The wooden dowel pierced through the flesh, its rough surface causing unbearable pain at all times.
Howard was now pinned to the wall of the West Tower BOSS's room by the Treant Aggregate in a posture resembling that of a victim.
He was being tortured by a pin in each of his hands, feet, and abdomen, while the undefeated Holy Crusaders just stood there dumbfounded.
They dared neither flee nor attack, letting this torment unfold before them.
The Treant Aggregate said in a deep voice:
"One last question: where were the experimental subjects from inside the cathedral sent? And who was your contact?"
Gravity acted on his body, and Howard felt as if his body was being torn apart.
Unable to endure the pain any longer, he forced his head up and said:
"I'll talk, I'll talk... you guys, put me down."
Still haggling?
[ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] snorted coldly, and [ Howling Pothos ], who was already used to cooperating with him, quickly Alienation into a thick pin in the palm of the Treant Aggregate.
"I remember you like to attack the lower body, isn't that a coincidence?"
The Treant Aggregate gripped the pin in its hand, and [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] said in a sinister tone:
"Either tell me now, or... you wouldn't want to know."
Even with his hands, feet, and abdomen pierced by nails, Howard did not actually break down.
Although he had become a prisoner, his prestige within the Holy Crusaders did not diminish significantly.
He knew very well that this was torture that no ordinary person could endure, and if he confessed now, he could at least retain some reputation as a tough guy.
But if the unspeakable truth were to emerge, he would become the laughingstock of this cathedral from then on.
He knew very well that some things couldn't be changed by resurrection.
"Okay, I'll talk."
Howard confessed weakly:
"I was doing those things under the orders of Antiya Lisi. I don't know the exact identity of the person I was in contact with, but I noticed something during the handover: despite their best efforts to conceal it, each of those who received the experimental subjects had some... bestial characteristics."
After saying this, Howard deflated like a punctured balloon, drooping his head listlessly, no longer caring about the possible punishment he might suffer.
The [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ], who controlled the collective discourse, felt his brain freeze for a moment.
Animalization? Does this refer to Animal Compatibility?
The testing phase of " World of Disorder " has been underway for six months. Although it is still officially a test version, with the increasing number of players, it is practically no different from the official launch.
However, many players on the forums still make some guesses about the official launch.
They speculated that the entire Tree Worship Church might be in an internal testing phase, with most factions belonging to the plant-based system.
Once the Tree Worship Church is completely taken over by the Second Holy See, the public beta or server launch should be imminent.
There will be a new system, a new map, and even a new recharge channel.
However, upon hearing the term "beast-like characteristics" from Howard's mouth, [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] inevitably overturned some of his previous ideas.
He thought for a moment and asked:
Which faction on this continent primarily uses beastification to combat the Demonic Tide?
Howard raised his head and said:
"Only the [ Starlight Empire ] and [ Bone Alliance ] in the south. In addition, we sometimes receive a batch of ' Base Body ' from the Holy City; these experimental subjects are often more suitable for some more sophisticated experiments."
After saying this, Howard, having lost too much blood, was completely exhausted and collapsed, standing with his arms outstretched and his body hanging limply.
Looking at the scene before him, [ Zhongde ], who had been watching the show for quite some time, asked in his mind:
"Are we done with our mission?"
[ Clear Soup Master ] thought for a moment and said:
"I'll submit this message to Ed and see what he thinks. But at least we've completed our mission to reach this test phase Dungeon, and I think it's time to leave."
"Get out? What about those surviving monsters?"
The Treant Aggregate turned around to look behind it, where dozens of Holy Crusaders soldiers and priests held captive in a corner were staring at them with the kind of look one might give a ghost.
The giant treant looked around, its mouth, which had grown to almost closed, tore open again, letting out a low growl:
"Get out of here, all of you."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers and priests nodded frantically, dropped their weapons, and cowered in the corner of the room, letting the giant treant leave in front of them, walk through the corridor, and walk out of the BOSS room.
" The Starlight Empire and the Bone Alliance..."
Ed repeated the names of the two World of Disorder under his breath, recalling some news he had heard before.
The land occupied by the Bone Alliance was originally part of the Empire, so it seems reasonable that the two factions have similar power structures.
If both factions exhibit obvious bestial characteristics, then it would be difficult to determine which faction was involved in the transactions hidden in the shadows of the Tree Worship Church based solely on Howard's statement.
Seeing the expectant look in [ Clear Soup Master's ] eyes, Ed chose to continue extending the hidden side quest.
However, sending them to investigate the Southern Empire and the Bone Alliance at this point seems a bit premature.
Fortunately, Howard confessed to more than just this one piece of information.
He processed part of the rewards for the player in front of him, but instead of sending a notification that the quest was completed, he continued to expand on the hidden side quest:
Hidden side quest one: Investigate whether the Starlight Empire and the Bone Alliance were involved in the Stained Ones ' experimental program, and if so, what their purpose was.
Hidden side quest branch two: Investigate the detailed origins of the Tree Worship Church's " Base Body ".
Having received his reward, [ Clear Soup Master ] left the cathedral with Ed's continued anticipation of the investigation, and soon arrived at the side of his five companions.
"How's the situation?"
"It went smoothly, our investigation has yielded results, and Ed has received part of his reward."
"You mean the mission isn't fully completed yet?"
"No, and the side quest has branched out again, one within the Tree Worship Church's Tree Worship Church and the other outside of it. This quest might take a long time to complete."
"Not necessarily. As long as we can investigate this matter thoroughly, that's fine. So, are you ready to be a secret agent?"
"Speaking of spies, I'm reminded of someone; we can discuss the follow-up investigation plan together later."
The first person that came to everyone's mind was the [ Dark Archmage ], who was famous among players for his solo exploration. After the reconquest of Fir City, this explorer left the tunnel he and his companions had built together and began to explore again.