Sheh shook her head slightly. She understood the meaning of "time ends and turns," but she couldn't remember the order and couldn't be 100% sure that she was from this world.
"I can see her tying the ribbon for me in the image of Madam Mo, maybe so."
Shi Jinzhe raised his arm and put it around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He lowered his head to comfort her, "It's okay. Let's remember this. Maybe we can find your mother in this world, and we can also find your past."
"Um."
Shekh turned around, his expression changing instantly, and continued interrogating Goren.
"After Madam Mo went to Frozen Harbor, did you keep in touch?"
"No, she won't see me."
"Haven't you thought of a way to see her?"
“I tried a few times, but she forbade anyone to accompany her, and all the people she sent were sent back.” Gao Lun tilted his head, trying to recall more details.
"To be honest, I can't figure her out. She always does whatever she wants. Back then, she just left an apology and I thought she was just throwing a tantrum. Who knew that she would be gone for almost thirty years and I never saw her again."
He laughed at his own last sentence, a self-deprecating laugh.
Shekh: "Didn't you try to stop her?"
"...I thought she would come back once she calmed down."
"So you never asked why, nor did you stop her from leaving."
"It's...it's my problem, and you all find it pretty ridiculous, don't you?"
Ji Hui casually replied, "It's alright."
Not only him, but others also cannot empathize.
Pu Sheng didn't sense anything was wrong, and Shi Jinzhe had no desire to hear his sorrowful reminiscences. Yan Ruoying was already tired of rolling her eyes, and Shehe simply said, "Serves you right."
Although it's still unclear how Bai Weishuang took over Madam Mo's body, whether it was her own initiative or forced by the system, Gao Lun assumed she was just throwing a tantrum and let her leave without addressing the problem. That mouth on her face is just an accessory; it's better to let it go as soon as possible.
Gao Lun changed the subject, not wanting to make a fool of himself, "Are you going to see Madam Mo?"
Shi Jin turned his gaze over and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Could you please pass on a message to her...?"
"Answer my question first," Shi Jinzhe asked. "What were you planning to do while the Queen was away?"
Gao Lun was shocked, his neck stiffened, and he couldn't believe that the man even knew this.
Who exactly are these people?
"Don't think about things you shouldn't be thinking about." Shi Jinzhe told him not to make a fuss. "I also know that you've been looking for a substitute for Madam Mo. We'll find her. If you don't want to be seen as a dissolute old man in front of her, tell the truth."
Gao Lun: ...
Shi Jin sat down on a stool to the side to wait for the answer. Surprisingly, Gao Lun didn't say anything this time.
"Aren't you worried about losing face in front of her?"
Gao Lun remained silent, clearly not intending to speak.
"Perhaps Madam Mo already knows, which is why he doesn't care."
Shekh said sarcastically, walking around Shi Jinzhe from behind, sliding his hand from one shoulder to the other, and then patting him twice. "Don't apply this to others; this trick only works on you."
Shi Jinzhe pressed down on her hand: "Don't hurt your own people during the interrogation."
"Do not flirt during the interrogation, you two," Pu Sheng deliberately squatted down to speak, expressing his wishes in the most humble manner.
When Gao Lun saw that three people were missing from the bedside, his hand, which was under the blanket, began to move restlessly, slowly reaching for the mechanism under the pillow.
A throwing knife suddenly pierced down, pinning Gao Lun's hand through the soft blankets. The sharp metal blade deformed, extending through the wound into Gao Lun's palm, eventually fixing his entire hand in a mesh-like structure, rendering even his fingers immobile.
"Don't even think about causing trouble." Yan Ruoying covered his mouth tightly to prevent Gao Lun from crying out in pain. "You don't think that only the two of them can deal with you, do you?"
Pu Sheng, who was half-squatting, raised his arm and stuck a silencing talisman on Gao Lun. "I already told you to answer whatever I ask. What do you want to do while the Queen is not here? Nod if you want to talk, but you'll have to keep it to yourself."
Gao Lun gritted his teeth. The pain in his hand felt like ten thousand tiny nails piercing his hand bones at the same time. In his daze, he even imagined hearing the sound of bones breaking.
Cold sweat dripped down Ji Hui's forehead. He waited for half a minute, but Gao Lun remained silent.
He drew another knife and used it to control the diffusion of metal within Gao Lun's body.
A minute later, he was sweating profusely from the pain, but he insisted on not saying what he was going to do while the Queen was away.
Shekh tossed him an injection from behind, "Give him the prop."
Ji Hui took it and saw that it was a prop that amplified pain by 300%. "...Isn't this too harsh? Fifty percent should be enough."
"Torture doesn't need to be differentiated by degree; use it."
Even before the Time-Ending skill was activated, everyone suffered this pain; what's so terrible about it?
Gao Lun didn't want to die, so he was willing to confess other things. Now that he's being threatened like this, he still won't say anything, which shows that what he, or rather his group, is about to do must be something very important.
The fact that this matter was deliberately chosen when the Queen was not present meant that it involved either royal power or divine authority.
If it is the latter, then it is something that must be known, and it is a key factor in advancing the declassification process.
Ji Hui shrugged and pushed the syringe in front of Gao Lun.
A few drops of clear liquid shot out from the needle and landed on Gao Lun's face, mingling with the cold sweat on his face.
He advised Gao Lun, "This is your last chance. Once this stuff is injected into your body, you will really be in excruciating pain, physically."
Gao Lun closed his eyes tightly, showing through his actions that he would not speak.
Kind words were hard to persuade him, so Ji Hui grabbed his chin, turned his head to expose Gao Lun's neck, and injected the pain-inducing device into his carotid artery.
In an instant, Gao Lun’s tightly closed eyelids were forced open, and a near-explosive pain swept through his body in his palms and forearms.
He began to gasp for breath, but could not make a sound. His whole body thrashed about like a fish out of water, and veins bulged on his temples. The more he struggled, the more intense the pain of being restrained by metal became.
For a moment, Gao Lun wanted to nod emphatically, but he immediately stopped himself, forcibly suppressing the urge to speak amidst the cutting sensation of the rusty blade.
Just as Ji Hui was about to draw his third knife, Shi Jinzhe stopped and said, "Stop."
Not answering is also an answer. I've already done what I needed to do by placing people around the Queen, so there's nothing I can't say.
He knew what Gao Lun didn't want to talk about: divine authority.
Ji Hui waited a long time for Shi Jinzhe's next sentence, but he didn't get it. "So, where are we now...?"
Shi Jinzhe said, "Enter the secret passage and go to the central area."
"Alright." Ji Hui retracted the throwing knife and gave Gao Lun another good beating. "Tell us, is there anything we should be careful about with the teleportation device?"
"……No."
Gao Lun gasped for breath, forcing out those two words, not even having the energy to glance at Shi Jinzhe as he opened the secret passage.
Shekh walked at the back, meeting his weak and empty eyes. "You have great perseverance, but unfortunately, you've run into a heartless bastard like me."
Before Gao Lun could react, he saw a hand lightly brush past his eyes, then his thoughts ceased and he froze completely.
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