Chapter 929: 527 Tug-of-War and Discovery

“But…”

Looking at the disheveled man before him, visibly anxious, Li Ang hesitated, then sighed:

“Fine, we have no other options—we’ll trust you for now…”

“But I’ll say this upfront: our original goal was only to complete the investigation, confirm the status of the Krook royal family, and we had no intention of harming you. But if you warn anyone, don’t blame us.”

“I swear I won’t! I’ll take an oath!”

Seeing that he had already chosen to “surrender voluntarily,” yet Li Ang and the other still hesitated, unwilling to believe him, the disheveled man’s last lingering doubt vanished—he hastily swore a deadly oath, then urgently pressed:

“What happened to the royal family? Has His Majesty truly died?”

“About ninety percent dead.”

Li Ang sighed:

“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, only two living people remain in the entire Krook royal family. Nearly all members with royal blood have had their brains extracted by Prince Andre and turned into Atifi substrates.”

What?!

Hearing Li Ang reveal this “truth,” the disheveled man froze as if struck by lightning, eyes wide with horror:

“Prince Andre… this… this can’t be true! It’s absurd! I… I don’t believe it!”

“To be honest, we didn’t believe it either.”

Li Ang rubbed his temples, looking pained:

“I understand how you feel. When we first heard this, we refused to believe it too. But the source is highly credible, which is why we came here—hoping to infiltrate Research Zone One through you and verify the information.”

“This…”

Watching Li Ang, his brow furrowed and expression clearly troubled, the disheveled man clenched his fists, sinking into hesitation himself.

Sometimes people are just like this: if Li Ang had revealed the truth immediately—that the Krook royal family had been destroyed and begged for his help—he would likely have been met with suspicion and defense, possibly even betrayed.

But by withholding the truth, making him chase after answers, and adopting the attitude of “we don’t believe this either, but duty forces us to risk verifying it,” the disheveled man, desperate to know the truth, would instinctively assume the information was credible.

After much internal struggle, the disheveled man—who had initially declared he wouldn’t cooperate—bit his lip and lowered his voice:

“Where did your information come from?”

“Huh? Why do you ask that?”

Hearing his question, Li Ang’s eyes narrowed instantly, adopting a “cautious” stance, scrutinizing him sharply:

“Do you know something?”

“I…”

“I’ve suspected you were strange all along!”

Li Ang’s expression grew colder, eyes filled with suspicion:

“You were kidnapped, yet you weren’t worried about your safety—you even volunteered to answer! And you asked about such critical information… Speak! What’s your connection to Prince Andre?”

“You’re mistaken!”

Seeing Li Ang now suspecting him, the disheveled man panicked:

“I have no connection to Andre! I’m King Fein’s man!”

“That’s just your word! How do I know if it’s true?”

“I…”

Annoyed by Li Ang’s suspicion, the disheveled man scratched his head for a moment, then suddenly brightened—he reached into his chest, fumbled twice, and pulled out a pocket watch, opening its cover and extending it toward them.

“Look! This is a photo of me and King Fein! Taken when we graduated from the Second Metal Academy—I’ve carried it with me all these years!”

“…“

Taking the pocket watch and examining it, Li Ang saw a photo inside: two young men standing side by side, smiling brightly. He raised his eyes skeptically:

“Is that you in the photo?”

“It is!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I was much thinner back then!”

“Alright… though the photo proves nothing, I’ll reluctantly believe you this once.”

Closing the pocket watch with doubt, he returned it, then reluctantly revealed:

“Our source is Princess Philia—the last surviving member of the Krook royal family, aside from the murderer, Prince Andre.”

“…“

Princess Philia?

Hearing Li Ang’s words, the disheveled man froze slightly, then his pupils shrank sharply, his cheek muscles twitching twice involuntarily. He forced calmness:

“I see… then we really must verify this…”

Huh? Is he doubting me again?

Watching the disheveled man’s soul churn once more, its murky hue of distrust reappearing, Li Ang’s brow lifted slightly, then he demanded bluntly:

“What’s wrong with Princess Philia? Why did your expression change so strangely when you heard her name?”

“I…”

Surprised that his brief hesitation had been noticed, the disheveled man’s heart lurched, then he forced himself to speak:

“Nothing much… I’ve only met Princess Philia a few times… so…”

“You’re lying!”

Without hesitation, Li Ang shouted, cutting him off, his gaze fixed on the man’s face, burning with pressure:

“What’s wrong with Philia? Tell me clearly!”

“This…”

“Mr. Bell, we’re Cleaners from the Cleanup Bureau. If you’re truly King Fein’s friend, you may have heard of us.”

After briefly explaining the Cleaners’ duties, Li Ang locked eyes with the disheveled man, his tone chilling:

“Normally, we don’t touch ordinary people. But to protect the Krook royal family, three of our comrades were killed by an explosion yesterday, and two were captured—still no word on them.”

“So our emotions are unstable right now. We can’t guarantee we won’t take it out on someone. Cooperate with our investigation. Say everything you know—or don’t blame us for using force.”

“…“

The disheveled man shuddered under Li Ang’s icy gaze, his scalp prickling.

After stealing a glance at Alje, whose face bore genuine grief—as if he’d truly lost comrades—he realized these two self-proclaimed Cleaners didn’t seem to be enemies of the royal family. He bit his lip and spoke haltingly:

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you directly—it’s just… Princess Philia died over ten years ago. How could she possibly be a ‘survivor’?”

Philia died over ten years ago?

Hearing the disheveled man’s revelation, this time it was Li Ang and the other who were stunned.

The emerald-eyed girl had a flawless body, a complete soul, brimming with vitality—no trace of the deathly aura of a spirit. Li Ang hadn’t even considered this possibility… but…

After observing the disheveled man’s soul and confirming he spoke the truth—at least as he believed it—Li Ang frowned tightly:

“Are you certain? Could King Fein have lied to you? Maybe your friendship wasn’t deep enough for him to tell you the truth?”

“Impossible!”

Seeing Li Ang question his friendship with the old king, the disheveled man exploded:

“I saw that child! She suffered a sudden brain illness on her twelfth birthday and died shortly after.

Fein adored her. When Philia died, he went to my house alone at midnight, without a single guard, and wept for hours. That story is absolutely true!”