"Student Su, do you have anything to explain?" Qin Bai said with a smiling expression.
"I don't need to explain anything." Su Zhan looked at Director Liu and spoke calmly. "Because all these things are your speculation, your subjective feelings, yet from beginning to end you haven't produced any substantive evidence."
That's right—as long as there was no concrete evidence, he would stubbornly refuse to admit anything.
"Hehehehe..." Director Liu laughed, revealing blood-stained, pale sharp teeth. "And then Su Zhan precisely located Dean Li's daughter's coffee shop, while Dean Li's daughter just happened to be the key to breaking the situation because she's an aberration—it was she who persuaded Dean Li to send Wang Mingyuan away. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence? Why? Why would Su Zhan know about our stronghold? Our Transcendence Society's aberrations would never reveal this point—you should all understand that. Unless you have strength overwhelming enough... like this esteemed person here, to be able to block self-destruction."
Director Liu glanced at Qin Bai before continuing, "But Su Zhan couldn't possibly have that level of strength. So why would our Transcendence Society's aberration reveal our stronghold to a human? It's obvious—Su Zhan is an aberration who obtained the information through trust between fellow aberrations!"
Su Zhan simply repeated his previous statement: "I don't need to explain. All these things are your speculation, your subjective feelings, yet from beginning to end you haven't produced any substantive evidence."
He didn't explain how he had found that coffee shop. That required no explanation. It's best for people not to fall into self-justification traps. If you can avoid explaining, don't explain—otherwise you'll only make more mistakes the more you try to explain.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Director Liu laughed maniacally. "Good! Very good! But I believe what I've said is already enough!" He looked at Qin Bai. "Esteemed one, given your investigative style of 'rather wrongfully kill than let escape,' I'd like to ask: after all these suspicious points I've raised, even without definitive evidence, will you investigate or not?"
Director Liu glanced at Qin Bai before continuing, "But Su Zhan couldn't possibly have that level of strength. So why would our Transcendence Society's aberration reveal our stronghold to a human? It's obvious—Su Zhan is an aberration who obtained the information through trust between our kind!"
"Commander Qin." Su Zhan turned to look at him. "You know I have enmity with Du Shanhe. Do you really trust what his subordinate says? And you heard what he said—those Mist Incidents where I was present were all summoned by them. So clearly, these so-called suspicious points were deliberately created by them to frame me."
He could see it now. This Director Liu simply didn't have substantive evidence of his aberration nature. Everything he mentioned wasn't exactly secret information. Su Zhan had already considered these things beforehand.
But suspicious points were still just suspicious points. Using these to interrogate ordinary people was one thing, but who was he? An SSS-grade Life Soul Awakener! A future pillar in resisting the mist, someone who would undoubtedly become a top combatant for Daxia once fully grown. Could you really interrogate your own kind based on these things? If this got out, what would other awakeners think?
This was what Su Zhan thought, but he was still very worried. After all, Qin Bai was extremely powerful and also an SSS-grade awakener. More importantly, this person gave him the feeling of utterly despising aberrations, as if he was sworn enemies with them. At this moment, Su Zhan didn't fear powerful awakeners—he feared madmen!
"Aiyaya..." Qin Bai nodded with a serious expression. "Student Su Zhan makes a reasonable point. You were originally enemies, so this could very well be a frame-up."
Wang Mingyuan stepped forward. "Commander Qin, Student Su Zhan speaks sense. Du Shanhe was already our enemy, so these so-called suspicious points could completely be a frame-up." He deliberately emphasized his words: "You can't possibly suspect our own human SSS-grade Life Soul Awakener based on an aberration's ravings, can you? This would affect internal unity."
Su Zhan gave Wang Mingyuan a grateful look. He felt that his teacher likely strongly suspected he was an aberration, yet he could still speak up for him—this was something he hadn't expected.
"Teacher Wang, these are two separate matters." The silver needle in Qin Bai's hand suddenly stopped spinning as he methodically returned it to its leather sheath. "Suspicious points do indeed exist, and investigation is my duty."
"How will you investigate?" Su Zhan glanced at the bloodied Director Liu. "Also through severe torture like this?"
"Hahaha..." Qin Bai laughed aloud and patted Su Zhan's shoulder. "Student Su jokes. You're an SSS-grade Life Soul Awakener, Vermilion Bird Academy's precious treasure. Even if I were completely iron-faced and impartial, I couldn't bring myself to do that."
Su Zhan immediately felt relieved in his heart. His greatest concern had mostly vanished, since aside from torture, he was confident the other party simply couldn't uncover his aberration identity.
Su Zhan asked tentatively, "Then how does Commander Qin plan to..."
"I have my methods." Qin Bai turned to the dying Director Liu and glanced at his wristwatch. "Your time is running short. Is there anything else you want to say?"
Director Liu's body was convulsing uncontrollably, nosebleed mixing with drool as it continuously dripped. "N-no... nothing else... I've said... everything I needed to say..."
Clearly, this was the price of the Heart-Interrogation Needle keeping him conscious—he only had half an hour of life remaining.
Qin Bai nodded, his tone magnanimous. "I'm still quite humane. I won't kill you. Use this last bit of time to take a good look at this world."
"Look... at what?" Director Liu struggled to rotate his only intact eyeball, scanning the bloodstained interrogation room. "Look at this interrogation room? Look at this place where you tortured me? Look at this place where you made me suffer?"
He grinned with his bloody mouth and laughed, "HAHAHAHAHA... You're more of a monster than we are!"
"Ungrateful wretch." Qin Bai shook his head regretfully, pulled out the Heart-Interrogation Needle, casually flicked his wrist, and the needle transformed into a stream of light that pierced through Director Liu's forehead.
The laughter cut off abruptly.
Director Liu's head dropped heavily forward, dark red blood droplets slowly tracing down the bridge of his nose.
This single strike had penetrated straight through his brain!
Su Zhan's expression remained impassive. Director Liu was dead. Perhaps it was better this way—death was preferable to continued torture. Aberrations had perverted recovery abilities, but recovery required energy. Clearly, Director Liu had been completely drained of energy from the torture—injuries like these simply couldn't heal.
"Commander Qin, is there anything else?" Su Zhan spoke up. "If there's nothing, may we leave now?"
From today onward, he had thoroughly attracted Qin Bai's attention. If he transformed in the future, he would need to be careful, careful, and even more careful.