Many hours later
Luo Xun's flesh was lacerated from head to toe, soaked in blood. Her heart had stopped twice and could not continue interrogating so they put her in the coffin chamber, injecting her some kind of drug that made her awake at all time.
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Luo Xun felt like time had passed for thousand – ten thousand years.
Half-dream and half-awake, in the endless pain.
The coffin chamber lid was suddenly lifted. A ray of light passed through.
The bloodsucking nightmare faded away quickly like a sinister fog that couldn't meet the sun.
Luo Xun smelled fresh oxygen, almost cried with joy. Her heart was full of new lease of life rejoice and couldn't help but breathe deeply.
After another thought, she thought of Zong Li. Her body panicked beforehand and curled up in fear as if already felt the hellish torture pain again and couldn't help shivering.
With a 'Bang' sound, the coffin chamber lid was torn off completely. A man stood beside the coffin, didn't pull her rudely, just stared at her.
Luo Xun became more and more nervous, didn't know what new tricks Zong Li had. Eyes tightly closed. Hands tightly clutched torn clothes, as if holding the last shield that could protect oneself.
The man's breathing became particularly heavy. He slowly bent down, carefully avoided her bloody damaged fingers, and gently held her blue swollen wrist.
Luo Xun's face instantly turned deathly pale. Her body shook like a dead leaf in the mad wind.
"Xiao Xun"
Whispered softly but as if carried with heavy emotion that's hard to describe in thousand words
Luo Xun suddenly opened her eyes and fixedly looked at Yin Nanzhao.
A few seconds later, she lowered her gaze with no more response.
"Xiao Xun, I'm sorry."
Luo Xun broke free of Yin Nanzhao's hand, closed her eyes, and said nothing.
"Zong Li will not come to interrogate you again. From today on, I will be responsible for your affairs."
Luo Xun's voice was very weak but very determined, "I already said that I don't want to see you again. I'm willing to let Zong Li continue investigating me.
"Xiao Xun, I..."
"Lord Consul, please leave!"
Luo Xun didn't know why Yin Nanzhao called her 'Xiao Xun' like Qian Xu did. Did she look pitiful? But he didn't know, Zong Li tortured her body was truly painful, but it could not compare to the pain he gave her.
Back then, he didn't pity her. Now, she didn't need his pity even more!
Yin Nanzhao carefully wrapped her in a blanket and carried her up together with the blanket.
"What are you doing? Put me down!"
However, she had just gone over cruel interrogation. Her body was covered all over with cuts and bruises. The whole body was weak and soft, totally had no strength to resist at all.
"Here does not suitable for healing." Yin Nanzhao held her and walked out of the interrogation room.
Luo Xun coldly mocked: "Dear respected Lord Consul, I am a death row convict. Where can I be if not in prison?"
Yin Nanzhao remained silent. He held her directly left the prison and returned to Consul's mansion in Sparta Palace.
"Just wherever I am, you can be there." Yin Nanzhao carefully put Luo Xun in the treatment pod, "Also, you are a death row convict of Al Empire, not a death row convict of Odin Federation."
Luo Xun was about to open her mouth to quarrel but he blocked her mouth with a breathing mask, "Get a good rest. If you want to settle accounts with me, you have to heal the injury before you have the strength to settle accounts."
Luo Xun's consciousness gradually faded. The figure in front of her began blurred as if the whole world was leaving her again. Her heart was panicked and scared that she unconsciously stretched out her hand, trying to catch something.
Yin Nanzhao caught her hand, "Don't be afraid. I will walk this path with you."
Luo Xun closed her eyes weakly and fell into a deep sleep.
Yin Nanzhao gently put down her hand and said to Anda who was standing at the door: "Call the doctor and take good care of her."
Anda said coldly with stiff face: "If you still don't go down, the three dukes would rush up to ask you about your jailbreak in the middle of the night."
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Parlor
As soon as Yin Nanzhao walked in, Zong Li immediately stood up and asked anxiously, "I heard that your Excellency suddenly appeared in prison and took the fake princess away?"
Chen Sha and Zi Yan also looked at Consul nervously.
Yin Nanzhao walked neither too fast nor too slow to the chair and sat down, "I will investigate the real or fake princess's case by myself. You all don't need to concern anymore."
Zong Li was very upset. Thinking that Consul was dissatisfied with the fact that the investigation had not made progress, he explained, "I had used torture instruments, drug also used, but that woman stick to her words that she had forgotten everything and didn't know who she was. Your Excellency, please give me some more time. I will definitely be able to break her psychological barrier and made her confess."
Yin Nanzhao's long legs crossed. His arm rested on the chair's armrest while another support his leaned head, looking at Zong Li without saying a word.
There was obviously nothing unusual but Zong Li felt chilly at the bottom of his heart, goosebumps all over his body, faintly felt danger as if his lifeline was pinched by an invisible large hand. He unconsciously grabbed his weapon box. His whole body stiffened and did not dare to move, cold sweat ran down.
Chen Sha and Zi Yan also noticed that something was wrong and opened their mouth at the same time: "Your Excellency!"
Yin Nanzhao finally withdrew his gaze.
Zong Li's whole body suddenly lightened, his hand holding weapon box were shaking slightly. He thought Consul was dissatisfied with him didn't work his best so he said eagerly: "I had tried my best yet I ought to not kill the fake princess for real."
In order to prove that he was absolutely did not slacken off in his work or neglected his duty, he called up the interrogation video and projected it in the middle of the parlor for everyone to watch.
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Interrogation room
Luo Xun was chained in a metal torture device that looked like heavy armor.
All instruments were used on her while Zong Li kept asking 'Who are you? What's your name?' and Luo Xun could only answer 'I... don't know'
Even she passed out, she would be injected drug to stay awake. When her heart stopped beating once, medicine was injected to bring her back.
"Zong Li!"
Chen Sha suddenly yelled with cold grim face. His hand swiped over to shut off the holographic image.
Zong Li chuckled, "What's with your face? You said yourself that you have nothing to do with the fake princess. All public business affairs should be strictly managed. Don't tell me now you want to interfere with our work?"
"You said you wanted to strengthen the interrogation. You didn't say that you wanted to torture for confession."
"Lord Commander, don't act like a little young girl who has never seen the world. She is a spy who threatens federal security, not a thief who stole woman's underwear. Do I have to interrogate politely? Don't tell me that you have never used torture in the army..."
Yin Nanzhao impatiently knocked on the chair's armrest, indicating them to shut up.
"Zong Li, have you ever thought that it's not that you couldn't break through Luo Xun's psychological barrier, but that she fundamentally has no psychological barrier for you to break through."
Zong Li was taken aback and looked at Consul in confusion, "Your excellency means..."
"All she said was the truth." Zi Yan's expression was strange. His eyes were completely out of focus, didn't know what came to his mind.
Zong Li shouted, "How is this possible?"
Yin Nanzhao waved his hand, "All go back. About the real or fake princess, I will give you all an explanation as soon as possible."
Chen Sha's face turned pale, "I heard that your Excellency had brought her back. Is she upstairs? I want to see her."
Yin Nanzhao stared at Chen Sha, "You want to see her? Who is she?"
"She..." Chen Sha hesitated for a moment, using the current most suitable title, "Fake princess."
"Fake princess?" Yin Nanzhao lightly knocked the chair's armrest, seemingly amused, "Since there is no more marriage relationship and you are not the person in charge of this case, what reason did you have to see her?"
Chen Sha was taken aback, faintly felt as if he was about to miss something important, but couldn't grasp what it was.
Yin Nanzhao stood up and walked out the parlor, "Luo Xun is receiving treatment and is in a state of unconsciousness. Wait until she wakes up later then you come again!"
Chen Sha impatiently chased behind him, "Your Excellency, if... Luo Xun is telling the truth, then she is not a spy. When the investigation is clear, can you let her go?"
Yin Nanzhao stood still. He turned around looking at Chen Sha and plainly asked: "If the investigation is over and she is indeed a spy, what to do then? Execute her to death?"
Chen Sha was stunned, unable to answer.
Zi Yan was deep in thought.
Zong Li frowned and muttered, "What do you mean? After all is she a spy or not?"
Yin Nanzhao stood with his arms folded. His eyes were distant and cold as if looking at another world, "Chen Sha, you lost your parents at a young age, it is indeed tragic. But because of your honorable family background, under your parents' protection, you never truly suffered hardship. After entering the military with outstanding performance in all aspects, you then became a commander with propitious wind throughout the journey. You have capital and also ability to say no to anyone or anything, but there are many people in this world whose fate has not given them a choice. In this world, things are neither white nor black. In this world, people are also neither good nor evil."