Chapter 62: The First Lesson of Darkness
——The first lesson of darkness begins with the screams of the betrayer.
On the third night after returning from the high seas, Mo Xiaohan took Ruan Xingchen into the underground torture chamber.
A chill wind blew in, carrying the smell of rust and decay. Ruan Xingchen's fingertips trembled slightly as her high heels treaded on the damp stone steps. With each step down, the chill deepened.
Mo Xiaohan walked beside her, his black suit blending perfectly into the darkness, only his cufflinks occasionally gleaming in the shadows. His expression was indifferent, but he never released his grip on her waist.
"Are you scared?" His deep voice was particularly clear in the claustrophobic space.
She pursed her lips, didn't answer, but just clutched the hem of her skirt.
Mo Xiaohan chuckled, placed his palm on her lower back, and pushed gently—
"Then see clearly what will happen to those who betray me."
The full picture of the torture chamber finally appeared before her eyes.
The walls were covered with all kinds of torture instruments - curved blades for skinning, whips with barbs, serrated pliers, a bed of nails with a cold glow, and a rusty iron maiden. Dried blood was faintly visible in the crack of the half-open door.
In the corner, a charcoal brazier was burning fiercely, and several slender iron rods were burning red, emitting a terrifying heat.
In the center of the room, a man was chained to a rack, covered in wounds and with his head lowered.
"His name is Walapong, and he's the captain of the guard at my Songkhla arsenal." Mo Xiaohan walked to the rack, slowly put on black leather gloves, pinched the man's chin with his fingertips, and forced him to raise his head.
Walapong's face was covered in bruises, his mouth was cracked, and blood dripped down his chin. He trembled as he opened his swollen eyelids and pleaded hoarsely: "Boss... spare me... I didn't..."
Mo Xiaohan sneered, suddenly let go of his hand, and let his head fall heavily.
"Three tons of C4 explosives," he said, taking off his gloves and casually tossing them onto the nearby iron rack. His voice was calm, yet every word carried a chilling chill. "Enough to flatten half the city, and it just disappeared from my warehouse."
Ruan Xingchen's breathing became slightly tight. She looked at Walapong, who had collapsed and sobbed, repeating incoherently "...It's not me..."
"Xingxing." Mo Xiaohan suddenly called her, his voice low and gentle, which was out of tune with the bloody scene.
She raised her eyes and met his bottomless eyes.
"Do you know what the most foolish thing about betrayers is?" He gave a look, and the two executioners immediately stepped forward. "It's not greed, but thinking they can hide it from me."
The interrogation began.
One of them used an iron hook to pry open Walapong's mouth, while the other clamped his front teeth with pliers.
"First lesson," Mo Xiaohan covered Ruan Xingchen's eyes but forced her to look through his fingers. "Watch carefully."
"ah--!"
Amidst screams, bloody teeth fell on the iron plate with a crisp sound.
Ruan Xingchen's stomach twitched violently and cold sweat soaked her back. She wanted to turn her head, but Mo Xiaohan pinched her chin to fix her gaze.
"This is just the first one." He kissed her trembling eyelashes. "The traitor has twenty-eight teeth. We can count them slowly."
When the seventh tooth was pulled out, Walapong finally broke down and confessed a name. Mo Xiaohan chuckled and signaled the executioner to stop.
"Very good." He nodded slightly to his men behind him. "Now I will teach you something more important—how to discern the truth."
An interrogator picked up a red-hot iron and pressed it against Walapong's shoulder blade without hesitation. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and Walapong's screams were heartbreaking.
Ruan Xingchen could no longer hold back her dry heaves. Mo Xiaohan held her limp body with one hand, while with the other hand he coldly commanded, "Change the whip."
The torturer picked up a barbed steel whip, and each lash ripped flesh and blood. The man was quickly reduced to a bloody mess, but he was still awakened by salt water and continued to be tortured. Ruan Xingchen's stomach churned violently, and a nausea and discomfort washed over him.
"Does it hurt?" he asked softly, his tone showing no emotion, but his eyes fell on her clenched hands, not asking Walapong.
Ruan Xingchen's eyelashes trembled, she didn't say anything, but tightened her fingers a little more.
"This is just the beginning." He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, as if to support her. "The key to the interrogation isn't the pain itself, but to make the other person understand that death is actually a relief."
When Walapong fainted for the third time, Mo Xiaohan finally raised his hand to signal a pause.
"It's very uncomfortable?" He placed her cold hand on his heart, letting her feel the steady and powerful beating.
Ruan Xingchen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "...Hmm."
Mo Xiaohan stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled, "Remember this feeling." His voice softened, but the coldness in his eyes remained. "My world is like this. Since you chose to enter, you must learn to adapt."
Ruan Xingchen took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
Mo Xiaohan curled the corners of his lips in satisfaction, turned and walked towards the rack, his tone suddenly becoming cold: "Continue."
The man was awakened again, his screams even more shrill than before, but with a kind of numbness that was on the verge of despair.
This time, Ruan Xingchen bit his lower lip tightly but did not look away.
Mo Xiaohan returned to her side and placed his palm on the back of her neck, his strength as gentle as if he was soothing a frightened cat.
"If you're scared, lean on me," he whispered, "but don't hide."
She moved closer to him stiffly, resting her forehead on his shoulder, her breath filled with the cold scent of his absinthe mixed with the smell of blood, a scent that made her feel at ease.
The interrogation lasted for a long time.
Steel needles, water torture, finger clamps... every torture left a tragic mark on Walapong's body.
Just as he passed out, a basin of ice-salt water was poured over his head, causing him to twitch and open his eyes, with painful groans coming out of his throat. Just as he was about to bite his tongue, his teeth were pried open with pliers, and he could only watch helplessly as the steel needle pierced into his fingers again.
His screams gradually became hoarse from the initial high pitch, and in the end only broken whimpers remained. There was almost no intact skin on his body, but Mo Xiaohan never shouted to stop again.
It was not until Walapong had completely lost consciousness, even ice water could not wake him up, and the rise and fall of his chest was so weak that it was almost invisible, that Mo Xiaohan finally raised his hand.
"Deal with it." He ordered calmly, as if he was just explaining an insignificant matter.
The men dragged Walapong away, leaving a long, dark red trail of blood on the ground. The torture chamber finally became quiet, with only the faint sound of sparks crackling in the charcoal brazier.
Mo Xiaohan turned and looked at Ruan Xingchen. Her face was as pale as paper, and there were tiny bloody marks on her lips from where she had bitten herself. There was still a lingering fear in her eyes, but there was a stubbornness in her eyes as she looked straight at him.
He reached out his hand and gently brushed his thumb across her lips, wiping away the trace of blood. His movements were incredibly gentle, completely different from the cruelty he had just shown.
"Well done." A hint of dark satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead as if to reward her. "Next time, you can try to interrogate her yourself."
"My star, you will make the perfect Queen of Darkness."
His tone was somewhat coaxing, like the whisper of a devil.
And she is walking into his world step by step.
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