Interrogation

A S.H.I.E.L.D. research base is hidden here, at a certain dam, where the captured Pearl is being held.

When Nick Fury arrived, the song playing on the base's broadcast system had just finished, automatically switching to "Young Men's Christian Association" by the band VilgePeople. He strode forward to the rhythm of the music, as if treating it as his entrance theme.

Suddenly, Nick Fury shivered for no reason, goosebumps covering his entire body. A strange feeling washed over him, as if he had stepped into some incredible role.

Upon reaching the room where Pearl was being held, influenced by the song's maddening rhythm and lyrics, Nick Fury saw Wei Xiuming standing there with his arms crossed. The first words out of his mouth, as if possessed, were: "Yo, Young Man!"

Wei Xiuming turned to look at Nick Fury, wondering if the S.H.I.E.L.D. director's mental stress had caused a breakdown in his language functions. "You're here. The interrogation can begin."

Nick Fury asked, "Why are you playing music? It increases the risk of the base being exposed. And it's a song from the eighties."

Regarding Wei Xiuming's unique aesthetic taste, Nick Fury didn't comment much. For example, his fondness for '80s TV shows like Star Trek, and music from VilgePeople, a group composed of gay men.

"As for playing music, I obtained approval through a democratic vote. Apart from a very small number of individuals, everyone else agreed to play music within the base," Wei Xiuming stated matter-of-factly.

Nick Fury's forehead twitched. He suddenly felt like saying "motherf***er." This was a subordinate agency of S.H.I.E.L.D., and as a spy organization, discipline was paramount. Even though this was a research base and most of the staff were scientists, it was still a research base for a spy organization. Democracy was the least important thing here.

He deeply suspected that Wei Xiuming knew he had sent people to transport the Xenomorph corpses and was deliberately trying to trip him up.

Turning his gaze to the captured vampire, Pearl, Nick Fury noticed it wasn't cuffed to an interrogation chair but was instead suspended in the air. Seven iron chains, welded to the ceiling beams, were stretched taut. A leather strap connected to the end of the chains bound Pearl's right arm, from wrist to shoulder joint. Its left shoulder was pierced by several iron hooks attached to chains, and a collar around its neck forced Pearl to keep its head held high at all times.

Pearl's entire body weight was supported by the straps around its joints. The pressure exerted by its over 800-pound body made Pearl feel like it was on a knife's edge. Especially its left shoulder, where the iron hooks piercing its flesh and bone caused a tearing pain.

"Turn off the music."

Seeing Nick Fury's expression darken further, Wei Xiuming picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted. The central control room immediately stopped the music broadcast. Then, the "black egg" immediately understood why most people in the base had agreed to play music on the broadcast system.

Although Pearl was a bit cunning when divulging information, it wasn't a being with strong willpower. Even suspended, the pain it endured caused it to scream loudly.

The scream was so unpleasant it made one want to bang their head against the wall, many times worse than a pig's squeal when being slaughtered before the Lunar New Year. Its pitch was extremely high and penetrating, clearly audible through a wall, rendering earplugs useless. Especially in the confined space of the dam, the resonance amplified the scream.

Upon seeing Nick Fury, Pearl's scream escalated another notch. Its obese body writhed uncontrollably in the air, wailing, "You... you f***ing bastard, you can't... you can't, no!"

Nick Fury suppressed the urge to cover his ears, looking at Wei Xiuming and frowning. "What did you do to him?"

"Other than suspending it because there wasn't an interrogation chair that fit its size, I haven't done anything," Wei Xiuming said. "I just told it that you were the one truly responsible for interrogating it, and considering its misbehavior, it would receive some punishment before the interrogation."

"We can begin," Wei Xiuming announced via walkie-talkie. The staff member sharing the room with Pearl took a syringe and injected the medication through an IV catheter previously inserted into Pearl's body.

"You bunch of f***s, get away from me, get out! Take your dirty hands off me! Please, I'll tell you everything!"

Twenty seconds later, the medication took effect. Pearl could no longer curse, only let out pained howls. In its struggles, the iron hooks tore at its flesh, which then rapidly healed due to its physique. Even so, half of its body was stained red with blood.

Then, the broadcast system began playing loud music again, this time to drown out Pearl's screams. Wei Xiuming and Nick Fury stood by watching. During this time, Wei Xiuming explained with interest to Nick Fury, "This medication was an accidental discovery during my research on human emotions. It causes no harm to the body. After entering the brain through the bloodstream, it directly stimulates the pain center, causing unparalleled agony. According to the numerical pain scale, this pain level should be an eleven."

The internationally recognized pain scale goes up to ten, the highest level. Eleven was an unimaginable level.

"After the vampire situation is resolved, I need to leave for a while," Wei Xiuming said very seriously. "The Knight System developed for Xenomorphs is fully mature, and the enhancement of its wearers is nearing completion. All that's left is to slowly clear out the Xenomorphs that have infiltrated society."

Wei Xiuming increasingly enjoyed research work now. Only research was something he could truly control. No matter how strong he became, it was useless. The only two times he had acted were the first time facing the Ancient One, where he was defeated by her unique tactics, skillfully applied magic; the second time was Pearl. He had already gathered his momentum, but Pearl had revealed it knew many secrets about the vampire industry and had information on the Book of the Blood God, forcing Wei Xiuming to spare its life to facilitate the ongoing cleanup of vampires.

"What do you want to do?" Nick Fury asked.

The Tesseract had already been taken away by Coulson from a parallel timeline. If he lost Wei Xiuming, who brought both funding and technological treasures, he estimated he would cry.

Wei Xiuming said, "I'm going to deal with Mages, learn some knowledge from them, and stop some of them from impulsively bringing in otherworldly demons. The armament to resist gods hasn't been developed yet."

As he spoke, Wei Xiuming clenched his fist. "Whether it's the Knight System or the development of my own power, it's far from enough. I can only find another way and draw strength from magic!"