Chapter 53: Standoff

A man's face appeared at the entrance of the Interrogation Room. His cheekbones looked very sharp, his jawline was well-defined, and a pair of flickering eyes gazed suspiciously from deep-set sockets into the room. "Du Zhengyi?"

"Han Yi." Du Zhengyi straightened his suit jacket with an expressionless face.

"Why are you here?" Han Yi moved his position calmly, yet he blocked the path Du Zhengyi was about to take to leave. "Who is lying on the ground?"

"The defenses of Qionglin wouldn't be shut down for no reason. I came to check if someone was staging a prison break. Aren't you here for the same reason?" Du Zhengyi said.

"Yes." Han Yi said in a low voice, "I went to check the Cube immediately, but I didn't see you there."

"The Cube's defenses are independent of Qionglin's; is it necessary to check the Cube?" Du Zhengyi frowned at him, his expression almost impatient. "If someone were to pull a stunt, they would likely have an inside man responsible for bringing the person into the Interrogation Room first, then proceed with the abduction. Have you checked the other interrogation rooms? Are there any other interrogation rooms in use?"

Han Yi's complexion was not great, but his tense body relaxed slightly. "Is it necessary for you to always speak so harshly?"

Du Zhengyi glanced at him. "Someone abducted a minor from here."

"A minor?" Han Yi's expression jumped. He scanned the area as if suddenly unsure of where he was standing. "Interrogating a minor here? What kind of minor requires the activation of this interrogation room? If such a minor existed, they would have already become a legend of Qionglin. Come to think of it, this place is actually quite suitable for interrogating you."

Du Zhengyi smiled lazily. "My secrets are too big; I'm afraid you wouldn't live long enough to hear them."

"I have no interest in your secrets," Han Yi said coldly. "Who was the person abducted from here?"

"You already know it's not a legend of Qionglin, so would you recognize them if I said the name?" Du Zhengyi said sarcastically. "You also know that this place shouldn't be used to interrogate a child. Since it's targeting a child, it's mostly likely targeting the child's parents. But that has nothing to do with me. The highest-ranking Mage on duty today is Zuo Yu, right? I'm going to report to him."

"Who are the child's parents?" Han Yi asked.

"How would I know?" Du Zhengyi said, rising to walk out, calmly squeezing past Han Yi.

"Wait!" Han Yi called out. "Who are the two people on the ground?"

"I arrived a step late and only caught the tail end. I've subdued two Lotus Burners; the rest is up to the Mages on duty at Qionglin," Du Zhengyi said.

Han Yi used Shixian to arrive beside the two people on the ground in one step. He didn't recognize one, but he did recognize the other. "Great Mage Li Xu? How did they... you went a bit too hard on them."

"I didn't kill them, so I've already been quite merciful. You know the rules of Qionglin; encountering Lotus Burners in extreme situations means kill on sight," Du Zhengyi said lazily. "Let me give you another piece of advice: in this Mind Prison, it's better to be cautious and not use Space Travel casually."

"You say Li Xu is a Lotus Burner. Do you have proof?"

"Would I attack a Great Mage without proof, just waiting for you all to dump shit on my head?" Du Zhengyi sneered and walked out.

"Wait," Han Yi appeared beside him via Shixian. "Are you going to report to Zuo Yu?"

"Otherwise?" Du Zhengyi said grimly. "Where do you think I would go?"

"I'll accompany you." Han Yi's eyes flashed with an elusive light in the darkness. "In these extraordinary times, I'd better accompany the number one disciple of the Qionglin Great Mages. Doesn't Qionglin always use a set-meal route when pairing you up? Du Zhengyi + cannon fodder, the perfect limited edition—now that I see you alone, I'm not even used to it. I might as well pair up with you voluntarily; it's less to worry about."

Du Zhengyi's expression sank completely. If they were both executing a mission, what did it have to do with him if a coward didn't survive? In the past, he might have retorted like that, but he was already tired of answering this way, and even tired of talking to these colleagues. But today, when he thought of Luo Qi, his heart felt heavily blocked; it could be considered retribution.

He shouldn't have truly agreed to let Luo Qi set out with him, regardless of what situation Luo Qi was in, and regardless of who was the one playing this game of chess.

"Whatever." He pursed his lips and said coldly, then lifted his feet to walk upward along the dark tunnel.

Zuo Yu in the main hall was in a state of distress. The locations of the vast majority of Mages had been pinpointed, and Battle Mages were shuttling between them; it didn't look like anyone had left Qionglin. The last people to bring important news were Du Zhengyi and another Battle Mage, Han Yi. After hearing it, he was stunned for a long while. He had never liked Li Xu, but to say that there were already Lotus Burners within Qionglin sounded absolutely earth-shattering.

In Zuo Yu's office, which was rarely used, Du Zhengyi continued, "I have evidence indicating that Li Xu and Second-level Executive Mage Zhao Zhiyan are indeed Lotus Burners. I can provide the specific evidence..."

Zuo Yu came back to his senses and raised a hand to interrupt him. "You don't need to say it. I am not a Venerable; there is no need for me to know the evidence. According to the rules, only the Venerables are qualified to examine such evidence."

"Yes." Du Zhengyi nodded slightly, thanking Zuo Yu for his respect. He paused and said again, "Judging from the situation in the Interrogation Room, they wanted to drill into Luo Qi's brain. I don't know what exactly they wanted to know. Luo Qi is only a Third Grade student; by the standards of Mages, he is still four years away from adulthood."

"You know Luo Qi quite well. Does he have any abnormalities?" Zuo Yu said, deep in thought.

Du Zhengyi seemed amused, although there was no mirth in his eyes. "Teacher Zuo, you also know that the child is actually an Ability Deficient. If there is any abnormality, it's the fact that he has no abilities at all."

Zuo Yu nodded, worried. Du Zhengyi relaxed slightly, but noticed Han Yi staring straight at him, unreservedly collecting all his micro-expressions. As their gazes met, a cold sneer gradually bloomed on Han Yi's face.

Du Zhengyi frowned slightly. Indeed, Han Yi was a Battle Mage. He lacked none of the traits a Battle Mage should have. The one thing Mages who had entered the civilized era were most unwilling to admit was that Battle Mages fully symbolized the other side of Mages; they were almost predators designed by the Creator.

Turning his gaze away, Du Zhengyi added, "I think their goal might be Luo Qi's parents. His parents have special professions; I estimate they must know a lot of classified information." Du Zhengyi knew he had to be more cautious from now on. "I think Li Xu and his gang wanted to kidnap Luo Qi, most likely to force his parents to trade with classified information. We should contact his parents now; perhaps there should be Battle Mages following up to protect them."

"You didn't see how Luo Qi was abducted, so how can you be sure Li Xu participated in the kidnapping?" Han Yi asked.

"Then what do you suggest?" Du Zhengyi said unhurriedly. "Could it be that Luo Qi, who is still four years away from adulthood, defeated a Great Mage and a Second-level Executive Mage himself, then broke the Barrier of the Consciousness Prison and walked out swaggeringly? Otherwise, shall we reconstruct the scene? Why don't you go in and try?"

Han Yi was momentarily speechless.

Du Zhengyi said again, "Besides Li Xu's department, who else could transport high-energy Mages into Qionglin?"