Imperial Palace Guard Interrogation Room.
Qin Shaofeng was secured on an artificial intelligence interrogation chair, his head also encased in a helmet-like silver halo.
This was not to protect his head, but to control and torture him through intelligent sensory devices.
"We don’t harm your body, as that could easily leave evidence of torture, we only destroy your will and nerves."
Moreover, the direct nerve pain is incomparable to physical pain.
It was even possible to adjust the pain through the instrument, threefold, fivefold, tenfold, twentyfold...
Until he could no longer bear it, feeling that death was better than life, and then he would liberate himself by confessing everything they wanted to hear.
Technology was rapidly advancing, and so were the methods of interrogation.
Dalith looked at Qin Shaofeng, who was lying on the chair, and spoke, "Captain Qin, you come from a police background, so you must be familiar with this kind of chair... If you think you can withstand it, we can start with a few rounds."
"No need." Qin Shaofeng’s face was pale, his eyes filled with despair as he said, "Whatever you want to ask, I’ll confess everything."
"Smart." Dalith nodded and said, "You should know that at this point, all resistance is futile. No one can save you, and nobody dares to pull you out at this time... Tell me, who instructed you to harm the Princess?"
Qin Shaofeng hurriedly denied, saying, "We didn’t know that woman... didn’t know the Princess was there; if we had known, even if we were incredibly bold, we wouldn’t dare disturb her. Do we wish to die? How could we oppose the Princess?"
"Really didn’t know?"
"It’s absolutely true. If I had known, even with a gun to my head, I would never do such a foolish thing..."
"So, you were targeting the Princess’s friend?"
"We didn’t know he was a friend of the Princess either... If we had known, we would definitely not have dared..."
"Enough, tell me who instructed you," Dalith commanded loudly. "If you tell even one lie, I will make you go through every program in this interrogation chair."
Qin Shaofeng shivered and said solemnly, "Liao Chengxu."
"He is the Deputy Director of the He Xi Branch, my direct superior," Qin Shaofeng said.
Liao Chengxu was not only his direct superior but also his brother-in-law.
But now, at this point...
It was a matter of sacrificing a brother-in-law to save oneself.
Who asked him to get involved in this matter? He was pushing himself into the fire.
Dalith nodded and commanded, "Take him away."
Two men in black responded and turned to leave.
In the luxurious villa, Yan Wangshu and his daughter Yan Xinyou were having tea.
Top-quality black tea, produced from the southernmost part of the Dian Mountain in the Empire. A pound of this tea equaled a pound of gold, demonstrating its extremely high value.
Yan Xinyou had already drunk several cups of black tea and still had not received any good news from the other side, she couldn’t help urging, "Dad, should we make a call to check? There won’t be any problem there, right?"
"What trouble could two nobodies cause?" Yan Wangshu savored the aftertaste of the tea soup and said, "It’s still not as good as that box of Emei Golden Buds. The soup is golden yellow, and it leaves a lasting fragrance in the mouth, even sweetening the throat the next day."
"Dad, how can you still be in the mood to enjoy tea?" Yan Xinyou became anxious, glanced at her watch, and said, "I’ve been back for over two hours now, and there’s been no word from them."
"How many times have I told you, stay calm before a big event," Yan Wangshu, dissatisfied with his daughter’s Qi Cultivation Skills, lectured, "It’s very unwise for me to call them at this moment."
"If they have succeeded, they will call us. If they haven’t, it means they are still trying. By calling them now, wouldn’t I be rushing them? Why make people unhappy?"
Yan Wangshu waved his hand and said, "There’s no ’what if.’ It’s just a matter of time. Just wait a little longer, they will definitely give me a satisfactory response."
"Alright," Yan Xinyou agreed reluctantly.
She always felt uneasy, as if her heart was unsettled until the matter was completely assured.
At this moment, a servant came forward to report, "Sir, someone has come to visit."
"Imperial Guard?" Yan Wangshu looked bewildered.
I have some connections, but not this kind of high-level ones.
"Please let them in," Yan Wangshu stood up and said.
After all, these were guests he could not refuse.
Quickly, several men in black walked in, the leader showing his credentials to Yan Wangshu and saying, "Yan Wangshu, you are being arrested for alleged conspiracy to commit murder, come with us now..."
The teacup in Yan Wangshu’s hand fell to the floor and shattered.
Stay calm before a big event.
Every disaster had to shatter.
Phoenix drove Tang Fei and Little Fatty back to the courtyard and Tang Fei asked Phoenix, "Is everything settled here? Do you want to go back?"
The exposure of Phoenix’s royal identity made him unsure if it would negatively impact her.
Although he had always been a nuisance to Phoenix, he still wanted to bring her as little trouble as possible.
Phoenix shook her head and said, "I can’t leave yet."
She didn’t know who was trying to frame Tang Fei, or whether they were targeting Tang Fei or herself...
Until the truth was fully revealed, she couldn’t just leave.
After all, Tang Fei and Little Fatty were strangers in New Star, without any support, and she was their only reliance.
What if she left and some powerful organization came to arrest them? What would Tang Fei and Little Fatty do?
Surrender or fight back desperately? Neither were good outcomes.
As long as she was there, those people wouldn’t dare to make a rash move.
"Then let’s go inside and sit for a while," Tang Fei suggested.
The three of them, carrying various bags, entered the house. Little Fatty hurried to boil water for tea, while Tang Fei and Phoenix sat on the living room sofa to analyze the situation.
"What do you think?" Phoenix asked, looking at Tang Fei.
She knew that although Tang Fei was a refugee from the Old Land, he wasn’t just any refugee youth.
He possessed a strong sense of crisis and alertness, and was thoughtful and mature beyond his years.
"First of all, we can rule out that this was targeted at you," Tang Fei said.
"Oh? Why?" Phoenix asked, puzzled.
Tang Fei chuckled and responded, "This is New Star, Phoenix City, your turf... You’ve just survived an assassination attempt in the Old Land. Some people want to find the assassin, others are desperately covering up... Who would dare target you at this time? Isn’t that walking right into a trap?"
"But you and Little Fatty just arrived in New Star and have no enemies, not even many acquaintances... Who would target you two?"
Phoenix frowned fiercely and said, "Moreover, in the Empire, possessing drugs is a major crime, and the amount they stuffed in your pocket... They’re trying to bury you alive."
"I have a guess... but I’m not completely certain..." Tang Fei stated.
"Hmm? You already think you know who is behind this?"
"The suspects are really few... If it’s them, I believe we’ll have an answer soon."
Indeed, before Tang Fei and Phoenix had finished their tea, Phoenix’s phone rang.
Phoenix glanced at the caller ID, answered the call, and asked, "Captain Dai, what’s happened?"
"Your Highness, we’ve caught the mastermind behind this. We now need you to identify the perpetrator." Captain Dai Dalith’s face appeared on the phone screen.
Phoenix nodded and said, "We’ll head over right now."
Hanging up the phone, Phoenix smiled and said, "They’ve caught the person. Let’s go see who’s the demon daring to target you two rookies."
"I’m not a rookie," Tang Fei squinted his eyes and grinned, "I’m a meat-eating eagle."
"And me, brother?" Little Fatty asked eagerly.
"You’re a rice bucket," Tang Fei retorted.
Phoenix smacked Tang Fei and said, "Don’t bully Little Fatty."
"Hehehe..." Little Fatty grinned foolishly, saying, "I am a rice bucket. My godfather used to say that too."
Upon arriving at the exclusive prison of the Imperial Palace Guard, Captain Dalith and his men were already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing Phoenix approaching, he immediately bowed and said, "Princess, the mastermind who orchestrated Qin Shaofeng’s crime has been caught..."
Phoenix waved her hand and said, "Thank you, Captain Dai. Take us to see... see if the answer matches Mr. Tang’s guess."
"Yes," Dalith replied.
The door to the interrogation room was pushed open, and upon seeing Yan Xinyou sitting on the iron chair in the room, Tang Fei’s face fell in shock and he said, "It’s you..."
Dalith, knowing Tang Fei was the Princess’s dear friend, asked, "Mr. Tang, do you know them?"
"I would recognize them even if they turn to ash," Tang Fei barked angrily. "It was them pursuing the Princess in the Old Land... We fought with our lives, suffered grievous injuries, just to stop their men. We’ve only just arrived in New Star and they’re already taking revenge on the two of us..."
Yan Xinyou widened his eyes at Tang Fei and said, "Princess? What princess? When did we ever pursue the Princess?"
Tang Fei pointed at Phoenix and said, "Still trying to argue? It’s her... You brought a lot of assassins to the Old Land to hunt and kill the Princess... Now you dare not admit it?"
"We are wronged!" Yan Wangshu, knowing the seriousness of the situation, hurriedly cried out.
The accusation was too severe, his frail body couldn’t bear it.
This was a matter of life and death.
(ps: Thank you, fantasy crime kid, for becoming our Galaxy Master, a very active old friend. Should be an old friend, right?
After all, the first novel you followed completely was written by Lao Liu... Which one was it?
Handshake, welcome back.)