Chapter 326: She’s Not Human
Fang Yuanchao woke up in a room without windows.
Based on his senses, he could roughly conclude that this was a basement. Exposed metal pipes hung from the ceiling, and the walls were mottled with damp stains and faint traces of rust.
When he first awoke, Fang Yuanchao’s mind was still groggy, his consciousness unclear. Then, memories quickly surfaced.
That’s right! Zhang Suyu! And my daughter! I followed Zhang Suyu home to see my daughter! Then... yes, when we arrived, my daughter wasn’t there. Zhang Suyu called and told her to hurry back—my daughter, Fang Lin. I sat there anxiously, waiting to see her. Zhang Suyu showed me some photos. I even knelt and offered incense before my mother’s portrait... And then? Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. And then...
The last image Fang Yuanchao recalled was Zhang Suyu opening the door. She’d thought it was Fang Lin, but instead, two young men stood outside. They looked quite normal, except one had a wrench tucked into his waistband.
And then... they said, ’We’re looking for Fang Yuanchao.’
Hearing that, Zhang Suyu froze. Fang Yuanchao, standing in the room, was instantly jolted.
Fang Yuanchao pressed his forehead hard. The dull ache blurred his memory. This sensation was familiar; he’d experienced such symptoms frequently in recent years.
He forced himself to sit up. Once the throbbing in his head subsided a little, he carefully scanned his surroundings. The basement room was bare and not very large. He was on a simple, flat bed with a thin, hard mattress. He managed to get off the bed and stand. Thankfully, his body moved freely, though fragments of what seemed like a struggle flashed through his mind, occasionally accompanied by a woman’s scream—it sounded like Zhang Suyu.
I’ve... been captured!
Fang Yuanchao’s heart sank.
The room’s rusty iron door swung open. Fang Yuanchao whirled around, glaring.
A young man with a faint smile walked in. He wore a clean hoodie, simple jeans, and sneakers. One hand was in his pocket, the other held a tray.
Chen Nuo glanced at Fang Yuanchao. After kicking the iron door shut, he walked over and placed the tray on the bed—there was no table in the room.
"Eat something now that you’re awake," Chen Nuo said, his smile seemingly harmless. "You look like... you have a headache, right? Eat something. Going too long without food can cause hypoglycemia."
Fang Yuanchao’s fists clenched, then slowly unclenched. Defeat etched his face. "I... What about Zhang Suyu? My family?"
"They’re all fine. Don’t worry."
"Don’t worry? How can I possibly not worry!" Fang Yuanchao sneered.
Chen Nuo said nothing.
Fang Yuanchao glanced at the tray: a carton of milk, two bananas, and a pork floss bun with a sausage in the middle.
Chen Nuo smiled. "Have something to eat."
Without hesitating, Fang Yuanchao sat down, grabbed a banana, peeled it, and took a large bite. He then opened the milk. After finishing the banana, he snatched the pork floss and sausage bun and bit into it fiercely.
Chen Nuo watched him eat ravenously, then silently took out a cigarette and lit it.
Fang Yuanchao devoured the food in moments.
"How was it? Need another serving?" Chen Nuo smiled. "I was worried you’d been unconscious for too long. Eating too much right after waking up isn’t good, you know. That’s why I didn’t bring a lot."
"...No need." Fang Yuanchao shook his head. "Can I have a cigarette?"
"Of course." Chen Nuo cheerfully slid a cigarette from the pack, flicked it to Fang Yuanchao, and tossed him the lighter.
Fang Yuanchao lit the cigarette and sat on the other end of the bed. After a couple of deep drags, he spoke slowly, "When does he plan to see me?"
"Electric General," Fang Yuanchao said coldly.
"I see..." Chen Nuo mused for a moment, then smiled. "First off, there might be something you’ve misunderstood. Here... I’m in charge." As he spoke, Chen Nuo pointed to his own nose.
"...Who are you?" Fang Yuanchao hesitated before asking. "Weren’t you sent by Electric General to capture me?"
Chen Nuo sighed, met Fang Yuanchao’s gaze, and said slowly, "Hasn’t anyone ever taught you? Captives don’t have the right to ask questions."
After he said this, they stared at each other for a moment. Fang Yuanchao relented, lowering his head. "You’re tough. I’m in your hands, and so is my family. Just tell me, why did you capture me?"
Chen Nuo didn’t beat around the bush. "Where’s that thing?"
"The thing you stole. The black jade stone."
Hearing this, Fang Yuanchao slowly raised his head and looked at Chen Nuo. "You said you’re not one of Electric General’s men... but how do you know about it?" Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"I’ve said it before: captives don’t get to ask questions. You just need to answer." Chen Nuo shook his head. "That’s the rule of the game."
"..." Fang Yuanchao shook his head. "I want to see my family."
"You’ll get to see them."
"I want to see them now! I need to make sure they’re safe!" Fang Yuanchao suddenly bellowed. Though old, his sudden fury made his hair and beard bristle, giving him the aura of a wild beast.
Unfortunately for him, Chen Nuo wasn’t intimidated. He calmly met Fang Yuanchao’s eyes and even smiled faintly. "First, answer my questions. Satisfy my curiosity. Then, you can see your family, safe and sound. Understand the rules of the game now?"
Fang Yuanchao took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, the tension left his body. The old man clutched his head, fiercely scratching his scalp, as if wrestling with a difficult decision.
Chen Nuo waited patiently, in no hurry.
"If I... tell you, will you let my family go?"
"Are you... an enemy of Electric General?"
"That’s none of your concern."
Fang Yuanchao’s expression twisted, but he finally exhaled slowly. "That thing... it’s not on me."
"...Of course it’s not on you. If it were, we would’ve found it already." Chen Nuo curled his lip. "So, where did you hide it? Just hand it over."
Fang Yuanchao abruptly stood up, glaring at Chen Nuo. "That thing isn’t on me! I lost it by accident while I was on the run!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man lunged towards the nearby wall, intending to smash his head against it.
Chen Nuo frowned. With a casual flick of his finger, Fang Yuanchao froze, his forehead an inch from the wall, unable to move.
"Don’t bother trying to kill yourself. It’s futile," Chen Nuo sighed.
Fang Yuanchao slumped to the ground with a thud. He looked up at Chen Nuo, a hint of panic in his eyes. "You... you’re one of them too?"
"Them! Ability Users! You’re an Ability User, just like Electric General and his men!"
"You could say that." Chen Nuo smiled faintly. "Now I’m curious. Your family is in our hands, and so are you. Yet you’d rather die than hand over that thing. That means you’re not doing this for personal gain, since you’re willing to die. So... it seems you’re trying to protect someone?"
Fang Yuanchao’s body shook.
Chen Nuo glanced casually towards a corner of the room and gave a subtle wink. A hidden camera was mounted on the ceiling there.
At the surveillance desk, Electric General watched the screen, his expression dark as he observed Chen Nuo’s conspicuous gesture.
Protection? Who is Fang Yuanchao protecting?
Chen Nuo no longer looked towards the camera. He walked over to Fang Yuanchao and sat down in front of him. Once again, he took out his cigarettes, placed one in the old man’s mouth, and lit it.
"Alright, talk. Let’s save ourselves some trouble. You know I’m an Ability User, so you should understand that you can’t escape from someone like me. You won’t even be able to kill yourself. So... speak."
"I won’t tell you," Fang Yuanchao sneered, taking a drag from the cigarette.
"You must be an enemy of Electric General! I don’t care how you found out about this, but you definitely want to use me to find that thing and harm Electric General! I... I get it now! You’re working for his mother!"
「In the surveillance room」
Electric General, seated before the screen, heard this. His face abruptly turned pale.
A sinister smile crept onto Chen Nuo’s face. "Then tell me, what exactly do you know?"
Fang Yuanchao looked up at Chen Nuo, his gaze cold, and said through gritted teeth, "How much do I know? Ha! You might as well kill me now. But my family knows nothing about these matters. There’s no need to harm them. They’re just ordinary people. Killing a couple more civilians will only cause you unnecessary trouble."
"That depends on how much you know, and how many people you’ve told," Chen Nuo said indifferently.
"I... know... that woman..." Fang Yuanchao scoffed. "She’s not human at all!"
「In the surveillance room」
Electric General’s face turned ashen. His fingers tightened on the wooden armrest of his chair, snapping it in two.