It seemed as if something below had detected the abnormality. The hollow corpse blocking the stairwell was blasted open in a burst of explosions, as if someone was trying to clear a path with explosives.
But before the new scar-faced henchmen could rush in, the last few walls inside the dungeon had already been dismantled, two of the supporting pillars were broken, and the southwest corner where miscellaneous items and tools were piled had even collapsed entirely...
"Ah! Where did the wall go!"
"It's gonna collapse! Run!!!"
At the moment the corner of the dungeon caved in, something finally broke. Souls that had originally existed only in the realm of soul vision reappeared in front of Leon and his companion.
*Indeed, I was right from the beginning, dismantling the dungeon was the way out!*
Glancing at the scar-faced henchmen who suddenly vanished at the end of the corridor, Leon sighed in relief, then used the Witch's Broom to stir up a gale, sweeping the dust from the dungeon out towards the stairwell, toppling over the panicked secret police and prisoners alike!
"Take them over there to stay!"
Pointing at the few still-standing support pillars he hadn't taken down, Leon instructed the female officer to bring everyone in the dungeon over there, then clutched the Holy Spirit pendant and dashed towards the stairwell.
As expected, with the dungeon mostly dismantled, the originally "endless loop" stairwell returned to normal. Upon ascending the stairs, instead of facing another collapsed dungeon, Leon found the empty first-floor lobby of the Secret Investigation Bureau.
*Is it the same as the dungeon before?*
Glancing at the empty first-floor lobby, Leon frowned slightly. Just as he was about to test if he could continue upward, he suddenly heard a warning from the Black Goat.
Heedful of the warning, Leon's expression sharpened, and he immediately summoned the Holy Spirit pendant, forming an invisible, solid barrier around himself.
In the next moment, more than fifty Nails struck it densely, only to be bounced back by the pendants' power.
In the once-empty lobby, armed scar-faced henchmen materialized out of thin air. These fiercely cold-eyed "duplicates" weren't just firing from a distance; some even abandoned their guns, leaping directly at Leon in a suicidal charge...
*Is this all there is to it?*
Watching the scar-faced henchmen charging at him but stopped a meter away by the Holy Spirit pendant, Leon shook his head slightly. Choosing not to tangle with them further, he continued to head upstairs.
Besides their stealth—so effective that even soul vision couldn't detect any abnormalities—their abilities offered almost no direct combat prowess. No wonder they'd been sent undercover.
The real nuisance was never these "dummies" and firearms created by him, but rather that bizarre ability connecting the stair landings, keeping Leon from leaving.
But that ability seemingly couldn't exist alone. Once the supportive medium was destroyed, the strange distortion vanished completely.
Even if the area between the first and second floors got "twisted" again, it wouldn't matter. At worst, it would mean dismantling the building once more. After getting a good gauge of the opponent's ability, Leon wouldn't be trapped again.
And Leon wasn't the only one aware of this fact.
As Leon activated his "shield," enduring the fire of dozens of firearms while beginning to ascend, the faces of the scar-faced henchmen showed signs of despair. Consequently, they put down their guns one by one and began to vanish.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, stepping out of the stairwell, everything around him had returned to normal, transformed back into the slightly noisy Secret Investigation Bureau.
To the left in the large conference room, several secret police appeared to be in a meeting, with intense arguing ringing out intermittently. To the right lay a semi-open office area where two employees struggled pushing carts, navigating between desks, distributing stacks of documents, sweating profusely.
Further in was the office the female officer had once accompanied him to visit. The "Director's Office" plaque on the door remained unchanged, and even the person inside was the same as before.
The only difference was that the Soul Flame, once brimming with hostility and murderous intent, now appeared calm and despairing, quietly awaiting his arrival.
*Have they given up?*
Observing the state of the Soul Flame, finding no indication of suicidal madness, only regret, reluctance, and a hint of resignation, Leon furrowed his brow slightly, then proceeded to push open the door.
"Congratulations, you won."
Watching Leon enter through the doorway, the scar-faced man surprisingly smiled, then calmly invited,
"Care to chat with me?
Before I die, I have quite a few questions to ask you. I imagine you do too. However, please slow down your speech a bit because your ability is truly terrifying. I don't want to betray my comrades.
If you suddenly ask something I'm unwilling to disclose, I'll end my own life immediately, and our conversation will cease. Is that acceptable?"
Noting the state of the man's soul and realizing he genuinely seemed to have a means to end his life instantly, Leon opted not to immediately restrain him but instead nodded,
"Alright, then one question each, but I ask first."
"The spatial distortion-like ability shouldn't be yours, so you surely have other accomplices. My question is, how much of my related intelligence did he take with him when he escaped with the bandaged woman?"
*Is that really 'one' question?*
Upon hearing Leon's first question, the scar-faced man grumbled with extreme frustration,
"Don't think I don't know that you can observe others' soul states and glean answers from their reactions. That single phrase of yours appeared declarative at the outset but was actually a series of questions in disguise!
You first asked if the distortion ability was mine, then confirmed whether I had accomplices, and further questioned whether they escaped together, and if intelligence was taken during the escape, ultimately asking how much intelligence regarding you was taken. You crammed five questions into that single sentence! That's not fair!"
"If you think it's unfair, you can choose not to answer."
*But not answering means I lose out, right?*
Watching the expressionless Leon before him, the scar-faced director clicked his tongue in frustration.
*If I kill myself now, I get nothing. But by answering his question, I can ask one in return. So it's either exchange one question for five, or concede having lost four questions in value. Clearly, exchanging one for five is better.*
"Not much was taken, just some speculations about your abilities and basic information the bureau could find. Beyond that, nothing much; they took mainly other intelligence this time. Information about you was merely collateral."
After answering Leon's question, the scar-faced director took a deep breath and asked,
"My first question is, what exactly is on the upper floors of your Purification Bureau..."
Interrupting his question, Leon gripped the Holy Spirit pendant, staring intently at him,
"Sorry, I won't answer any of your questions. If you wish to end yourself, go ahead."
The scar-faced man's mouth opened in astonishment at Leon's words. His face shifted rapidly from anger to confusion, then bewilderment, finally settling into outright puzzlement.
"Are you playing tricks? Yet given your ability to see through souls, exchanging questions clearly benefits you! Besides, I've prepared to end my life already. Even if I know the intelligence, I can't take it back. Why do this?"
"I can tell you that at least."
After a moment's thought, Leon replied,
"A senior who helped me a great deal once told me, no matter how advantageous it may seem, never trade intelligence with an enemy capable of threatening you unless they're truly dead. You're only prepared to end your life, not truly dead yet.
Moreover, I don't know your accomplices' abilities. What if they have a special ability allowing them to extract intelligence from the dead? So until you are truly dead, I won't disclose anything."
"And consider that me answering one of your questions, right? By our agreement, does this mean I get to ask again?"
*Screw you! I'm about to die!*