Chapter 417: Interrogation

The room's style is so minimal it borders on cold, the lines are sharp, and the lighting is just bright enough without any warmth.

The walls and floor are made of some matte dark composite, showcasing the Xianzhou Alliance's high‑tech prowess in law‑enforcement and intelligence processing—cyber‑retro, consistent inside and out.

Gui Naifen sits upright on the simple‑styled, decidedly uncomfortable metal chair in the center of the room.

She rests her hands on her knees, fingers unconsciously intertwined, and her eyes occasionally flick toward the two women seated behind the long table opposite.

Xue Yi and Han Ya.

The two Judges of the Ten Kings Office are both dressed in modified dark‑standard uniforms, their patterns simple and strict, yet the details glint with precise craftsmanship.

Their faces are expressionless, one's aura like still deep water, the other's like a cold blade; their gazes settle on Gui Naifen, making her feel like a specimen.

"T‑two… two adults,"

Gui Naifen swallows, trying to make her voice sound sincere and innocent, "I really have no idea! I just… just inexplicably, in a flash, ended up in that strange place! Then, in a daze, I entered some competition… I know nothing! Really!"

Han Ya's fingertips glide across the translucent holographic screen before her, displaying the synchronized transcript and analysis of the interrogation.

She lifts her head, her gaze level as she looks at Gui Naifen, her voice as flat as her demeanor, "So you maintain that during the eight‑system lapse when you vanished from Xianzhou Luofu's monitoring, you accidentally crossed into another world, entered a competition called the Holy Grail War, sacrificed yourself to become the Salvation, and then suddenly returned. Is that correct?"

Gui Naifen's mouth twitches.

Hearing that phrasing from Han Ya's bureaucratic tone makes it sound like a third‑rate fantasy novel's nonsense.

But she still forces a nod, "A‑although there may be a tiny bit of artistic embellishment… like the Salvation thing might be exaggerated… but what I said is basically true! Both adults, I swear! Please let me go!"

"Basically?"

Han Ya's tone finally shifts, laced with cold sarcasm, "What do you mean 'basic'? The basic credibility of your story, to me, is no different from the Construction Office apprentices reporting an experiment as basically successful—usually meaning half a workshop blew up. Gui Naifen, if you keep slick‑talking and trying to hide the truth with a tale, don't blame us for being unkind."

Gui Naifen's heart drops with a thud, cold sweat nearly spilling.

Her mind races at unprecedented speed, scrambling to figure out how to earn the trust of these two Judges who seem to have no patience for any "fantasy adventure" nonsense.

Fans!

Right, the follower count!

"Wait! Adults! I have evidence!"

Gui Naifen, thinking quickly, nearly springs from her chair, "My Yuzhao account! I only had a few tens of thousands of followers before, but after returning from that world, my followers jumped to over a million! That's the prize from the competition! Gaining followers out of thin air can't be fake, right?"

Han Ya and Xue Yi exchange a glance.

Han Ya manipulates the holographic screen a few times, pulling up the relevant data.

"Indeed,"

Han Ya looks at the screen, "At the exact millisecond your coordinates re‑materialized on Commercial Street, your personal social‑media account database experienced an anomalous shift, with the follower count instantly jumping to a million. The growth curve matches no known natural diffusion or marketing model."

Gui Naifen nods frantically, her face showing a hopeful "see, see, I'm not lying" expression.

"But,"

Han Ya's tone shifts, her gaze locking back on Gui Naifen, "This only proves that your account data was anomalously tampered with by some method we have yet to identify at that moment. It could be ultra‑sophisticated hacking, unknown interference, or even a major outage of the Yuzhao network provider. That does not directly prove you crossed into another world and entered a competition. It merely shows an anomaly occurred."

Xue Yi calmly adds from beside, "Your account, due to the abnormal data surge and potential false‑promotion risk, has been suspended under Chapter 7, Article 42 of the Xianzhou Alliance Cyber‑Security and Public‑Opinion Management Interim Regulations. Once the investigation is complete, further action will be taken."

Gui Naifen: "…"

She seems to hear the sound of her own heart breaking, and the rustle of the freshly‑gained, still‑cold million followers scattering away.

She droops her head helplessly, shoulders sagging, hands covering her face, silently shedding two broad streams of tears, her expression one of lifeless resignation, making the scene oddly comically tragic.

Unlucky!

So unlucky!

I fought for my life in Winterwood City, almost got myself in trouble, came back thinking a million followers would save me, but the followers came, the account vanished, and the Ten Kings Office seized me!

What is this even about!

Just as Gui Naifen's inner wail rises, Xue Yi, who has been silent for a long while, coughs softly.

Gui Naifen lifts her tear‑blurred face and looks at Xue Yi.

Xue Yi's expression remains calm, but her eyes seem a bit focused.

She speaks, her voice slightly slower than Han Ya's but equally clear and undeniable, "Gui Naifen, assuming your account is true, during your time in that other world, did you ever see a Fox People girl named Huo Huo?"

"Huo Huo?"

Gui Naifen freezes for a moment, her mind racing.

Of course she knows about Huo Huo!

She took Han Ya's side job; the task was to covertly monitor that junior Judge, watching for any irregular behavior.

She remembers clearly: Huo Huo was sitting on a long bench, staring blankly at the sky, while she was nearby observing.

Then Huo Huo vanished!

It seems the Ten Kings Office linked her disappearance with Huo Huo's, assuming they are of the same nature.

But the problem is…

Gui Naifen carefully recalls her experiences in Winterwood City.

From being summoned as a Lancer, to the melee, the insect plague outbreak, Extinction Great Lord's arrival, and finally her sacrifice…

Throughout the whole process, she truly never saw Huo Huo.

She hesitates, speaking cautiously, "Um… this… I, I didn't see her."

The atmosphere instantly turns a bit awkward.

Han Ya's gaze grows colder.

Xue Yi also furrows her brow slightly.

Gui Naifen internally groans, scrambling for words, "Both adults! I'm not hiding on purpose! I was pulled into the competition midway! When I arrived, the match had already been going on! I truly didn't see Miss Huo Huo… I don't know where she was before, and after… I had no chance to look around!"

That's the truth; she spent the whole time either fighting, preparing to fight, or on the road to sacrifice.

Obviously, this answer cannot satisfy the two Judges.

Huo Huo's mysterious disappearance is a highly scrutinized case within the Ten Kings Office; no clue can be ignored.

Gui Naifen feels the pressure on their head growing, as if they can see a label reading "Resists Investigation, Intent Unknown" being stuck onto their forehead.

They are so anxious that sweat breaks out on their forehead, and suddenly, another flash of inspiration!

"Wait! There are others! Others who entered that competition like me, others! They can testify!"

Gui Naifen seems to have grasped a lifeline, speaking at breakneck speed, "Black Tower Lady! The Black Tower Lady of the Genius Club also participated! And San Yue Qi of the Starry Train! They're all there! They can prove that at least part of what I said is true!"

"Black Tower?"

Han Ya's eyes finally show a sharp, blade‑like change, "You mean that seat #83 of the Genius Club, the Intellect Envoy, Black Tower Lady, also took part in your so‑called otherworld competition?"

Xue Yi sits up straight as well, eyes fixed on Gui Naifen.