Chapter 29

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Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Shen Wu Xian Zhou, inside the You Qiu Yu interrogation room.

The lighting was a precisely regulated cold white, illuminating every inch of the room's space down to the finest detail, yet precisely because of this it appeared all the more devoid of warmth.

Xuan Ge sat on a broad but simply styled black iron chair, still wearing that set of dark everyday clothes, not donned in armor.

He leaned back slightly, one hand resting casually on the armrest, the other flipping through a briefing just pulled from the Jade Augury, its data still faintly scrolling.

The report's content concerned post-war preliminary statistics and an intelligence summary.

Exterminate to the last, cleaned up thoroughly.

But it was merely uprooting one stronghold, tearing open a tiny corner of a net.

The White Wolf Hunt Pack, like wolves truly prowling in the shadows, never existed as a single den.

This was merely one hunt pack among them, one tentacle among countless.

Xuan Ge's fingertips tapped lightly on the edge of the light screen, the corner of his mouth hooking a trace of an arc, extremely faint, nearly soundless.

For the Hunt, once a target is marked, the rest is only a matter of time and patience.

Find one, kill one; find a nest, wipe out a nest. That is all.

He raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the illusory edge of the light screen in his hand, settling ahead.

There, six specially made alloy cages were placed side by side.

In five of the cages were confined the fox-women who had been pushed out during that plaza "transaction," apart from "Li Li."

Most of them were young; by now they had long since lost the weeping or bewilderment of that time, leaving only the numbness and dull stupor tortured by long imprisonment and unknown fear.

When Xuan Ge's gaze swept over them, they violently lowered their heads like startled quail, bodies trembling uncontrollably, even the faint sound of chattering teeth clearly audible.

That trace of a smile on the Divine Might General's face was, in their eyes, more terrifying than the most ferocious furious visage.

Only the centermost cage.

Yue Yao's four limbs' broken bones had been simply treated; though still in the recovery phase, she still could not exert force, and the pain of shattered bones kept eroding her.

Yet she did not lower her head, did not tremble, did not even attempt to conceal her plight.

She merely held her spine straight, using those pitch-black pupils, coldly, fixedly, unblinkingly staring straight at Xuan Ge.

In that gaze there was no fear, no pleading, only a hatred tempered to the utmost, like ten-thousand-year cold ice.

Ten Kings Office Judge Li Yi, like a gray shadow, stood quietly at the shadow boundary not far from the cage's side.

He was here not to carry out the Ten Kings Office's tedious interrogation and conviction process, but as a "witness," or rather, as the extension and executor of the Divine Might General's will.

What would happen next, by what "unreasonable" means it would conclude, he knew clearly in his heart, and was already prepared.

"Speak."

Xuan Ge finally set down the light screen in his hand, letting it dissolve into specks of starlight.

He shifted into an even more casual posture, body leaning slightly forward, one elbow propped on his knee, palm cupping half his cheek.

His gaze fell on Yue Yao's face with delight, as if merely initiating idle chat between friends.

"Going to such great lengths, setting up such a scheme, tricking that foolish boy Qiu Han into that godforsaken place... what were you after?"

His tone was relaxed, even carrying a hint of curiosity: "Surely it wasn't really just because of an online romance wanting to meet face to face? If so, the price is a bit steep."

The corner of Yue Yao's mouth twitched, revealing an arc extremely cold, brimming with mockery.

"Heh heh..." her laughter dry and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against metal.

"Divine Might General... do you still remember the battle of the Si Lu Ke Star System thirty years ago?"

"Thirty years ago? Si Lu Ke Star System?" Xuan Ge raised an eyebrow, expression not changing much, but a trace of contemplation seemed to flash in his eyes.

He turned his head, looking toward Ling Sha beside him.

Ling Sha stepped forward half a pace, speaking easily:

"Reporting to the General. Approximately thirty years ago, our Shen Wu Army was pursuing a massive Abundance-corrupted legion.

According to battle reports, the corruption legion had long since laid ambushes in that star system, and a great battle erupted with our army.

The corruption legion continuously infected local residents, forcing them into flesh tumors knowing only to feed."

She paused, then continued: "At that time the battle situation was desperate; to completely sever the spread of Abundance corruption and ensure the Alliance's territorial safety, you personally issued the theater's highest directive in the mid-stage of the campaign:

For all planets within the Si Lu Ke Star System confirmed to be deeply corrupted by the Power of Abundance and unable to complete purification and isolation in time, and their surrounding cosmic zones, execute the Absolute Purification Policy."

Xuan Ge listened, nodded, a trace of realization appearing on his face.

"The situation at the time, this was the most effective choice, and the one with the smallest cost. Is there a problem?"

He looked at Yue Yao, the curiosity in his eyes deepening, as if genuinely puzzled why the other party would bring up what was, in his view, a perfectly normal military decision.

"Is there a problem?!"

Yue Yao seemed utterly ignited by those words; despite her four limbs being unable to move, she still violently slammed her forehead into the energy cage bars before her, emitting a dull "bang."

The icy mask on her face shattered, replaced by a twisted expression mixing immense grief-rage and utmost mockery.

"Heh heh heh... haha!"

She laughed somewhat manically, tears yet pouring out uncontrollably, mingling with the bloodstains from the impact on her forehead.

"Divine Might Great General! Your illustrious military exploits, your Hunt Envoy's supreme prestige... could it be that a large half of them were built by slaughtering us defenseless civilians who only wanted to flee?!

Dyeing your cloak red with civilians' blood, how does it feel?! Does it give a particularly strong sense of Hunt achievement?!"

"Insolence!"

A Shen Wu Army soldier guarding the cage changed color abruptly, the spearhead in his hand instantly gathering cold light, pointing straight at Yue Yao in the cage, killing intent stern.

"Sigh—" Xuan Ge raised his hand, lightly waving it to stop the soldiers.

His expression showed not the slightest anger at Yue Yao's insults; instead, that curiosity turned into a deeper inquiry.

He leaned back against the chair, crossing his hands before him, his gaze falling upon Yue Yao as if it were tangible.

"Let her speak," he said lightly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I really want to know how a fraudster of the White Wolf Hunt Pack is connected to a civilian from thirty years ago in the Si Lu Ke Star System."

Yue Yao panted, her chest heaving violently, the hatred in her eyes almost bursting into flames.

She glared at Xuan Ge, speaking each word as if drawn from an ice cellar:

"My name is Yue Yao. Li Li is merely one of countless aliases I used to infiltrate the White Wolves, to survive, and to find an opportunity..."

Xuan Ge's brow twitched slightly; he did not answer immediately, merely shifting his gaze to Ling Sha.

"General~" Ling Sha handed Xuan Ge the missing fox-person intelligence provided by General Yue Yu, knowing this was no simple matter, for among the missing fox-people there truly was one named Yue Yao.

The girl in the image had a youthful smile and bright eyes, bearing a five or six percent resemblance in outline to the prisoner before them, covered in wounds and filled only with hatred.

But more importantly, the name and the biological feature summary recorded in the file matched the person before them closely.

Xuan Ge's gaze swept back and forth between the file and Yue Yao's face. Before he could ask, Yue Yao gave the answer with a cold laugh:

"No need to doubt, no need to bother verifying. The person above... is me."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if drawing strength to face the bloody past about to be torn open once more.

When she opened them again, the anguish in her eyes nearly overflowed, but that hatred was as hard as a rock.

"My father... was a highly reputable interstellar merchant aboard the Yao Qing Xian Zhou."

Her voice grew low, her pace slowing, as if sinking into distant memories.

"Thirty years ago... he received a transport commission with generous pay but an extremely distant route. The destination was a neutral trade star on the edge of the Si Lu Ke Star System."

"Because the journey was too long, possibly keeping him away from home for several years... Mother couldn't bear for Father to travel alone, and thought it was an opportunity for my brother and me to broaden our horizons."

"So, our family... Father, Mother, me, and my brother who had just turned ten... boarded Father's merchant ship together."

"The journey went smoothly. Father completed the cargo delivery at the destination, but the buyer's side had some details requiring repeated negotiation, delaying them for some time."

"Father was busy with business, and Mother feared my brother and I would be bored on the ship, so after obtaining Father's consent..."

"She took us, along with several Guardians on the ship, aboard a shuttle to a nearby scenic planet said to be very safe..."

"We just wanted to take advantage of the rare opportunity to see the outside world..."

Yue Yao's voice began to tremble, and she coldly laughed again, but this time the laughter was filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery.

"Hehehe... see the outside world... we saw... we saw the most wonderful scenery..."

She abruptly raised her head, her eyes blurred with tears yet still staring fixedly at Xuan Ge:

"The night we arrived at that scenic planet, checked into the booked hotel, and planned to visit the famous Crystal Canyon the next day..."

"War broke out without warning."

"No warning, no evacuation notice. The sky was suddenly torn apart, huge warship shadows covered the city, terrifying energy beams fell like a rainstorm!"

"Explosions, firelight, screams, collapse... everything happened too fast."

"We followed the panicked crowd, like headless flies, beginning to flee the war..."

"There were too many people, too chaotic... my mother, my brother, and I were scattered by the maddened crowd..."

Yue Yao's voice choked, the immense pain making it almost hard for her to breathe:

"I desperately called their names, but all that responded to me were more screams and trampling..."

"I don't know how long I was swept along running, or which dark, damp basement I hid in..."

"I was terrified, huddled in a corner, not daring to make a sound, listening to the endless explosions and screams outside... I don't know how long passed, one day? Two days? Just as I was almost despairing..."

The anguish in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a cold, more complex emotion.

"I heard news... from the fragmented remnants..."

"The Xian Zhou Army arrived, but... they were not here to save people. They were carrying out a purge... they... were massacring."

Yue Yao's voice lowered, carrying a nightmare-like daze:

"A White Wolf found where I was hiding. They were also evading the Xian Zhou Army's sweep, moving like rats through the ruins and tunnels."

"I knew what they were, I knew they were cunning and cruel..."

【105 "But at that time, between the Xian Zhou Army's massacre order and the White Wolves... did I have any other choice?"

But at that time, between the Xian Zhou Army's massacre order and Bai Lang... did I have any other choice?

She smiled bitterly: "To survive, to... perhaps still find my mother and brother... I hid my true origins, assuming the identity of a fox-person girl named Li Li who had died in the chaos..."

"Following them, I burrowed into darker depths underground."

"Later... I learned fraud, infiltrated the White Wolf Hunt Pack. Relying on a bit of cleverness and knowledge of the Xian Zhou, I gradually gained some status, able to access some information..."

"I crazily used every channel to inquire about my father's news, to inquire about any information on survivors..."

"But, nothing, nothing at all... Father and his merchant ship, as if evaporated from the universe..."

Her tone suddenly became sharp and intense, like a bowstring stretched to the limit finally snapping:

"Until... until I met Qiu Han on that damn network!"

"I spent nearly ten years! Bit by bit, carefully, gaining his trust, playing an innocent, curious ordinary fox-person girl!"

"Then... I finally got the news of my brother's death from his fragmentary words!"

As if using all her strength, her forehead slammed heavily against the cage bars, fresh blood winding down her pale cheek, but she was oblivious.

She merely locked Xuan Ge with her black pupils burning with surging hatred, every word like a curse tempered in hell:

"He was only ten years old! Ten years old!! What did he do wrong?!"

"He just wanted to see the Crystal Canyon! He hadn't even seen what an Abundance Aberration looks like!!"

"You executioners! You butchers under the banner of the Hunt! You killed him! You destroyed everything of mine!!"

"Divine Might—!! You deserve to die!!!"

Ku Lie's Kong Bu echoed within the cold interrogation room, striking against the walls, lingering for a long time without dissipating.