Chapter 859: 456 Sloth

"Damn!"

After opening the storage room door and seeing the female journalist glaring at him, Li Ang's expression momentarily froze.

Though he hadn't needed to think to know that his boss, after capturing her, would keep her under tight watch, he hadn't expected the method to be so…

Traditional!

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!!!"

After glancing at the female journalist bound to a high-backed chair, her mouth stuffed with a suspiciously colored cloth rag, looking every bit like a kidnapped hostage, Li Ang, in good spirits, politely nodded to her, then moved behind the chair, crouching down to inspect.

Hmm… how could there be no "opening" at the back of her skirt? Didn't the boss say the sheep's tail was right on her ass?

After pondering for a moment, Li Ang, amid the female journalist's indignant muffled protests, grabbed the hem of her plain cashmere skirt and tugged it down slightly, revealing a small patch of pale skin, then reached out and gently prodded near her tailbone.

【Name: Hidden Tail (Corruption, Sloth, Concealment)】

【Appearance: A segment of nearly undetectable black goat tail, so low in presence that even if others saw or touched it, they would still believe it didn't exist】

【Ability: Demon Tail, Will Erosion, Stealth Movement】

【Cost: This incorporeal demon of Sloth dwells within the user's laziness, unconsciously influencing them to favor maintaining the status quo and making passive choices】

When the Greater Demon's physical form was ambushed and chose to lash out in survival, this anomaly—too lazy to flee—was successfully captured by the Illuminati, who despised demons intensely; but during purification, it was prematurely discarded for refusing to scream out of sheer laziness.

【After silently lingering in the wild for many years, this anomaly was eventually washed into the drinking lake of the Kingdom of Kolok by a flash flood, causing residents who drank the water to grow lethargic and neglect public infrastructure, drawing the attention of the Twin Branch of the Cleanup Bureau, where Level-One Cleanup Officer Nicole Coroman found and claimed it.】

【Evaluation: A highly practical concealment anomaly, with an added aura of sloth—even if discovered during infiltration, the target is highly likely to be too lazy to report it.】

【Contamination Value: 8】

"…"

Not even lazy enough to run? No wonder it carries the Original Sin of Sloth.

After reading the utterly outrageous file on the Hidden Tail, Li Ang's lips twitched slightly, feeling too drained to even complain.

As for the female journalist, whose tailbone had been prodded, after struggling fruitlessly for a while, she suddenly went still—a soul lacking vitality slowly drifted up along Li Ang's finger.

"…"

"…"

After a moment of silent confusion with Li Ang, the Hidden Tail reluctantly spoke up:

"She says… you should let go right away."

"…"

I thought something was up… so it was the journalist asking you to relay a message.

After blinking in disbelief, Li Ang, now understanding, switched out his demon badge and said:

"Including you, I've now collected four of the original seven components. From now on, you're with me."

"No thanks, too much trouble."

Upon hearing Li Ang's offer, the Hidden Tail droned slowly:

"Putting all seven together doesn't add anything. Staying on her ass is perfectly comfortable. This is fine… hmm?"

Realizing it had been pulled off the journalist's ass, the Hidden Tail finally perked up slightly, asking in surprise:

"How did you do that? Her contract hasn't been broken—how did you just take it away?"

Hearing the Hidden Tail's question, Li Ang's lips curled slightly.

That's the effect of the badge. For anyone wearing the 【I Am the Demon】 badge, all anomalies tagged with "Corruption" can be used immediately—the Cleanup Bureau can even control the God-Class Brain-Eater; the Hidden Tail is no exception.

Yet just as Li Ang was about to speak—that this was a secret he couldn't reveal—the Hidden Tail, having briefly stirred, suddenly lost interest as if its enthusiasm had been drained, and slumped again.

"Forget it, I don't care. It's just swapping asses—no real difference."

"…"

"Hurry up. Take off your pants."

"…"

Take off your damn pants!

After tossing the Hidden Tail into the Mirror World, Li Ang pulled the journalist's skirt back into place, then moved to the front of the chair and nodded to the woman glaring at him:

"Miss Nicole, we meet again."

"Mmm!"

"Remember last time we met at the Sun Newspaper, we arranged an exclusive interview? Today, both of us are free—shall we begin?"

"Mmmmm!!!"

Ignoring the journalist's protests, Li Ang, following his boss's instructions, brought a chair and placed it behind her, then picked up the old mop and used the handle to poke out the cloth from her mouth.

"You bastard!"

Struggling to twist her neck, but unable to face Li Ang directly, the journalist snapped:

"Do you dare speak to me face to face?"

"No."

Without hesitation, Li Ang shook his head, pulled out the Black Goat, and placed it beside him, then spoke calmly:

"The boss warned me that if I stay in front of you after removing the gag, you might spit on me to death. So let's talk like this."

"Heh, you're afraid of death?"

"Very much."

The journalist raised an eyebrow, sneering:

"Afraid of death, yet you're a Cleanup Officer?"

"Mm-hmm."

Ignoring her provocation, Li Ang gave a casual reply, then pulled out the file on Level-One Cleanup Officer Nicole Coroman, which he'd received from his boss, and asked:

"Miss Nicole, please briefly describe your relationship with the Aquarius Director."

"Are you interrogating me?"

Without answering Li Ang's question, the journalist twisted her neck twice, glanced at him with her peripheral vision, and snorted:

"Blood-Haired Witch hasn't asked me anything these past few days—yet you're the one sent to question me? So you're the Twin Branch's best interrogator?"

"Maybe."

Nodding noncommittally, Li Ang, now officially assigned the interrogation task and having just finished chatting with an ass, flipped through the journalist's file and asked:

"Miss Nicole, it seems you have no intention of cooperating with this interrogation, correct?"

"Correct."

"Even under torture?"

"Same."

"Alright then."

Seeing the journalist's soul—unshakably resolute—Li Ang paused briefly, then flipped through her file and asked:

"You're so loyal to the Aquarius Director because he rescued you from pirates and gave you the means to avenge your parents, right?"

"…"

So that's indeed the reason.

Using the Black Goat's soul vision, Li Ang glanced at the journalist's soul state, then looked down at the file and asked calmly:

"What if I told you… your parents were actually killed by him? Would you still be this loyal?"