The meeting left a strange impression. Lee Long realized that he was at a meeting of people who had long worn masks. It was like getting a part in a soap opera that had been going on for years. All the actors had gotten used to their roles and characters. And here comes the new guy in town! These weren't dreamers. These are professionals who are doing their jobs. Lee saw some interesting collaborations.
The boy typed in a communicator search for information about a man named Peter Borg. Yeah! A scout from the Russian colony. An active member of the Independent movement. Awards from different colonies. Courageous Russian with no brakes. They didn't like him, but they were grateful for his help. And the Russians knew how to be helpful. Zagran chose the perfect man for disguise. Bold, self-assured, and an experienced scout. Lee Long rubbed his nose and grinned. This Russian played the part of a bold impudent brat who had no respect for the rules. It was possible to play his balalaika.
The meeting came to an end. The people began to disperse.
Lee Long stood up and walked over to the chair where the spy sat.
"Privet. I heard your name and looked up the information on the communicator. I'm ready to offer a deal. Sparring. You will show me your Security Committee techniques. I'll try not to lower the face of a young apprentice of the Legion. My gain is exposure to new hand-to-hand combat techniques. Your gain is information."
"Hello, boy. I'm interested. Are you ready to share the details of your flight with your friend from the Ferin tribe?"
Lee nodded his head. The spy got up from the couch and suggested we go to the gymnasium.
The little duelist agreed with his choice of sparring ground. He applied the Balance skill and increased his strength and agility to 15 points. A small advantage not to scare off an experienced enemy.
In the gymnasium, they walked to a separate room.
"Can I have a video of the fight on?" the boy asked.
"Sure. Just turn off the sound recording. I'm confident in my skills. You'll do the talking. We don't want outsiders to hear us, do we?" The spy agreed.
"We don't need to," Lee nodded and began setting recording options.
"Then I'll use my equipment," laughed the spy.
Lee didn't mind. It's a good thing if the details of this fight don't become known to local intelligence. He'll show some of his unrealistic abilities. He doesn't need the questions.
The adult male took off his jacket and boots. He stepped into the center of the room and prepared for the duel. The boy also took off his jacket and took off his shoes. He walked up to his opponent and ran his thumb across his nose. The Russian laughed,
"A fan of Bruce Lee? Wait! Lee Long. The word Long sounds like the Chinese name Dragon. Lee the Dragon?"
"Hadn't thought of that. Long is my father's last name. He has Chinese roots."
"Never mind. Let's go!"
The opponents began the fight.
Zagran had a perfect command of the human body. And he knew a few special moves from the school of Russian scouts. Grand-Maran decided to play fair. The boy would be grateful for the lesson. An interesting boy, his disposition might come in handy.
The spy made one move. The boy was able to react quickly to the attack and delivered a dangerous counter punch. Lee's fist slammed into his opponent's body.
Spy felt pain. The boy has strong arms and moves fast. Dangerous kid. Gran-Maran simultaneously broke the distance and kicked the boy in the shoulder. Lee jumped toward his opponent and struck again with his fist. This time the blow hit his temple.
The spy staggered back and raised his hand.
"Your victory. Well done! Another round?"
The boy saw the message,
[You have won the duel. Reward: 100 experience points, 1 characteristic point. Do you wish to use the Duelist Trophy skill? Yes/No]
Lee took away 1 point of attributes from his opponent and used the skill,
[Duelist Trophy skill activation. The attempt failed.]
"I'd like to continue the duel," Lee said with a smile.
And they began to compare skills and strength again. Lee won three more victories and received no new skill from Spy Zagran. He thought that the spy did not apply any special skills against a boy from the provincial colony. Good, Lee would gladly continue to take away the enemy's melee techniques and paraphernalia items. The system showed its rigor and principle. A duelist could not accumulate points beyond the limit. He gained nothing from the fight. But the spy was losing vitality! One must weaken the enemy before the mortal combat. Lee Long wanted to trap this spy.
Eventually, Gran-Maran scored two victories and learned that the boy had flown to the Orc sector on the planet Ondokor.
"This is where I want to stop. I have disclosed enough important information," Lee stopped the fight. He was breathing heavily and pretended to be tired.
"I didn't expect such skill from you. You're a genius! Must have spent your childhood in the training room," smiled spy.
"I'm no genius. But I've trained hard and learned from the best," admitted Lee.
"Good fight," admitted Gran-Maran. "Too bad I can't fly to your colony often."
"We can meet in the sector capital. It's nice to see a familiar face among the cat-faces," the little trickster suggested.
"Don't overstate it. Ferin are good human partners. I like them. And I liked the sparring. I'll be in the capital for two days. Then I'm going back to planet Russia."
"I'll be in the capital tomorrow morning. I'm making money competing with the young kittens of the capital. I get a chance to get to know the capital. It's hard for me to resist looking for new experiences."
"No problem. I always get a room at the Mustache Stripe Inn. It's the middle section."
"Thanks for the address. It'll be nice to see you tomorrow."
***
In the morning the boy worked at the hospital. He sat down in a chair and thought about it. Doing a case? Make the case quickly! The attack on the spy cannot be delayed. The Zagran will investigate. They can link the spy's death to the boy from Europe 9. But Lee is a little fish surrounded by sharks. The boy made a final decision and traveled to the capital.
In a hidden place, he applied the skill of the Race Dance and gained the appearance of a ferin. With each new attempt, his face became more like that of a normal cat. He flew to the right hotel. The client was in his room! Fortune favors the bold. Lee pulled out a can of gas from his inventory. With such a can of gas, you could put a big monster to sleep. An ordinary sentient would simply be knocked off his feet by the gas.
The boy knocked on the right door.
"Who's there?"
"Staff. Need to check the power consumption."
Gran-Maran opened the door and managed to see an unfamiliar ferin. Then he passed out and fell to the floor.
Lee went into the room and locked the door. He dragged the spy's body to the bed and laid it on the bed. He took some handcuffs out of his inventory and securely chained the spy to the bed. Just then it was time for water magic. Healing. Healing. Healing! What a powerful gas!
Gran-Maran opened his eyes and shook his head. He quickly realized he was in trouble. The spy was in no hurry to react violently. Lee Long was in no hurry, either.
"So I guess you know what I want from you anyway," the boy asked.
"Don't try too hard, ferin! I've been playing these games long before you were born, and I won't say anything to some stinking cat!" objected the spy expectantly.
A thin thread of fear was distinctly felt in his words. A small note of fear, but it was there already.
"You can try," Lee nodded agreeably. "I don't have much time, though, so let's get to it. I respect your courage, your talents, and your position. Honestly, if I were you, I would act the same way. But I need answers to some questions. So, out of respect for your personality and the race for which you act, I will give you a choice. You can tell me everything I want to know yourself. Or you refuse, and I will still get the knowledge I want, but it will be very unpleasant for you. What will you choose?"
What the spy would choose, the boy already knew. These masters of espionage always choose the same thing. Too self-confident to think they can withstand any torture. But the truth is that anyone can be broken. An ordinary mortal, a master spy, or a long-lived one with centuries of experience. It's a matter of time and the skill of the interrogator. Also, it is not so much necessary to break the will of the spy, as to pull the information of interest to Lee from his mind. The preservation of Zagran's life is no longer required. He must die.
"What do you know about my business and respect? You insensitive ferin, bred in the capital as a full citizen of the Alliance! Your hypocrisy stinks more than the wool on your body! Talk about respect, and then threaten torture? You're a complete moron if you believe it will work!"
"We're the enemy, and you've been killing ferin and our human allies. Respect plays no part in this arrangement. Based on it, I can give you a choice. But I will not lick your heels because I understand your motives. Try to understand this truth, because very soon the time for reflection will come to an end," Lee was in no hurry to apply Mental Hegemony. Interrogation is a tricky business and he needs to gain experience...
"Go into the abyss, ferin!"
Gran-Maran tried to spit in the cat's face. Epochs pass and the sentient and mores are still the same. Only races like the Orcs value water. Surviving in desert conditions is difficult. Wasting water on an enemy is considered foolishness by them. Lee Long thought it was time to move on to the Orc methods.
"Well, the choice is made. Usually, the ferin are in favor of humanity. But torturing enemies is part of the tradition. Unfortunately for you, I can hardly be called a proper ferin. Orc methods are much closer to me."
There was more fear in the spy's eyes. The spy knew firsthand of the bloody mores of the orcs. The fear in his soul began to grow, and the fear began to kill the will.
"You will not frighten me!"
"Intimidate? I did not mean to intimidate. I was just stating my position. All right, if you won't cooperate, then, first of all, let's prevent your escape. You're going to try to escape, that's not even up for discussion. We both know you're going to try to escape, and I don't want to put my paws on the chase. So, I'm sorry."
Lee pulled a steel rod from his inventory. He took a step away from the bed for a comfortable swing.
"That's strange. I don't feel anything for you. You're just a chip of information. I don't know the password. Sorry, but I'm a rude and inexperienced hacker."
Lee Long struck the spy's knees twice with the rod.
"Aaahhhhg! Die in agony, you filthy animal!"
The pain and fear of the torturer widened the captive's eyes. The boy did not expect to get information; he merely made it more difficult for the captive to escape. But the smell of fear became unbearably pressing on his sense of smell. It's hard to be a ferin if you're walking the dirty trail.
"Give me the names of your agents!"
"Your savage tricks won't work with me!" tried to resist Gran-Maran.
"Who is your informant in Europe 9?"
"Are you deaf or an idiot!? I'm not telling you anything!"
"How many of your agents are in the human colonies?"
"Why are you interested in these primitive sentient beings?" shouted the spy.
Lee Long wrinkled his face. He wanted to reply that he was one of these primitive sentient beings. But taking off his mask and playing the honest hero is not the scout's method. Only heroes in movies and books do that.
The duelist activated the Mental Hegemony and repeated his questions.
Gran-Maran knew too much. His monotone voice shared information for His monotone voice shared information for four minutes. Lee Long heard something he didn't like very much.