The Last Meter

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

After the numbness subsided, the boundless pain felt like ten thousand needles pricking my body, and the burning sensation of the wound felt like being roasted over a flame.

Qing Chen slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a dilapidated house.

The fingers and wrists were still tightly bound by finger locks and wrist locks.

"Why am I here? Did someone save me? No, I wasn't saved," Qing Chen pondered silently.

He regained consciousness once, and at that time he was clearly on an airship. Whoever saved him should not be in such a place.

Moreover, anyone capable of stopping an airship must also be capable of unlocking the finger and wrist locks.

Qing Chen looked around, his voice tinged with pain.

The house was small, with wooden and dilapidated walls...

In the corner of the room, there was a pile of logging tools.

In the center of the room, an iron stove was burning, with an old black iron kettle on top, spouting white steam.

It wasn't cold here, and there was fresh firewood in the stove, indicating that the person hadn't gone far.

Qing Chen silently felt the injuries on his body. He had been dressed in a tattered cotton-padded coat, and underneath the coat were bandages wrapped around his entire body.

He felt pain all over his body as soon as he moved slightly, as if there was no part of him that was not injured.

Qing Chen closed his eyes and breathed quietly.

He felt as if he had suddenly returned to the Prison No. 18 he had just crossed, to that desperate and helpless situation.

However, Qing Chen knew that this time he might not have the chance to find another Li Shutong.

At one point, he suddenly remembered what the shadow had said to him.

Those 599 meters on the Green Mountain Cliff were all walked by your predecessors, but only that last meter, you have to walk by yourself.

Qing Chen didn't know if he would have a chance to live, but perhaps this was the so-called last mile.

No one can help him anymore.

He needs to help himself.

I don't know how much time has passed.

With a creak.

Someone pushed the door open and entered.

The cold wind outside suddenly rushed in, making Qing Chen, who was already weak, feel cold all over.

Qing Chen had never been so weak before, so weak that his thinking was somewhat impaired.

The myriad pains intertwined within the neurotransmitters, creating a torment that was difficult to describe in words at every moment.

He recognized all seven people who came in from outside; they were none other than the arrest team led by Kamiyo Yunhe.

Dressed simply, Kamiyo Yunhe looked at Qing Chen: "Awake? That's rare. You didn't even try to escape after waking up. What, have you given up?"

Qing Chen calmly said, "Hiding in the cold wind outside, trying to make me try to escape before catching me again, to break me down time and time again, and to make my psychological defenses collapse. This must be your usual psychological warfare tactic."

When people are in dire straits, once they discover a glimmer of hope, they will bet everything on that gamble.

When that hope is shattered, one's mind is on the verge of collapse.

Too many people cannot bear the cruelty of having their last lifeline taken away.

Even after being exposed, Kamiyo Yunhe wasn't angry. He gestured for his subordinates to cook, while he walked over to Qing Chen and sneered, "The famous Inspector Qing Chen of the Intelligence Department One doesn't seem to have such a strong will to survive."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed hard on Qing Chen's right rib, where the wound from the wolf bite was located.

In an instant, Qing Chen felt as if someone had branded him with a hot iron, and he arched his body like a shrimp.

To the surprise of the others in the cabin, the frail boy did not make a sound from beginning to end.

Kamiyo Yunhe calmly said, "It's a normal human reaction to cry out when in pain, so there's no need to resist. Just groan, and I'll let go. You see, you don't even need to beg for mercy."

However, Qing Chen still did not utter a sound.

The barriers of will never discriminate the form of compromise; whether it is a cry for help or a plea for mercy, it is essentially a retreat.

This time he can back down; perhaps nothing will happen.

But each small retreat eventually becomes the prelude to a breakdown of will.

Therefore, all Qing Chen could do was not retreat an inch.

Kamiyo Yunhe raised an eyebrow. "Functional resistance... You come and torture him in different places until he screams."

After saying that, he let go and had another subordinate come over.

The subordinate's right hand was like an iron clamp, tightly gripping the wound on Qing Chen's right arm. He watched as a fine layer of sweat seeped from Qing Chen's forehead, soon soaking his clothes.

The boy's muscles were trembling all over; the pain was real.

At this moment, Qing Chen closed his eyes and tried to immerse himself in a world of Conquer by Virtue in order to avoid these pains.

But it didn't work.

Qing Chen's consciousness suddenly and involuntarily became immersed in his memories.

Let's go back to that night when we climbed the Green Mountain Cliff.

He climbed the steep Green Mountain Cliff again and again, braving Cao Wei's crossbow bolts.

Leap that last meter again and again.

I watched the sunrise over the sea again and again.

There are also names engraved by our ancestors.

And Forever Young.

For some reason, Qing Chen's heart suddenly calmed down.

He may really be unable to escape, but his life now is not much worse than it was at the beginning.

They were both penniless and faced the same hardships.

The same unwavering spirit of never giving up.

Qing Chen opened his eyes and stared intently at the assassin beside him.

To be honest, this assassin from the Age of Gods had tortured many people. There are indeed tough guys in this world, but he had never seen anyone who could remain silent in the face of pain.

However, the subordinate gradually noticed that the boy was slowly stopping the trembling deep in his muscles, and even his expression was becoming more and more resolute.

Qing Chen suddenly said, "You can't escape, can you?"

Kamiyo Yunhe looked at Qing Chen: "I think as a prisoner, you'd better not have too much hope for this. Don't worry, no one can save you."

Qing Chen continued, "You abandoned the more efficient airships, which means the airspace back to the north has been blocked. This wooden house should be in a forest farm of some production base, and the wood used is ash, which means you didn't even have a chance to cross the Spring Thunder River."

The Spring Thunder River is the border between the south and north of the Federation, and people usually use this river to distinguish between the south and the north.

In spring, the ice floes in the northwest will rush eastward with the rivers. When the ice floes collide with each other in the rivers, they will make crackling sounds and the sound of ice melting.

Therefore, some people named it Spring Thunder.

Ash trees are fast-growing species south of the Spring Thunder River, and are rarely seen in the north. At least, northern loggers wouldn't specifically look for ash trees to build houses.

Kamiyo Yunhe smiled and gestured for his subordinates to release their grip on Qing Chen: "Inspector Qing Chen is indeed observant, but such observation is useless. Even if you were at your peak, let alone now that you're critically injured and on the verge of death, you still wouldn't be able to escape my control. Don't let killing one B-Class give you more ambition. I've said it before, the difference between you and me is like heaven and earth."

In fact, even Kamiyo Yunhe was surprised, because on their way to escape the Central Plains, they were astonished to find that the north had been blocked by the Li family.

It is said that Li Changqing, that crazy woman, has abandoned everything and begun to search for their whereabouts.

It's understandable that the Qing family is pursuing them, but what is Li Changqing's motive?

When Li Changqing puts on his military uniform, he is at Li Changqing most insane.

At this moment, six of Li's A-Class Airship have taken off and are patrolling the northern airspace, almost achieving full radar coverage.

This is also why Kamiyo Yunhe and his group had to abandon the airship.

Not only that, someone passed on a message to him, and even the fire pit issued an order to the wilderness, instructing all the Wilderness People to track down their whereabouts.

Kamiyo Yunhe couldn't understand why Huotang, who had absolutely no connection to him, would get involved.

So much so that the way he looked at Qing Chen became somewhat strange.

He only kidnapped a trusted confidant of Shadow, so why did it cause so much trouble?

Kamiyo Yunhe began to wonder if someone else would step forward to save the boy.

Kamiyo Yunhe's face remained impassive. He scoffed, "Do you know what your fate will be? I'll take you back to the north and make you live in a pigsty like Qing Mu, eating pig feed. Qing Mu's former colleagues will be watching you, and we'll arrest your current colleagues and imprison them nearby, letting them watch you become a filthy pig. You thought you could provoke the Kamishiro Family and make us hand over Qing Mu easily, but you've become the new Qing Mu yourself. Isn't that ironic? Whether you submit or not, in the future, when Qing's intelligence agents provoke the Kamishiro Corporation, they'll think of you. They'll start to fear, afraid that they'll suffer the same fate as you."

Qing Chen ignored the other party's mockery and said to himself, "There must be a lot of people looking for me outside right now, so many that you need to mock a prisoner to seek inner peace."

Kamiyo Yunhe narrowed his eyes.

Qing Chen said, "Take me back, and I'll spare your life."

Kamiyo Yunhe suddenly laughed in anger, "To be honest, I really didn't expect that Inspector Qing Chen could still threaten an A-level expert under these circumstances. Don't worry, even if I die, I'll kill you before I die. This matter isn't actually that complicated. I'll put a knife to your neck, and as long as the other party cares about you enough, they must let me go. It's like a bank robber taking hostages; this is an unsolvable situation. Do you think anyone can break it? How are bank robbers usually dealt with? I think it's with snipers, but are snipers effective against A-level experts? We already have a sixth sense."

This seems to be a dead end. As long as Kamiyo Yunhe doesn't do anything stupid, even if his whereabouts are found, as long as no one is willing to kill Qing Chen along with him in one shot, then Qing Chen is his biggest bargaining chip.

Kamiyo Yunhe and said, "Don't worry, even if Shadow comes in person, I'm confident I can kill you before he kills me."

Qing Chen closed his eyes to rest, for this was indeed an unsolvable situation.

At this point, it seemed that Kamiyo Yunhe wasn't going to end the conversation, but instead asked, "Where did you hide all your Forbidden Item? How about we make a deal? You tell me where you hid them, and I won't torment you anymore, okay?"

Qing Chen glanced at the other party. "You've all changed my clothes, so you should know I'm not hiding anything on me."

Kamiyo Yunhe: "Did it get swallowed?"

"Why don't you cut me open and take a look?" Qing Chen said calmly.

Kamiyo Yunhe shook his head. "There's no need for this kind of test. You know I won't kill you now."

However, the torment will not stop.

As he spoke, Kamiyo Yunhe pressed on Qing Chen's wound again, using endless pain to ravage the boy's will.

He seems to enjoy tormenting others.

Even though Qing Chen remained silent and kept his eyes tightly closed.

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly opened his eyes and said, "There is indeed something hidden inside my body."

Kamiyo Yunhe's eyes lit up. "Which number Forbidden Item?"

Qing Chen shook his head. "It's not Forbidden Item, it's an iron will."

"..." Kamiyo Yunhe chuckled, "At a time like this, you can still make witty remarks. I have faith in Qing Chen's perseverance. It's alright, the Forbidden Item is just a side effect. It doesn't matter if you don't get it."

As he spoke, he turned to check if his subordinates had prepared the meal.

Kamiyo Yunhe picked up the kettle from the stove and poured a cup of water for each of his subordinates. "You've all worked hard. It will be a tough journey back to the north. We have a mission to fulfill, so we'll serve you water instead of wine. Once we return to the north, I'll ask for your commendation."

The subordinates offered teacups, respectfully waiting for Kamiyo Yunhe by one.

The group chatted briefly in Japanese, and when the water wasn't so hot anymore, they took small sips of it.

Half an hour later, a person suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Some people looked at Kamiyo Yunhe in surprise, only to find that this A-level expert was calmly watching them.

With a few thuds, all six subordinates lay dead on the wooden floor.

Qing Chen was stunned. He hadn't expected Kamiyo Yunhe to be so ruthless, even killing his six subordinates.

However, this also suggests that the situation of Kamiyo Yunhe and his group must be very bad, and the other party is probably doing this to prevent leaks and betrayal.

In dire circumstances, if anyone were to defect, it would plunge the Kamiyo Yunhe into utter ruin.

Qing Chen asked, "Don't you trust them?"

Kamiyo Yunhe glanced at Qing Chen: "Are there any people in this world you can truly trust? They're dead, but I'll complete the mission for them. Once I return to the North alive, they'll all be heroes. The Kamishiro Corporation will support their families and let them enjoy the honor they brought. Don't you think that's the best outcome? They're also willing to sacrifice their own interests for the foundation's greater goals."

Qing Chen was stunned. He realized that Kamiyo Yunhe wasn't making excuses, but rather he truly believed in this explanation.

He sneered at Kamiyo Yunhe, "Hypocritical nation. If they were truly willing to sacrifice themselves, you could have simply told them to commit suicide. Why bother poisoning them behind their backs?"

"Let's go. I know you are Time Walker. There are still 21 days until your return. We need to reach the north before you return," said Kamiyo Yunhe a sneer.

After saying that, Kamiyo Yunhe dragged Qing Chen up and pulled him into the wind and snow outside the door, not knowing where they were going.

Qing Chen staggered, each step on the snow feeling like it was exhausting all his strength. He looked at the snow-covered forest outside the house and thought that he might really not survive this ordeal.

But that's okay, life isn't all sweetness without bitterness.

He had already tasted the bitterness of life; this time it was just a little more intense.