou Jue, trying to find a flaw in that calm face.

"Kill me, but I won't reveal a single word."

"You will pay an unimaginable price for your arrogance today."

The air in the bridge seemed to freeze.

Thor impatiently hefted the hammer and asked Cheng Gan, "What kind of gibberish is this tin can spouting? Should I loosen his bones for him?"

Cheng Gan made a gesture to "calm down," her gaze fixed intently on Zhou Jue.

Zhou Jue's face showed no change; she even smiled slightly.

"cost?"

She asked in the same aristocratic accent, unhurriedly.

"You mean interrupting the seventh hearing that was being held in your home system regarding the 'priority mining rights for resources in the G-581 system'?"

Zhou Jue's voice was very soft.

But every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the captain's heart.

"Or do you mean to let your chief researcher at the Academy of Sciences know that his analysis report on the 'Golden Record' being a primitive religious totem is a complete joke?"

"Or are we still relying on your third prince?"

"Or perhaps it's the boss behind you?"

The captain's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Hearing...

The chief researcher's report...

The Third Prince...

Boss...

These are all matters within interstellar space! Intelligence that can only be received within the fleet via the highest-level quantum communication network!

How could they have known?!

Could it be...?

A thought that sent shivers down his spine surfaced in his mind.

Could it be that their seemingly indestructible intelligence network, hailed as the most secure in the universe, was under surveillance from the very beginning?

This is no longer a matter of technological gap.

This is the difference between gods and mortals!

"What...what are you all?"

At this moment, the captain's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

He could no longer stand; his legs gave way, and if it weren't for the special forces soldiers supporting him from behind, he would have collapsed to the ground.

He looked at Zhou Jue, his eyes no longer showing any resistance, only the purest fear and confusion stemming from the instinct for survival.

"Since...since you all know everything..."

His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

Why are you asking me?

Why? If all the information about the other party is already obtained, what is the point of interrogation?

Zhou Jue extended a finger and gently shook it.

No, you're mistaken.

"What we know is only what we want to know."

"And I'm asking you because I want to know what you intend to tell us."

She took a step forward and looked down at the distraught captain.

I'm giving you a chance.

"An opportunity for 'friendly' communication in a way that is acceptable to both of us."

The captain stared blankly at her, not understanding what she meant.

Zhou Jue turned his head and his gaze fell on Thor's hammer, which seemed ready to be used.

"For example, my friend likes to use physical methods to help others speak."

Thor grinned and shook his hammer in a cooperative manner, causing it to crackle with electricity.

The captain's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

"Or perhaps..."

Zhou Jue's gaze then turned to the Qingyun Sect's Supreme Elder, who was resting with his eyes closed in the corner.

“My old gentleman is skilled in a spell called ‘soul searching’.”

"He can read all the information he wants directly from your soul."

The Supreme Elder seemed to sense Zhou Jue's gaze, slowly opened his eyes, and gave the captain a meaningful smile. His eyes looked as if he were examining a fine piece of refining material.

The captain's body trembled even more violently.

soul?

What is that?

He didn't understand, but he could sense that it was definitely not a good thing.

"Of course, those methods may not be very pleasant in the process."

Zhou Jue's voice drew the captain's attention back.

"Especially soul searching."

"As you know, directly reading data will always cause some irreparable hardware damage."

She paused, then said in a calm, factual tone:

"You will become an empty shell... without thoughts, without memories, only able to drool."

"But the advantage is that we get everything we want, exactly as it is."

Zhou Jue withdrew his gaze and returned it to the captain's face, where a faint smile appeared for the first time on that calm face.

"So, Captain."

"You want to choose a friendly, decent way of communicating that will save your mind and your life."

"Or would you like to experience the unique local hospitality of our planet?"

"Choose one yourself."

Inside the bridge, you could hear a pin drop.

The captain's lips trembled as he looked into Zhou Jue's dark, unfathomable eyes.

There was no anger, no mockery, only a cold, absolute rationality.

He had no doubt that if he said "no," his head would be smashed open like a ripe watermelon, or his soul would be extracted and used as a USB drive.

The last line of psychological defense collapsed completely.

With a "thump".

The captain of the Silverwing Allied Fleet collapsed to his knees and knelt completely on the ground.

"I...I'll talk."

His voice was trembling with sobs.

"I'll tell you everything."

"Please, don't... don't search my soul."

Zhou Jue nodded in satisfaction and touched the Listening Sea Fang in his pocket.

"very good."

"So, the first question."

"Where is your home planet?"