Chapter 208: The Wise Man Knows When to Yield—Interrogations and Torture Devices~
"How do you plan to conduct this interrogation?"
Yu Guanzhi, the Divine Brush Douluo, sat calmly at the center of the room. Though his schedule was already packed with military matters, this incident was far too significant to ignore.
The Xingluo Federation's attempt to steal Federation talent was a direct provocation—hateful beyond words.
To prevent the Xingluo delegation from pulling any tricks, the government had called upon Douluo's "immovable pillar of justice."
Before a Limit Douluo, no scheming could prevail.
His presence alone was enough to crush all deceit.
Sweat poured down Huang Zhengyang's back.
He knew that the moment Yu Guanzhi had stepped through the door, he should have killed the liaison to erase all evidence—cut ties decisively and save his own skin.
Losing a few agents was acceptable; it was their duty to die for the mission.
But he simply couldn't bring himself to kill his own compatriot.
The liaison, understanding Huang Zhengyang's inner conflict, hardened his resolve and tried to bite his tongue to die.
Better to die than betray the Xingluo Federation.
For Xingluo's glory!
Yet despite his effort, he realized—he couldn't. Something like an invisible stone blocked his tongue, making death impossible.
Yu Guanzhi smiled faintly.
"How should we conduct this interrogation?"
He didn't seem impatient. Rather, he wanted to see what these so-called spies would do next.
With one motion of his pen, black and crimson strokes appeared midair—black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red!
In the blink of an eye, all three men vanished.
Yu Guanzhi's martial soul—the "Divine Brush"—possessed a unique power: materializing his drawings into reality and summoning beasts infused with pure soul essence.
With a few fluid strokes through the void, he opened a stable dimensional passage to a Federation interrogation chamber.
Wails echoed within.
The chamber was pitch-black, suffused with an oppressive crimson mist and the smell of blood thick in the air.
"Will you confess?"
"I won't!"
Smack!
Screams of agony followed, bouncing off cold stone walls.
Inside a cleaner adjacent room sat all manner of torture instruments—gleaming blades, spiked chairs, whips lined with thorns.
The liaison Huang had just been holding was now tied to an icy slab, bound so tightly his skin turned pale.
It had all happened too fast to grasp.
"Please, proceed," Yu Guanzhi said with a faint smile.
Torn between fear and guilt, Huang Zhengyang picked up a thorned whip. His hands trembled—this was his own fellow countryman!
How could he raise his hand against him?
But he had to play the act.
He forced a ferocious expression and growled, "Speak! Who sent you? I'd advise you to be smart—look at the instruments before you~"
Before he could finish, the liaison burst out shouting, "I'll talk! I'll talk! I'm from the Heaven Soul Empire! The Heaven Soul Empire sent me—it has nothing to do with the Xingluo Federation!"
Huang Zhengyang: "…"
Yu Guanzhi: "…"
Snatching the whip from Huang's grip, Yu lashed it across the man's body with a crack, tearing flesh and leaving a vivid red welt.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"I swear, I'm Heaven Soul Empire—I'll confess everything!" he screamed.
But Yu Guanzhi ignored him. Instead, he turned his gaze to Huang Zhengyang.
"The Federation hasn't the time to play games with you," he said coldly. "Answer me plainly—is this Xingluo's plan or not?"
The oppressive power radiating through the sealed room made every breath heavy.
The Federation hadn't summoned Yu Guanzhi for formality—he was their hammer of final judgment.
The Douluo Federation no longer feared Xingluo in the slightest.
If anything, they welcomed an excuse—a spark—to justify open war.
To unify the entire Douluo plane, all the Federation lacked was a pretext.
"Think carefully," Yu said evenly. "Your choice decides not just his life, but everyone outside these walls."
Huang Zhengyang hesitated. "I…"
Elsewhere, a distant observer suddenly sensed something was wrong.
At Shrek Academy's lodgings, Zuo Shi—the powerful Super Douluo—felt the surge of energy boiling from the embassy's direction.
As one of Shrek's supporters of Xingluo's covert plan, he was well aware of the stakes.
After all, Shrek Academy had not remained passive these years. Though the Federation tightly restricted Shrek graduates from entering high office, some sympathizers still existed—especially among the doves and neutrals subtly aligned with Shrek.
They had provided the operation with everything: branch addresses, personnel rosters, safe routes.
With internal help, the plan was supposed to succeed—perhaps not perfectly, but they should have extracted sixty to seventy percent of Tang Sect's scientists and technology.
Yet now… the sudden eruption of a monumental aura—one that made even him feel powerless—filled Zuo Shi with dread.
"Something's wrong. I need to see this myself."
In an instant, he vanished, teleporting toward the source.
Shrek's delegation was currently residing in Douluo University, not far, but not near either.
For a Super Douluo, though, the distance barely mattered.
But before he could phase into the embassy's chamber directly, he found the space around it frozen solid—spatial lockdown.
Teleportation was forbidden.
He was forced to stop outside the gates—where the Xingluo Embassy had already been completely surrounded.
"What's going on here!?"
"Your Excellency!"
Standing guard was Ling Chen, the 14th War God of the Hall of War Gods—Titled Douluo of Gluttony, Rank 92, a three-word Battle Armor master, martial soul: Chopsticks.
Upon recognizing Zuo Shi, he bowed respectfully before speaking.
"Xingluo agents attempted to steal our Federation's technology and personnel. By order of the Vice Hall Master, the embassy is under containment."
"But do not worry—our Federation is a nation of etiquette. We won't resort to violence without cause."
Zuo Shi said nothing.
They'd actually been caught.
And it wasn't just a minor issue either.
Could it be… all of them were captured?
"I want to see your commanding officer!"
Ling Chen smiled politely. "Apologies, Your Excellency. The Vice Hall Master is currently engaged in discussion with the Xingluo delegation. He has no time for visitors at the moment."
"But let me say this—the Xingluo Federation's underhanded tricks, sneaking about like common thieves, harming our interests in the shadows? The Federation will not sit idly by."
"I trust Shrek Academy can understand our position."
Zuo Shi remained silent for a moment before exhaling softly.
Then, without a word, he turned and left.
A Vice Hall Master of the Hall of War Gods—a Limit Douluo—was far beyond his authority to confront.
This matter concerned both nations. Shrek Academy could not afford involvement, at least not officially.
The Academy's students were still in Douluo Federation territory for their cultural exchange—he could not risk dragging them into this storm.
Thankfully, Shrek's leaders had anticipated the possibility and ensured no students were tied to Xingluo's secret operation.
Zuo Shi sighed bitterly as he disappeared into the night.
"Huang Zhengyang… how could you be this careless?"
Every single one of them—utterly unreliable.
Now that the Federation had captured them, the consequences would be dire.
(END CHAPTER)
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