Chapter 127: Epilogue: Sealed Memories — Interrogation

Epilogue: Sealed Memories — Interrogation

Blue-White Star, Year 4033.

Luo Family Estate.

Since being adopted by the Luo family, Bai Yue had been waiting for his parents to come and take him home.

Throughout this time, the Luo family had cared for him, and Bai Yue understood the value of repaying kindness.

Starting at age seven, after moving into the Luo household, he began to display his talent and intellect.

He relentlessly studied all kinds of knowledge, including psychology and the mechanics of various devices, and even simulated the behaviors of mutated animals to uncover their weaknesses.

Yet he refused to learn any other country’s language; in his own words, the Dragon Nation’s tongue was the best.

This continued for ten years, during which he compiled his findings into operational plans and submitted them to Luo Kai, directly contributing to the Luo family’s rising prestige.

Initially, some dismissed him as a child, assuming these were merely fleeting whims.

But with every mission, his plans consistently minimized their losses, forcing them to revise their view of Bai Yue: Never underestimate anyone because of age!

Bai Yue hoped that when his parents returned, they would be proud of what he had accomplished.

Yet deep inside, he had long guessed why his parents had not come for him—but he refused to believe it, using this denial to numb and deceive himself.

Two years ago, Luo Kai could no longer bear it and finally revealed the truth to Bai Yue.

The reality he had suspected and the truth spoken aloud were two entirely different things.

Upon hearing Luo Kai’s words, Bai Yue understood the full story and could not accept it; since then, he became silent and withdrawn, avoiding all unnecessary interaction.

Luo Kai watched in silence, his heart heavy.

But this was reality—only time could gradually dull the pain, and he hoped Bai Yue might one day forget the past and begin anew.

At fifteen, Bai Yue stood in the garden pavilion of the estate, staring blankly at the heart-shaped butterfly pendant.

“Bai Yue, are you thinking about your parents again?” A graceful woman approached him, seeing him clutching the heart-shaped butterfly pendant.

She was Luo Kai’s daughter—Luo Li.

“No.” Bai Yue replied with only two words, then fell silent, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Luo Li understood: for ten years, Bai Yue had always been alone, weeping in hidden corners, and when caught, he would simply say, “My eyes hurt—that’s why I’m crying.”

She longed to help him, but she dared not try, fearing he would resent her—how could she preach kindness without having walked his path?

All she could do was slowly chat with him, hoping to ease his pain—but each time, Bai Yue ended the conversation with just a few simple words.

Yet Luo Li never gave up.

Just as she prepared to invite him to accompany her for a walk, an urgent phone ring sounded.

Luo Li activated her smart wristband, and a small virtual projection screen appeared.

It displayed the word “Brother.” She sighed—this was the worst possible timing.

Though reluctant, she answered the call.

The moment she tapped accept, a man appeared on the screen—Luo Li’s brother, Luo Zhanyun.

“Brother, why are you calling? Give me a good reason!”

Luo Zhanyun saw his sister’s anger and tensed—he knew her well: beneath her beauty lay a cunning, ruthless mind, and she was an expert with medical tools and blades.

Even if you were perfectly healthy, she could make you sick.

“Cough, cough… Little Li, I have no choice. I need Bai Yue’s help. If even he can’t handle it, the aftermath will be disastrous!”

“Huh? What could possibly require little Bai Yue’s help? Aren’t you the mighty one? How can something stump you?”

His sister’s teasing made Luo Zhanyun blush. “I’m good at fighting—but interrogation? That’s just cruel!”

“Then tell me—what’s the matter?”

“It’s like this…” Luo Zhanyun glanced around behind him before continuing, “We captured an M-country spy. He stole our Dragon Nation’s latest [Dark Matter Energy] research—and worse, he…”

At this, Luo Zhanyun clenched his fist, teeth grinding, fury darkening his face.

“While fleeing, he hid in a civilian home—and before leaving, he… he slaughtered every single person inside… including… a ten-year-old girl. Her heart was…”

“What?! That monster! Why haven’t you killed him?! What use is a creature like this alive?!” Luo Li could no longer contain herself and screamed.

“Little Li, I know how you feel—but I feel the same. I want to torture him to death! But this… this concerns Dragon Nation’s highest secrets. M-country has been watching us with hungry eyes for far too long…”

Before he finished, Bai Yue spoke: “Time. Location.”

Four simple words conveyed Bai Yue’s fury. Luo Li stood closest—he showed no expression on his face, yet his rage radiated involuntarily.

“Bai Yue…” Luo Li started to stop him, but Bai Yue repeated the same words: “Time. Location.”

“I’ll come pick you up. Bai Yue, I’m counting on you,” Luo Zhanyun said earnestly.

“Mm.”

Soon after, a hovering combat vehicle landed in the estate’s rear garden. Luo Zhanyun opened the hatch and stepped out.

“Bai Yue, I’m counting on you.”

“Mm.” Bai Yue replied, slung his black backpack over his shoulders—he had prepared it while waiting—and walked ahead of Luo Zhanyun into the vehicle.

As Bai Yue entered, Luo Li called out to Luo Zhanyun: “Brother, protect little Bai Yue.”

“Don’t worry—I will!”

…

The hovering vehicle flew for a while, arriving at a secret base.

After disembarking, Luo Zhanyun led Bai Yue inside, walking down a corridor until they reached the room next to the interrogation chamber.

Inside stood four people: one was Luo Kai, Luo Zhanyun’s father.

The other three were the Detective Team Leader, the War Police Chief, and the War Police Captain.

A large virtual projection screen floated on the wall, surrounded by instruments and computers monitoring physiological and emotional data.

“Captain Luo, why are you bringing a child here?” the Captain asked, puzzled by the fifteen-year-old boy.

“Zhanyun, this is reckless! This is our job—why involve Bai Yue? Do you think this honors his parents?” Luo Kai rebuked him.

“Captain, Father, save your words. Bai Yue might solve this. Don’t forget—half our family’s current success is thanks to him!”

“Sigh…” The four fell silent. After all, Luo Zhanyun acted for everyone’s sake.

On the screen, the captured M-country spy was brazen: short golden hair, blue eyes, shackled by laser cuffs, yet his demeanor was defiant.

Opposite him sat two interrogators, glaring with fury at the M-country man.

“Hey! If you don’t release me, you’re violating the treaty! I’m a foreign guest—detaining me without cause? I’ll file a formal complaint against your Dragon Nation!” The spy spoke fluent Dragon Nation tongue with utter arrogance.

“Jeros! Confess everything, or else—”

“Or what? If you torture me into a confession, I’ll report you to your superiors—and expose this to the whole world! Is this how the ‘Land of Etiquette’ treats foreign guests? Laughable! Hahaha!” Jeros sneered.

One interrogator pulled out an extendable stun baton, ready to strike—but the other stopped him: “Xiao Zhang, don’t act rashly! He’s provoking you on purpose!”

Jeros, seeing this, grew even more arrogant: “I recall the rule—detention over twenty-four hours without results means release. It’s already been over twenty hours—less than two left!”

“Besides, I didn’t do anything wrong. That family? Not my doing. Maybe they angered someone else—anything’s possible! Hahaha!”

“Oh, by the way—your Dragon Nation women are so soft! So fresh, so beautiful, so gentle… especially those parts… Zezeze ! Far prettier than M-country’s! I don’t even want to leave!”

In the adjacent room, everyone clenched their fists, suppressing their rage—except Bai Yue, who stared blankly at the screen.

Luo Kai turned to Bai Yue: “Bai Yue… do you have any confidence in this situation?”

Bai Yue said nothing—only nodded. He turned, left the adjacent room, and entered the interrogation chamber.

The two interrogators saw a child at the door and opened their mouths to speak—when the overhead microphone crackled: “Leave. The rest is his.”

Though surprised, they obeyed—their superior had spoken.

Before leaving, the interrogator Xiao Zhang handed Bai Yue his extendable stun baton: “Watch yourself.”

Bai Yue turned, glanced at him, and smiled faintly: “Thank you.”

The two left, closing the door—leaving only Bai Yue and the M-country spy.

Jeros saw the child and laughed louder: “Hahaha! Seriously?! You sent a kid?! Is your Dragon Nation so weak you had to send a brat to entertain me? Huh? Hahaha!”

He looked at Bai Yue—black trench coat, metallic half-boots—and his eyes brimmed with contempt.

Bai Yue showed no reaction. He walked to the floating table, unslung his backpack, unzipped it—but took nothing out.

Jeros and the observers in the next room were baffled—what was he doing?

Then Bai Yue moved to the wall, flipped a switch, and adjusted the entire room into [Mirror Mode].

Drip~

The walls, ceiling, even the floor, transformed into one-way mirrored glass. The white lights dimmed, casting a suffocating gloom.

Bai Yue leaned back against the table, arms crossed, left hand supporting his chin, his crimson eyes fixed on Jeros.

Jeros stared at those eyes—initially unbothered—but slowly, a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

The child had done nothing—yet an uncertain dread crept, slow and relentless, into his mind.

“What’s going on? Why is this brat staring at me?” Jeros thought.

He quickly devised a solution: avoid looking at his eyes. He turned his gaze away—but every surface was a mirror.

Even if he looked elsewhere, the mirrors reflected Bai Yue’s eyes. He looked up at the ceiling—same thing.

With the lights dimmed, the unease within him began to expand.

He shut his eyes—out of sight, out of mind.

But reality was not so simple: the mirrors, the dim light, and Bai Yue’s gaze—

Closed eyes, and Jeros saw an endless abyss. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back.

Suddenly, the abyss opened its eyes—crimson, burning. Jeros screamed and snapped his eyes open—directly into Bai Yue’s.

Twenty minutes passed. Jeros could no longer bear it: “What do you want?! I… I warn you… if you don’t release me, I’ll sue! I’ll tell the whole world you’re illegally detaining me!”

The observers in the next room were stunned—they had never seen this man show fear.

At that moment, Bai Yue slowly spoke: “How about playing a game with me?”

“Oh? A game? Great!” Jeros heard this and his face lit up, but he forced himself to appear calm, suppressing the unease inside.

He thought: Kids are just kids—only know how to play! Heh… just wait and see how I’ll crush you! Once we’re out, I’ll find a way to make you vanish from this world!

Jeros: “Go on, what game do you want me to play with you?”

Bai Yue: “The game is called ‘The Last Heartbeat.’”

Upon hearing the game’s name, Jeros felt a fresh wave of dread.

Bai Yue returned to the control panel and adjusted the three floating lights in the room to red, green, and gray, dimming their brightness as well.

The scene, combined with the mirrored walls all around, created an indescribable sense of oppression.

Even the group in the adjacent room felt an odd, unsettling sensation.

It was like walking alone through a dark night on an endless concrete path, surrounded by bamboo groves and trees.

Above, only a sky choked with dark clouds, lit by a single blood-red moon.

The wind howled, the bamboo creaked and groaned, the trees rustled as they brushed against each other.

From between the bamboo and trees, occasional glimmers of emerald and crimson eyes stared from the darkness nearby, fixed on him—as if waiting for prey!

Jeros felt the atmosphere grow heavier, his heart flooding with fear.

The ordeal wasn’t over.

Bai Yue pulled from his backpack a thick, pitch-black blindfold, tightly woven and completely opaque.

He walked to Jeros and covered his eyes, deepening Jeros’s unease.

Then Bai Yue took another item from his backpack—a clock, ancient in design, the kind powered by batteries from thousands of years ago.

He set the time, then placed it on the table.

Next, he withdrew a metal pen, about ten centimeters long, and held it in his hand.

“Now, the game begins.”

At those words, a cold sweat seeped down Jeros’s back.

Tick… tick… tick…

The interrogation room was dark and silent, save for the clock’s ticking and the two men’s breathing.

Bai Yue’s breath was slow and steady; Jeros’s was slightly ragged.

Suddenly, Jeros heard Bai Yue’s voice beside his ear—now distant, now close.

“In the final second before death, a person sees their past memories—their life flashing before them. It’s called a life review.”

“The family you killed—they’re in another world. But their daughter… stayed behind.”

“She is now walking slowly toward you from the darkness nearby.”

Tap… tap… tap…

Bai Yue, wearing his half-metal boots, approached Jeros step by step, each footfall echoing like a heartbeat brushing the edge of Jeros’s own heart.

“When a man’s chest is split open, there are a few seconds to pull out his own heart—to see it beating!”

“That little girl learned this. She took a fruit knife, its blade gleaming cold. In its reflection, you saw your own face.”

“She crept toward you with the knife, but you felt nothing—only the blade.”

“The blade is slowly moving toward you, first creeping from your hand, inching toward your neck.”

Bai Yue’s metal pen lightly traced the back of Jeros’s hand. The cold metal jolted him; his body trembled.

When the pen brushed Jeros’s neck, he felt as if something had seized his throat—his breath grew labored!

Seeing this, Bai Yue whispered on.

“The girl has reached your back, yet you still feel nothing.”

“She stands behind you, the knife extending from your back to your front, stopping right over your heart!”

“Thump… thump… you can even hear your heart screaming for help—it’s begging you to stop her.”

“But you can’t! Because you can’t sense her at all.”

“Where is she? Left? Right? When you turn to look behind you, you see no girl—yet the knife remains, pressed against your chest.”

“You want to scream, but no sound comes out. Around you, there’s only you… and the invisible girl… and the knife, fixed on your chest.”

Bai Yue exhaled gently onto Jeros’s neck. Jeros could no longer contain his dread—he tried to scream, but no voice came.

The metal pen pressed against Jeros’s throat; its chill felt like a blade gliding across his skin.

“A wet *thwip*—the knife plunged straight into your chest, slicing open.”

“A bright red, rapidly beating heart appeared before you…”

“Stop! I… I… please, stop! Give… give back my heart!” Jeros could bear it no longer. Bai Yue’s words had conjured vivid images in his mind; the atmosphere crushed him.

Bai Yue did not stop. He whispered into Jeros’s ear: “Shhh… be quiet. Or… you’ll die faster.”

Jeros fell silent, as if watching his own heart drift away—he reached out, but his arm wouldn’t move, couldn’t grasp it!

“The heart lands in your hand. You stare at it, trying to put it back—but your life is draining slowly… blood flows from your chest.”

Tick… tick… tick…

The clock’s ticking sounded like time counting down to death. Jeros felt as if he were living it—watching the heart’s beat slow, watching his life slip away…

Finally, Bai Yue leaned close to Jeros’s ear and mimicked the girl’s voice: “I’m waiting for you… in hell.”

Ding-ding-ding…

The alarm rang—like a death knell, shattering Jeros’s last mental barrier.

“Aaaah! No… no… no no no! I… I… I’m sorry! Please, spare me! Don’t take me down! I’ll tell you everything! Don’t drag me to hell!”

Bai Yue’s final words crushed the last straw. Jeros went wild—his body shook, his breath came in gasps, his fear swelling uncontrollably.

Then Bai Yue pressed the metal pen against Jeros’s chin. Feeling its coldness, Jeros trembled uncontrollably.

“Tell me everything you know. Maybe I’ll spare you.” Bai Yue spoke in the girl’s voice.

Jeros nodded frantically: “I… I’ll tell you… please… spare me! I’ll tell you everything!”

The group in the adjacent room had heard it all. Combined with the interrogation room’s atmosphere, they felt as if they themselves had been stared into by the abyss.

But thankfully, Jeros finally broke.

For the final half-hour, Jeros confessed everything—stolen data, the hiding place of secret files, and the full details of how he murdered that innocent family.

He described the killing in full.

Bai Yue and the group in the adjacent room listened carefully, taking detailed notes.

After the interrogation ended, Bai Yue gave a “completed” gesture to the recording device, then gathered his things and left the room.

Whether Jeros lived or died was none of his concern.

“Heh. Now that we’ve caught the U.S. red-handed, let’s see how they’ll wriggle out of this! I’ll submit this report to the higher-ups. The rest is up to you.” The Director said to the men behind him.

“Yes!”

“Oh, by the way—this kid Bai Yue is impressive. Who are his parents? I’d like to meet them. Anyone who raised such a remarkable child must be extraordinary!”

Hearing this, Luo Kai and Luo Zhan Yun fell silent. A wave of sorrow radiated from the father and son.

Director: “What? Is something wrong?”

Luo Kai: “This… Director, this child’s name is Bai Yue. His parents… died ten years ago.”

Then Luo Kai explained Bai Yue’s family history, his parents’ identities, how they died, and how Bai Yue now aided the Luo family.

The more the Director heard, the sadder he grew. “This child… ah… I shouldn’t have asked. But he truly is the child of heroes—worthy of respect. Take good care of him. If he needs anything, tell me.”

“I’ll thank you on Bai Yue’s behalf, Director.”

“Hahaha, no need. This kid—Bai Yue—is outstanding in every way! Enough said. I’ll go report to the top.”

“Yes!” x3

Finally, the Director turned to the two interrogators on the other side: “Record today’s interrogation method. Learn from it.”

“Yes!” x2

Xiao Zhang recalled Bai Yue’s interrogation process and felt deep admiration: Truly, never underestimate anyone because of their age!

Then he suddenly remembered something—he realized his extendable stun baton was still with Bai Yue.

“Damn. My extendable stun baton… oh well, I’ll just give it to him. Consider it payment for the lesson he taught me. Hahaha!” Xiao Zhang thought.

…

(Though my novel isn’t very good, I’ll keep trying. I only hope you enjoy reading it. If anything’s poorly written, please forgive me. Thank you for all your support and kindness.)