Chapter 243

Demon Capital, alleyway next to Central Park

Aisha Beier had never imagined that she would be caught red-handed by the Demon King of Lei Ming County himself.

What made her even more terrified was—her recording crystal had been confiscated on the spot.

At this moment, she stood stiffly in the shadows, her golden pupils constricted to a point, her tail frozen involuntarily, her brain frantically calculating whether she should kowtow and admit her mistake or immediately play dead...

—As it turned out, she waited for several seconds, but the Demon King of Lei Ming County didn't do anything at all.

In fact, Luo Yan didn't even show a hint of anger, just standing before her with a calm expression and a gentle tone that left her at a loss for what to do—

"Why were you following me?"

The voice was devoid of ripples, as if he were merely asking about an ordinary, everyday matter.

Aisha Beier looked up at the Demon King cautiously, discovering that he was truly not angry, just looking at her with a calm gaze, as if he were genuinely asking a simple question.

A glimmer of hope ignited in her heart.

Driven by the desire to survive, she spoke in a flustered manner.

"It, it was my editor who told me to come! She said that interviewing you directly could unearth a big scoop... You might not know, but because of what you said at the hearing, you are currently very popular among the veterans who returned from the front lines here in the Demon Capital, so I thought..."

Seeming worried that Luo Yan might be angry, she quickly added: "Of course, this isn't a bad thing for you, is it? You saw it just now... those demons, and the undead, they were spontaneously defending you."

Luo Yan smiled slightly.

However, the moment Aisha Beier let out a sigh of relief, his expression suddenly turned cold.

"You aren't telling the truth."

The short sentence was like a sharp blade piercing straight into Aisha Beier's heart.

Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, her heart racing, cold sweat sliding down her back.

"I, I..."

At this moment, she finally truly understood the fear of facing a Demon King.

Driven by that immense pressure, she closed her eyes tightly and spoke tremblingly, without any concealment.

"I, I made a bet with my editor, Lulu..."

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow: "A bet?"

Aisha Beier nodded fiercely, decisively betraying her Shi Shi Laimu editor: "Yes! We bet that if I could interview the Demon King, I could have my own column, an office, and even an assistant at the newspaper!"

Saying this, a look of frustration suddenly appeared on her face, and she added in a low voice: "If I failed... not only would I lose all my bonuses and performance pay, but I'd also have to clean the public office area for a year."

Luo Yan looked at the succubus reporter before him, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"So, you'd rather risk being caught by the Demon King than clean up?"

Aisha Beier grinned awkwardly, giving him a "you know how it is" look, then looked away evasively.

You You, floating to the side, looked at Luo Yan in surprise, whispering in a voice only the latter could hear.

"Demon King-sama, how did you know she was lying just now?"

"I didn't; I was just scaring her," Luo Yan replied in his heart.

That was the truth.

Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if she had told the truth; there would surely have been parts she left out anyway. What he needed to do wasn't to dig out those insignificant details, but to make the other party feel afraid of the act of "concealment" itself. That way, even if the other party lied next time, they would subconsciously feel nervous, thereby revealing flaws.

"..." You You looked at Luo Yan with a subtle expression.

As expected of the Demon King.

Still as evil as ever...

Under Aisha Beier's nervous gaze, Luo Yan picked up the confiscated recording crystal and toyed with it casually.

Aisha Beier was panicking inside.

Recording crystals weren't cheap; even the cheap models used by students cost two thousand Kailas, and her professional version was worth over ten thousand.

If the Demon King accidentally crushed it, she would have worked for nothing for at least three months!

Just as Aisha Beier was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, the next second her ears heard a sentence that left her stunned on the spot—

"I can accept an interview."

Aisha Beier was stunned: "... Ah?"

Luo Yan threw the crystal to her calmly.

"You're in luck; I happen to have some time."

Aisha Beier hurriedly caught the crystal ball thrown at her, completely bewildered now.

Wait—

The Demon King actually agreed?!

She had imagined many possibilities, including but not limited to using her charms, following and threatening, and beating around the bush... yet she never expected the other party to be so approachable, and after hearing her plight, to mercifully agree to her request!

In the Underworld, mercy wasn't a virtue, but even demons wouldn't be repulsed by mercy shown to themselves.

In an instant, Luo Yan's image grew taller in Aisha Beier's eyes, just like the omnipotent and unfathomable Lord Bayeli!

Aisha Beier's eyes welled up with emotion.

Watching the reporter lady standing there without moving for a long time, Luo Yan asked casually.

"Any other questions?"

"No, none!" Aisha Beier hurriedly replied, her voice distorted with excitement.

"Then follow me."

Luo Yan gave her a meaningful look, then turned around and led her away from the secluded alley.

Outside the alley, Vivian was kicking a street lamp out of boredom, the tip of her shoe hitting the cold metal again and again.

She looked toward the alley entrance from time to time, and each time she finished peeking, she would pretend not to care and quickly look away, but before long, her neck would involuntarily stretch toward that familiar direction again.

Too slow!

Ever since Luo Yan disappeared into the alley with that detestable succubus, some time had passed, yet it remained quiet there, without the slightest movement. She didn't know how her respected elder brother intended to deal with that succubus—whether he was going to roast her or boil her.

To be honest, she had already started to regret nodding and leaving it to her brother to handle.

"... Succubi, there really isn't a single good one among them."

Vivian grew angrier the more she thought about it, and the angrier she got, the more aggrieved she felt. However, she didn't dare to defy Luo Yan and rush in to see, so she could only vent her frustration on the innocent street lamp.

"Bang!"

The pitch-black steel lamp post even dented slightly under her "gentle" treatment.

Actually, she had already restrained herself.

Otherwise, with her strength as a Gold-tier vampire, even if she had only used one-tenth of her power, this street lamp would probably have flown off like a cannonball, taking the display windows of at least two shops with it.

Not far away, the Goblin lamplighter huddled in the corner, trembling, not daring to get close, and could only look longingly toward the Demon guards across the street.

However, those Demon guards chose to ignore him, even deliberately walking away, pretending to be incredibly busy fiddling with the flowers and plants by the street.

They knew better than anyone which demons could be provoked and which could not.

Such things were only mistakes made by greenhorns who had just started, and those greenhorns were usually patrolling the remote suburbs; it was never their turn to be posted in the core area of the Demon Capital.

Just as Vivian's anger was about to reach its peak, movement finally came from the alley.

Her dear elder brother finally walked out from inside, bringing that shameless succubus with him.

Vivian's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and she quickly let go of the slightly deformed street lamp, rushing to Luo Yan's side like a gust of wind and grabbing his arm.

She brought her little nose close and took a deep breath—

Great!

No stench of a succubus!

Vivian instantly revealed a satisfied smile.

As a vampire, she had absolute confidence in her sense of smell.

"What are you doing?" Luo Yan's brow twitched as he tried to pull his arm back.

"I..."

Vivian looked at the arm Luo Yan pulled back, the smile on her face instantly collapsing, her heart feeling as if it had been struck heavily, and she pouted aggrievedly.

"It's all your fault... staying so long, I... I was worried, is that not allowed?"

Luo Yan was silent for a moment, looking down at his pocket watch.

—It had only been five minutes.

Sensing the murderous aura gradually spreading toward her, Miss Aisha Beier subconsciously hid behind Luo Yan, and seeing the murderous aura suddenly intensify, she jumped away reflexively, saying tremblingly.

"Vivian-sama... I have already deleted your recording... I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I... I shouldn't have filmed your image without your consent..."

Her apology was from the bottom of her heart.

Especially when she learned from Luo Yan that this was the eldest daughter of the Kelin family, she was nearly scared out of her wits.

The *Abyss Times*, after all, was not the *Demon Capital Daily* with its official Underworld background, and even the latter had to play it by ear when it came to the core families of the Demon Capital. For example, when the *Demon Capital Daily* reported on the Delagong family and the Chaos Gate scandal last year, it was basically centered on a few well-known points; rather than spreading public opinion, it was more about setting the record straight to prevent rumors from becoming more outrageous, and the focus was basically on the head of the family's younger brother, who had neither importance nor a title.

Digging up conspiracies that others didn't know?

That was wishing for reincarnation.

Aisha Beier finally understood why her editor had looked at her as if she were a dead person. Although the Demon King of Lei Ming County wasn't powerful enough to reach that level, who knew if he had gotten involved with powerful families?

Thinking this, her legs trembled even more.

Vivian didn't hold it against her, nor was it as exaggerated as she had imagined in her wild thoughts.

Seeing this person apologize sincerely, and that she truly hadn't had anything happen with her elder brother, she let her off, even though she was annoyed.

"Mm-hmm, just remember it. Next time you want to take a picture, remember to make me look good." Twirling a lock of her slightly curled bangs with her index finger, Vivian looked to the side and muttered.

Aisha Beier smiled sheepishly.

There wouldn't be a next time.

She would remember this lesson for the rest of her life and let it accompany her throughout her entire career.

!

Luo Yan tucked his pocket watch back into his belt, then looked at Vivian and gave a light cough.

"Well, it's getting late, and I believe you've had enough fun, so let's call it a day."

Not far away, the Goblin lamplighter was carrying a ladder, tiptoeing up the slightly tilted street lamp, taking new coal from his basket and stuffing it in, continuing the brilliant light for this slightly dim street.

Hearing Luo Yan's voice, Vivian quickly turned her head back and said hurriedly.

"Ah, that... we haven't gone to see Nan Fu yet—"

Meeting Luo Yan's half-smiling gaze, Vivian suddenly remembered that the other party had already seen through her lie, and she couldn't help but blush.

"Ne, next time... I'll definitely take you."

Actually, she had genuinely wanted to take Luo Yan to see her younger brother, but it was a pity that Nan Fu was simply too timid. As soon as he heard he was going to see his elder brother, he immediately shrank into a ball, like a hamster that had eaten something bad, either complaining of a stomachache or leg cramps, and even his waist could inexplicably start to hurt... In short, he was full of problems from head to toe.

Of course, Vivian knew in her heart that this couldn't be blamed on him.

In the final analysis, it was her own fault.

If it hadn't been for her own arrogance and stubbornness back then, which resulted in her being severely taught a lesson by her elder brother, leaving Nan Fu with the deep impression that "elder brother is even more terrifying than me," he wouldn't have been so afraid.

Every time she thought of this, Vivian couldn't help but blame herself.

She made up her mind that she must find an opportunity to clear up this misunderstanding.

Her elder brother was actually a gentle person who wouldn't even easily hurt a fly; for instance, the two flies from just now were still alive and well, neither roasted nor boiled... She swore that one day she would make Nan Fu believe her and make him realize the goodness of her elder brother again.

Just as she was immersed in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed Luo Yan looking at her with confusion.

"What's wrong with you?"

Vivian was slightly startled, then composed herself and smiled casually.

"Ah, no, nothing! Ju, just thought of some things at school, I... I think I haven't finished my homework yet, hehe."

Luo Yan didn't ask further, just nodded.

"Homework still needs to be done, so... if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."

He had already agreed to Aisha Beier's interview and had other things to attend to in a while.

"Mm-hmm!"

Vivian hurriedly looked up, her eyes filled with a hint of reluctance, but she still nodded obediently, waving with a smile to see Luo Yan and Aisha Beier off until their figures gradually disappeared at the end of the streetlights.

She pulled back her arm, a smile still hanging on the corner of her mouth, but before long, her brows furrowed.

Always felt...

Something was a bit off.

Wait!!

She pondered for a long time, then suddenly froze, realizing a serious problem—

Why were those two guys walking together?!

Pitch-black resentment condensed in the night.

Aisha Beier, following beside Luo Yan, suddenly tripped without warning, but fortunately, Luo Yan, walking beside her, gentlemanly offered his hand, preventing her from actually falling.

"So, sorry..." Aisha Beier apologized repeatedly, blushing involuntarily for her embarrassment.

"Watch your step."

Luo Yan didn't say much, just gave a reminder, then withdrew his hand, and led this clumsy succubus reporter lady to an elegantly decorated tea house, having the chubby Shi Shi Laimu shopkeeper sitting behind the incense burner open a secluded private room.

Aisha Beier followed Luo Yan into the private room and sat down opposite him, feeling restrained.

Taking advantage of the time the Demon shop assistant took to serve them tea, she secretly sized up the surrounding environment.

This place was elegant and understated, filled with the fragrance of tea, with a hazy night view outside the window.

While observing her surroundings, Aisha Beier couldn't help but marvel that the Demon King was so tasteful, completely contrary to her initial impression.

She had originally thought that this demon from the front lines would be the type of decisive tyrant, a bloodthirsty demon. But now it seemed he was even more elegant than she had imagined, and approachable, without even a hint of a ruler's airs, to the point that if she didn't know some of his stories, she would even have mistaken him for a senior student at school a year ahead of her.

Of course.

She had no doubt that this guy had seen blood.

It was just that this blade wouldn't easily let blood and grease dirty its edge.

"Let's begin." Luo Yan picked up a cup of black tea, blew on it lightly, and said calmly.

Aisha Beier quickly regained her composure, hurriedly taking out her interview notebook, magic quill, and recording crystal, then impatiently entered her state and said.

"Then—respected Mr. Luo Yan, Demon King of Lei Ming County, please allow me to get straight to the point: there are rumors that you proposed at the hearing, in front of Councilor Atlan, that the Truth Department investigate the cause of the failure of the Battle of Saierduo Port? May I ask if this is true?"

"It is indeed true."

Aisha Beier swallowed, quickly following up.

"I would like to know your reasons for suspecting that there was another cause for the failure of this war?"

"The reason is simple; I have personally commanded battles at the ten-thousand-soldier level, and more than once. Some things can deceive the average person, but they cannot deceive me."

Luo Yan took a light sip of black tea and placed the cup back on the tray.

At this very moment, Aisha Beier clearly felt that the aura of the man sitting before her had changed abruptly.

"I'll be blunt: using the Griffin Knights to raid a magic crystal cannon position that had already been successfully deployed on the high ground is equivalent to suicide. The commander of the Aosi Empire must have gambled on this move with the determination that he would have no place to be buried. In other words, he knew his chances of winning were less than ten percent."

"He... gambled and won?" Aisha Beier swallowed.

"He won suspiciously," Luo Yan continued, hitting the nail on the head. "The suicide raid by the Griffin Knights was not only a complete victory, but it also wiped out the artillery position General Saibeisi had deployed on the high ground, which in turn triggered the subsequent rout of the entire Red Flame Legion... Don't you think there's a big problem with that?"

"But... I learned from the public battle reports that it was a windless, sunny day, and the Empire had increased the range of their smoke bombs through enhancements to their artillery..." Aisha Beier's eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, and she quickly flipped through the notebook in her hand, finding the line she had marked with a pen, then turned her gaze toward Luo Yan. "General Saibeisi's explanation was the weather, and that the poor mobility of the magic crystal cannons couldn't adapt to the treacherous and ever-changing battlefield."

"That is the most absurd part," Luo Yan smiled faintly and continued. "A qualified general attributing the cause of failure to the poor mobility of support weapons is equivalent to attributing the inability to arrive at the battlefield on time to the soldiers' armor being too heavy. He is not a rookie and shouldn't make such a mistake. And the most critical point is, if the Empire's artillery smoke bombs could affect the vision of the magic crystal cannons, the low-flying Griffin Knights should have been unable to see their targets as well."

"With so many unreasonable points, I have reason to speculate that this was a premeditated political adventure, so my proposal for the Truth Department to intervene in the investigation is reasonable."

Indeed—

Although Aisha Beier had never been on a battlefield, hearing him put it this way, she vaguely felt that something was unusual.

Of course, expressing these doubts in a way that the readers of the *Abyss Times* could understand required some writing skill, but that wasn't a difficult task for her.

Aisha Beier took a deep breath and continued by asking another sensitive question.

"This is a very serious accusation, and it is directed at a front-line commander... Are you not afraid of offending the officials of the Ministry of War because of this?"

"Offend?"

Luo Yan smiled faintly, his tone steady, and said righteously.

"I don't think this is offending, nor do I think this is working against anyone, and it is certainly not because of personal grievances that I made such an accusation at the hearing. If I must find a reason, it is that the sacrifices of the soldiers should not be forgotten, and even less should they be used as tools for some people to seek political interests."

Aisha Beier was slightly startled.

For a moment, she inexplicably felt that this was exactly what he thought in his heart.

Luo Yan looked at the stunned reporter lady, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, making his tone sound steadier, more convincing... and more powerful.

He wasn't talking to the reporter in front of him, but to the wounded soldiers sinking into the slums, the scraps forgotten in the corners of the Demon Capital, and all the demons and undead who were numbing themselves with alcohol, trying to forget the trauma of the front lines... He was looking into their eyes, using their tone to voice their thoughts.

"No one knows the cruelty of war better than the soldiers on the front lines. I have also stood in their position, and I know very well the fear and despair in their hearts."

"The reason we were able to endure all of this was not because of the honor of the nobility, nor because of a pitiful severance pay, but because we believed that the Underworld would one day be able to set foot on the old land, rebuild the Netherworld, and take back everything that Saint Xisi took from us! We want to let the living return to the living, and the dead return to the dead... or in other words, the reason we were willing to sacrifice our lives was all because of the faith in our hearts!"

Aisha Beier held her breath, subconsciously noting down this sentence.

Luo Yan, sitting opposite her, did not stop, but continued to gaze into her eyes, carving his will deep into her soul.

"This is the reason I made the accusation."

"Those eighty thousand lives are not numbers, not tools for politicians to shirk responsibility, and even less a burden. Those young men came from all over, they had families, friends, and loved ones and neighbors who cared about them... they all need an answer."

"If no one takes care of this matter, then I will."

(End of chapter)