Bravo Team certainly has a knack for tormenting newcomers, but their interrogation methods are rather lackluster.
It's the same old routine!
First, they ask a bunch of questions, then if you don't cooperate, they hit you. After the beating, they continue asking questions.
The awkward part about this round of testing is that it's open-book, and the sparring partners have to hit with precision—inflicting pain without causing any real injury.
At most, it leaves just a few surface wounds, maybe a bruised face.
During the sparring, Dragon Zhàn was mocked by his opponent as a "woman," which, despite nearly causing him to have a stroke from sheer fury, didn't lead to any real retaliation.
He could at most "scratch an itch" for his opponent.
Plus, with Klai and the other ten trainees waiting for their "intensive interrogation" by the special training instructor, there was no time to waste on Dragon Zhàn.
After an hour of interrogation, Dragon Zhàn was placed back in his cage.
When Karni was taken out of the "iron cage," the next round of testing began, and the noise pollution that had temporarily ceased resumed, ringing in Dragon Zhàn's ears.
There was no time to let the newcomers catch their breath.
The tall instructor, aiming to push the newcomers to their limits, had clearly put much thought into this.
Since the moment they arrived at the base, if you exclude the one or two hours of rest in their beds before their arrival, the newcomers had already been deprived of over 24 hours of deep sleep.
Combined with the nauseating sound constantly grating on them, the newcomers were becoming increasingly exhausted over time.
Dragon Zhàn's exit and re-entry, along with the second newcomer being taken out, didn't elicit any reaction from the others.
Klai, Brian, and the other eight were weak and motionless, caught in the uncomfortable state of wanting to sleep but being unable to.
Dragon Zhàn, too, couldn't sleep in this environment. His body, having taken dozens of punches, ached faintly, and he couldn't recover his energy and strength through sleep.
However, he didn't pay attention to these pains, as he was focused on executing his second "escape plan."
He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, then spat out a small piece of wood, thoroughly soaked with saliva and wet from prolonged exposure.
This was the "good find" Dragon Zhàn had come across during the fight earlier, tucked in the corner by the wall.
As for its origins...
The base's wooden doors were made of plywood, meaning they were constructed from thin wooden layers glued together. With time and wear, small fragments of wood would occasionally break off.
A small piece of wood, about the size of a pinky, wouldn't attract any attention if left there.
But now, in Dragon Zhàn's hands, it had become a key element in his second escape plan, a useful tool.
Of course, this was mostly useful only to him.
Because the little wooden shard was just a base—what was crucial was an almost abnormal memory.
Dragon Zhàn intended to use this small piece of wood to craft a key that could unlock the iron cage's lock, giving him a more proactive way to execute his second escape.
He wasn't sure if this plan would succeed, but he wouldn't pass up any opportunity.
With his eyes closed, it was like watching a movie as he quickly reviewed the details of his previous exit, the sensation of his fingers brushing over the keyring.
"The third key on the left side of the keyring—that's the one. My memory can't be wrong."
In less than two minutes, Dragon Zhàn had pinpointed the key that could unlock his cell, thanks to his extraordinary memory, far beyond the average person's.
He also recalled the shape of the key's teeth as he had felt it with his fingers.
It was similar to the process of feeling Mahjong tiles.
The difference was, Dragon Zhàn had a better memory and a heightened tactile sense, capable of registering even the smallest details.
With the necessary memory data prepared, Dragon Zhàn moved to the second step.
He shifted uncomfortably, turning his back to the surveillance camera.
Using his body as cover, he turned anything that could be used into tools for filing—his teeth, fingernails, and the corners of the iron cage.
The small piece of wood had some hardness to it, and the layer of adhesive on the outside made it even more suitable for the task of unlocking a lock.
Unfortunately, it was somewhat brittle!
To avoid the wood fragment breaking during the process, Dragon Zhàn had to be extremely cautious, step by step.
And without proper key-making tools, he had to make do with whatever was available, increasing the difficulty of making the key, and extending the time it would take.
Fortunately, after over a decade of battlefield experience, Dragon Zhàn was never short on patience.
Piece by piece, he scraped.
Little by little, he filed.
Dragon Zhàn's actions embodied the famous saying: "An iron pestle can be ground into a needle."
Working slowly, as if by "threads," the small wooden piece began to take on the shape he desired.
Two hours later, the piece of wood had roughly taken the shape of a key, with the blade and handle now visible.
Three hours later, the first tooth on the key finally emerged.
Hope began to glimmer on the horizon, and yet none of the roaming thugs noticed Dragon Zhàn's subtle movements.
Six hours later, the small piece of wood had transformed into a complete key. While it was rough and unrefined, all the teeth were now finished.
Though Dragon Zhàn couldn't test the key, due to the surveillance cameras, he wasn't worried.
He had complete faith in his memory, certain that this key would not disappoint him.