Enduring the agonizing pain, Jason calculated for a moment and answered, "It equals... equals 979!"
Jiang Lin was quite satisfied with this answer, but the burly man looked on with some anxiety.
What was Matthew doing?
Given the state the target was in, it was clearly the perfect time to ask questions. He should be cherishing the next two questions; right now, he was completely wasting the opportunity to interrogate him!
However, just as both he and Jason thought Jiang Lin was about to ask his final question, they saw complex magic essence circuits flickering in Jiang Lin's hand. Healing magic essence began to act upon Jason's deformed hands.
【Low-level Healing】!
Subsequently, Jason's hands were restored to their original state. Jiang Lin gripped his first finger again, and his devil-like questioning rang out once more:
"What is 979 minus 7...?"
Seeing this operation, Jason's psychological defense line completely collapsed. The familiar, sharp pain swept through his heart again, and he could no longer suppress his agony.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
A shrill scream rang out.
Jiang Lin said with a hint of regret, "It looks like you've violated the rules of the game. Shouldn't I give you a little punishment then?"
Hearing Jiang Lin's words, Jason's mind crumbled further. Then, his mouth was forced open, and a cool liquid was poured down his throat.
In the next moment, he felt as if his senses were being magnified countless times.
"You are not allowed to scream. I will continue to ask, and you will answer. If I find you lying, you can imagine the consequences for yourself. Now, hurry up—you haven't answered the question I just asked you!"
Because his perception was magnified, Jason's screams became even more intense.
Jiang Lin turned back to the burly man with a look of total innocence. "Do you need to step out for a moment?"
The burly man felt that this paladin's tolerance for cruelty was perhaps a bit higher than he had imagined...
Actually, it was more than just 'a bit.' The actions this guy was taking didn't seem like those of a paladin at all.
After a moment of silence, he chose to withdraw, leaving the warehouse cubicle entirely to Jiang Lin. He then waited outside.
The interior of the cubicle was inscribed with sound-insulating array formations, so Jason's screams could not leak out at all.
He waited silently, planning to go in and ask for relevant information himself after Jiang Lin was done torturing the man. He felt that with Brother Matthew's methods, by the time he went back in, the target would probably be begging to be killed.
Time passed minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye, over two hours had gone by.
The burly man found it strange—could it really last this long? He walked back inside and heard Jason's voice, which had already become hoarse.
There were many more bloodstains on the walls and floor of the cubicle, though Jiang Lin's body remained perfectly clean. As for the source of the blood, Jason, he still appeared unscathed—at least in terms of outward appearance.
Jason saw the burly man enter but didn't have much of a reaction. The man noticed that Jason's eyes seemed to have lost their focus.
Seeing him walk in, Jiang Lin flashed a bright, sunny smile.
"Burly Brother, do you want a turn? I've already squeezed out most of the intelligence he knows. I repeatedly cross-referenced questions several times in between, and they all matched. He's being quite honest and doesn't seem to have any intention of lying.
"However, the verification of the specific truth will have to wait until tomorrow. So, could I trouble you not to be in a hurry to kill him tonight? After all, if there was a single lie in his answers just now, as a paladin who keeps his word, I'll need to come back and fulfill my promise."
The burly man looked at Jason, whose eyes had lost their light, and nodded with some astonishment.
He had interrogated many cultists before, but he had rarely seen a situation where someone was interrogated into this state.
"I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to find the location of one of his fellow cultists first and capture him for interrogation as well. That way, I can verify the intel I got from him."
The burly man looked at Jiang Lin with a gaze of appreciation. "No problem, leave this to me!"
Jason, now slumped on the ground, had lost all will to live. During Jiang Lin's interrogation, he would repeat many details of the information at long intervals. If Jason had fabricated them on the spot and failed to memorize them, he would have been exposed instantly.
Furthermore, Jiang Lin had asked for information on over a dozen cult members at once. Jason had told him everything he knew, having no idea which one Jiang Lin would go after. Therefore, if Jiang Lin brought in a second cultist and their answers differed, he would immediately realize Jason had given false information.
Under such circumstances, Jason only dared to tell the truth; he didn't dare to engage in any deception. With the methods that person used, he firmly believed that if he gave false information, death would truly become a luxury he could only dream of.
Jiang Lin walked out of the abandoned warehouse, noted its location, and merged back into the night of Emerald City. His figure darted quickly through the streets while he navigated using the map memorized in his mind.
After the interrogation, his heart felt a bit heavy.
Emerald City was indeed quite heavily infiltrated. And this Pleasure Cult, as one of the Four Great Secret Cults, had a truly terrifying foundation.
This current incident in Emerald City was very likely an attempt by the cult kingdom to invade the paladin kingdom. As for how the God knew the infiltration here was serious, or why He sent a low-level small fry like himself, he didn't know.
Perhaps there was just a premonition, so these apostles of God were sent to investigate. Once the investigation was clear, stronger reinforcements would be called in.
However, as a small city on the border, Emerald City's strategic status wasn't very high. It wasn't located in any vital war zone, so it wasn't highly valued by the Saintas Kingdom. The Temple Master of the sanctuary only had rank-6 strength. This was likely why the cult found it relatively easy to infiltrate.
After rushing through the city for about ten minutes, Jiang Lin arrived at the location of another cultist revealed by Jason. This was a residential dwelling. Since it was late at night and Emerald City didn't have a very rich nightlife, most people had already entered their dreams.
Jiang Lin let Little Black in his pocket confirm the scent; it was indeed the aura of a cultist. Following the guidance of the aura, he quietly opened a window and entered.
It seemed to be a room occupied by a bachelor. The air inside was thick with the scent of low-quality tobacco mixed with sour sweat. Snoring came from a small bedroom.
If nothing was wrong, this was a cult member named Bill. Jiang Lin had sensed his aura from outside the window. He was roughly at the level of a fresh 2nd-rank. His living conditions also corroborated this point; he likely wasn't a high-ranking member of the cult.
After all, if he were high-ranking, Jason wouldn't have had the authority to know his address. Therefore, the possibility of Jason trying to trap him with false information was low.
Jiang Lin easily avoided the empty wine bottles and clutter scattered on the floor, silently pushing open the ajar bedroom door. He saw a figure wrapped in greasy sheets, sleeping soundly on the bed.
Jiang Lin didn't waste words; his movements were lightning-fast. To prevent any possible resistance or suicide, Jiang Lin directly took out the immortal binding rope he had borrowed from the burly man and stuffed a piece of scrap cloth into the man's mouth.
"Mmph!"
This cultist named Bill widened his eyes, completely unaware of what had happened. Having just been startled awake, he was still in a daze.
However, Jiang Lin gave him no chance, stuffing him directly into the cosmos bag he had also borrowed from the burly man. The entire capture process was clean and efficient, without making any unnecessary noise.
Carrying his second prey, Jiang Lin merged into the night once more and returned to the abandoned warehouse in the east of the city with practiced ease.
...
Inside the warehouse cubicle, dim magic lamps cast flickering shadows. The burly man was conducting a second round of interrogation on Jason, who was slumped on the ground.
Jason's spirit had clearly broken under Jiang Lin's "special care." He was like a man whose bones had been removed—he answered whatever was asked, his voice hoarse and weak, his eyes vacant.
After Jiang Lin's interrogation, Jason felt that the burly man before him was incredibly kind and approachable. An interrogation should be like this: the other person asks questions, and you answer! It shouldn't be like that other guy, who used every means to torture you regardless of whether you answered or not, didn't allow you to scream, and increased the intensity of the torture if you did scream or if your answer was unsatisfactory...
Just then, the burly man noticed that the warning array he had set up outside was triggered. Through the image-recording magic crystal bound to his mind, he saw that the newcomer was indeed Jiang Lin and stopped paying attention.
Soon, with a thud, a figure was tossed onto the ground by Jiang Lin like a sack of broken rags.
"Mmph... mmph!"
Bill's eyes bulged, his gaze filled with confusion. To this point, he still hadn't figured out what was happening.
Seeing the magic essence circuits of the sound-insulating arrays carved on the surrounding walls and the dried blood splattered everywhere, his eyes widened further. Was this a sacrificial altar for another cult? No! He was a cultist himself! Why would they sacrifice their own people?!
As a small-fry cultist who hadn't read many books—and hadn't understood the ones he did read—he naturally didn't recognize these basic arrays. So, seeing this environment, he naturally assumed he had been captured as a sacrifice by another cult. After all, such methods were frequently used by them.
He squirmed on the ground and saw Jason, who was slumped over, drooling from the corners of his mouth due to the torture, his eyes vacant.
Jason?! Why was this guy here?! From his state, it looked like he'd been through a hellish torture session.
Could this place be the realm of the Pain Cult? Please, no! The Four Great Secret Cults are one family! Give me a chance to explain!
However, an impossibly handsome youth crouched down in front of him. After slapping him a few times, the youth spoke.
"Your name is Bill, right? A cultist of the Pleasure Cult?"
"Mmph... mmph!"
Bill struggled, but since his mouth was gagged, he couldn't answer.
"Just nod if it's a yes. Don't 'mmph' at me."
Jiang Lin was somewhat impatient. Hearing this, Bill hesitated for a moment before nodding. At the same time, Bill's mind began to race. Since the other party knew his identity and Jason had also been captured, it seemed they hadn't just grabbed a random person for a sacrifice.
Thinking of Jason, who was currently lying on the ground like a dead dog, Bill began to feel terror. Had the people from the Temple arrived?! Damn it, how could Jason have sold him out!
Meanwhile, the impossibly handsome youth began to speak.
"How about this, Bill? Let's play a game... If your answers aren't the same as Jason's, then this game will go on forever. If you scream during the game, you'll receive a certain punishment..."
Hearing the word "game," Jason, who was slumped nearby, subconsciously shuddered. Bill, on the other hand, was completely bewildered.
Since there was only one warehouse cubicle inscribed with a large number of sound-insulating arrays, Bill's interrogation could only take place alongside Jason's. Subsequently, he experienced the same treatment as Jason.
His first finger was snapped. "What is 1000 minus 7?"
Intense pain surged, but Bill endured it and answered, "993..."
His second finger was snapped. "How long have you been in the Pleasure Cult?"
"Two... two years..."
His third finger was snapped. "How many people have you sacrificed in these two years?"
"I... I can't remember clearly..."
His fourth finger was snapped. "What is 993 minus 7?"
The pain made Bill's vision black out repeatedly, but he didn't dare to scream. He answered weakly, "985..."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin fell silent for a moment and squeezed that finger even harder. "Calculate it properly before you speak."
Even more intense pain hit him, and Bill was instantly drenched in sweat. He was already bad at arithmetic, and now, under these conditions, having to perform multi-digit mental subtraction put immense pressure on him. More importantly, he couldn't even use his fingers to count now!
Finally, after a long silence, he answered tremblingly, "986...?"
Hearing this answer, Jiang Lin was finally satisfied and gripped his next finger.
The questions that followed were some of the ones he had already asked Jason, cross-referencing their answers. At this point, the burly man had already put Jason into his living-storage space, preventing any chance of the two colluding.
Soon, Bill arrived at his final finger. Having endured until now, he excitedly waited for Jiang Lin to ask the last question. Then, he witnessed a scene that filled him with absolute despair.
A faint green light flickered on his twisted finger; a warm, healing glow enveloped it, extinguishing the light of hope he was about to see. Jiang Lin gripped his first finger again.
"What is 986 minus 7?"
Hearing this, Bill's psychological defense line completely collapsed.
"I was wrong! I was really wrong! I shouldn't have joined the cult, I shouldn't have been greedy! I really know I was wrong..."
Bill was a mess of tears and snot, but Jiang Lin was completely unmoved. "You don't regret what you did; you only regret the pain."
After pouring a potion into the man that could increase sensory sensitivity, Jiang Lin continued, "When you sacrificed those innocent people, did you ever think about the families behind them? Did you ever think that they were living human beings just like you?"
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