Chapter 107 Interrogation 1
While Lu Youxun was drawing the magic circle, a nightclub in the distance was experiencing an unprecedented shock.
Because the "fireflies" I set up in the nightclub hadn't been taken down yet, I was able to see everything that was happening there. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to focus some of my attention on that area.
Earlier, Lu Youxun had called his men to handle the nightclub incident. Since they were Youxun's men, they were naturally agents, and agents are ordinary people; dismantling a nightclub couldn't have been done through individual violence. They probably contacted official authorities about the matter. Just as Zhu Shi had said, with Luoshan and the authorities currently at an impasse, the latter have an absolutely zero-tolerance attitude towards nightclubs like this. Less than twenty minutes later, a large enforcement team stormed in without explanation.
What followed was a complete upheaval. No matter how many local powerful figures were behind the nightclub, nothing could deter the authorities' determination to dismantle it. Those reveling inside were caught red-handed by law enforcement, barely dressed, in a pathetic state. All the managers and employees were immediately subdued. The security guards, witnessing this scene of utter devastation, surrendered and obediently crouched down, their faces still showing the shock and disbelief of the reality they were facing.
I saw Chang'an and Jinyu nearby. The two of them were still lingering across from the nightclub, silently watching one nightclub-related person after another being transported and transferred under the control of law enforcement.
Among those being escorted was the little girl I'd glimpsed earlier, standing behind the Shadow Man. She wasn't wearing the rabbit mask anymore, but she still had her hair clip on; I recognized her by the hair clip. The law enforcement team treated her relatively kindly. Goldfish also saw her, its gaze lingering on her face for several seconds.
Chang'an hesitated for a moment, then shouted into the air, "Zhuang Cheng, are you watching?"
So he knew I was observing this area. How did he find out? Was it because I arrived just in time when he was kidnapped and beaten by his two shadow clones, and because I didn't avoid him when discussing tactics with Zhu Shi and Ma Zao earlier, that made him suspicious?
I don't mind letting others know about the "firefly" now, so I manipulated the "firefly" to come in front of him and the goldfish.
The two immediately noticed the small point of light and looked suspicious. I continued to maneuver the "firefly" towards a nearby dark alley. The two exchanged a glance and followed without a word.
Once we reached a secluded spot, I made the firefly expand into a fireball, constructing vocal organs inside it, and then projected my voice: "What is it?"
It's called constructing vocal organs, which sounds very sophisticated, but it's actually not that complicated at all. I rely entirely on intuition. I can speak normally in my fire elemental form; right now, I'm just remotely manipulating flames, simulating some of the functions of a fire elemental human.
It would be a bit disgusting to conjure up a throat and mouth out of thin air with flames, so I wrapped them in flames as an outer packaging.
Chang'an seemed unaccustomed to talking to me like this, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Nothing special, I just wanted to ask... has your battle ended?"
“It’s over,” I said.
"Is the Shadow Man you're looking for really Goldfish's father?" He was very concerned about this question.
"Yes," I said.
"This kind of conversation is really strange. I feel like you've turned into some kind of weird thing..." He couldn't help but express his feelings.
Really? I feel like it's similar to making a phone call.
The goldfish suddenly spoke up: "So, is he dead?"
“Not yet,” I said. “There is still some information we need to extract from him.”
She persisted in asking, "And then what?"
"Of course, kill them."
Even though it's the daughter of the Shadow Changer, I don't see the need to fake it. Not only does she hate the Shadow Changer to the core, but even if they were a normal father and daughter, I have no interest in being insincere in this regard.
"Don't say things like 'Let me kill him,'" I continued. "Even if you tie him up, the monster isn't someone an ordinary person can hurt, let alone kill. If you rashly approach him, you'll only put yourself in danger."
“If you’re prepared to die, I won’t call you stupid. But we don’t want him to find another chance to escape because of your interference.”
Chang'an said speechlessly, "Acheng, can't you just honestly say you don't want others to die..."
I have this feeling that both he and Zhu Shi have a strange bias towards me. Do they really think I'm some kind of tsundere character with a sharp tongue but a soft heart? Am I that kind of person?
In contrast, the goldfish seemed to understand much better; she had clearly taken my words to heart.
“I understand,” she said. “I won’t do anything reckless, but before you kill him, can I see him one last time?”
Upon hearing this, I consulted Lu Youxun, who was in charge of the interrogation.
"One is Zhu Shi's brother, and the other is the daughter of the Shadow Changer?" He thought for a moment and then said, "It's alright, bring them over."
So I said to the goldfish, "Okay, I'll take you there. If there's anything you want to say to him one last time, think about it on the way."
I transformed the fireball back into a "firefly" that resembled a spark, and led the two of them toward the grove where we were.
On our side, Lu Youxun had made preparations, claiming he had sealed the teleportation ability. I couldn't discern any light or sound indicating a successful seal. Since he said so, it must be sealed, right?
He approached the Shadowman and took a pair of bluish-white leather gloves from his pocket. They looked like they were made of human skin, their color reminiscent of zombie skin. He put them on his right hand and then pressed his right hand against the Shadowman's head.
“You bastard…” The Shadow Man showed a look of humiliation.
Lu Youxun said expressionlessly, "Behave yourself."
I walked over and saw him take out another new gadget, and I couldn't help but take a few more glances. I wondered if it was because he had lost his fighting ability, but he seemed to be able to use quite a few amazing gadgets.
Seeing my curiosity, he put on a friendly expression and explained, "These gloves allow me to read the surface thoughts of the person I'm interrogating. After all, in interrogation, sometimes it's not enough to just force the other person to answer questions; the interrogator may also be unable to ask good questions due to insufficient information."
"After learning that this incident involved the Humanitarian Affairs Department and the creator of the monster, I specifically requested some items from the department that kept magical artifacts in order to extract more detailed information during the interrogation. This is one of them."
"So that's how it is..."
Just as I was about to nod in response, the Shadow Man suddenly made a move.
While I was talking to Lu Youxun, he seemed to think we had revealed a weakness and launched a fierce attack.
He was still bound and restrained by my fiery hand, his teleportation ability was sealed, and his condition was quite poor, but his ability to manipulate shadows seemed to still be barely functioning. He suddenly opened his mouth, probably manipulating the shadows inside his mouth, and a shadow spear as thick as a bowl shot out from it.
At this critical moment, life and death were at stake for him, and his first target would undoubtedly be the result of careful consideration. However, he did not choose Lu Youxun, who was closest and provided logistical support, but instead made me his primary target.
The shadowy spear shot out with incredible speed. To be honest, I didn't even see it was a spear at first glance. It wasn't until the next instant, when a silver sword light suddenly slashed from the side, intercepting and shattering the shadowy spear, that I was able to discern what had attacked me through the faint traces remaining on my retina.
Actually, I knew he was going to attack the moment I saw him open his mouth in my direction, but there was no need to dodge. What surprised me now was neither the Shadow Man's counterattack nor that it was intercepted and shattered by someone else. When I saw the silver sword light appear, I thought the person protecting me was Zhu Shi, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Lu Youxun.
Lu Youxun was holding a sharp longsword with a red tassel, a black hilt, and a silver blade.
The appearance of this sword is exactly the same as that of Zhu Shi's sword.
Seeing that his desperate counterattack had ultimately failed, the Shadow Man revealed a look of despair, and the sense of power that filled his body rapidly diminished.
The Seed of the Heart was about to leave his body; he was about to self-destruct!
Lu Youxun sighed with deep regret, having already spent time patiently setting up a magic array to seal the supernatural power, only to have the opponent still choose to self-destruct in the end. At the same time, Zhu Shi stepped forward without hesitation, sword in hand, to sever the connection between the Shadow-Changing Monster and the Seed of Heart.
Mazao, however, was even faster. She stood still, pointing her finger in the direction of the Shadow-Switch, and said in a deep voice, "Stop."
As these words rang out, the Shadow Man froze in place, just like the man in the black suit before him, and his rapidly declining power suddenly returned to normal, as if the decline had been merely an illusion. He didn't even suddenly shrink into a normal human form like the Immortal Man.
"Huh?" The Shadow Man was stunned.
Zhu Shi also stopped what he was doing, and Lu Youxun was also taken aback.
Both of them looked at Asahi with incredulous expressions.
Asaha's face turned pale, revealing a weak expression, and her body swayed back and forth. Her weak and pale complexion and her unsteady posture reminded me of when I first met her.
I quickly went to help her up.
"You actually canceled the escape procedure for the Seed of the Heart?" Lu Youxun seemed unable to believe his eyes.
More than that problem, I was worried about Asahi's health: "Asahi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Mazao hugged my arm tightly and took a deep breath.
Perhaps she used her blessing power on herself, because her complexion improved immediately.
Lu Youxun, contrary to his usual behavior, asked, "How did you do it? You were able to forcibly retain the Seed of Heart... Even in Luoshan, no one has ever done it before."
(End of this chapter)
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