"Name."
"...Gu Shen."
"Age."
"Seventeen, plus one month and three days till my birthday... I should remind you all that I'm still a minor, so whatever you are thinking of doing, you'd better think it through... Some actions carry legal responsibilities!"
"Gender."
"???"
Under the spotlight, in the interrogation room, there was a table, three people.
Wei Shu on the left, Nan Jin on the right, and opposite them, Gu Shen who was handcuffed to the chair with vine handcuffs, wriggling like a catfish, ceaselessly making faces at the person on the right, continuously ignored.
"Residence."
"...Dongzhou Qinghe District Dateng City North Ring Residence No. 13 Building 703... Are we going through personal identification here, big brother?"
After routinely inquiring about personal information, Wei Shu nodded to the upper right corner camera as a signal.
The basic information was correct; this teenager had not lied.
In front of the screen, Mr. Shu, holding hot tea, snapped his fingers with a smile.
"Snap—"
In the interrogation room, the two vine handcuffs responded by loosening, turning into a flurry of ashes.
Gu Shen sighed in relief, moved his wrists, and finally felt comfortable. He grinned at the camera, nodding in thanks... He could tell that the old man wasn't bad; the handcuffs that had bound him for half a day were tight but hadn't caused any injury.
The interrogation had officially begun, but the chief interrogator Wei Shu sat down in his chair, lost in thought... On the helicopter ride to the interrogation room, he had read this teenager's file no less than ten times, from birth to significant incidents, he was actually a very ordinary young man.
But at the last moment of the Deep Sea connection, a clip from a light rail train was provided to him.
Under the effect of A-009's power, almost all the light sources in the train car shattered, and it was hard to see the specific details, but it could be seen... this teenager named Gu Shen remained absolutely calm while speaking with A-009.
This was rare, but not remarkable.
A-009 was an out-of-control "Madwoman," and her traits had not been fully uncovered... but obviously, staying calm in front of her was useless, as anyone else would likely end up as a... calm corpse.
In the recording, this teenager somehow also made A-009 "calm down"!
Wei Shu slowly leaned forward, his otherwise handsome face turning eerily pale under the light.
In an interrogation, this was a way to apply pressure.
The shackles were placed on this young man because his "dangerousness" could not yet be determined; someone who could "tame" A-009 deserved all the caution in the world.
According to past experiences, such people with ordinary files often harbored many unknown secrets, were skilled in disguise, and refused communication, even in an interrogation room they wouldn't cooperate, Wei Shu thought he was dealing with a hard nut to crack, and he was prepared for a prolonged battle.
He stated each word clearly, "You have the right to remain silent, but every word you say will become court evidence and will be recorded in the file."
The young man looked bewildered, well-played, but Wei Shu sharply caught him swallowing saliva.
Hmm, a sign of nervousness... is it working?
Wei Shu said, "What happened on light rail number 13 last night at 11 PM? We already have the recording; just tell the truth..."
"Ah sir."
Gu Shen interrupted him, scratching his head: "I'm sorry... I'm really thirsty; can I have some water?"
Wei Shu frowned.
"Ah sir is curious about what happened on the train, right?" Gu Shen, after drinking water and clearing his throat, frantically gestured as he described the terrifying experience on the train: "Let me tell you... that train was too scary. I'm just a kid, and after boarding, I saw a giant, oh no, a burly lady..."
Wei Shu stared blankly at Gu Shen as he vividly described his experience on the train.
This was nothing like what he had imagined.
This wasn't a silent and uncommunicative stubborn person but a social butterfly who voluntarily divulged everything.
There were some minor issues with the light rail recording.
It seemed to have been affected by A-009's power, and Deep Sea had only provided a small part of the footage right before exiting the tunnel; based on this teenager's vivid description, Wei Shu pieced together the entire event step by step.
Half an hour later, the world finally became quiet.
Gu Shen collapsed in his chair, drinking another large gulp of water, and eagerly asked, "Ah sir, how was my narration just now?"
He had concealed the part about encountering the girl in the white dress and the final silver ruler.
This concealment was both a probe and a protection for himself.
The other party seemed not to notice anything wrong... This made Gu Shen feel disappointed; it seemed that the train surveillance had been compromised.
"...You narrated well, no need to continue," replied Nan Jin coldly.
She glanced at the document in Wei Shu's hand, now filled with dense handwriting; this interrogation was undoubtedly fruitful as all the anticipated questions had been satisfactorily filled in.
This young man had identified the traits of "A-009" during their first encounter and successfully handled it, surviving... although the explanation sounded utterly incredible.
But the living person was right before her.
This boy named Gu Shen seemed harmless and innocent-faced, but Nan Jin was very clear that the incident on the train was not something that could be accomplished by mere luck... It required incredibly strong observational skills.
"Um..."
Gu Shen cautiously asked, "Mr. Officer, have you finished taking my statement? Can I go home now?"
Nan Jin hesitated.
Wei Shu was silent, stroking his fingers while looking at the statement, unsure of how to respond for a moment.
"Creak—"
Just then, the door of the interrogation room was slowly pushed open.
"Teacher." Nan Jin respectfully stood up.
Wei Shu hurriedly jogged over to deliver the files, while the elderly man leaning on a dragon-headed cane stood at the door. He glanced at the documents, then smiled and waved his hand to indicate that Wei Shu could stay.
"Young man, come here." He smiled and beckoned to Gu Shen, "I'll take you home."
That sentence sounded odd...
Gu Shen took two steps back, smiling sheepishly, "You must be very busy, sir? Actually, I suddenly don't really want to go home... Staying here is quite good, with heating and beauties, just bring me a blanket and that's enough."
...
...
15 minutes later.
A black business car slowly drove on the suburban road.
Really slowly.
At this pace... reaching the destination might have to wait until dawn.
Gu Shen yawned greatly as he sat in the passenger seat.
"As one gets older, one must drive safely, especially in the dead of night... it would be bad to have an accident," the elderly driver turned his head with a smile, "Getting impatient, young man?"
Gu Shen forced a smile, "How dare I..."
"Your courage isn't that small." Mr. Shu stated lightly, "I saw the surveillance footage from the train, through closely observing A-009's newspaper to deduce the problem's 'answer', your observational skills are excellent, and you're also lucky. If there had been any physical contact then, you would already be a puddle of corpse fluid now."
Hmm... it seems the footage of me receiving the "ruler" was lost.
Gu Shen tightened his coat with an awkward laugh, "Lucky, just lucky."
This elderly man, respectfully known as Mr. Shu, had a face marked by deep lines, yet his eyes were completely clear, without a hint of murkiness. One didn't feel the slightest pressure by his side; instead, it was like basking in a spring breeze.
"A normal person encountering a 'Transcendent event' wouldn't remain as calm as you did, and they wouldn't look so calm after surviving," Mr. Shu laughed, "We're alone this time, don't you have any questions you want to ask?"
"... Of course, I do," Gu Shen sighed quietly, "But some questions are better left unasked. I understand that much."
What a clever boy, the old man nodded in approval.
But some questions don't necessarily need to be asked in order to be answered.
"A-009 was a member of the Ancient Literature Society before going out-of-control, an organization that spans the Five Continents, researching forbidden sciences. She successfully mastered the Extraordinary Power of 'corrosive dissolution' and also successfully sent herself to the deep abyss," Mr. Shu rattled off a lot, "Then... she turned into what she is now. Because of certain research needs, we didn't kill her directly but continued to detain and transfer her."
"You're lucky to have seen her and even survived. Now, people have begun to take notice of you... The world is going to change soon. Wouldn't you consider hitching yourself to a bigger cause... like me?"
After finishing, Mr. Shu smiled and looked at the young man.
"... Eh, what did you just say? I didn't hear it."
Gu Shen's poor acting feigned confusion, pointing out the car window, "I've been paying attention to that the whole time."
The car was driving very slowly, and there really was a lame dog pacing beside it, looking like they were racing and going at about the same speed.
A black line appeared on the old man's forehead.
A stomp on the gas pedal.
Loud roaring shattered the night—
With intense thrust, Gu Shen was firmly pressed against the seat as the elderly driver emotionlessly floored the accelerator, navigating the slightly bulky business car agilely and speeding through the empty suburban night road.
Ten minutes later.
"We're here."
The old man stopped the car, and Gu Shen dashed out the door, pale-faced and leaning against the wall to vomit... The old man's vindictiveness was too strong, the speed just now had soared to 180 km/h!
While Gu Shen was vomiting, the old man observed the mottled, old tube building in front of him, his eyes hardening briefly, then teasingly said, "You live here? So poor, huh? Really not considering hitching to something bigger?"
"Pff."
Gu Shen glared at the old man fiddling with his fingers, "Poverty cannot sway my resolve, nor can force bend my pride, don't think about buying me off with money... I'm very proud."
"Oh... is that so?" Mr. Shu laughed heartily, "Admirable, truly admirable."
"To the proud young man, here's my number." The old man slowly rolled up the window, slipping a piece of paper through the final gap, "Call me anytime you change your mind."
Gu Shen glanced at the piece of paper and memorized the number.
In a flash, the paper spontaneously combusted, turning slowly into ashes without flame, as the old man briskly drove away without dragging his feet, leaving behind the floating ash, stepping on the accelerator and disappearing into the distance.