Chapter 223

No no no, I didn't say anything—this is all your own guesswork!

After patting the divine-class brain-eating demon's rear end again, Li Ang turned off ninety-five percent of its Memory Furnace's output with perfect composure, then shook his head solemnly:

"I can't say for sure… but I've touched it several times now, and each time my ability told me the Memory Furnace is functioning perfectly—no signs of malfunction."

"Hmm, I understand."

After glancing at this young upstart who dared play tricks on him, the head of the Cleanup Bureau nodded indifferently, then fixed his gaze on the Water Bearer Director being licked by the demon, silently pondering.

Li Ang's little scheme was glaringly obvious—he'd seen it at a glance: the boy simply wanted to smear Water Bearer and help Olivia win the interrogation.

But so far, everything he said was true; and judging by the Confused Taurus Director's bewildered expression, he genuinely didn't understand why the Memory Furnace had failed… so this young man's words deserved serious attention.

Could it be that Water Bearer Director truly has some hidden trick to evade detection by the divine-class brain-eating demon?

And as for the Memory Furnace's malfunction—could it be Li Ang's doing after touching the demon?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

After sensing the pitifully faint level of contamination on Li Ang's body, the head of the Cleanup Bureau immediately shook his head, dismissing this absurd notion.

The gap between this young man and the divine-class brain-eating demon is far greater than that between an ant and an elephant—if not for my protection, the demon would've crushed him the moment it "unfolded."

A man this weak has less chance of manipulating the divine-class brain-eating demon than an ant impregnating an elephant!

…

Safe. The black pot has been mostly emptied.

Sneaking a glance at the Cleanup Bureau chief's expression and confirming he'd grown suspicious of Water Bearer, Li Ang internally gave himself a hearty nod, then quietly increased the Memory Furnace's output a little more.

It wasn't out of pity for Water Bearer—after all, the first copy only captured five percent of memories; if the second was also five percent, he'd need to be licked twenty times to complete the extraction, and Water Bearer might just flip the table if he couldn't take it.

But if the second copy captured twenty percent, then three or four rounds would be enough to prove his innocence. Given Water Bearer's nature, weighed down by the sunk cost of two prior readings, he'd likely grit his teeth and endure one more.

And when he undergoes the third reading, I'll adjust the Memory Furnace's "power" again—copy thirty percent of his memories, but make twenty-five percent of them duplicates.

Heh, after all, memories are randomly distributed, like gacha pools in pay-to-win mobile games—no rule says duplicates aren't allowed. Repeating pulls? That's standard.

And if Water Bearer still doesn't explode and grits his teeth for a fourth reading… then I'll add another five percent—let him truly experience what "luck can't save you when your wallet's empty" means!

"Watch yourself."

As Li Ang plotted how to torment Water Bearer and drag out more pulls, the head of the Cleanup Bureau seemed to sense something, turned back, and warned him:

"You touched it too many times just now—you may have been contaminated. Your demonic aura has grown stronger. Step back behind me. Don't let it assimilate you."

"Oh… thank you, Chief. I'll be careful."

Nodding solemnly, Li Ang withdrew his right hand—now adjusted to the modified Memory Furnace power—and stood obediently behind the Cleanup Bureau chief, quietly observing Water Bearer's condition.

…

Finally… it's over…

As the slimy tongues withdrew once more, Water Bearer Director, his mind nearly numbed by electric shocks, slowly rose, struggling to open his clouded eyes, and fixed them on the Cleanup Bureau chief on the main stage.

"This…"

Though he'd suspected Water Bearer of trickery due to Li Ang's warning, when he met the director's pleading gaze, the chief's upper lip trembled—he simply couldn't bring himself to ask for another round. He turned his head away, avoiding eye contact, and hinted obliquely:

"It's better than last time—about twenty percent this time. Combined, you've now yielded roughly a quarter of your memories."

"If we can get another thirty percent, we'll surpass half. Half the memories should be enough to prove your innocence. So… so would you…"

So what about your promise that this time it wouldn't fail?

Hearing he might have to endure one more licking—or even two, if luck ran out—even the stoic Water Bearer Director finally snapped. Bloodshot eyes locked onto the Cleanup Bureau chief as he hissed:

"Chief, instead of pressuring me to submit again, why don't you step in yourself and test this thing? See where it's really broken?"

"I don't need to."

Seeing Water Bearer, now emotionally volatile, dare to "bared his teeth" at him, the Cleanup Bureau chief turned back, narrowed his eyes, and stared coldly:

"Water Bearer, if you refuse further memory extraction, then perhaps the Pisces Branch Chief should intervene—trace every location you've visited over the years. But due to your rank, this investigation must proceed slowly—roughly a year."

"And during that year, you'll remain in the Bureau's underground vault, in a deep sleep, until Taurus's ascension is complete. You must ensure neither the Watch Palace nor Taurus is disturbed… What do you say?"

"…"

One or two more readings… or sleep in the vault for a year until Taurus ascends? Do I have a choice?

After staring fixedly at the Cleanup Bureau chief with bloodshot eyes, Water Bearer Director said nothing, turned away, and shuffled back to stand before the divine-class brain-eating demon. He pressed again on the thin copper plate embedded in the back of his skull.

The first time, no electric shock—only five percent copied. The second time, after the shock, it jumped to twenty percent. If I increase it a little more this time, could it reach thirty percent—or even more?

Though the shock is painful, if it means fewer readings, this pain is nothing!

…

Huh? Is he pressing something?

Most people noticed Water Bearer pressing his skull, but the "magic-side" members of the Cleanup Bureau paid it no mind.

Including the chief, all were focused on detecting abnormal fluctuations, fearing Water Bearer might use an anomaly to cheat—only Li Ang, who'd witnessed "science-side" abilities before, gave it slight extra attention.

Watching Water Bearer's skull for a moment, he caught a faint metallic glint amid the thinning hair, and frowned. Before the demon could begin its next extraction, he called out loudly:

"Water Bearer Director, could you explain why there's a metal plate on the back of your skull?"