After bidding farewell to Old Zhao, Xu Que immediately made his way to Fang Xiu's residence.
Although Xu Que had threatened to torment Fang Xiu's wife, his actions would vary depending on the circumstances. If Fang Xiu's wife proved to be unremarkable, he would merely search the apartment. After all, he clearly remembered how Fang Xiu, upon learning of his capture, had immediately tried to contact his wife. If there was nothing suspicious, it would be a different matter altogether.
In less than fifteen minutes, Xu Que arrived at the old, dilapidated apartment complex where Fang Xiu resided. According to the military's intel, most of the residents had long since relocated to the central area, and those who remained were mostly elderly individuals unwilling to leave. Fortunately, the area had not been fractured, so most of the elderly had been spared any harm.
Xu Que's gaze fell on Unit 6, Floor 4, Apartment 402. As he released his senses, he noted that, aside from the woman in Apartment 402, the second and sixth floors were home to two decomposing corpses.
"Human-made?" Xu Que wondered but didn't take much interest in it. He strode into the building and ascended the stairs to the fourth floor.
As Xu Que knocked on the door, a woman's voice rang out from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Wolf!" Xu Que responded.
Although he couldn't see her expression, Xu Que could sense that the woman's body trembled slightly at the word.
"Are you mistaken?" she asked cautiously.
"The organization sent me. Open the door," Xu Que said, feigning urgency.
The woman didn't respond immediately. Instead, she grabbed her phone. Xu Que sensed something amiss and quickly drew his sword, slashing at the door.
"Bang!"
The door shattered with a loud crack, and Xu Que leaped forward in one swift motion.
The woman had just begun dialing when Xu Que appeared before her.
"What do you want?" she cried. "My husband is a soldier!"
Xu Que paid no mind to her words, snatching the phone from her hand. "Your husband has already been captured. Now, it's your turn."
Upon hearing that her husband, the so-called "Shura," had been taken, the woman's face paled, her body freezing in shock.
Xu Que showed no mercy; he saw her as nothing more than a dangerous, starving wolf. Reaching out with his left hand, he gave a swift strike to her neck, and she collapsed unconscious in an instant.
For someone of her rank—an ordinary E-class individual—just a light touch from Xu Que could have been fatal, so he tempered his strength to avoid killing her outright.
Not bothering with the unconscious woman, Xu Que scanned the room quickly before heading toward Fang Xiu's quarters.
Fang Xiu's room was sparse and utilitarian, filled mostly with military books. There was little of value to be found.
"Just as I thought."
Xu Que felt a bit vexed. The room was too immaculate—no photographs, no artwork. But then, he reasoned, a soldier like Fang Xiu wouldn't be home much anyway.
"It seems that the person Fang Xiu wanted to contact was indeed his problematic wife."
Xu Que exited the room and began searching the next one. As he rifled through the wardrobe, he found a number of curious items. What puzzled him most, however, was the abundance of balloons.
"Wait a minute!"
Xu Que suddenly had a bold thought—though a little far-fetched, it struck him as the most plausible explanation!
Before he could further entertain the notion of just how unconventional the woman might be, something in the wardrobe caught his eye—a diary.
He flipped it open, and after reading a few entries, a smile crept onto Xu Que's lips.
"Interesting. It's true what they say—sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"
Closing the diary with satisfaction, Xu Que continued his search. Finding nothing of further use, he returned to the living room.
With the woman in tow, Xu Que quickly exited Fang Xiu's home and headed toward the command center.
Upon his return, Zhao Lao and Peng Lao stood frozen in place.
"What is this...?" Peng Lao pointed at the unconscious woman Xu Que was carrying.
"She is Fang Xiu's nominal wife, but also his handler." Xu Que pulled the diary from his pocket and handed it over. "Once you see this, you'll understand."
Peng Lao hesitated, then took the diary. Upon reading its contents, his expression changed, and he nodded knowingly.
"Quite the surprise. I didn't expect her to be a diary writer," Peng Lao chuckled.
"While this is a good lead, we'll need more effective methods to get Fang Xiu to talk," Xu Que said, his tone laced with meaning.
Upon hearing this, both Zhao Lao and Peng Lao exchanged uneasy glances.
"You handle your interrogation; we're not involved," Peng Lao said, stepping aside.
Zhao Lao clapped Xu Que on the shoulder. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Those were the old chief's words."
Xu Que watched as the two elders walked away, his expression unreadable. While the situation amused him, he felt a sense of satisfaction at gaining the trust of the military. This support would prove invaluable in the near future.
Returning to the holding room, Xu Que refrained from turning off the monitoring system. He was too pressed for time to indulge in any more torturing of Fang Xiu's wife, the so-called "Ruthless Lady!"
He pushed open the door to Fang Xiu's cell and entered, dragging the unconscious woman inside with him.
Upon seeing Xu Que enter with the woman, Fang Xiu's heart sank, and a bad premonition gripped him.
"Should I call you Fang Xiu, or Shura?" Xu Que asked with a smile.
At these words, Fang Xiu's heart skipped a beat.
It was over. Everything was over.
"Alright," Xu Que continued, his tone cold. "Next, I'll deal with the King of Hell. As for this 'Ruthless Lady,' I'll return to torture her tomorrow."
With that, Xu Que turned to leave.
"Wait!" Fang Xiu called out, his voice hoarse. "I can give you the information you want, but you must promise to let me go!"
Xu Que turned slowly, his smile unchanging. "It depends on my mood."
For someone like Fang Xiu, Xu Que had no intention of letting him go. After all, Fang Xiu was far more dangerous than Zhou Qingyun by several orders of magnitude.
Xu Que wasn't afraid of fighting between life and death, but he did fear being outsmarted. Though his expertise lay in finance, in his previous life, he had learned no tricks of manipulation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent ten years chasing after Liu Ruyan.
Seeing Xu Que leave with the woman, Fang Xiu's eyes filled with fear and confusion.
In that moment, he realized the true horror of his situation. Xu Que wasn't human—he was something far more sinister. Torturing Fang Xiu wasn't about gaining information. It was about deriving pleasure from his agony.
Xu Que tossed the woman into one of the holding rooms. He had confidence in the room's soundproofing—once the door was shut, not even an explosion would be heard by anyone outside.
At the same time, as Zhao Xian and the others received their new equipment, they were left in awe by Xu Que's generosity.
Especially Yue Yun and Yue Shan, who, to their surprise, had been given the equivalent of cannons in place of their old guns.
"Alright," Xu Que said. "That's all for now. But just in case, tonight, I'd like everyone to stay at the company."
"Sis-in-law, don't worry! Even if you want me to sleep on the toilet, I won't say a word," Kun Shao promised with a slap to his chest.
"Yes, sis-in-law, rest assured. We'll keep you safe. Even if they try hiding, we'll stop them," Yue Yun quickly added.
The others remained silent, but their meaning was clear.
"Thank you, all of you," Shen Mengchu said with a smile.
"Sis-in-law, tonight, I'll be here with you. You can sleep easy," Yue Xiaoqin reassured her.
"Thank you for everything," Shen Mengchu said, grateful.
With that, the group left the top-floor office, and Shen Mengchu walked with Yue Xiaoqin into her own office.