Chapter 192: Interrogation and the Craftsman God

Gobekli Research Center.

In a surgery room on the second underground level, lying on a multifunctional operating table, is the still‑comatose Artemis.

Alekxia, clad in a white jumpsuit, together with three other female assistants dressed the same, are conducting a "check" on Artemis…

It's called a check, but Alekxia's right hand holds a scalpel, habitually ready to give Artemis a cut.

When the scalpel contacts the skin and she draws it forcefully, the blade snaps and shatters with a "ka~" sound.

It seems ordinary metal cannot harm Artemis at all.

Alekxia, after this result, merely shrugged, handed the broken scalpel to an assistant, then took out the appropriate tool and directly extracted blood and tissue samples from Artemis's abdominal wound.

During the extraction, Alekxia also noticed the wound healing slowly.

When she finished the steps, the wound pierced by the Casius Gun measured less than two centimeters in diameter.

However, there's nothing for her to note about the automatic healing, as this anomaly is far too common.

Clean up.

Alekxia lets the assistants continue the remaining procedures, while she takes a sealed test tube and leaves the operating room first.

The test tube contains bright golden "blood" that also emits a faint glow.

Later, Alekxia completes the disinfection procedure, changes into her usual casual clothes, dons a tidy white lab coat, and heads to the nearby laboratory to assay and analyze the "blood".

———————

…

Morning.

The first‑floor senior staff lounge.

"The anatomy and composition of this Greek god differ greatly from ours; there are aspects I still don't grasp, of course, but only for now, just for now."

Alekxia, her ponytail already tied, says while seated on a single‑seat sofa.

Speaking, she also picks up a paper cup from the coffee table before her and sips the coffee that is no longer scalding.

Opposite her sits Sui Bian, also on a single‑seat sofa, having removed his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and holding a tablet to review data.

After the company completes the "God‑Creation Project," i. e., the construction and debugging of ten DivineBodies, the research director of Gobekli is succeeded by Alekxia.

William BoKen is transferred to the Peru Research Center to take over the Bloodman Flower project originally overseen by Rebecca, while Rebecca remains at the Mother Nest handling the Astate Project.

Gobekli's specialty is researching "gods," so Sui Bian sends Artemis, the celestial spirit, and the Kelu Nian doe here.

Alekxia puts the paper cup back on the coffee table, sits upright, and continues speaking to Sui Bian:

"Whether it's Lilith or the Artemis lying downstairs, even if called a god, their bodies remain within the realm of biology.

Oh, right, Artemis shows no Spiritual Energy response, which is odd. Any other questions?"

"When will it awaken?" Sui Bian asks.

"The wound that pierced its abdomen has healed, its physiological functions are stable; I think it won't be long before it revives, how…"

Alekxia changes tone to tease: "Is our boss especially interested in Zeus's most pampered daughter?"

"However, according to various apocryphal histories and myths, Artemis does count as a fresh current among the Greek deities—yeah, I get it."

"I'm interested in the events of ten thousand years ago and the craftsman god of Olympus."

Sui Bian lifts his gaze from the tablet screen, looks straight at Alekxia, and says in an even tone.

———————

…

Afternoon.

Gobekli's second underground level, the Class D personnel detention area.

A spacious interrogation room.

Inside are standard fixed metal tables and chairs, but the guard is not ordinary armed security; it is Lai'ang wearing OriginalBody‑powered armor.

Seated on a metal chair, the one awaiting interrogation is not a typical Class D individual but Artemis, now clad in a blue patient gown.

At this moment, Artemis is somewhat bewildered.

After all, it doesn't even know how long it slept, and the instant it awakens and opens its eyes, it sees not the underground garden it inhabited but a completely unfamiliar special ward.

And…

Thinking of this, Artemis looks up at the ever‑silent Lai'ang, who holds a Casius Gun in one hand.

And the Lai'ang who escorted it from the ward to the interrogation room, together with the four Dark Angels standing outside, all fill it with dread, confusion, and astonishment.

Dread stems from the Casius in Lai'ang's hand.

As for the points of confusion and surprise, there are too many to list.

First, its divine power (Spiritual Energy) has vanished completely, utterly so.

That's why Artemis offered no resistance after waking.

In its prime, it was impaled by the Casius Gun in its own garden; now, with its divine power gone, only a pure physique remains.

Secondly, Lai'ang and the four Dark Angels.

As a god, Artemis can naturally sense Lai'ang's strength.

If placed in the peak Olympus, Lai'ang, though not yet at the level of it then, or Ares, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon…

And this comparison doesn't even account for physical strength.

Beyond Lai'ang, the four Dark Angels outside the interrogation room also seem far tougher than the Olympian divine servant armies.

What exactly happened during its forced slumber to awakening?

"Swoosh."

At that moment, the sound of the interrogation room's automatic doors opening cuts off Artemis's thoughts.

?

It looked toward the door and saw the normally‑sized Sui Bian, who entered the interrogation room with a faint smile.

What shocked it was that as Sui Bian entered, Leon also addressed Sui Bian with the honorific, "Father."

"Hmm." Sui Bian nodded lightly.

Then, under Artemis's astonished gaze, Sui Bian sat opposite her and said in a not‑entirely unfamiliar Ancient Greek:

"It is an honor to meet you, Huntress Goddess."

Hearing this, Artemis composed herself, paused, and then asked, "What domain do you preside over as a deity?"

"Deity?" Sui Bian raised his left index finger and shook his head side to side, denying, "I am merely a human; I have many roles, such as father, boss, teacher, and the like."

"—." Artemis gave no reply.

Human?

Clearly a being who surpasses most chief gods, yet merely a human? It instinctively could not believe it.

"Let's get straight to the point." Sui Bian ignored the doubt, extended his left middle finger alongside the already raised index finger, and, with a very friendly smile, said:

"You have two options. The first is that I ask and you answer, amicably.

The second is that I ask, and if you refuse, I won't mind spending some time forcing you to voluntarily give the answer I seek; let me remind you, lies are useless to me.

So the first question: who attacked you? Was it related to a demon?"

He finished speaking.

Sui Bian's face remained smiling, and he stayed silent.

He did not give Artemis precise time to think; after all, she is a deity who lived ten thousand years ago and has no concept of "hours, minutes, seconds."

Thus, after he silently counted thirty seconds in his mind, Artemis still gave no clear answer, and he did not mind employing Spiritual Energy to interrogate.

For example, Spiritual Energy compression made Artemis feel itching pain throughout her body, including bones, marrow, even the brain, as if swarmed by countless mosquitoes biting at once.

Of course, using Spiritual Energy to control thoughts is something he can actually achieve.

But a safe and stable method requires gradual guidance, subtly influencing, as he did with the Ghost student.

If a more aggressive approach were taken, such as instant mind control, the target's brain might "burn out," turning them into a tool that only follows orders, lacking any independent thought or memory.

At that moment, the interrogation room fell into silence.

Looking at the seemingly benevolent Sui Bian, Artemis sensed only an uncompromising tone.

It was angry.

As a god, especially the most beloved daughter of the king of gods, a human does not even have the right to look her directly in the eye!

But after the anger came self‑awareness.

Not to mention the Sui Bian sitting before her, even Leon, wielding the Cassius Gun, could easily slay her now that she has lost all divine power.

He hesitated for less than ten seconds.

"It seems the age of Olympus has long passed… I wonder how Father is doing…" Artemis sighed gloomily, then forced herself to hide the deep disappointment and looked back at Sui Bian, saying:

"The one who attacked me was a fellow named Samael; indeed, that ugly thing was a demon."

Seeing Artemis say that, Sui Bian knew she had wisely chosen to cooperate.

He immediately curbed his hypocritical smile and, in a cold tone, said, "Please be more specific."

"…." Artemis was displeased with Sui Bian's attitude, but she could only force herself to adapt.

After all, she could not win.

So she continued, "Before I encountered that ugly demon, my brother, the war god Ares, expelled a similarly ugly fellow.

Even though my brother completed the expulsion, a great many living beings, and even soulless stones and soil, were polluted by those demons, becoming terribly ugly.

My father, the king of gods Zeus, ordered me to cleanse the contamination, removing ugliness and chaos. Know that I am not only in charge of hunting; I also oversee nature, the moon, healing, and purification."

At this point Artemis became a bit boastful, but when she looked at the Cassius Gun in Leon's hand, her eyes flashed with unmasked apprehension as she said:

"Those hideous demons seem to fear my purification ability, which is why they sent a powerful yet still ugly demon to ambush me."

"By the way… who drew that long spear?"

"It was I." Sui Bian replied calmly, and gestured with his left hand toward the holographic device mounted on the ceiling, pulling up the holographic panel.

After a brief manipulation, he displayed a video file of "Blood Demon Greffin" for Artemis and asked, "Is the one Ares expelled that one?"

?!

Seeing the holographic screen on the metal table, especially as the video began playing, Artemis's face was filled with surprise and curiosity.

After watching the video, she not only saw the appearance of Blood Demon Greffin, but also witnessed Leon and the other OriginalBodies' strength firsthand.

She couldn't help but exclaim to Sui Bian, "Indeed, the one Ares expelled was that fellow. It truly is a different era; I never expected a human like you, and your offspring, to be comparable to the gods."

Having expressed her sentiment, she again spoke solemnly, "Although your attitude toward the gods is somewhat harsh, I still require you to give thanks, because that long spear even my father could not handle."

"No need to thank me." Sui Bian, having received confirmation, dissolved the holographic screen and said, "You only need to cooperate and answer."

"Fine." Artemis no longer dwelled on Sui Bian's coldness and continued:

"After feeling my pain, my father rushed to the scene. Before I fell into a deep slumber, I only knew that my father had successfully defeated Samael. When I opened my eyes again, I was sitting here."

"I see." After hearing Artemis's account, Sui Bian could confirm that the Greek gods and the interdimensional demons share an endless, immortal rivalry.

He then posed a second question: "Now I want to know the exact location of your brother, the craftsman god Hephestus."

"That…" Artemis hesitated, "Even if I tell you, that was his location before I fell asleep; I'm not sure he's still there."

"Please give the precise location." Sui Bian said, smiling again.

"I recall he is on Xila Island." Artemis replied immediately.

———————

…

Xila Island is the former name of Santo Lin Island.

The island lies in the southwestern Aegean Sea, covering less than eighty square kilometers, with a population of only ten thousand, and it contains numerous ancient ruins.

Moreover, the island contains an active volcano named "Santorini".

In 1650 BC, the Santorini volcano erupted once, the most catastrophic eruption on Earth in the past ten thousand years.

The island's inhabitants firmly believe that the catastrophic eruption thousands of years ago caused the sinking and destruction of the Atlantis civilization.

At this moment the island is in the early morning, bright sunlight reflecting on the calm sea.

The residents concentrated in the northern part of the island leave their homes, enjoy the pleasant weather, and prepare to welcome a brand‑new day.

In the sparsely populated southern part of the island, within the forest east of the Santorini volcano, two Astate squads belonging to Umbrella are gradually approaching the volcano.

They are the Dark Angel led by Leon, and the Holy Blood Angel of Shengjilesi.

The four Holy Blood Angels' Thunder God's Hammer III is painted black‑red to distinguish them from other Astate squads; Shengjilesi, who leads the Holy Angels, also has his OriginalBody Power Armor painted primarily black‑red.

Their mission is to locate Hephestus, the Greek Craftsman God, inside the Santorini volcano.

The one responsible for serving as a "guide" for the two OriginalBodies and eight Astates is Artemis, who has put on Umbrella's black combat uniform and is also the Craftsman God's sister.

Sorry everyone, this post came out a bit late today.

Mainly because I sit all day, my back is really sore, and the pain makes the author's mood very unstable.

I'll see tomorrow or the day after; if it still hurts, I might take a day or two off to try a Chinese‑medicine massage, but I'll skip it if I can.

Finally, thank you all for your support!!

(End of chapter)