Zhang San first borrowed a set of Body-Protection Spirit Armor from Officer Bai, since there was a risk that the suspect might suddenly lash out with a deadly strike during the interrogation.
However, Zhang San didn't wear the Body-Protection Armor with the Town Martial Office's standard black uniform, but instead, he wore the armor underneath and covered it with a simple set of coarse cloth clothes.
It somewhat resembled Wei's style.
Officer Bai was full of doubts when he saw Zhang San dressed like this.
"Will this attire be useful for the interrogation?"
Zhang San shook his head.
"It's just to make them think I'm an insignificant nobody, not worth taking down in their dying moments."
Officer Bai was somewhat speechless, hoping that this kid wouldn't become too slippery and lose after spending too much time with Wei.
Then Zhang San had the other Martial Artists bring the four separately imprisoned Demon Cult Followers into the same room.
Besides being forced to swallow Sealing Qi Powder, which prevented them from using their own Qi, they were shackled with handcuffs and leg irons.
They were even tied to a frame, rendering the four of them immobile, like lambs to the slaughter.
Wei, listening to Zhang San's arrangements, asked in a low voice, "What do you want me to do? Speak quickly."
Zhang San grinned at Wei, "I know Senior Wei has vast Divine Skills and a myriad of Techniques..."
"Cut to the chase, and out with it!"
"Aren't you able to transform into various animals, then evade pursuit by enemies, even having an aura identical to the animals? Shouldn't you be able to turn others into the same?"
Wei didn't expect that it was for this Technique he had been remembered.
Indeed, he shouldn't have exposed this ability in the first place.
"But I can only turn into something roughly the same size as myself. Shrinking flesh and bone belongs to a higher level of Techniques, which I'm also incapable of. And..."
"I can maintain my own transformation for a quarter of an hour, but for others, because they do not know the intricacies of the technique, it can be held for less than half a quarter of an hour."
Zhang San made a quick calculation of the time then asked, "If the other side struggles fiercely, can it hold for the duration of an incense stick?"
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Relieved, Zhang San asked Wei to prepare a dining table and cushion, along with some tasty food, then he himself got some of the green drinks he had before and several cups before entering the prison cell.
"Gentlemen, long time no see."
Upon seeing Zhang San, Han Baiwen was taken aback.
"Young man, we just met this morning!"
Zhang San knelt behind the table and poured himself a cup.
"Sorry, important people tend to forget things. Please excuse me, hahaha..."
Han Baiwen's brows furrowed.
Was the phrase 'important people tend to forget things' really meant for him?
"If you're planning to trick something out of us, you might as well give up! Just now, the people from the Town Martial Office tortured us and separated us, then tried to deceive us, but the four of us brothers haven't said a thing. Even you won't get anything out of us."
Yet Zhang San just smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Brother, you misunderstand, I bear no ill will. I know you won't talk, so don't. I'm just here to go through the motions, so my superiors don't give me a hard time."
"You don't know, but my superior in Bai Yucheng, although he smiles at me on the surface, he keeps a little notebook behind my back to jot down all my faults."
"He's plotting against me all day long! He thinks I don't know, but in fact, I've known for a long time."
Hearing this, the four men were startled.
They hadn't expected there would be such infighting within the Town Martial Office.
And the shadow hiding behind Zhang San was also taken aback.
How did Zhang San know about Officer Bai's true feelings towards him?
It seemed necessary to report this to Officer Bai at the first opportunity.
"So, I'm just here to go through the motions. Your Demon Sect is so powerful that, if one day you annihilate our Town Martial Office, just spare my life, little brother."
The four were unsure whether Zhang San's words were true or false and simply chose to remain silent.
Anyway, as long as we don't talk, we won't reveal any flaws.
At that time, Wei came in with people, carrying lots of delicious food from the outside, all made by Xu at noon.
Zhang San had instructed that the quantity didn't have to be large, but there must be a variety of dishes, enough to fill the table.
Meanwhile, Zhang San asked others to remove the chains binding them, letting the four of them come down from the rack but leaving shackles on their hands and feet.
Since the shackles on their hands and feet were attached to large iron balls, the four of them could move, but their movement was greatly hindered.
Especially with Wei standing at the door, the four of them didn't dare to make any rash moves.
However, the four were indeed somewhat hungry, and the three underlings looked towards Han Baiwen.
Although Han Baiwen was also very hungry, he was afraid.
"Little brother, you wouldn't have put drugs in this food, right?"
Zhang San smiled and shook his head, "Of course not, I invited you four to eat, why would I drug the food? Even if I did drug the food, I definitely would have taken the antidote beforehand."
After saying this, Zhang San started eating.
The four listened to the first half of Zhang San's statement and felt it was safe to eat.
But upon hearing the second half, even if Zhang San ate it, they didn't dare to touch it.
"Just kidding with you, as I said, I'm just going through the motions here, please eat without worry. There's no poison. Really!"
The more Zhang San said this, the less reassured the four became, but they didn't realize that the nerves that had been taut before had indeed loosened up at this moment.
Wei, standing at the doorway, noticed that from the moment Zhang San had walked in, he had been discreetly using techniques, but what those techniques were exactly, Wei himself was not clear.
Only, looking at this youngster, he felt less annoyed than before.
Eventually, the four couldn't resist Zhang San's temptation and began to eat.
Zhang San also finally started to chat with them.
"Gentlemen, I still don't know what your sect is called."
"Pfft—"
Han Baiwen sprayed his mouthful onto the pants of the underling beside him.
"Are you guys from the Town Martial Office sick? Attacking us without even knowing what our sect is called?"
Zhang San chuckled awkwardly.
"Internally, we refer to you as Demon Sect. I had lost my memory during my previous operation, so I don't actually know your real name. It's a bit embarrassing to ask my colleagues about it."
The four turned their heads to glance at Wei by the door.
Zhang San quietly said, "That's my uncle, one of us, no problem."
At this moment, Wei was really hoping to kill these Demon Cult Followers after the interrogation.
If possible, it would be best to kill Zhang San as well.
"Remember, we are—the Heavenly Punishment Sect!"
"Heavenly Punishment Sect?"
For some reason, even though it was the first time he'd heard this name, Zhang San felt a sense of grandeur and surging righteousness in his heart.
"The doctrine of our Heavenly Punishment Sect—'Punish on Heaven's Behalf, Punishment of Righteousness'!"[Note 9]
"Our Heavenly Punishment Sect dares to stand up and say no to all injustice!"
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[Note 9]Reference explanation
"Punish on Heaven's Behalf, Punishment of Righteousness." These two lines are the doctrine of the Heavenly Punishment Sect, and both have quotes, hence the explanation here.
"Punish on Heaven's Behalf" is adapted from "acting on Heaven's behalf" with its earliest appearance in "Li Kui Bearing Thorns," which says, "The leaders up on the mountain, all of them are good heroes acting on Heaven's behalf."
"Punishment of Righteousness" is quoted from Hong Rengan's "Zi Zheng Xin Pian" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which states: "Confucianism values neutrality, not knowing the difficulty of human endeavor, all are inferior to the true doctrine of the Gospel, which has 'Punishment of Righteousness.'"
I just noticed that some readers have been casting monthly votes. Although the number of bookmarks is still in the single digits, the monthly votes are almost twenty. Thank you for your love, but I heard that monthly votes can be used to snatch red packets for cash. As a newbie, I'm not too clear on how that works, but a new book doesn't really need monthly votes right now. It would be better if you exchange them for cash. Please support more when it goes on sale in the future! Thank you, everyone~