Chapter 3425: Arrest Accomplished

————Currently rushing~~

————

Dali called out the other party's name, hoping to use his status as an uncle to win some trust for himself, but at this moment, Taisi had long since run out of other choices. She stared at Dali with a calm expression and asked the first question:

"Please, Uncle Dali, explain why you were sending a message outside just now. In the past, haven't you always disliked dealing with external matters? Related work is also done by others. Can you tell me who you were contacting just now?"

This was a question Xia Duo had discussed with her, and it was a point Dali could not refute. No matter how Dali answered, it would expose his Reality.

Seeing that the Queen had actually asked this question, Dali felt a massive shock in his heart. For a moment, he did not know how to answer to gain the Queen's trust, but he still maintained a calm appearance on the surface, while not concealing his hatred for the outsider.

"Uncle Dali, is this question hard to answer?"

"I, I was not sending a message outside just now."

His brain was thinking frantically. In the end, Dali still did not admit that he had just sent a message outside. This kind of thing was also hard to prove. As long as he insisted that it was a frame-up by the outsider, the Queen had been watched by him as she grew up, so she would inevitably trust him more.

It was just that this little scheme of Dali's had long been within Xia Duo's expectations. Regarding such an answer from Dali, the Queen also had a response, and she continued to ask:

"Please, Uncle Dali, hand over the Communication Key for your personal Sending. I need to verify something."

Xia Duo had already intercepted Dali's communication, but due to time constraints, he had not yet been able to crack it. However, if he had the key provided by Dali, it would be very easy to crack.

But for the Tide Queen, she herself already possessed a portion of Dali's communication keys. It was just that the keys she possessed only corresponded to her private communications with Dali, while what she was demanding now was the portion that Dali held.

In this way, even without the portion of the key held by the communication target, just by using the original key held by Dali, it would be enough to crack the encrypted information Xia Duo had intercepted.

Moreover, in this situation, it would be very difficult for Dali to make one up on the spot, because the Queen had past communication records that could easily be used for verification.

As for the claim that the communication Xia Duo intercepted was encrypted using a completely independent original key, that indeed could not be directly cracked. However, both original keys were designed by Dali alone, so there would inevitably be some similarities in the logic, which could also reduce the time for cracking.

For Xia Duo, as long as he obtained Dali's communication key, there would only be two results. One was that the key was real and corresponded to the encrypted information he had intercepted; as long as it was cracked, that would basically be the final nail in the coffin.

The other possibility was that the key was real but did not correspond to the encrypted information he had intercepted, but because it came from the same designer and the logic was similar, it would also shorten the cracking time.

Of course, for Dali, he could also choose to refuse to hand over any communication key, or hand over a fake one. But once he did that, he could basically be classified as a traitor by the Tide Queen.

And for a traitor, there was no need to talk about sentiment. Not to mention Xia Duo, even the Queen herself had plenty of means to deal with him.

So now Dali was once again caught in a dilemma. It was just handing over a communication key; there was no house raid or inspection, just verification within this great hall. If he didn't hand it over, wouldn't it be too obvious?

But if he did hand it over, that would be even more inappropriate. Others might not know, but Dali himself knew all too well what kind of information he had just sent outside!

……

Dali's hesitation might have been a concern for privacy in his own eyes, but in the eyes of the Tide Queen, it was almost no different from a direct admission. According to her impression of Dali in the past, under normal circumstances, if such a thing happened, Dali would definitely hand over the communication key very readily to generously demonstrate his loyalty, but now—

He hesitated!

"Uncle Dali—"

The Tide Queen's eyes drooped slightly, and she did not continue to say anything, as if she had been heartbroken by Dali's betrayal. At this time, the bystander Yila also seemed to realize something, but he still dared not believe that the friend he had known for many years had actually betrayed the Queen. He shouted the other party's name loudly, telling him to hurry up and do something to prove himself:

"Dali, isn't it just a communication key! If the Queen wants it, just give it to her. We have lived for most of our lives, what else is there that we can't let go of? Do you not trust me or do you not trust the Queen!"

If the previous silence could still be considered excusable, then remaining silent now after Yila had also joined in the persuasion undoubtedly revealed the truth behind the silence—

Dali had actually betrayed the Queen!

……

The atmosphere in the great hall cooled down visibly. Everyone was silent, not knowing what to do next. Xia Duo was the first to break the silence; he really did not want to waste any more time:

"Queen Taisi, time is urgent. Let me ask him next!"

Of course, this was just the statement on the surface. According to what he and Taisi had discussed privately, he needed to make a Consciousness Copy of Dali. However, when he talked to Taisi, he did not say directly that he was making a Consciousness Copy, but rather that he had special interrogation techniques.

Although Xia Duo's urging was caused by objective circumstances and time indeed did not allow them to waste any more, in the eyes of Queen Taisi, it still carried a suspicion of coercion, but she could not think of a better solution for the moment.

There was also the Illuminati world-ending crisis that Xia Duo mentioned; she actually didn't have much of a concept of it, but at the moment, it seemed this was the only way.

Taisi nodded in silence. Having received the signal, Xia Duo immediately set to work making a Consciousness Copy for Dali. According to Dali's status and strength, he made ten copies at once and then transferred them to the main body via his Personal Space.

While the main body was performing a brute-force crack, the avatar began to conduct an Inquiry of Dali. Although he did not hold much hope for such an Inquiry himself, what if the other party really spoke?

At the very least, it could save some search time for the cracking on the main body's side, and asking in front of the Tide Queen could also better demonstrate his openness.

……

"When did you get in touch with the Illuminati? How did you get in touch?"

This was not only a question Xia Duo wanted to know, but also a question the Tide Queen was concerned about. However, Dali seemed to have decided to remain silent to the end. He did not say a word, only occasionally looking at Xia Duo with eyes full of hatred.

"Let me guess your motive for colluding with the Illuminati. Is it because of your dissatisfaction with the Surface Elves? Plus the New World Promise given by the Illuminati?" Xia Duo continued.

He noticed that when he mentioned the Illuminati's New World Promise, Dali's eyes flickered, as if he had been guessed correctly. The Tide Queen also had questions about the Illuminati's New World Promise that Xia Duo mentioned and sent a private message requesting an explanation.