The woman finally gritted her teeth and cried out, "I'll tell you! I'm just someone who does things for money. Someone gave me a large sum of money to come here and work with other people. My family is poor, and I had no other choice but to agree!"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, “But I really don’t know who gave me the money. We never meet. Whenever there’s something, we leave a note in the hollow of the old locust tree at the east end of town. After reading it, we burn it. I have no idea what the person who gave the order looks like!”

"What you said is as good as nothing at all." Jiang Linchuan's eyes darkened; he didn't believe this explanation at all.

He stepped forward and kicked the woman in the stomach. "Do you think I'm stupid? You think money would make you risk your life for something that could cost you your head? You must know your superior's background! Speak!"

The woman was kicked and curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach and coughing violently, almost unable to breathe from the pain.

She struggled to lift her head and saw the murderous intent surging in Jiang Linchuan's eyes. She was so frightened that she almost lost her soul. "I know, I know she's a spy... but I've never seen her before. I don't even know if she's a man or a woman!"

Jiang Linchuan sneered, "So you know that you yourself are a spy now, and it's not as simple as just doing things for money!"

The woman fell silent instantly, her face ashen.

She thought that as long as she didn't admit to a direct connection with spies, she could lessen her guilt, but she didn't expect Jiang Linchuan to directly expose the truth.

As long as she works for spies, she is already an accomplice.

"Confess every detail you know, don't even think about hiding anything!" Jiang Linchuan took a step closer, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The woman tried to struggle a bit more, stammering, "That's really all I know. Taking money to do something is different from being a spy..."

Before he could finish speaking, the interrogation room door creaked open.

Lian Xiao stood at the door with a frown, his eyes sweeping fiercely over the woman on the ground. "If you're worried about punishment, I'll handle this. My grandfather is backing me up; no one dares to touch me. I guarantee she'll spill everything she should and shouldn't say today. If she dares not to talk, I'll make sure she never leaves this house!"

Jiang Linchuan frowned. Lian Xiao's family background could indeed protect him. As long as no one died or permanent damage was caused, he would at most receive a verbal warning and there would be no substantial punishment.

He was about to be promoted, and some people were watching him. If he left evidence of torture and forced confession, it would not only hinder his promotion, but also implicate Xu Xinghe.

So he stepped aside to make room and said coldly, "Don't go too far."

Lian Xiao sneered and strode up to the woman. Before she could react, he raised his hand and delivered a hard slap to her face.

With a sharp crack, the woman was slapped so hard that blood gushed from her mouth and nose, and her cheek swelled up instantly!

"Will you talk or not?" Lian Xiao asked fiercely, his eyes filled with impatience.

The woman, dazed and confused from the beating, covered her face and cried out, "I'll talk! I'll talk, okay?! I really don't know who the higher-ups are. I only heard the messenger mention that they're targeting the General Staff! Apparently, they're here to trap them, but I really don't know who or what within the General Staff they're targeting!"

"Don't understand?" Lian Xiao kicked her in the chest with such force that the woman slammed against the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood and knocking out two teeth. "Why didn't you think things through when you were risking your life for money! Now you're pretending to be confused?"

"I really didn't hide anything!" The woman convulsed in pain, tears and snot mixed with blood streaming down her face, her voice hoarse. "I've told you everything I know! I can't say anything more if you ask me again! Please stop hitting me!"

Jiang Linchuan observed coldly from the side. He saw that the woman's eyes were unfocused and she was covered in injuries but still couldn't say any more details. She didn't seem to be lying.

She is most likely just a low-level executor and genuinely doesn't know the core information.

"Alright," he said, stopping Lian Xiao. "Take her away and keep a close watch on her. Don't let her try anything funny."

Upon hearing the order, the soldiers outside immediately rushed forward and carried the limp woman away.

Only the two of them remained in the interrogation room.

Lian Xiao chuckled and dusted off his hands. "You're really no good. I have to do it. Why are you always so worried? If it were me, I would have made her deal with everything long ago."

Jiang Linchuan didn't refute, but walked to the window and looked at the training ground outside. "It's not that I can't do it, it's just that I don't want to waste time, and I don't want to give anyone a handle to use against me."

He turned to Lian Xiao and said, “I’ve already told Xinghe about my upcoming promotion. I don’t want to disappoint her. And if something happens to me, she, as my fiancée, will definitely be implicated. Before, when I didn’t have her, I was willing to take any risks and use any means to complete my mission. But now it’s different. I have someone to care about, and I have to consider the consequences of everything I do. I can’t be as reckless as before.”

Lian Xiao was stunned for a moment, and it seemed... that was indeed the case.

If it were him, he would also have to consider Xu Xinghe.

Having said all that, he couldn't say anything more hurtful. "Fine, I won't say anything since you're doing this for Xinghe's sake. But now that we know it was a spy's doing, and they're targeting the General Staff, what do you think their motives are? It's a pity we couldn't catch the person in charge; we only caught some small fry, which is utterly useless."

Jiang Linchuan fell silent.

If the spies were really after the General Staff, there's a high probability they were after the external wound medicine in Xu Xinghe's possession.

The prescription was so effective that it could tempt unscrupulous people to take the risk.

He remained silent for a long time, but still did not tell Lian Xiao about his guess.

Lian Xiao is impulsive and fearless. This kind of adventurous spirit is an advantage on the battlefield, but in missions that require covert investigation, he is prone to revealing flaws due to his lack of composure, or even alerting the enemy.

“I don’t know either.” Jiang Linchuan said calmly. “The interrogation results are all here. I will organize them and hand them over to Political Commissar Wang. As for the follow-up arrangements, we will follow his instructions.”

Lian Xiao pursed his lips, then immediately waved his hand, "Alright, then go submit your report."

He could take this opportunity to go find Xu Xinghe, see how she was doing, and maybe even get a free meal.

He's been so busy lately that he hasn't been to the courtyard much.

Jiang Linchuan saw through his intention at a glance and said in a deep voice, "Xinghe needs to rest now. You're coming with me."

Lian Xiao instantly exploded, grabbing his collar and gritting his teeth, "You're playing the 'crossing the river and burning the bridge' game, aren't you? Don't forget who helped you with the interrogation! Otherwise, how long would you have been stuck here with that woman! You want me to go with you to report? No way!"

“I’ve remembered this favor.” Jiang Linchuan pried his hand away, his tone still calm. “But the rules can’t be broken. We need to report together so that we can discuss anything face-to-face. If you want to see Xinghe, we can do so after the report.”

Lian Xiao glared at him for a long time, but seeing Jiang Linchuan's resolute attitude, he knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he could only angrily let go. "Fine! You win! I'll go with you, okay?"