"Commander Qin."
Su Zhan stepped forward half a pace: "I'm seriously questioning your professional competence right now. You personally stated that Du Shanhe is my old enemy because his son Doberman publicly accused me of being an aberration.
So what happened?
I awakened an SSS-grade Life Soul, proving my innocence.
And he had to pay the price for falsely accusing me.
He was executed by the authorities for the crime of false accusation.
This Du Shanhe definitely believes I'm the one who killed his son, which is why he's going to such lengths to investigate me.
Such simple logic—could Commander Qin really not figure that out?"
"Brilliant."
He pointed toward the interrogation room deep in the corridor: "You still need to hear what that aberration has to say about you?"
Su Zhan felt uncertain inside.
He truly didn't know how much the other party knew about him.
Based on Qin Bai's words, it seemed they had been secretly investigating him, observing him, learning about him all along.
Did they actually have evidence?
He recalled his process of transforming into an aberration within the mist, his experiences.
He still couldn't remember exposing his identity in front of anyone else.
Yet his heart remained uneasy with anxiety.
Nobody knew exactly how much they had uncovered!
"That finance director..."
Qin Bai walked leisurely toward the interrogation room, swiping his access card through the slot: "Specifically asked for you by name."
The metal door slowly opened.
Qin Bai turned back with a meaningful smile: "Said he wants to confront you directly."
Su Zhan followed Qin Bai into the interrogation room, with Wang Mingyuan close behind.
The metal door of the interrogation room slammed shut heavily behind them.
The smell of blood assaulted their senses.
Su Zhan's gaze fell upon Director Liu, who was strapped to the interrogation chair.
It was difficult to even call that thing human-shaped anymore.
Director Liu's head was fixed in place by a specialized bracket, his right eye now just a bloody, mangled socket, the blood vessels in his left eye nearly filling the entire eye socket.
The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, drool dripping down his chin onto the restraint straps.
Of course there were other horrific conditions that simply couldn't be described in detail.
Su Zhan's eyes moved downward, seeing seven or eight empty syringes scattered on the floor, each labeled with the small words "Truth Serum."
One of the needles still had blood on it, clearly having been used recently.
This dosage was completely meant to torture someone to death.
No wonder Director Liu now lay collapsed in the chair like a broken ragdoll, occasionally emitting strange giggles.
"Hehe, you're here..."
Director Liu suddenly tilted his head, his unfocused left eye struggling to focus: "Little... monster... Young Master Du was right..."
"He was fine just moments ago, but now he's become like this."
Qin Bai stood in the shadows, kicking at the empty syringes on the floor: "The dosage was indeed a bit excessive."
Director Liu suddenly began convulsing violently, the restraint straps cutting into his festering flesh: "The mist! The mist! The mist descends! Only then can we transcend!"
Even mentally broken, he still hadn't forgotten the Transcendence Society's doctrine.
Su Zhan had to admire this organization's brainwashing techniques.
But he felt considerably more relaxed inside.
After all, in his view, how could a mentally broken aberration possibly confront him?
"Hehe..."
Director Liu rasped: "Meat, delicious... I love eating it most..."
Qin Bai stepped forward slowly: "Weren't you asking me to summon Su Zhan earlier? He's here now, so say whatever you need to say."
But Director Liu just giggled foolishly: "Bones... must be chewed thoroughly... brain matter is the sweetest..."
Su Zhan stood to the side, quietly sighing in relief internally.
It seemed the other party had completely lost his mind, unable to even conduct basic conversation, let alone identify anything.
Right at that moment.
Qin Bai pulled a metal case from his chest, inside which twelve Heart-Interrogation Needles gleamed coldly in neat rows.
"No! Don't! Not that!"
Director Liu struggled violently like a frightened child, the restraint straps digging deep into his festering flesh: "I beg you! Don't stick them in! I was wrong! I'm truly wrong! Those needles! Too painful! Please..."
Qin Bai expressionlessly drew three silver needles, thrusting them with lightning speed into specific acupuncture points on Director Liu.
"Ah—!!!"
Director Liu let out a heart-rending, lung-splitting scream.
But soon, his eyes actually began gradually regaining clarity.
"Listen."
Qin Bai's voice was icy: "These three needles can keep you lucid for half an hour, but... you were already critically ill, so the price is your life. In half an hour, you will die."
Director Liu's single eye revealed extreme terror, but his mind had indeed cleared considerably.
With difficulty, he rotated his eyeball to look at Su Zhan, the corner of his mouth twisting into a bizarre smile.
"Now."
Qin Bai stepped back: "Say everything you need to say."
Su Zhan's heart sank again.
He felt like his emotions today had been like a rollercoaster.
Up and down, down and up, finally down down down down.
He truly hadn't expected Qin Bai to have such methods.
Trading one's entire remaining life for half an hour of lucidity.
Su Zhan could already imagine how many people Qin Bai had used this technique on.
Director Liu opened his blood-soaked mouth, rasping: "My boss Du Shanhe said that you are an aberration!"
"Truly ridiculous."
Su Zhan shook his head disdainfully: "Du Shanhe believes I killed his son, so he's been meticulously planning to put me to death.
When my teacher and I first arrived in Jiang City, he tried to scheme against us with a Mist Incident, yet we survived and emerged.
Now that he can't kill me, he's copying his son's trick of false accusations?
The identities of aberration and awakener cannot exist in the same person.
This is the iron law of our world.
You believing your boss's nonsense—you're pathetically foolish."
Qin Bai played with the silver needles, chuckling lightly: "Interesting. You claim Su Zhan is an aberration—do you have evidence?"
Director Liu's single eye spun wildly: "Director Du said that before his son died, he told him.
At that time, Du Feng told Doberman that at Li Yuqin's birthday party, Du Feng would make a move against Su Zhan.
But what was the result?
Du Feng was killed! The autopsy report shows he died by an aberration's hand!
Tell me! Who was that aberration!?"
"Testimony from the dead cannot be verified."
Hearing this, Su Zhan showed no panic: "I want tangible, concrete evidence. You can make up whatever stories you want—just like Doberman, you don't need any evidence to falsely accuse someone of being an aberration."
Qin Bai also spoke up for Su Zhan at this point: "Based solely on your boss's crazy words, you want us to suspect an SSS-grade awakener?"
"My boss also gave me some other information..."
Director Liu trembled all over, clearly maintaining this lucid state was consuming tremendous energy.
Su Zhan's heart sank, though his expression remained calm and unreadable.
Director Liu spoke with trembling difficulty: "Ever since Young Master Du died, my boss has been looking for opportunities to eliminate you, Su Zhan.
The first time was in Vermilion Bird City—our people summoned the mist, but what happened afterward?
You can investigate all of this—Su Zhan survived, yet only one mist creature's body remained within the mist.
The second time was in Lan City—we specifically sent people to draw Wang Mingyuan away that time, yet Su Zhan still survived. But you must have noticed—after the mist dispersed, how many mist creature bodies were missing?
Both these Mist Incident followed this pattern—isn't that too coincidental?
And you all know that during these two Mist Incidents, there was an aberration saving humans.
Isn't that even more coincidental?
I'd really like to know—which aberration would save its own food? Hahahahaha..."
Director Liu laughed madly, looking at Su Zhan with hostility, though more than that, with pity.
The more Su Zhan listened, the more uneasy he felt, his palms already sweating.
Wang Mingyuan's gaze shifted constantly between Su Zhan and Director Liu.
As for Qin Bai, his smile grew even broader.
Only this smile.
To Su Zhan, it felt bone-chilling.