The Second Chapter: Shock and Fury (Part Two)

Zheng Zha quickly calmed down. He casually took Loli's small hand in his, looking every bit like an ordinary, frail office worker. Loli's slightly uneasy expression and movements were just right, too. They clearly looked like two ordinary people.

The detectives peered into the car through the windows. Two of them went to check the license plate, then hurried back. The detectives' expressions changed at once, and nearly all of them drew their guns and aimed into the car.

Zheng Zha reacted first. His left hand, wearing the Storage Ring, twitched slightly. He almost pulled the Submachine gun out of the ring, but then saw that the detectives were aiming their pistols at the driver. He quickly lowered his hand again.

The taxi driver was completely bewildered. First, he'd seen a young man punch through the seat, and he'd been too frightened to say a word. Now a whole group of police officers were pointing guns at him. Had he forgotten to check his horoscope before leaving home?

The detectives showed no courtesy. They cautiously aimed their guns at the driver. Two of them yanked open the door and dragged him out, then snapped his hands behind his back and cuffed him. At the same time, two others quickly searched him, turning out everything he had on him, including his briefcase and identification.

"Sorry for disturbing you. This driver is a criminal we've been pursuing," said a plainclothes detective, walking to the car window. He took out his identification and delivered the line in a matter-of-fact tone.

Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief, though he still felt uneasy. He could only smile calmly. "Well, thank you for that. Who knows, he might've tried to rob us in the car... Can we leave now?"

The detective smiled, too. "Of course. But first, please come with us to give a statement. It's a citizen's duty, and I'm sure you won't have a problem with that."

Zheng Zha had no choice but to take Loli's hand and get out of the car. The plainclothes detective smiled and led them toward a command vehicle nearby. "I won't accompany you inside. Just one of you needs to go in and give a statement, then you can leave." With that, he turned and walked away without hesitation.

Zheng Zha watched the detective walk more than ten meters away before turning to Loli. "Loli, I'll go give a statement. Wait here for a bit... Maybe I was just being paranoid earlier. They might've been aiming at the driver. Heh, after this, we can go visit our old high school." Then he stepped into the command vehicle.

It was dim inside, and Zheng Zha had trouble adjusting. Just as he blinked and began to get used to the darkness, that foreboding sense of danger struck again. Several guns thrust out of the darkness at almost the same time, and one was pressed against the back of his head.

"Don't move! Don't even think about it, or I won't hesitate to dislocate your joints!"

As the man spoke, the command vehicle's door slammed shut. Zheng Zha could now see six people inside. Five of them were pointing pistols at him—no, all six were. One had his gun pressed directly against Zheng Zha's head.

Two men stepped out from among the five facing him. One forced Zheng Zha to the ground and began searching him, while the other took out something like a coil of wire and scanned Zheng Zha's body. A moment later, they both stood up. "Reporting to the captain: no weapons or electronic devices!"

The man behind Zheng Zha put away his pistol and said flatly, "Xiao Li, drive to the Public Security Bureau. Ask them on the way whether the isolation system in the interrogation room is ready."

One of the five nodded and walked past the others toward the driver's seat. Two men still had their guns trained on Zheng Zha.

(No... The space in this vehicle is too cramped. I'd get hit easily.)

Zheng Zha got up from the floor and asked coldly, "Why are you arresting me? Who are you?"

The man behind him found a seat and sat down. He was a muscular man in his late twenties or early thirties. His posture made it clear he was a soldier. He gave a cold laugh. "Let's be honest with each other. Don't even think about sending out a message. The entire vehicle has been completely shielded from electronic signals. This is the electronic signal jammer designed by the Senior Colonel Chu Xuan you kidnapped. Don't tell me you don't know that. We're the first team of the National Security Bureau. And you, sir? Who are you?"

(The National Security Bureau? The National Security Bureau! You bastard, Chu Xuan! What a damn masterstroke!)

Ever since his Intelligence had risen to 187, Zheng Zha's thoughts had become much sharper. He could quickly figure things out, and even when he couldn't grasp the whole picture at once, he could usually identify the key points.

Yes, Chu Xuan had definitely played him. Zheng Zha didn't know how Chu Xuan had found a way to notify the government, but he'd certainly been played for a fool!

The man glanced at Zheng Zha, assuming he'd begun to confess. He laughed. "Figured it out? About twenty days ago, we received location data from Senior Colonel Chu Xuan's watch. The signal came and went, and we didn't manage to pinpoint you until a few days ago. We've been monitoring you for the past few days, but haven't found any sign of Senior Colonel Chu Xuan. The only possibility is that he's been moved, but his watch was left with you. So, are you ready to tell us? Who infiltrated the base and kidnapped Senior Colonel Chu Xuan? Who was the inside man who helped with the kidnapping? Who met you here and took him away? And who are you working for?"

Zheng Zha pressed his lips together, racking his brain over how Chu Xuan could have sent out the information. The phrase "came and went" gave him a clue. Why had the signal been intermittent? The only possibility was that its source had been blocked or interfered with. That meant the source could only be something inside his Storage Ring. Not the platinum bricks—Chu Xuan hadn't touched them. Of everything in the ring, the only thing he often took out and used was... the High-vibration particle cutting dagger! The weapon Chu Xuan had exchanged for him!

Seeing that Zheng Zha still refused to speak, the man didn't get angry. Instead, he closed his eyes and said calmly, "If you don't want to talk, fine. But I'll warn you: Senior Colonel Chu Xuan possesses several technologies that put our country ahead of the entire world. National interests come before everything else. Since you're a traitor who's forgotten even your own country, we won't let you off lightly. There's a drug called Truth serum. It's a neurotoxin that can make you answer anything we want to know. You may end up a complete idiot, but that's the punishment you deserve!"

Zheng Zha was still half-crouched on the floor. In the shadows, he slipped the Storage Ring off his left hand, then discreetly put it in his mouth as he stood. He pressed it behind his teeth and asked, "What about her? The girl standing outside the vehicle?"

"She? We found her file, too. It clearly says she died ten years ago. Yet she looks like a girl of only fifteen or sixteen. Heh, the people you serve really are powerful. They secretly took her away and trained her for ten years, then sent her back without even changing her appearance much. Don't worry. She'll be in the interrogation room at the Public Security Bureau, too."

Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief. "When are you going to inject me with Truth serum? Today? Tomorrow?"

The man opened his eyes and examined Zheng Zha. "Heh, you really are a devoted traitor, aren't you? They bought you with a few million in platinum? Don't worry. The interrogation experts are waiting for you. If you still haven't told us the truth by tomorrow... you'll live out the rest of your life as an idiot."

There was still a chance! He still had a chance to escape!

After living through the life-and-death trials of Horror Movies, Zheng Zha was no longer an ordinary young office worker. He had better physical skills than most people and experience fighting desperately in the face of death. More importantly, he had an unshakable will to fight for his life!

Zheng Zha quickly assessed his situation. First, he had to get back to the office with Loli before midnight, or they would both die. Second, he couldn't say anything about the "Main God" space, or they would both die as well.

Why were these people taking him only to the interrogation room at the Public Security Bureau? Because they were in a hurry, too. They thought Chu Xuan had already been moved. As a vital talent with advanced national technologies at his fingertips, he could never be allowed to fall into another country's hands. In other words, they also wanted to find out where Chu Xuan was as quickly as possible.

As for the time now... it was probably around noon. Zheng Zha remembered that it had been close to eleven when he and Loli left home, so it should be around twelve now. He had twelve hours until midnight. He had to get back to the office with Loli during that time, or the Main God would erase them completely.

But he couldn't return to the office too early, either. He was only one person, and his strength amounted to little more than being better than an ordinary person at close combat. He was nowhere near superhuman. He didn't think he could challenge the power of the state alone and hold out in the office for long.

So the best plan was to get to the office just as midnight approached. That was the only way he and Loli could survive!

The command vehicle drove for a little over ten minutes before gradually slowing to a stop. Zheng Zha asked, "Back at my home, was someone aiming a Sniper rifle at me?"

The captain nodded. "That's right. We planned to knock you and the girl out with tranquilizer darts. If we'd used a powerful tranquilizer, you would both have lost consciousness instantly, and you wouldn't have been able to send out any information. But your instincts seem unusually sharp, so we had to lure you into this command vehicle, which is equipped with signal jammers. The driver was just an ordinary citizen."

(As I thought!)

As they were about to get out, the captain took out a pair of specially made handcuffs and pulled Zheng Zha's hands behind his back. "These handcuffs can absorb stray electronic signals, too. So give up. No one's coming to save you."

Zheng Zha smiled without saying anything and followed the captain out of the vehicle. He recognized the area. The Public Security Bureau before him was about an hour from the office on foot, but only twenty minutes away by car.

(Time to escape... eleven twenty!)

As soon as he got out, Zheng Zha sensed a faint murderous intent all around him. He could detect at least three sources: the people in the command vehicle behind him, the inside of the Public Security Bureau, and a nearby tall building. If he made a move now, he'd likely be shot full of holes the next second—or at least have his arms and legs broken.

With no other choice, he calmly followed the captain into the Public Security Bureau. On the third floor, in an inner room, there was an interrogation room with a large pane of glass. Anyone who'd seen a few movies knew there were probably plenty of people watching him from behind it.

(From here on, I can only endure.)

Zheng Zha closed his eyes and silently circulated his Internal Force. His only concern was that Loli might be interrogated. He hoped with all his heart that nothing would happen to her... Otherwise, once he got back, he'd kill that bastard Chu Xuan!

Before long, several people whose identities he couldn't tell entered the room. They began talking to Zheng Zha about national duty, his future, and his safety. They even told him outright that they would inject him with Truth serum, urging him to come to his senses and confess voluntarily. The state, they assured him, would forgive a criminal who repented.

Zheng Zha had heard about police brutality before, but his own treatment hadn't involved any violence at all. They simply kept lecturing him about morality. Before long, someone else entered the interrogation room and whispered something into their ears. Zheng Zha only caught the words "platinum," "room," and "search." His heart sank. It seemed they'd already searched his parents' home.

The men's expressions kept changing. One of them said, "Zheng Zha, think carefully. Once the Truth serum is injected, your mind will become confused, and we may not be able to get the information we need. That's why we've been trying to reason with you. But if you keep being so stubborn, we'll have no choice but to inject you. You should know..."

Zheng Zha cut him off. "What are you going to do to my parents?"

The men's faces lit up with delight. Zheng Zha had been silent until now; this was the first time he'd spoken. The man hurriedly replied, "We certainly won't wrong innocent people, but that depends on whether you give us a full account of what happened..."

Zheng Zha said flatly, "Give me a watch. I need time to think. And don't use Truth serum on that girl. She doesn't know where we were supposed to meet. If you hurt her, I'd rather bite my tongue off than tell you where Chu Xuan is... Don't worry. He's still in this city. He won't be moved abroad until the day after tomorrow. I'll give you an answer by the end of today."

The men exchanged glances. One of them nodded slightly, took off his watch, and handed it to Zheng Zha. "You have until the end of today to give us an answer. If you haven't given us one by midnight, we'll have no choice but to use Truth serum on you. Take care."

Zheng Zha said nothing more. He took the watch and checked the time. It was 6:40 p.m. He hadn't expected the interrogation to take so long.

Holding the watch, Zheng Zha closed his eyes and rested. Before entering the interrogation room, they'd taken everything he had—even the buttons on his clothes. Luckily, he'd hidden the Storage Ring in his mouth earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known what to do.

Seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven...

The personnel had come in several times already. As midnight drew closer, Zheng Zha suddenly stood up. "Where's the girl you arrested earlier? Where is she now? Did you give her any Truth serum?"

After waiting for more than ten seconds, a voice came through the interrogation room's speaker. "Don't worry. She's fine. We haven't given her any drugs, and we've even been bringing her meals on time."

Zheng Zha shook his head and said calmly, "I want to see her. If she's all right, I'll tell you where Chu Xuan is right away, and I'll help you rescue him. Don't worry—I'll also tell you who the inside man at the Dragon Hidden Base is."

After another ten seconds, the voice spoke again. "All right. We can grant your request. She's here in the Public Security Bureau..."

Eleven twenty... Zheng Zha silently glanced at his watch and slowly filled his whole body with Internal Force.

A few minutes later, several soldiers opened the interrogation room door. Loli rushed in from the other side and burst into tears, then clung tightly to Zheng Zha.

"Good girl, Loli. Don't move. Listen carefully... No matter what happens in a moment, hold on to me tightly, understand?"

While hugging Loli, Zheng Zha discreetly spat out the Storage Ring and slipped it onto his finger. Then he channeled his Internal Force into it. The High-vibration particle cutting dagger appeared in his left hand in an instant. Then... he swept it across the interrogation room door!