Chapter 450: The Interrogation
Chapter 450: The Interrogation
Feitong felt something amiss and struggled to adjust his body mid-air. Before he could regain control, a figure ahead of him flashed, and a punch smashed towards him.
A thunderous boom echoed as he flew backward even faster, slamming into the wall of the spacious corridor behind him. The impact created a massive dent, and chunks of plaster and bricks rained down.
Relying on the strength of his tentacle-like limbs, he pushed himself up and roared, ready to counterattack. But before he could, Chen Chuan's kick landed on his cheek.
The kick was powerful, and it carried an upward force, sending his body flying into the air.
As he flew, he saw Chen Chuan below, looking up at him with a deep calm in his eyes. Then, Chen Chuan's figure suddenly enlarged in his vision, making him shudder. He hurriedly crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the incoming attack.
A fist followed, and with two cracking sounds, his arms shattered. The force of the blow embedded him into the ceiling behind him.
After unleashing his full power, Chen Chuan's figure descended, and his feet touched the ground. He pressed down, and in a moment, he leaped again, knee-first into Feitong's chest and abdomen. Feitong's eyes bulged, and he vomited a mixture of liquid and blood.
In mid-air, Chen Chuan grabbed the tentacles on Feitong's body and, upon landing, flung him to the ground. As Feitong landed, Chen Chuan followed up with a powerful punch.
With a thunderous roar, Feitong's chest exploded, creating a gaping hole. The tentacles covering his body and the bones and organs beneath them burst open, and the tentacles, still sucking in undigested blood, sprayed it outward, covering the ground with blood.
The punch had created a cavity in Feitong's body. Although the writhing tentacles were slowly healing his wounds, he was momentarily unable to move.
Chen Chuan looked at Feitong, whose eyes had rolled back, and retracted his fist, which was now shrouded in white mist. He straightened up from his crouched position and tapped the Boundary Token, notifying Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque, "Come back, I've found the main culprit."
He scanned the area and seemed to notice something. He crouched down, reached into Feitong's ear, and pulled out a peculiar insect with two long, thin tentacles.
He immediately recognized it as a unique creature from the Convergence Zone, the Mimic Insect. By establishing a spiritual connection with this insect, one could mimic any sound it had come into contact with.
It seemed that the noises from yesterday were created using this insect, explaining why the Second Self had never shown signs of virtualization. Chen Chuan's gaze shifted, and he reached for the short sword on Feitong. But when he grabbed it, Feitong seemed reluctant to let go, and Chen Chuan had to pull it away.
Then, he removed the silver-white sword sheath and, after standing up, sheathed the sword and hung it at his waist.
Five or six minutes later, Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque arrived in the corridor. They were startled by Feitong on the ground, as his skin and tentacles resembled those of the Iron Demon's corpse.
"This is Feitong, the commander of Fort Two-Eight-Five, and the one responsible for all this," Chen Chuan explained.
Yuan Qiuyuan stared at Feitong in surprise. "So, it was this guy causing trouble? No wonder it's hard to guard against an insider's mischief."
Chen Chuan asked, "Did you find anything outside earlier?"
Qin Qingque bowed and reported, "Captain, we found nothing."
Chen Chuan nodded. He had sent the two to check outside earlier to ensure this person wasn't working with accomplices. Now it seemed he was acting alone.
Although there were still some questions about this incident, capturing the main culprit would eventually lead to uncovering the whole truth.
"Send a report to the base camp," he instructed.
Two days later, a transport airship arrived, carrying over a hundred soldiers who swiftly took control of the entire fort.
The leading officer shook hands with Chen Chuan and said, "Captain Chen, Director Qiao received your telegram. He said you captured Feitong, and he takes this matter very seriously. He wants you to return with the prisoner as soon as possible, so this time, we're providing the airship for your return."
Chen Chuan acknowledged the request and called out to his team. Half an hour later, they boarded the airship.
Soon, the airship lifted off the ground, gradually ascending higher into the sky under the pilot's control.
Yuan Qiuyuan was experiencing his first airship ride, and he found it fascinating. Previously, he had always been on the ground, but now, looking down from the air, everything appeared from a different perspective, an experience he had never had before.
Many of the team members were like Yuan Qiuyuan, crowding around the tilted portholes, discussing what they saw below.
They were all delighted because they had thought they would be spending the New Year outside. But their captain's strength had resolved the issue quickly, and now they could return and enjoy some time off. After signing the confidentiality agreement, they might even get to go home for the New Year.
After a while, Chen Chuan entered the cabin where Feitong was being held captive. Although he had been severely injured by Chen Chuan, the process of being devoured by the altered tissue had also been interrupted. Now, with his essence blood depleted, Feitong was barely clinging to life, but his robust vitality as a Tier Three combatant kept him alive.
As Chen Chuan entered, Feitong's eyes were fixed on the ceiling, his thoughts unknown.
Chen Chuan arrived at the side and sat down, asking, "Why did you do this?"
After a while, Fe Tong turned his gaze to Chen Chuan and replied, "Because I had no other choice."
"No other choice?" Chen Chuan exclaimed.
Fe Tong sighed, "I'm thirty-nine this year. But just like Captain Chen, I achieved Tier Three at this age. I was a young prodigy in the spotlight, admired by many. After only six months here, I was promoted to a Second-Level Executor and became the commander of the fortress outpost.
But look at me now; I'm still just a commander."
"Hmph, twenty years have passed," he continued. "I've reached a certain rank, but I've never found a way to move up. There's absolutely no chance at all."
"You want to know why?" Fe Tong asked. "Back then, I was young and arrogant, thinking that my strength alone was enough. I didn't care about anything else. It was then that I unintentionally offended someone."
"Later, I learned that this person had a powerful background in the Defense Department. Ever since, I've been suppressed and marginalized by them."
"Every time I go on a mission, they delay the issuance of special medication for a long time. Just when I'm about to start my cultivation, I'm called away for another mission. This cycle has been going on for two years. Two whole years I've been dragged down by them."
Fe Tong clenched his teeth as he spoke, "These two years were supposed to be my prime growth period. My strength should have soared during this time, but they held me back. Moreover, this person has influence above, and I can't even resign.
After missing this crucial period, no matter how hard I tried, my strength didn't increase as fast as before. I've been assigned to the frontier expansion zone ever since."
"The frontier is always the most arduous, tiring, and dangerous place. Yet, I'm always the one chosen for the task."
Fe Tong laughed coldly, "I know this person hasn't forgotten about me. They want to keep me down, to crush me, ensuring I have no chance to rise or retaliate. They'd rather see me die in the frontier operations!"
His eyes flashed with endless hatred, "I hate those who oppressed me, so I want to take revenge. But I'm powerless alone. After twenty years, this person has climbed higher and higher. I have no connections or influence to do anything to them."
Fe Tong laughed mockingly, "What they didn't expect is that I've been at the frontier's forefront, often dealing with the ancient imperial house. After repeatedly expressing my desire for contact, I finally established a connection with the Iron Demon. They're willing to show me a way out."
"It seems my guess was correct," said Chen Chuan.
Fe Tong hummed and spoke in a mocking tone, "When I see you, I think of myself back then. The same youthful vigor, the same promising future. But what good did that do?
The path to advancement is in the hands of certain people. If they value you, you might have a chance. But if you don't follow their wishes and offend them, there's no way forward."
Chen Chuan could sense the resentment and hatred in Fe Tong's words. He looked at him calmly and said, "You think they wronged you, didn't value you. But what about the over one hundred colleagues you killed? Did you ever value them?
When you bring up this matter, you don't even remember them. It's as if they were just roadside weeds, meant to be trampled by you. In your heart, they were all dispensable and expendable. In this regard, what's the difference between you and those you hate?"
Fe Tong's expression changed slightly, and his face contorted with rage. "What do you know? What do you know? How can they compare to me? I'm a naturally talented fighter! I should have gone further! And them?
They're just a bunch of mediocre people. There are countless like them, but me, Fe Tong, my achievements over twenty years, can they compare? Can they?"
"You naturally think your colleagues are useless and can be discarded at will. But in the eyes of those who oppressed you, it's only natural to oppress you because, in their eyes, you're equally worthless.
You both treat those weaker than yourselves with arrogance. In essence, you're no different from those you despise. It's just that you prefer to be the oppressor rather than the oppressed."
Fe Tong seemed to be stung by Chen Chuan's words, and he began to tremble, his face turning red as he roared. "What do you know? What do you know?!"
Chen Chuan didn't argue but looked at him calmly and said, "If you went after those who you claim oppressed you, I might have some respect for you. But instead, you chose to draw your blade against the weak. In the end, you've always been a loser."
After saying this, Chen Chuan had no interest in staying. He stood up and left, ignoring Fe Tong's bitter cries and roars.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
