Chapter 197: Severe Interrogation

"We are acting under orders. If you know what's good for you, come with us. If not, don't blame us for showing no mercy."

A flash of silver light flickered in Chi Nan Yi's hand as over a dozen Silver Needles, wrapped in powerful internal force, shot outward in all directions: "All talk. Did your master teach you lot to kill with your mouths?"

Those black-clad men had not expected her to strike directly, nor that her internal force would be so formidable.

"Attack!" the lead black-clad man said furiously. "Kill her! Take her corpse, and we can report back."

As the words fell, over a dozen men surrounded Chi Nan Yi completely, holding long swords, their sharp tips aimed at every vital point on her body, and thrust down fiercely.

Chi Nan Yi's figure swayed as she nimbly dodged the first two sword thrusts. She flipped her wrist and triggered the mechanism on it, and countless Silver Needles as fine as ox hair flew out — the Storm Pear Blossom Needles she had removed from Qing Shan.

They had thought it was merely a hidden needle mechanism, never expecting its offensive power to be so formidable.

Every black-clad man struck by the Storm Pear Blossom Needles screamed and fell to the ground, wailing in agony.

Chi Nan Yi lightly tapped her toes, her body leaping over those black-clad men. She gathered internal force in her palm and struck toward the lead black-robed man.

The black-robed man hastily raised his palm to counter.

Their palms met. The black-robed man, originally full of confidence, changed expression abruptly. Formidable internal force carrying overwhelming momentum slammed viciously into his chest. His body flew like a broken kite and crashed hard onto the ground.

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and he passed out cold.

Quite satisfied with her handiwork, Chi Nan Yi looked at her palm and said with a smile: "Limitless internal force — so convenient."

With the boost of internal force, her combat skills became extraordinarily lethal.

Every strike was fatal.

Those men never expected that the young-looking Southern First Young Master before them would possess such martial prowess.

Even their boss was no match for him — wouldn't they just be throwing their lives away?

At this thought, the desire to retreat sprang up in their hearts in an instant.

Their feet shifted backward. Seeing this, Chi Nan Yi could not help but sneer: "Want to run? Too late."

She took out two packets of medicinal powder and flung them forcefully, then drove them with internal force. In an instant, a fog-like white powder enveloped those men.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

"Hold your breath! Hold your breath! There's… poison."

As the words fell, they collapsed to the ground one after another.

"It's merely sleeping powder. What are you so frightened about?"

Sleeping powder…

So it was sleeping powder…

The expressions on everyone's faces eased slightly. Just then, Chi Nan Yi took out two porcelain vials. One of them they recognized — it was the plague virus. The other… was it not the vial she had just used to hold corpse-dissolving fluid?

She mixed the liquids from the two porcelain vials together, and a wisp of white smoke rose from the mouth of the vial.

"You… you… what are you trying to do?"

"Since you lot developed it, naturally we must use you for experiments!"

Looking at their terrified faces, Chi Nan Yi said with a smile: "It's not impossible to avoid drinking it. As long as you tell me what I want to know, you can be spared this suffering. Otherwise…" The corners of her lips rose slightly, and a trace of casual ruthlessness flashed across her face: "Otherwise, once this thing enters your mouth, whether you live or die is not up to me — and even less up to you."

Her tone was light and unhurried, carrying a hint of languor, but the words she spoke were sharper than any blade, piercing viciously into the heart.

"And don't even think about biting open the poison pouches in your mouths to kill yourselves. If I don't want you dead, even the King of Hell himself couldn't take you away."

"You… what do you want to ask?"

"Who are you, who is your master behind the scenes, what were you sent here to do, and why target the Chi Family? Whoever can explain these questions clearly will be spared drinking this. If you can't explain clearly…" She shook the porcelain vial in her hand: "You'll be in for some suffering."

"Bah! You want us to betray our master? Absolutely impossible! Give up that dream!"

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi walked slowly up to that man, the smile on her lips growing ever brighter: "I like people like you — eager to try. Truth be told, I also want to know what happens after eating this. The plague virus will make your skin ulcerate, and the corpse-dissolving fluid will melt your internal organs bit by bit…"

As Chi Nan Yi described this, the man who had been so tough moments ago turned deathly pale, little by little.

Chi Nan Yi slowly approached with the porcelain vial, the pungent smell making people want to retch.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Too late." Chi Nan Yi pinched his chin and poured the poison down.

Agonizing pain radiated from his body.

It was as if he had swallowed a ball of flame, burning fiercely in his abdomen.

Before long, his body slowly withered and shrank. A moment later, even that skin sack was dissolved clean away.

A person who had been alive just moments ago now left not the slightest trace of ever having existed.

To say they were not afraid would be a lie.

They swallowed hard, their eyes filled with terror.

"You… you… he…"

"I said, as long as you answer what I want to know, you can be spared such suffering."

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"I'll talk too! I'll talk too!"

"Whatever you ask, I'll tell you everything!"

Watching others suffer makes one's own fear multiply infinitely. Chi Nan Yi understood this principle deeply — in her previous life's interrogation classes, the instructor had taught exactly this.

"Who sent you here, and what is your purpose in coming here."

"It's… it's the Sect Master. We are from Seek Dragon Gate. The Sect Master sent us."

"The Sect Master told us to spread the plague in the city. As for why, we don't know either."

"You don't know?" Chi Nan Yi smiled. "Being disobedient will earn you punishment."

Seeing her shake the porcelain vial in her hand, they all swallowed hard in unison.

"I know! I know!"

"Shut up!"

Just then, the black-robed person knocked unconscious by Chi Nan Yi not far away woke up at some point, blood continuously trickling from the corner of his mouth: "You idiots! Even if you all confess, she won't let you go!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.

A gentleman's word is hard to take back; I have never been someone who goes back on his word. Chi Nan Yi looked at the black-robed person with a half-smile, and said lightly: "You didn't take the Meng Hun drug, you have a chance to escape, so you can just not care about their life or death, is that it?"

That's right! The boss didn't take the drug!

He told them to keep quiet; they died, but he could escape.

Boss, we've been by your side for so many years; how can you be so ruthless?

Yeah! We're done for, but you can survive alone!

These idiots!

The black-robed person wished he could cut their throats with a knife.

The Sect Master ordered us to spread the plague in the city, to pin the blame for inadequate disaster relief on the Liangzhou City officials; when they are reappointed, we can replace all the city's officials with people connected to the Sect Master, so the Sect Master can control Liangzhou City.

The black-robed person's pupils shrank, he clenched his teeth, and angrily said: "How did you know?"