"How is this possible?" Fang Xiu stared at Xu Que in terror. "Did you do all this?"
"What do you think?" Xu Que replied with a faint smile, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
Though he couldn't decipher the coded messages on the phone, the presence of two recently received messages confirmed his suspicions: the sender must be someone from the Chaisfield family. After all, he had overheard Louang and Bell discussing them firsthand.
Fang Xiu now realized his value had dwindled to a single thread: the information he held about Centipede and Ghostshade. Watching Xu Que leave the detention room, Fang Xiu felt a sliver of surprise. Was he not planning to torment him anymore?
His relief, however, lasted less than five minutes. Xu Que's return, dragging both Luo Sha and Tang Xue in tow, shattered any illusions of reprieve. Luo Sha awoke, disoriented and uncertain of how she'd ended up here, but one look at the opened detention room door was enough to understand: the time of reckoning had come.
When Xu Que led her into another room instead of questioning her directly, her confusion deepened, followed swiftly by panic.
"Honey, are you okay?" Luo Sha whimpered, feigning a pitiful sob.
*Smack!* Xu Que's slap sent her reeling. "Save your theatrics, Luo Sha," he snarled. "I didn't bring you here for interrogation—I brought you to witness the spectacle of human nature at its rawest!"
Stunned, Luo Sha froze. What did he mean by a spectacle? No interrogation, yet she was to stay and watch? A chilling realization crept over her as Xu Que's tone shifted and he referred to her by her codename. Her chest tightened as dread danced across her spine like a phantom blade.
Taking a bottle of water, Xu Que doused the pink-clad young man who'd been lying unconscious nearby.
"Ugh, so annoying! Can't you—" The man's flirtatious tone ceased abruptly when a jagged blade hovered near his shoulder.
"Keep acting coy," Xu Que threatened icily, "and I'll make you my first subject."
The chilling words sent a tremor through the man's body. Fang Xiu, desperate to diffuse the situation, hastily interjected. "Xu Que, you've already gotten what you wanted! We have no personal grudge—there's no need for this cruelty!"
Xu Que turned his head slightly, eyeing Fang Xiu with a faint sneer.
"Oh, really?" he drawled. "What if I told you this was indirect payback? Would you believe me?"
Fang Xiu fell silent. Indirect payback? Such reasoning was too vague to dispute.
"Well then," Xu Que declared, a sinister grin spreading across his face, "let's all enjoy a show—one that journeys from hell to paradise!" He broke into unrestrained laughter.
Neither the young man nor Luo Sha understood his cryptic words, but what followed left them both in pieces, their sanity fraying at the seams.
Fang Xiu's screams were blood-curdling, each cry of agony slicing through the air like a butcher's blade. The pink-clad man, paralyzed with fear, failed to notice when his bladder betrayed him. Luo Sha fared no better; she covered her ears, but the haunting wails seemed to pierce her soul, each shriek carving invisible scars into her psyche.
"Xu, I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you who… who Centipede is!" Fang Xiu finally sobbed, his voice broken by desperation.
Unmoved, Xu Que smirked. Just as he raised the serrated blade for another stroke, the pink-clad man clung to this fleeting chance for salvation.
"I-I know who Centipede is!" he stammered, his voice quaking.
"Oh?" Xu Que arched a brow, fixing his gaze on the trembling man. "And what else do you know?"
"You—you bastard!" Fang Xiu began to curse, but Xu Que cut him off with another slap.
"Rest assured, Fang Xiu," Xu Que said with a cruel smile. "I'll make sure you beg for life and death alike." He left the words hanging as he turned back to the young man. "Speak. As long as you cooperate, I might spare you the pain."
The mention of torment sent another shiver through the man, who spilled everything he knew without hesitation. Xu Que quickly discerned that this man was no member of the organization; he was merely an uninformed pawn, overhearing key details because Fang Xiu hadn't bothered to shield him.
Even Fang Xiu's pillow talk had apparently included boasts of his prowess and the importance of his position in the organization.
Xu Que glanced at the half-dead Fang Xiu, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. *Goodness, your skills with the "golden staff" really are legendary. Shame you chose the wrong admirer.*
The reactions of the two women beside him were worlds apart. Tang Xue seemed unfazed by the revelation of the organization's depths; instead, she finally grasped how insignificant her role had been. Luo Sha, on the other hand, was consumed with disgust. The thought of her nominal husband living such a double life filled her with revulsion.
"Do you know of anyone else?" Xu Que asked the pink-clad man.
"No… I've told you everything I know," he stammered, trembling.
"Hmm, not bad," Xu Que said with a faint smile. "I'll arrange a different holding cell for you."
He turned back to Fang Xiu, now a shadow of his former self. "Do you have any cards left to play?"
Fang Xiu cast a defeated, desolate glance at Xu Que. He knew he was finished.
"Excellent," Xu Que said with a satisfied smirk. He picked up the serrated blade and walked over to Luo Sha, resting the blade against her shoulder. "What value do you bring?"
"I…" Luo Sha hesitated, panic flashing in her eyes. She truly knew nothing beyond logistics and support.
"So you're useless. That means…" Xu Que's words trailed off ominously.
Suddenly, as if clutching at straws, Luo Sha blurted out, "I can decode the organization's messages! I know how to operate the receiver!"
"Well done," Xu Que replied with a cold smile, withdrawing the blade. Handing her Fang Xiu's phone, he continued, "Then translate these two messages for me."
Luo Sha quickly deciphered them, her translations confirming Xu Que's suspicions. The Chaisfield family sought clarification on Fang Xiu's betrayal, with no indication of their involvement in a larger conspiracy.
Xu Que stroked his chin thoughtfully. *This message requires a flawless reply. Complicated indeed.*
Leaving nothing to chance, Xu Que refrained from using the receiver for decryption, knowing the military would eventually validate its contents and uncover any deceit from Luo Sha.
After locking the trio back in their cells, Xu Que carried the iron box to the command center. Handing it to a technician with precise instructions, he departed to focus on his next crucial task.
Outside, he sent messages to Shen Mengchu and her companions before mounting his flying sword, soaring swiftly toward Jin City.