“Dr. Chen, do you mean...” Shi Yong lowered his voice even further, testing the waters, “to let Scarface go and track him? We could flush out the person behind him and catch them all at once?”
A short, cold sneer came from the other end of the communicator.
Chen Shijie’s voice turned icy. “No need.”
Shi Yong was slightly taken aback.
“Once we have them, the institute has plenty of ways to make them talk. We’ll find out exactly who is behind them.”
Chen Shijie’s voice was as calm as a still pond, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
“Just bring him back. After a little interrogation, everything will be clear.”
A chill ran down Shi Yong’s spine.
He knew the institute’s methods all too well.
Those interrogation techniques, those drugs, and that experimental equipment that could make someone wish they were dead...
He had seen too many stubborn men who couldn't even last an hour against those methods.
He quickly responded, “Understood, Dr. Chen.”
“Go on,” Chen Shijie’s voice returned to its usual calm. “Once you catch him, send him to the second basement level. Lock him up with the hunter.”
“Also, send someone to the City Defense Force. Check the backgrounds of these two again and see if they really have any connection to them.”
“Of course, regardless of whether they do or not, these two are now our test subjects...”
Shi Yong understood perfectly. Dr. Chen was concerned that the City Defense Force might try to reclaim them.
After all, one of them was a Level 3 Ability User. Even within the City Defense Force, such individuals were highly valuable.
Losing one would be a significant blow and could potentially interfere with certain City Defense Force missions.
The call ended.
Just as Scarface walked out of East Street and turned into a narrow alley, two figures blocked both ends of the path simultaneously.
Three men in front, three behind. They were all dressed in identical black combat suits, wielding standard-issue electric batons.
Leading them was the young security squad leader. He stood at the alley entrance, staring coldly at Scarface.
Scarface’s footsteps came to a sudden halt, and his heart sank.
He thought he had been careful enough, but he had still been spotted.
However, he wasn't about to surrender without a fight.
Scarface lunged toward the alley entrance with extreme speed. The physical capabilities of a Level 2 Ability User exploded to their limit in that instant.
The squad leader was prepared. He thrust his electric baton toward Scarface’s abdomen.
Scarface twisted his body to dodge and threw a punch at the squad leader’s face.
The leader tilted his head to avoid the blow, then swung the electric baton horizontally, striking Scarface’s arm.
“Bzzzt—”
Blue electric arcs erupted. Scarface’s arm went numb instantly, leaving the entire limb powerless.
But he didn't stop.
Using his still-functional right hand, he pulled a military dagger from his waist and slashed toward the squad leader’s throat.
The leader stepped back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
At the same time, two other security guards closed in.
Two electric batons were thrust simultaneously at Scarface’s chest and abdomen.
Scarface couldn't dodge; he could only brace himself.
“Bzzzt— Bzzzt—”
Two surges of electricity hit his body at once. Scarface’s frame convulsed violently. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees.
The military dagger slipped from his hand, hitting the ground with a sharp metallic clang.
His consciousness was blurring, his vision distorted, and a loud buzzing filled his ears.
He heard someone whisper near his ear, “Take him away.”
Then, everything went black, and he knew no more.
...
Inner City, Deep Blue Research Institute, second basement level.
Lei Lie was shackled to a metal bed. His limbs were secured by alloy shackles, and two straps across his chest and waist bound him tightly to the frame.
His left arm had been crudely treated; the bone had been reset and held in place with a splint. However, his broken ribs remained untouched, and every breath brought a piercing, agonizing pain.
He opened his eyes to see a stark white ceiling and a blinding shadowless lamp overhead.
He turned his head and saw another metal bed nearby.
Someone was lying on it.
It was Scarface.
His face was covered in blood, his lip was split open, and his left eye was so swollen he couldn't open it. His clothes were torn in several places, revealing bruised, purple skin beneath.
His wrists and ankles were shackled to the edges of the bed, leaving him spread-eagled and without the strength to struggle.
“Scarface... Scarface!” Lei Lie called out in a low, hushed voice.
Scarface’s eyelid twitched, and he slowly opened his one functional eye.
Seeing Lei Lie, his lips quirked as if he wanted to smile, but the movement tugged at his wounds, turning the expression into a low groan.
“You’re... still alive...” Scarface’s voice was so raspy it was barely audible.
“How the hell did you get caught too?” Lei Lie hissed through gritted teeth.
Scarface gave a bitter smile. “They flagged me... couldn't get away...”
Lei Lie closed his eyes, a deep sense of self-reproach welling up within him.
He had been too careless.
He thought he had been cautious enough, that the ventilation ducts were hidden enough, and that he could escape even if he were discovered.
And the result?
Not only was he captured, but he had dragged Scarface down with him.
“Don’t... don’t overthink it...” Scarface seemed to read his mind, his voice halting. “In our line of work... this day was bound to come...”
“Just didn't expect it... to come so soon...”
Lei Lie said nothing, merely clenching his fists tight.
The laboratory door opened.
Several people in white coats walked in, led by the middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses—Chen Shijie.
He walked up to Lei Lie, looking down at him with a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Awake?” His voice was gentle, as if he were greeting an old friend.
Lei Lie remained silent, staring back with a cold, hard gaze.
Chen Shijie didn't seem to care. He turned to Scarface and looked down at him with the same expression.
He pulled up a chair and sat between the two metal beds. He crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees, his posture as relaxed as if he were watching television in his own living room.
“Which one of you is the leader?” His gaze swept back and forth between Lei Lie and Scarface.
Neither man spoke.
Chen Shijie smiled. “It doesn't matter if you don't talk.”
“We have plenty of ways to make you.”
He paused, and his voice suddenly dropped, carrying an inexplicable tone: “Do you know? I enjoy interrogating Ability Users the most.”
“Because their physical constitution is much stronger than that of ordinary people, they can endure far more punishment.”
“An ordinary person might die after three rounds, but an Ability User—especially a Level 3 one—”
His gaze landed on Lei Lie, a flash of excitement in his eyes. “They can last a very long time!”
Chen Shijie was currently in the core laboratory on the third basement level, staring at cell sections under a microscope.
The samples in the glassware were from Lei Lie’s blood. This was his greatest harvest of the night.
Rate on N.U.
