Interrogation

"Young master, he's eating at that restaurant up ahead. The red car that just pulled up by the curb is his, and the driver is a man named—"

On a bustling street in Sokovia, Xiao Liu pointed at a restaurant ahead and briefed Li Chuan on the general situation.

Li Chuan nodded, pushed open the car door, and stepped out.

"Alright, you and the others pull back now. I'll handle the rest."

"Yes, boss!"

Xiao Liu didn't ask how Li Chuan would handle it, nor did he ask about any plan. He just nodded and used his communicator to order all nearby brothers to withdraw, himself included.

In their hearts, Li Chuan was not only their boss but also their master, and the benefactor who had pulled them from a life of despair three years ago.

So carrying out any of Li Chuan's orders perfectly was simply what they ought to do.

"Transformation Jutsu!"

After getting out of the car, Li Chuan didn't approach directly. Instead, he circled around nearby, slipped into an empty alley, and used the Transformation Jutsu to take on the appearance of a traffic cop he'd seen on the street just moments ago.

Only then, when the crowd thinned, did he stroll leisurely over to the red car and tap on the driver's side window.

"Get out. Your car's illegally parked."

"Illegally parked? You kidding me, sir?"

The window rolled down, revealing a young man in his twenties who looked at Li Chuan with an impatient expression.

"Of course I'm not kidding."

Li Chuan curled the corner of his mouth, pulled a small bottle from his pocket, and shot his hand through the window like lightning. Before the young man could react, he sprayed it right in his face. The guy's eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot.

Sometimes using a bit of tech was a lot easier than going in fists-first.

In the three years since his rebirth, he hadn't just trained in martial arts. He'd also shelled out big money to hire professional mercenaries to teach him all kinds of firearms.

And honestly, with his physique and reaction speed, pairing that with various guns had seriously boosted his lethality.

At the very least, it made clearing out hostile factions way more efficient.

He reached in, pressed the button to unlock the door, tossed the unconscious driver into the passenger seat, drove into a nearby alley, and neatly stowed him in the trunk. Then Li Chuan used the Transformation Jutsu again, taking on the young driver's appearance, and drove back to the original spot.

Ten minutes later, a potbellied middle-aged man, flanked by several bodyguards, walked out of the restaurant and got into Li Chuan's car.

"Back to the company."

"Yes, sir."

Li Chuan pretended to comply, but quickly turned around, pulled out the same little bottle of knockout spray, and hit the middle-aged man square in the face.

"Transformation Jutsu!"

Taking on the middle-aged man's appearance, he got out, dismissed the bodyguards in the two cars behind, and drove off with the unconscious man, leaving Sokovia city and heading into the sparsely populated mountains.

This middle-aged man was named Hades, the owner of a food conglomerate in Sokovia. He wasn't very famous—at best, a third-rate figure in the city's business circles.

But according to Uncle Li's investigation, this guy had ties to a Hydra base in the mountains. Every month, he sent his company's trucks, crate after crate, to deliver supplies to the base—and had been doing so for over a decade.

If this bastard wasn't connected to Hydra, not even a ghost would believe it.

Still, to be safe, he needed to squeeze him a little.

Li Chuan hauled Hades out of the car and dumped him on the ground, then poured a bottle of mineral water over his face.

"What's going on?"

Hades sat up with a jolt, wiped the water from his face, and looked around in confusion.

"Hail Hydra, Hades. Your number's up. You dared to betray the organization, so the Baron ordered me to deal with you."

Li Chuan pulled out a gun and pressed it to Hades' temple, snapping him wide awake.

"Hail Hydra, Mike, listen to me—this is a misunderstanding, it has to be. I haven't betrayed the Baron, and I haven't betrayed the organization. I need to contact the Baron directly!"

He never imagined that the driver who'd been with him for years was actually a spy the Baron had planted to watch him.

Even less did he expect that he, who had been utterly loyal to the organization, would be framed as a traitor and executed here.

Who? Who set him up!

"The Baron ordered your immediate execution."

Li Chuan shook his head, cocked the pistol, and put on a cold, merciless look.

At the sound of the gun being cocked, Hades' mind went into chaos. He stammered out pleas: "Mike, Mike, you have to believe me. I really didn't betray anyone. Remember that time you killed that college girl? I helped you cover it up. I've never treated you badly all these years. Just let me call the Baron and explain myself..."

"Looks like you're not the die-hard faithful type. That makes things easier."

Seeing Hades so terrified he was about to wet himself, Li Chuan let a cold smirk creep onto his face.

After this simple test, he could confirm without a doubt that this guy was a Hydra member—and not one of those brainwashed fanatics who'd kill themselves to keep secrets.

"Mike, you... what do you mean?"

Watching Li Chuan's expression and hearing his words, Hades finally sensed that something was off.

But it was too late. Li Chuan didn't bother answering him. Instead, he stepped forward, crushed his hand bones in one grip, and said coldly:

"Now, I ask, you answer. If there's even a hint of hesitation, or if I sense you're lying, I'll make you savor the exquisite pleasure of having every bone in your body crushed bit by bit."

"I'll talk... I'll tell you everything..."

Hades let out agonized screams, nodding frantically with terror written all over his face.

By now, he understood that Li Chuan probably wasn't from Hydra Base, and might not even be his driver, Mike.

But he didn't want to die, nor did he want to suffer that much pain, so he had no choice but to confess honestly.

Twenty minutes later, Li Chuan, having crushed every bone in Hades' body, twisted his neck with one snap, then dusted off his hands and stood up.

In truth, after crushing about a third of Hades' bones, his answers stopped changing, confirming he was no longer lying.

Still, to be a hundred percent sure, Li Chuan kept crushing his bones, repeating every question over and over again.

He had no choice. Soon, he'd be entering Hydra Base alone. If Hades had hidden anything or schemed to trap him, Li Chuan's identity could be exposed, leaving him surrounded and attacked by a swarm of elite Hydra agents.

"You're no saint either."

After snapping Hades' neck, Li Chuan hauled the unconscious driver, Mike, out of the trunk and twisted his neck without hesitation.

"Earth Style—Earth Burial!"

He pressed his hands together in a hand seal and slammed them onto the ground. The earth split open on its own, swallowing the bodies of Hades and Mike.

Earth Burial, an E-rank Earth Style ninjutsu. It had no offensive power—just a support technique for burying corpses.