Chapter 224

On the official road, several black Chevrolet sedans were moving forward at a steady speed.

Seated in the lead vehicle, Lu Family guard captain Zhao Deming gazed at the increasingly dense woods on either side; although they were about to enter the heartland of Nanjiang, his years of experience kept him constantly vigilant.

"Old Zhao, you're being too cautious." Lao Zhou in the passenger seat laughed, "We're almost home, why are you still so nervous?"

Zhao Deming didn't reply, merely glancing habitually at the rearview mirror to check the distance of the several guard vehicles behind. Throughout the trip he had felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light flickered from the woods on the right side of the road!

"Ambush!" Zhao Deming lunged at the steering wheel, but it was already too late. A deafening explosion blasted ahead, the lead guard vehicle hurled into the air, its body flipping mid‑air, fragments spraying in the firelight. Immediately, dense gunfire poured down from both sides of the road like popping beans.

"Disperse and take cover!" Zhao Deming roared, simultaneously drawing his sidearm. The convoy instantly descended into chaos, bullets shattering the windshield glass, fragments flying everywhere. The glass on the driver's seat shattered with a bang; Zhao Deming quickly ducked as several bullets whistled overhead.

The guards immediately scattered, using the vehicles as cover to return fire. But the ambushers were clearly prepared, having seized the terrain advantage. Bullets fired from deep in the woods came at tricky angles with fierce firepower, enveloping the entire convoy in a deadly net of gunfire.

"Bang!" Lao Zhou's left arm was hit, blood instantly staining his sleeve. Zhao Deming was about to pull him when more explosions sounded from behind—they had been completely surrounded!

Screams, gunfire, and explosions intertwined, smoke quickly filling the road. In this chaotic battlefield, the guards fought desperately, but the ambushers' suppressive fire left them unable to move an inch. This meticulously planned ambush trapped the whole convoy on this seemingly ordinary stretch of official road.

Meanwhile, on another remote mountain road several miles away, Lu Xuan and Lu Xiaoxiao, having sensed danger beforehand and taken a detour, were driving slowly forward. The distant rapid gunfire and explosions confirmed the correctness of Lu Xuan's uneasy premonition; his decision to detour had averted a possible disaster.

Inside the top‑level interrogation chamber, time seemed to freeze in this eternal night. A blinding glare lamp hung from the ceiling like an unsetting sun, shining directly onto the forcibly opened eyelids of Xiaoli Daifu, held open by a special device.

His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils abnormally dilated from the relentless bright light, tears of physiological strain constantly seeping from the corners. His limbs and torso were tightly strapped to a special iron chair with belts, his head also locked in a brace, leaving him able only to stare straight ahead at that glaring light source.

The room was eerily silent, save for the "tick‑tock, tick‑tock" of the wall clock and the continuous low‑frequency hum of some unknown instrument.

This monotonous sound was infinitely amplified in the silence, like two invisible hammers incessantly striking the prisoner's nerves.

Liang Shubai sat in the shadow opposite, the celadon tea cup in his hand sending up thin wisps of steam. His gaze was calm and focused, as if observing a specimen about to decompose. Several trained interrogators took turns on duty, their faces expressionless, movements mechanical and precise.

Whenever Xiaoli Daifu showed signs of dozing from extreme fatigue, a silver needle flashing with cold light would mercilessly pierce an acupuncture point on his arm or thigh. The intense pain would instantly jolt him awake from the impending drowsiness.

"Damn!" Xiaoli Daifu initially could grit his teeth and endure, even letting out a burst of nervous laughter, "You people of China will never understand the spirit of the Yamato race!" His laughter came in fits and starts, tinged with madness, "That bastard Lin Yu will surely die at our hands sooner or later!"

Liang Shubai took a gentle sip of tea and, in a low voice to the recorder beside him, said: "He has undergone the most rigorous anti-interrogation training of the Imperial Japanese Army's Intelligence Department; his willpower is exceptionally stubborn. Ordinary torture would only stimulate his resistance, possibly even letting him derive a martyrdom-like pleasure from the pain. Only this sustained sensory deprivation and sleep deprivation can truly break his mental defenses."

Time ticked by second by second as the night deepened; Xiaoli Daifu's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. His laughter gradually turned into suppressed sobs, and his curses grew into incoherent muttering.

His gaze began to scatter, his pupils alternating between constriction and dilation, his body trembling incessantly from prolonged tension and pain. Sweat soaked his clothes, his complexion turned as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

Suddenly, Xiaoli Daifu's body jerked violently, his head making an abrupt downward motion—he was trying to bite off his own tongue! The interrogator standing by, prepared for this, swiftly pried open his mouth with a specially made mouth gag and inserted a piece of soft wood, thwarting the suicide attempt.

This failed suicide attempt became the final straw that broke his mental defenses. A last glimmer of despair flashed in Xiaoli Daifu's eyes before being utterly extinguished. He threw back his head and let out a beast-like, anguished howl, his voice filled with indescribable despair and fear. His will finally collapsed completely under this meticulously calculated torture.

Liang Shubai set down his teacup, rose slowly, and walked forward into the harsh light. It was time to begin the final interrogation.

Xiaoli Daifu slumped limp in the interrogation chair, like a hollow shell drained of soul. His gaze was scattered and empty, his lips cracked from dehydration.

An interrogator stepped forward and held a cup of warm water to his lips.

He trembled, greedily sucking at the water like a dying fish; some of it dripped down his chin onto his chest, soaking the collar already drenched in cold sweat.

Liang Shubai stepped out of the shadow and stopped before Xiaoli Daifu. His voice was surprisingly gentle, like a doctor soothing a patient: "Xiaoli Daifu-san, you can speak now. Tell me everything you know, and free yourself."

Xiaoli Daifu's Adam's apple moved, and he emitted a sound akin to a sob. His gaze began to drift, as if wrestling with something intangible.

"Go on," Liang Shubai continued to prompt, "Was the attack on Luanzhou planned by you guys, right?"

"Yes... yes, we did it..." Xiaoli Daifu's voice hoarse to the point of being barely audible, "but not... not just me alone... not just our Japanese side..." He suddenly gasped violently, a flicker of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.

Liang Shubai's eyes narrowed slightly: "Continue."

"Yes... it was a joint operation..." Xiaoli Daifu coughed a few times, "The attack on Sun Lingyun was carried out by our Japanese intelligence... the aim was to frame Lin Yu..." He paused, seemingly organizing his words, "but... but the attack on the Lu Family brothers... was carried out by the British! It's MI6 pulling the strings behind the scenes! They... they also wanted to sow chaos."

The recorder's pen scratched on the paper, recording every word. Liang Shubai's expression remained calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Why? Why a joint operation?"

Xiaoli Daifu let out a shrill, bitter laugh: "Lin Yu... he broke all the rules... drove us all out of Shen City... cut off everyone's livelihood..." His voice rose and fell, tinged with madness, "Shen City... must be thrown into chaos... only chaos... gives us a chance."

"Who else is involved?" Liang Shubai pressed.

"The French... they provided intelligence support..." Xiaoli Daifu's voice grew ever weaker, "and... there are others too... all waiting... waiting for Shen City to descend into chaos..."

"What is your concrete plan?"

"First... first stir up conflict between Lin Yu and the various warlords..." Xiaoli Daifu's words began to break up, "let them fight each other... weaken Lin Yu's strength... then we can... we can re-enter Shen City's affairs... reassert control over the Longjiang region..."

Liang Shubai stood upright, looking down at the completely collapsed Xiaoli Daifu. This confession revealed a startling truth: a conspiracy meticulously woven by multiple foreign powers was hovering above Lin Yu's domain. It was not merely a simple assassination or sabotage, but a complete international plot aimed at overturning the status quo of Shen City.

"Collate his statement," Liang Shubai said, turning to the recorder, "hurry up."