“You’re from Lab 0. Your goal is to capture the escaped experimental subject, Subject 017, right?”
Hearing Yue Shi’s words, the captain struggled in surprise. “You... who are you...”
Squelch!
A piece of rusty metal was shoved into the gap of his kneecap without warning. The intense pain felt like a red-hot iron searing his soul!
“Aaaargh!” The captain let out a shrill scream, his body twitching violently.
“I’m the one asking questions here. You don’t have the right to ask me anything,” Yue Shi’s cold voice rang out again, devoid of any emotion.
“You’re also an escaped subject!” the captain realized almost immediately.
Only an escaped subject would know their identity and objective so well, sabotage their containment of Subject 017, and harbor such malicious intent toward them!
Slap! Slap!
Yue Shi rewarded him with two slaps. “Congratulations, you guessed right. Too bad there’s no prize.”
Dealing with the dizziness from the blood rushing to his head and the agonizing pain throughout his body, the captain clamped his mouth shut. He desperately tried to figure out which “monster” this person was.
Among the four escaped subjects, which one fit the characteristics of the person before him?
Subject 017, the Emotion Manipulator, had already gone mad. That left the Mage, the Ghost, and one more who was said to have no supernatural power but an extremely unique origin...
Could it be the Ghost?
No, he remembered the Ghost’s abilities were intangibility and possession. This thing in front of him, consisting only of eyes and a mouth, didn't look like it...
“I want to know the defense system of Lab 0 and the distribution of the security personnel,” Yue Shi inquired.
The captain remained silent for a moment. “If I tell you everything I know, will you let me go?”
Yue Shi chuckled. “If I said I’d let you go, would you believe me?”
The captain shook his head. “Since I’m dead either way, why should I tell you?”
“I can give you a quick death so you don't end up like him...” Yue Shi said, his gaze shifting to the man kneeling on the floor with his skull pried open. His cerebral cortex was still twitching in the delicious sauce; he was clearly still alive.
The captain shuddered, but his expression remained hesitant.
Yue Shi grabbed the man’s ear and twisted it twice, saying calmly, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t say anything. I have nothing to lose. Simply torturing you to death provides me with plenty of emotional value.”
At that moment, the captain’s psychological defenses began to crumble. He was about to reveal some unimportant information when someone else beat him to it.
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
It was the other man hanging from the ceiling beam. He had been playing dead since he woke up, trying to minimize his presence, but at the critical moment, he suddenly jumped in, eager to be a collaborator.
The captain glared at him, but the man ignored him entirely. He looked at Yue Shi with hope, begging for a chance to live a little longer or, at the very least, a swift death.
“Very good. A man who understands the times,” Yue Shi said, lowering the man. He asked casually, “What’s your name?”
“Just call me Xiao Zhang,” the man said, rubbing his temples to ease the pain from hanging upside down. He didn't dare give his real name for fear of involving his friends and family.
Fortunately, Yue Shi didn't care about such trivial matters. He dragged Xiao Zhang outside, saying as they walked, “I’ll question the two of you separately. You’d better ensure your information matches, or else...”
The captain and Xiao Zhang both felt a chill. The path of lying was immediately blocked.
Yue Shi led Xiao Zhang out of the basement. Inside the abandoned building above, Xiao Zhang spoke as fast as he could, revealing everything he knew.
“Lab 0 is located in the wasteland about three hundred kilometers southwest of Chijing City. There’s an abandoned mineral survey station there, and the entrance is disguised as a tunnel leading deep into a discarded mine.”
“The entire area is covered by electromagnetic shielding, disguised as natural geological interference to prevent external signal detection and internal signal leakage. At the same time, many wandering supernatural creatures are distributed around the perimeter. These creatures are products of the lab and are under its control; they will kill anyone who accidentally stumbles into the area.”
“The main body of the lab is underground, using an onion model—nested layers from the outside in. Each layer knows very little about the layer further inside, and each layer has independent defense and detection capabilities. The failure of any single layer won't cause the entire system to collapse.”
“The security personnel on daily patrol are equipped with the most advanced firearms. High-resolution thermal imaging cameras cover the entire interior, leaving no blind spots. An AI analysis system automatically flags abnormal behavior patterns among the staff to prevent outsiders from infiltrating.”
“That’s about all I know...” Xiao Zhang’s voice grew weaker as chain-like black patterns quietly emerged on his neck.
Yue Shi’s gaze sharpened. “What about the distribution of security personnel? I’m talking about transcendents. How many transcendents are guarding the lab? What are the highest ranks? What are their abilities?”
Xiao Zhang’s body went stiff, his voice barely a whisper. “My clearance level isn't high; I can't access top-secret information. Moreover, the lab’s management of transcendent employees is very strict. To prevent transcendents from teaming up and causing trouble, different squads are completely unfamiliar with each other—they haven't even met. I only know my teammates' abilities, but my squad was wiped out during this containment mission...”
His words cut off abruptly. Xiao Zhang had completely lost the ability to speak, looking terrified.
“Fine.” Yue Shi knocked Xiao Zhang unconscious with a punch and dragged him back to the basement, hanging him up again.
Then he lowered the captain and took him out to repeat the interrogation process.
The captain quickly described Lab 0’s location and physical defense system, which matched Xiao Zhang’s account.
However, chain-like patterns also appeared on the captain’s neck. Under Yue Shi’s constant hypnosis, he uncontrollably leaked even more information at a rapid pace—
“Lab 0 is overseen by a Rank 4 powerhouse; his code name is the Curse Master. Every important area is also guarded by transcendents, especially where the experimental subjects are held. I don’t know their specific abilities or ranks, but I’ve heard of one who supposedly specializes in illusions.”
“Lab 0 recently developed a new piece of technology. I’m not sure what it is, but the secrecy level is very high; it even involves the Bureau headquarters.”
“The lab’s top supervisor, Dr. Su, might be leaving the lab soon for unknown reasons. It seems there’s something very important he must handle personally. He has many guards who protect him around the clock.”
Yue Shi’s eyes lit up. He had finally heard something useful!
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