A dark, damp, and cold cell, surrounded on three sides by windowless concrete walls, with only one side being a grille wall with a visitor window and an iron door.

A man dressed in prison clothes sits in the center of the cell on an iron chair, with bright incandescent light hanging above his head.

The room is suffused with the smell of metal and rubber, making the concrete gray walls seem even more oppressive, ominous, and cold.

This is the interrogation room at Prison No.11 in Yavente City, where just a week ago, war criminals of the Southern Legion and servants of Teil were questioned.

And at this moment, the prisoner being interrogated in the room is a Disciple of the Enlightenment Society.

Two Vellante guards are sitting left and right outside the interrogation room by a desk.

Not understanding the situation, they still thought this guy was just an ordinary petty thief, and the big guy playing bad cop shouted with eyes like copper bells.

"Spill the truth! Name! Age! Organization! And that... where have you hidden the Academy's research ship!" He flipped through the files to understand what this guy's crimes were but was completely baffled by what the research ship was.

Research ship?

Yavente City doesn't even have a sea, how could this thing be lost here?!

A very real problem is that not all Vellante people are familiar with the Academy's situation.

In fact, most Vellante people just have a vague impression of the Academy as "Slugs in the swamp," and the little knowledge they have comes from the occasional snippets in the Southern Corps Victory Report.

Who knows if there's even a single true word in that kind of thing.

Faced with the aggressive interrogation, Flynn kept his eyes closed and remained silent, appearing apathetic, not intending to say a single word.

From the moment he was caught, he was no different from a dead man.

The only regret was probably that he hadn't managed to actually die.

But this was not a big deal.

He had long ago prepared himself to sacrifice for his ideals and had expected such a day might come in his future.

Therefore, no matter what dirty methods those prison guards used, they could forget about extracting a single word from his mouth!

The previous prisoners sitting here had either looked lifeless or dispirited, and the big prison guard outside was encountering such an uncooperative rebel for the first time.

Seeing that this guy hadn't replied for a long time, he suddenly flew into a rage and stood up, slapping the table.

"Not talking? You must be itching to be taught a lesson!"

Seeing him pull out the key and about to go in to fix this guy, an older guard hurriedly reached out to stop him.

Seeing his old colleague holding him back, the big prison guard glared and said.

"Don't stop me! No matter who comes today, it's useless! I have to teach him a lesson!"

The older guard tried to reason with him.

"Calm down! Don't be impulsive! The Alliance told us just to keep an eye on him, to question if possible, and if not, don't rush to use methods. They will naturally find a way."

"Damn it! I can't stand it anymore!"

"Listen to me, let it go..."

"..."

Listening to their back-and-forth dialogue, Flynn sitting in the cell not only wasn't afraid but even felt like laughing a bit.

That's it?

Looks like the Alliance isn't all that.

These people still can't let go of their civilized restraint.

Thus, Flynn didn't expend much effort to survive the first round of interrogation, and all this felt so easy that he even somewhat despised the Alliance's methods.

He didn't know how long had passed; just as he was bored to the point of almost falling asleep, faint noises and footsteps came from outside the grille door again.

It seemed that earlier was just the appetizer.

Apparently, the Alliance's interrogators were not planning to let him off so easily; there might be two or three more rounds to endure today.

As Flynn restored his usual expression, conserving his energy, keeping his eyes closed, he sat there relaxed.

Just as he prepared to withstand whatever came, Fang Chang stood opposite the iron grille, sizing up the man impervious to reason.

"Did he confess?"

Facing Fang Chang's inquiry, the guard on the side looked somewhat embarrassed and handed over a blank record book.

"No… You said keep watch without using methods, so we didn't use methods, just asked casually, but this guy didn't appreciate it, didn't say a word."

Fang Chang nodded, didn't say much, gestured the guard to get the notebook and pen himself, then walked to the visitor window and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"I am a resident of Shelter No. 404, my name is Long Days Ahead, and I heard that you are also from a shelter?"

Upon hearing the term "shelter," Flynn had a slight reaction, opened half an eye, and glanced twice at the man across the iron bars.

But it was just a glance.

Fang Chang raised his eyebrows.

"So you're not from a shelter?"

Flynn sneered coldly, speaking indifferently.

"Shelter No. 68, Flynn… Even if I tell you, it doesn't mean anything, our shelter has long since ceased to exist."

"Shelter No. 68, Flynn."

Fang Chang nodded, gave the guard standing dumbly a look, indicating for him to take notes, then looked at the man sitting behind the iron bars, continuing in a gentle tone.

"... there are indeed no records in our database, but it's not too late to start creating a file. The Alliance has many residents from such shelters, they live well, and they get along harmoniously with other Waste Land Wanderers."

Flynn, lacking interest, smirked disdainfully.

"If you are trying to convince me in this way, spare me."

"I have no intention of convincing you because there's no need; we will soon know what we need to know," Fang Chang smiled lightly, indifferently continuing to speak to the dismissive Flynn, "By the way, do you know where this is?"

Flynn didn't answer.

Or rather, didn't bother to answer.

Fang Chang ignored him and spoke to himself.

"This is Prison No.11 in Yavente City, where the Southern Legion's war criminals are on trial. You're no better than them, and neither is the organization behind you. Since we could defeat the Southern Legion and Teil, we can defeat you... and I can responsibly tell you that it's as easy as squashing an ant."

Flynn sneered.

"You're talking too much nonsense."

"I've heard from my comrades that you talk a lot of nonsense too. Why is it that sitting here, you've got nothing to say?" Fang Chang chuckled at Flynn, glanced at his watch, and continued in a chatty tone, "Time's almost up, I'm just making small talk, don't take it too seriously."

Flynn didn't drop his guard because of that remark, slightly curling his lips.

"Give up, I won't tell you a single word."

The voice was light.

Like the tongue of a snake.

Seeing this guy still being stubborn in the face of death, Fang Chang suddenly smiled.

"Alright, I understand."

He glanced at the time one last time, stood up, and looked at the prison guard who hadn't taken many notes yet, succinctly instructing him.

"Transfer him to Room 101."

This guy was someone the Academy wanted from the start.

In that case, let the people from the Academy handle the interrogation.

That Jiang Xuezhou should be ready by now.

The prison guard stood straight, his expression serious as he pressed his right fist to his chest.

"Yes!"

Fang Chang waved his hand, then sauntered out the door.

As the orders were issued, three burly prison guards opened the iron door and walked in.

The leading guard sneered at his face, cracking his knuckles loudly—he was the same person who had previously threatened to show him a thing or two.

Flynn felt not the slightest panic in his heart.

Yet watching the figure disappearing at the doorway, an involuntary sense of foreboding crept up in his heart.

What is that guy plotting?

Why is he so sure he can crack my mind?

The three prison guards entering the cell didn't give Flynn time to ponder.

Two of them stood on either side of him on alert, while the leader used a key to unlock his shackles.

At the same time his restraints were removed, the two guards standing beside him pressed his arms, pinning them behind his back and escorting him out the door.

These actions were entirely unnecessary.

To prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide, they had already injected him with a muscle relaxant, leaving him with the strength of a baby.

Flynn coldly smirked inwardly, allowing the three guards to drag him away, escorting him from the dark room to the so-called Room 101.

Much to his surprise, Room 101 wasn't laid out like an interrogation room but rather resembled a server room.

Row upon row of light green cabinets sat in the corners, cables of various thicknesses tangled together like a mess of yarn.

The only chair was located in the center of the room, a "dental surgery chair," and his instincts told him that ominous chair was his seat.

What are these bastards up to?

Flynn felt a faint panic rise in his heart, his pupils no longer holding the previous calm, instinctively struggling a few times.

Yet the guards holding him didn't indulge him, directly pressing him into the chair, then locking the shackles that fixed his hands and feet.

"Aren't you quite capable? Hope you don't wet your pants soon," the big guard sneered at Flynn, reaching out to pat his face.

He actually had no idea what method the Academy planned to use, only knowing that it was their Level C Researcher in charge.

That level should be quite impressive, I guess?

Maybe.

Flynn stared intently at the big guard's back until all the guards left the room, then began to pay attention to the room's situation.

The man named "Long Days Ahead" wasn't here, replaced by a pair of somewhat familiar-looking men and women—

Flynn's pupils slightly narrowed, quickly recognizing the two standing there as the couple who had ambushed him in the sewer earlier!

Seeing the guy staring at him, Night Ten cheerfully waved.

"Flynn, right? We meet again."

Flynn glared darkly at him, then glanced at the woman beside him fiddling with bottles and syringes, squeezing out a hoarse voice from his throat.

"What tricks are you playing..."

Truth serum?

Hallucinogens?

Heh, those kinds of psychoactive drugs are useless against him.

"You mean this?"

Night Ten followed his gaze, seeing him staring stonily at the nearby cabinets, then smiled and said, "This, by your terms, should be called a memory extraction device."

Flynn's expression slightly froze, but only for a moment.

"A memory extraction device? Don't be ridiculous... there's no way you have something like that."

Watching Flynn pretend to remain calm, Night Ten smiled and said,

"Not exactly. City of Dawn has one, just not here."

Flynn sneered again, slightly relieved in his heart.

Though he didn't know where the Alliance got that thing, fortunately, there's a Great Desert in between here and there, and moving it over wouldn't be easy.

However, just as he had that thought, a cold voice suddenly drifted into his ears, bringing his heart back to his throat.

"There really is no such evil thing here, but if you insist on using it, making one on the spot isn't really difficult for me."

Having completed the preparations, Jiang Xuezhou turned around, staring expressionlessly at the man lying on the dental surgery table, and handed the syringe filled with the potion to Night Ten.

The latter understood immediately, holding the syringe between two fingers, and strode toward the operating table.

Fear surfaced on Flynn's face, instinctively shrinking back, yet he was firmly bound and had nowhere to escape!

Even though his intuition told him that "making one on the spot" was complete nonsense, the confidence on the face of the guy walking toward him left him with no flaws to pick out.

Watching the man who was getting closer step by step and the expressionless woman not far away, Flynn seemed to roar loudly to convince himself.

"Stop bluffing! Do you think memory extraction technology is something commonplace? It's the accumulation and crystallization of our sociology experience over decades—"

"Decades of accumulation?" Jiang Xuezhou looked at him coldly, as if she were looking at a twisted worm, "Complete immersion virtual reality technology, it's just using continuous neural input signals to induce the subconscious, to dig out deep memories stored in the brain. You guys spent decades just doing this? Just this?"

When asked why she knew this so clearly, naturally it was because she had experienced it herself.

Flynn looked at Jiang Xuezhou in fear, looking at that syringe nearing his arm, his Adam's apple moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

He didn't know the source of memory extraction technology, only heard that this thing could squeeze out every secret in a brain like a machine squeezing sugarcane juice.

Since most of the people who experienced that system became fools, it was also used within the organization as a form of punishment and deterrence.

He had never violated the organization's rules, nor had he ever betrayed the organization, so naturally, he never had the opportunity to try such a thing...

And exactly because of this, he didn't know how to counter this thing!

Jiang Xuezhou watched him indifferently, continuing to speak in a cold voice.

"... Do you think it's some sort of advanced technology? We didn't create it just because we don't want some smart-ass, who thinks so highly of themselves, to pry open our brains with it one day in the future and use it against us."

"But you're an exception, because you are exactly that smart-ass, and I have not the slightest guilt in using this technology on you."

"I won't forget what you did to me, now I'm going to return it to you..."

"Experience it for yourself."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Night Ten—the one who once pulled her out of a nightmare.

Seeing the plot was over, Night Ten didn't waste words, promptly gave Flynn a shot in the arm, then smiled and patted the terrified person's shoulder.

"Good luck, just consider it a nightmare."

Jiang Xuezhou's dream seemed to involve a lot of snow?

And some variant creatures like hyenas.

Though he didn't know what was scary about snow and a few hyenas, since she said with such certainty that this device could definitely squeeze all thoughts from a person's head, he would take her word for it.

Night Ten still had great faith in Jiang Xuezhou's capabilities.

Flynn wanted to say something, but before he could utter a single syllable, an immense gravity enveloped his entire body, forcibly pulling his increasingly heavy consciousness away from his body.

That feeling was like an out-of-body experience!

But along with his soul leaving his body, it wasn't just his five senses that were sealed, but also his memories!

He even forgot his own name!

The consciousness drawn out of his body floated in the air for a while, quickly being sucked into a bottomless black hole, and then it fell into an endless red void!

He seemed to reside within his own heart, or stand at the center of the Earth!

And then, not knowing how much time had passed, a pinprick-like itch suddenly crawled all over his body, and soon that itch turned into searing pain like being roasted over flames!

"Ah—"

Unable to bear the extreme pain, Flynn wanted to scream out loud, but couldn't make a sound, only silently wailing in the void without time and space.

Boundless fear filled his soul!

And under the unlimited frequency iteration, the things he feared and the fear itself began to take shape, becoming more and more specific!

Every cell in his body seemed to be burning...

As if he had fallen into magma!

Soon the boiling magma turned into something else, he tried to see clearly what was surrounding him, and that searing existence quickly became his greatest fear...

Flames?

Why fire?

No one asked him.

He was asking himself.

Just as that vague confusion emerged in his mind, the burning gates of Shelter No. 68 appeared before his eyes.

Not just the gates of Shelter No. 68, through those blazing flames, he saw many familiar yet unfamiliar faces!

Among them, the omnipotent father, gentle and kind mother, lively and adorable sister... as well as the friendly neighbor's family, the amiable manager, and his close buddies, and the girl he once liked.

All those familiar faces had already been sealed in the deepest part of his memory, but the boiling flames had dug them all out without exception.

And it wasn't just them—

The looters who killed them too.

"No—!"

Flynn's eyes turned blood-red as he screamed frantically, wanting to rush in to save them from the looters, yet the mere ten-meter bridge seemed as long as ten light years, no matter how he ran, he couldn't reach the end, until he collapsed in exhaustion among the flames.

Sparks scattered across the sky!

He watched helplessly as this segment of memory was replayed in slow motion till the end, then slowly recalled his own name and theirs, along with the hatred etched into this unforgettable memory.

This pack of ungrateful wolves—

The shelter provided them with food, clothes... and technology they had never seen in their lives! Allowed them to live a life they could never have imagined before!

Yet they turned back and bit the hand that fed them!

He wants to eradicate them all—

Eradicate every last Waste Land Wanderer on this planet!

At this moment, in his bloodshot pupils, blue figures suddenly appeared, as they arrived, the rain of fire melted away.

Human perception of pain has its limits.

Prolonged pain only leads to numbness, making one unresponsive to external stimuli—which is clearly not what the "god" ruling everything desires.

Watching the blue figures, a light of hope suddenly appeared on Flynn's face, as if a traveler crawling through the desert had seen an oasis—

Even if it was just a mirage!

The people walked towards him, wearing the warm smiles he'd hoped for, extending their hands to help him.

Flynn mustered all his strength and finally reached that hand.

Yet, the instant his fingertips touched it, an overwhelming force engulfed him again, dragging him into endless darkness.

"From today onward, you are a disciple of the Enlightenment Society."

The familiar voice flooded his mind, collapsing the world pieced together from fragments of memory, and started iterating again.

"No—!!!"

Enough already!

I'll tell you everything!

Please make this damn thing stop!

Fear was written all over Flynn's eyes, and he let out a second shout—

or rather, a wail.

However, no one paid him any attention.

No one heard him at all.

Meanwhile, in a certain cell of Prison No. 11 in Yavente City, the second hand on the wall clock had just ticked one second past...

...

5:00 PM.

Three hours had passed since the interrogation began.

Fang Chang glanced at the time on his VM and knocked on the door of Room 101 next door.

When he knocked for the third time, the door opened inward, and a pungent smell of urine assaulted his nose.

Crinkling his nose from the acrid smell, Fang Chang leaned in to take a look, seeing a yellowish puddle beneath the person lying on the operating table.

"Did you fry his brain?"

"No way," Night Ten chuckled, "he's still alive, though his mental state is indeed shaky."

The things that guy saw in his dream, he also saw on the holographic screen.

Honestly speaking.

He even felt a bit sorry for the guy.

But feelings aside, when methods are required, you have to employ them.

Besides, compared to the Enlightenment Society, their methods could be considered merciful.

The Memory Extractor of the Enlightenment Society could actually fry a person's brain, whereas the program Jiang Xuezhou devised at most made people feel like their brain had been kicked by a donkey a few times.

If one's mind is not strong, it's possible one might go insane, but a mature mind can still emerge from the nightmare.

"What wicked technology..." Fang Chang clicked his tongue in admiration from the heart.

The Vellante prison guards standing behind him, upon seeing the situation inside the room, looked at the young girl in the white coat with admiration.

No wonder she's from the Academy!

The methods are really ruthless!

No external injuries visible, but caused incontinence!

That's amazing!

At this moment, Jiang Xuezhou didn't realize that she and the Academy had earned the Vellante's respect for mysterious reasons.

She motioned for Fang Chang standing at the door to come in and close the door, then handed a thumb-sized hard drive to Fang Chang.

"We've gotten the clue... Our research ship is probably no longer on Earth."

Fang Chang frowned.

"Not on Earth? Then where?"

Jiang Xuezhou took a deep breath and said.

"The Looter... Missile Cruiser."

Night Ten and Fang Chang exchanged a look, their expressions both bewildered and stunned.

Quickly, the bewilderment turned into excitement.

"Holy cow? Is this opening up the space map now?!" Night Ten couldn't help but exclaim softly.

Fang Chang ignored him, simply clearing his throat lightly and looking seriously at Jiang Xuezhou to ask.

"I need to confirm one thing first... this missile cruiser, it's a starship?"

"Yes," Jiang Xuezhou nodded and said slowly, "All military ships in the Human Alliance Era were starships. This starship was constructed at the starport of the Lagrange Point, completed at the end of the Three-Year War, and shortly after entering service, it met with an accident... The specific cause of the accident is unknown."

"Awesome!!"

Night Ten clenched his fists in excitement, eager to go offline immediately to share the good news with his friends on the forum.

However, his excitement lasted less than two seconds, dropping to the bottom with Jiang Xuezhou's next words.

"Additionally... according to our records, this starship stores one hundred thousand neutron torpedoes."

Pausing, Jiang Xuezhou continued in a trembling voice.

"Although the specific explosive yield data is not found, there's a rumor..."

"In the late stage of the Three-Year War, the surface raid missions by the Human Alliance Sky Army on surface nests were carried out by this starship."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.