Decryption

Li Shutong left with Big Cat. He only said he would personally teach Qing Chen, but not what he would teach him.

But Lin Xiaoxiao, who knew the boss well, understood that the boss was in an extremely good mood right now.

Extremely, extremely good.

The knight lineage had nearly died out by Li Shutong's generation. Although he had never mentioned it, Lin Xiaoxiao had watched him select successor after successor, only to fail time and again.

Lin Xiaoxiao knew that the boss was anxious.

That path was too difficult. Even he and Ye Wan had been unable to walk it.

By then, Qing Chen's prison uniform was completely soaked. Water dripped from his hair, and he could not stop gasping for breath.

Water torture could leave a person with lasting psychological trauma.

"I really admire you," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "I have no idea how you endured four days in The Black Room. I only lasted thirty-six hours back then, while Mother Ye did a little better—forty-seven hours."

"A little better?" Ye Wan glanced at him.

"Fine, she was a whole lot better. Happy now?" Lin Xiaoxiao said impatiently.

Qing Chen slowly got his breathing under control. "You were locked in The Black Room too?"

"Mm." Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. "For ordinary people, it's torture. For us, it was merely a test, something we had to go through. When the boss told us to lock you in The Black Room, I knew he wanted to choose you. But if you couldn't endure it, he wouldn't have minded watching you die. The boss has seen too much life and death. His heart has hardened."

Lin Xiaoxiao continued with a smile, "But it can't stay soft. That's just how this era is. Don't blame him."

Ye Wan handed Qing Chen a soft, thick dark-blue towel. "Dry yourself off. Not many people can stay as tough as you during water torture. It's perfectly normal for most people to lose control of their bowels and bladder."

Apparently, this was not Ye Wan's first time administering water torture.

And now, he genuinely acknowledged Qing Chen.

At that moment, Lin Xiaoxiao brought a tray in from outside the interrogation room. On it were a bowl of rice, a serving of sweet-and-sour pork ribs that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious, and a bowl of plain rice porridge.

Qing Chen considered it, then picked up the bowl of porridge. Ye Wan said to Lin Xiaoxiao, "I won. You owe me a thousand."

Qing Chen was stunned. "You were betting on me?"

"That's right." Lin Xiaoxiao said helplessly, "Your blood sugar is extremely low right now. When you see food, you should instinctively want something sweet first. That's the answer your body gives your brain, so I bet you'd take a bite of the sweet-and-sour ribs first."

Ye Wan said, "But you haven't eaten for four days. A smart person would choose porridge first, restrain the body's instincts, and tell himself what the correct choice is. I bet that someone who could endure The Black Room and water torture wouldn't be stupid enough to eat the ribs first."

Qing Chen slowly drank the porridge, feeling his chilled body gradually warm up.

Back in the Outer World, no matter how painful his experiences had been, they were nothing compared to what he had gone through these past few days.

People his age were still attending class, dating, and playing games, while he had already embarked on an unknown life.

Even he had no idea where he would ultimately end up.

Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly said, "So after you came here, you actually had no idea you were part of the Qing family. That was why you asked the boss to play chess with you and got yourself out of trouble?"

"Mm." Qing Chen nodded. At this point, there was nothing left to hide.

Lin Xiaoxiao asked again, "So in reality, you have no connection to the Qing family, right? You never lived with them, and you have no sense of belonging."

"Mm." Qing Chen nodded again.

Lin Xiaoxiao beamed. "That's pretty good, then. The boss probably accepted you because he thought of that too."

Ye Wan said to Qing Chen, "Rest assured, only Lin Xiaoxiao, the boss, and I know your identity in the Outer World. Not even Li Dongze will be told. We will keep this secret for you."

Qing Chen let out a breath of relief. "Thank you... Who is Li Dongze?"

"Li Dongze of the Heng Society." Lin Xiaoxiao grinned. "The Heng Society is an organization under the knights. The knights' influence is probably greater than you imagine. It seems you know nothing about the outside world either. The two of us will have to give you some lessons over the next few days."

Ye Wan said, "Oh, that Lu Guangyi is quite loyal to you. He suffered quite a bit for your sake these past few days, and he nearly attacked the boss."

"Mm, thanks for telling me." Qing Chen nodded.

"Do you know Liu Dezhu and Huang Jixian? And that Jian Sheng who likes swearing?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.

"I know Liu Dezhu and Huang Jixian. Well, I wouldn't exactly say I know them—they were classmates from my high school," Qing Chen explained.

"Wait, you were just an ordinary high school student in the Outer World?" Lin Xiaoxiao was shocked. He knew some things about the Outer World, but he had assumed Qing Chen must have been quite formidable there as well.

With the abilities and willpower Qing Chen had displayed, he should not have possessed them as an ordinary student.

Qing Chen said, "The Outer World is relatively peaceful. There are no superhumans, no mechanical limbs, and no gang organizations. It's stable and peaceful. Even ordinary people can live quite well in such an era, without much danger to their lives."

"I'm so envious," Lin Xiaoxiao said with feeling.

Qing Chen asked, "Where is that person who speaks in a dialect being held?"

"A few rooms away from this interrogation room. Why?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.

"Can I ask him a few questions?" Qing Chen asked.

"Of course." Lin Xiaoxiao said with a beaming smile, "We're all on the same side now. What can't you do? From now on, you can go anywhere you please in Prison No. 18."

After thinking it over, Qing Chen tied the towel from the water torture around his face. He then had Lin Xiaoxiao bring him a reader before heading to the solitary cell where Jian Sheng was being held.

The alloy gate opened, and Ye Wan entered first to restrain Jian Sheng.

This fellow Earth native looked to be around thirty.

Jian Sheng immediately began cursing. "I'll fucking—"

Before he could finish, Qing Chen silently wrote three words on the reader. The other man immediately stopped cursing. "Kuanzhai Alley."

Jian Sheng froze. "You're from Earth too?"

"I have a few questions," Qing Chen continued writing. "Aren't you from Chuan Prefecture? Why did you cross over here? Were you in Luo City?"

"I was in Luo City doing some business before. Don't know how the hell I ended up crossing over to this place," Jian Sheng answered properly once he realized Qing Chen was a fellow Earth native.

"What do you do for a living?" Qing Chen wrote on the reader again.

"A ticket scalper," Jian Sheng answered. "Are you from Luo City too?"

However, Qing Chen had no intention of answering his questions. He turned and left instead.

Only then did Ye Wan release him.

As Jian Sheng watched the alloy gate slowly close, he suddenly realized that this fellow native had no intention of saving him. He immediately began cursing again.

But on second thought, Jian Sheng felt that something was wrong. If this youth was from Earth, why did he seem to hold such a high position in this world?!

Lin Xiaoxiao, who had interrogated him earlier, and that burly man were both cooperating with him.

Had such a formidable figure already emerged among the Time Walkers?

Outside the door, Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Qing Chen. First he looked at the towel over Qing Chen's face, then at the reader in his hand.

This youth had just gone through The Black Room and water torture, yet he could still maintain such cautious habits?!