The big guy rubbed his chin, then crouched down on the ground.
His rough fingers brushed across Jason's pale face, and he broke into a grin that made the latter’s skin crawl.
"I’m planning... to have a good 'chat' with him, hehe... and not just about that little girl's family debt."
"Mmph! Mmm-mmm!"
Jason’s mouth was still stuffed with the big guy's white sock, leaving him able to produce only desperate whimpers.
However, the big guy wasn't in a hurry to deal with Jason. Instead, he casually cast a few soundproof arrays around him so that Jason couldn't hear the conversation between him and Jiang Lin.
Afterward, he looked at Jiang Lin and asked, "You must have just arrived here not long ago, right?"
"How did you know this guy was a cultist? Do you have some kind of method for finding them?"
Jiang Lin nodded. "I have my own ways, but they wouldn't be applicable to you."
Hearing this, the big guy sighed. "I’ve been investigating here for a while. I finally caught a few clues to confirm this guy was a cultist, and then today happened."
"Originally, I planned to interrogate him for information about the secret cults in Emerald City, record his personal information, and then disguise myself as him to infiltrate his cult organization to gather more intel."
"Based on my investigation over the past few days, I seriously suspect that the Temple in Emerald City has already been infiltrated by these cultists."
"But that’s just my intuition; I haven’t found any relevant evidence to prove it yet."
"If we could directly prove that the interior of the Temple has been seriously infiltrated, we could go straight to the Temples in other major cities and bring in higher-ranking powerhouses to help us wipe out these secret cults."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the Emerald City Temple might actually be infiltrated.
However, he still asked curiously, "Then why not just find a higher-ranking powerhouse to help investigate the Emerald City Temple directly?"
The big guy shook his head. "If a high-ranking powerhouse comes over, the leaders of the secret cult here will definitely notice. After all, the fluctuations and perception of a high-ranking powerhouse are easy to detect if even a little bit leaks out."
"If we just bring in a high-ranking powerhouse to investigate and their aura leaks during the process, the main force of the secret cult will quickly complete their relocation. We would end up returning empty-handed and making them even more vigilant."
"Since they’ve been able to hide and take root in Emerald City, they must have their own methods for evading inspection."
Jiang Lin nodded in realization.
The big guy then asked curiously, "You seem very unfamiliar with these procedures. Is this your first time doing this kind of mission?"
Jiang Lin nodded again. "I’m currently still Rank 1."
Because he kept Breath Concealment active all day, as long as someone wasn't significantly stronger than him, they generally couldn't see through his rank.
Hearing Jiang Lin report his rank, the big guy was very surprised. "Not bad! Being able to participate in this level of mission on your first go... it seems that Lord of yours thinks very highly of you!"
Although they were both Apostles of God, the big guy's class didn't seem to be a paladin like his, so the deity he served naturally wouldn't be the God of Holy Light.
That was why he used the phrase "that Lord of yours" in his speech.
Jiang Lin remained non-committal and said, "My thoughts are similar to yours. My original plan was also to take control of this cultist, interrogate him for intel, and then use disguise or other means to infiltrate the secret cult he belongs to."
"But since you got here first and have already done so much work, I'll leave the disguise to you. I'll go find another cultist to disguise as."
Hearing this, the big guy nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Brother Matthew. How about we move to a different place to talk? The soundproofing in this cheap inn is pretty average, and if there’s too much blood, the front desk might notice something wrong when they clean tomorrow."
"No problem," Jiang Lin replied. After a pause, he added, "We should come back here tomorrow morning. I’ll trouble you to disguise as that little girl again, and I’ll disguise as this cultist. We’ll walk from the room to the front desk together, which will make it even harder for our identities to be exposed later."
The big guy nodded approvingly. "No problem. Actually, before I met you, I was planning to go to the girl's house and bring her out to play this part with me."
"This is much more convenient!"
Jiang Lin asked, "Where are we going now?"
The big guy patted his chest. "Follow me. I have a temporary landing spot in the East District. I’ve confirmed it's absolutely safe as long as no accidents occur!"
Jiang Lin had no objections.
The big guy pulled out a bunch of tools like he was performing a magic trick and tied Jason up securely. As he worked, he introduced the items to Jiang Lin.
"This rope can suppress the magic essence in his body. Not only does it prevent him from escaping, but it also stops him from using magic to commit suicide."
"This pouch is a small spatial storage. Unlike normal spatial rings, this pouch can hold living things."
As he spoke, he tossed the hog-tied Jason into the small pouch.
Jiang Lin looked at the small pouch with a bit of envy. If he had that, Little Black wouldn't have to keep stuffing himself into his pockets.
"Big Guy, how much does that pouch for living things cost? I kind of want to get one."
The big guy smiled. "This one? The one I have is over 10,000 gold coins. You can probably get cheaper ones for a few thousand gold coins, but these things are in short supply, so the price is usually inflated."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin fell silent.
He felt that Little Black actually probably preferred the free air of the outside world.
Besides, staying outside allowed Little Black to serve as a "Cat-Navigation" at any time, searching for cultists in the vicinity.
After finishing, the big guy patted Jiang Lin on the shoulder. "Let's go, Brother Matthew."
He was the first to vault out of the window.
Jiang Lin followed, his movements remaining elegant, silky, and smooth.
The big guy said with surprise, "Brother Matthew, how are you so practiced at jumping out of windows? Do you catch people in affairs often?"
Jiang Lin remained silent.
As for why he had developed such a habit, he'd have to ask the two young girls who refused to leave his dormitory.
He was currently curious whether, when school started, he would return to a quiet, empty dorm or see those two girls still loitering there.
Thinking about it, with those two's personalities, they really might not leave.
By then, his reputation would truly be ruined!
Although the school forbade members of the opposite sex from entering each other's dorms, the enforcement wasn't actually that strict.
For instance, Jiang Lin often heard stories about senior students getting into "life-altering" situations at school.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
Under the cover of night, the two blended into the shadows of Emerald City, avoiding the sight of pedestrians as they sprinted through the darkness.
The big guy led the way. He seemed very familiar with the streets of the East District. After several twists and turns, they finally stopped in front of a warehouse that looked even more dilapidated and nearly abandoned than the cheap inn.
"This is the place. I’ve set up quite a few soundproof arrays and warning arrays. If anyone is nearby, we’ll be notified immediately."
Jiang Lin walked inside and found that, unlike the dilapidated exterior, the interior was kept quite clean.
He followed the man into a partitioned room and threw the still-shivering Jason onto the cold floor like a sack of broken trash.
The big guy cracked his knuckles with a series of pops, a "kind" smile appearing on his face.
"Alright, mister. Now, let’s have a good chat."
He crouched down, his massive frame casting a shadow that almost completely enveloped Jason.
"Let's start with the basics. What's your name? Which secret cult are you in? What’s your role? Who are your leaders and colleagues? What have you rats been up to in Emerald City lately?"
Jason looked at the big guy in terror, then at the gold-haired youth standing nearby with his arms crossed and a calm expression. Various schemes began to pop up in his mind.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, he was certain he had been moved.
Since that was the case, they must have moved him to a place where he wouldn't be easily discovered.
So, screaming would be useless. Once he could speak, there was no point in trying to shout for attention.
That way, he might suffer a bit less.
However, looking at their setup, he estimated he probably wouldn't make it out alive today.
If that was the case, he’d cause a little trouble for them.
When he gave them information later, if he mixed a few key pieces of false info into the truth, it would definitely cause them a lot of trouble.
He let out a muffled "Mmph" cry, and the big guy pulled the sock out of his mouth.
"Don't hit me! I'll talk... I'll talk! Just give me a quick death!"
The big guy gave a gentle smile. "If you're willing to tell the truth, I can certainly give you a quick end."
He paused and turned to look at Jiang Lin behind him. "You look quite young. Do you want to step away while I conduct the interrogation?"
Jiang Lin looked at him with surprise; he hadn't expected the man to consider him.
True, during their interaction on the way here, he had learned the man was a warrior, and the man knew he was a paladin.
The man was likely trying to protect the "pure heart" of a paladin from seeing scenes that were too cruel.
But Jiang Lin was naturally not a "normal" paladin. Watching this kind of interrogation wouldn't be enough to lower his SAN.
He shook his head. "You don't need to worry about me."
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Big Brother, can you let me ask him a few questions first?"
The big guy nodded with a bit of confusion and gave the primary position to Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin stepped forward and crouched in front of Jason, who was lying on the ground.
"Now, let's play a game. I'll ask questions, and you'll answer."
"Also, while I'm asking you questions, I'll break one of your fingers for every question I ask. If you can make it through having all your fingers broken without letting out a single scream and without telling a single lie, then the game is over."
"Otherwise, the game will continue indefinitely."
Hearing this, the big guy looked at Jiang Lin with considerable amazement. He hadn't expected that a paladin would know such torturous methods.
"Do you understand?" Jiang Lin asked.
Jason looked at the gold-haired, gold-eyed youth, and a bone-chilling sensation suddenly surged through his heart.
"I asked if you understood. Are you deaf?"
As Jiang Lin asked, a "crack" sounded as he gripped and snapped the man's finger.
Agony instantly flooded his brain, but Jason remembered the game rule about not screaming. He endured the pain and answered, "I understand! I understand!"
"Very good."
Jiang Lin grabbed the second finger.
"Alright, second question. What is 1000 minus 7?"
Crack!
The pain struck again, and cold sweat drenched Jason's body as he listened to this baffling question in confusion.
Beside them, the big guy looked at Jiang Lin in shock. He hadn't expected him to ask such a question.
Furthermore, he was quite stunned that Jiang Lin remained completely expressionless while doing this.
After a moment of thought, Jason answered, "993!"
"Excellent!"
Jiang Lin grabbed the third finger.
"Excluding today, how many girls like that have you assaulted in total?"
The pain struck again. Jason forced himself not to scream, and after hesitating for a moment, he didn't dare lie. "Tw... twenty-something..."
Jiang Lin grabbed the fourth finger. "What happened to them afterward?"
"Ugh... I sacrificed them to the Evil God..."
Jiang Lin grabbed the fifth finger. "What is 993 minus 7?"
"It’s... it’s... 986!"
The intense pain had already soaked Jason's back with cold sweat.
"Which secret cult do you believe in?"
"The... Pleasure Cult!"
"What is the scale of your cult in Emerald City?"
"I... I don't know!"
He paused, afraid Jiang Lin would think he was lying, and added, "My rank isn't high enough to access that much. I only know the scale is very large, and there are already at least twenty strongholds."
"Tell me all the stronghold locations you know..."
"34 Arkham Street, fifty meters forward from the old willow tree..."
He began to list the strongholds one by one.
By now, eight of his fingers had been broken, with only two remaining before he could end the agony.
So, he continued to endure.
Because the person in front of him appeared too cold-blooded and brutal, he didn't dare speak a single lie.
What if the opponent used a Truth-telling Spell at this moment? If he couldn't maintain a stable mental state, it would be very easy for his anomaly to be discovered.
Although the Truth-telling Spell had a nice-sounding name, it actually couldn't achieve a 100% accurate measurement of a person's psychological state.
It could only judge a person's mental fluctuations, similar to the lie detectors from Jiang Lin's previous world.
As long as the subject could keep their psychological state from fluctuating too much, it wasn't easy to see through a lie.
Jason waited for Jiang Lin’s next question.
To his surprise, Jiang Lin continued to ask, "What is 986 minus 7?"
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