Chapter 161
Chapter 161: The Inquisitor
Central Base
5:50 AM.
The Savage Realm, Canglan Continent.
At the heart of this continent stood a towering mountain that pierced the clouds.
At its summit, mist and clouds swirled in an ethereal haze.
Cutting through the layers of cloud sea, the only thing visible was a red flag billowing in the wind.
The golden stars upon it gleamed in the light of the breaking dawn.
And beneath that upright flagpole, a military fortress lay concealed.
Heavy artillery and anti-air arrays were spread across virtually the entire mountainside.
Those patrolling here were no ordinary soldiers—they were a large force of fully armed Extraordinary Ones.
Even the lowest-ranking patrol member carried a Grade B aura.
Because this was the most vital stronghold in Huaxia's resistance against the apocalypse.
The Central Base.
At that moment, behind the base, beneath a waterfall.
An extraordinary funeral had just drawn to its close.
To the sound of ceremonial rifle salutes, Iron Bull and Liu Feng's personal effects were placed into coffins draped with national flags.
Two gravestones were then permanently set into this forest of steles.
The funeral ended. The crowd departed in silence, each returning to their posts one by one.
All that remained were white chrysanthemums blanketing the hillside.
Regardless of how those two had died during the trial.
Regardless of whatever private intentions they may have harbored in life.
The moment they stepped into that Death Wheat Field—
They became warriors dancing on the blade's edge for Huaxia's future.
Those who gave their lives for their country were all martyrs.
……
After leaving the stele forest, the 3 remaining members of the Blade Squad walked along a gravel path toward the command center.
Shadow walked at the front.
The other 2 followed behind.
"If…"
Luo Kun hung his head.
"If we had figured out the Black Flames' combustion principle sooner, maybe…"
"Maybe Iron Bull and Liu Feng wouldn't have died."
"What's the use of saying all this now?"
Liu Ruyan walked at the rear, still wearing that same cold, unapproachable expression.
"Anyone can play Monday morning quarterback."
"On a battlefield, life and death are fate. If they hadn't died on point ahead of us—"
"Maybe the 3 of us would be the ones in those coffins right now."
"You—!"
Luo Kun's fists clenched tight.
But after drawing 2 deep breaths, he unclenched them again.
The moment he thought about how Liu Ruyan was the kind of freak who'd square up against the Dragon God to his face—
Luo Kun suddenly felt himself let it go.
Trying to teach manners and tact to someone with broken mental wiring was a complete waste of breath.
But just as he calmed down and tried to recall the breathtaking events of the trial—
Luo Kun suddenly froze.
"Something's wrong…"
Luo Kun stopped walking. "Hey, do you two remember… what the Dragon God looked like?"
"Huh? Did your brain short out?"
Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes, contempt written across her face.
"That guy, how could I not… wait!"
Liu Ruyan's words cut off abruptly, her phoenix eyes going wide.
She was stunned to discover that no matter how hard she searched her mind—
She couldn't piece together that face at all!
The man's silhouette, his armor, even the peerless divine might he had radiated—all of it was vivid and clear.
Yet his face was a complete void.
"Stop arguing."
Shadow turned back, cutting off the two who were growing uneasy.
"Get moving."
"The commanders and the Iron Wall Squad are already waiting for us at the command center."
Shadow shook her head. She couldn't remember clearly either.
But the meeting ahead was the one that would determine Huaxia's strategic direction going forward.
And it would determine her own life or death.
……
Creak.
The door swung open, and the 3 members of the Blade Squad stepped briskly inside the command center.
Seated at the head were 3 elders.
On the left sat a man in a military coat with sharp, piercing eyes.
That was Wan Changzheng, the supreme commander of Huaxia's Second Base.
On the right sat a kind-faced old woman.
She was Wu Chunlan, the leader of Huaxia's First Base.
And seated at the very center was a man whose face was concealed behind a dark crimson mask.
He was one of the elders of the Central Base—Yue Tian.
At the lower end of the conference table, the 5 members of the Iron Wall Squad and Zhao Yan were already seated at attention.
When Yue Tian's deep, searching eyes swept across the room—
The 3 members of the Blade Squad shivered involuntarily, their gazes drawn to him.
They immediately straightened their spines and snapped a military salute.
"Greetings, Commander!"
"At ease, comrades. Please be seated."
Yue Tian's voice was low and measured. "The situation is urgent. We'll keep this short—sooner we start, sooner we finish."
"Yes, sir!"
The 3 members answered in unison, then strode swiftly to take their seats beside Zhao Yan.
Once the door was locked shut, the meeting officially moved to the matter at hand.
Yue Tian placed his hands together on the table and cut straight to the point. "We've reviewed your reports."
"We're told that at the critical moment, you summoned the Dragon God and managed to counter-kill an S-Grade Cursed Creature."
"So—who can explain to me in detail…"
"Exactly what method did you use to summon him?"
As his words fell, the entire conference room went so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
The 3 members of the Blade Squad exchanged glances, and then each offered the answer most vivid in their memory.
Luo Kun's expression was grave.
"Report, Commander! We went through untold hardship and gathered 9 Hundred-Year-Old Hollow Bamboos!"
"Then we pole-vaulted up to the Divine Realm, dropped to our knees, and kowtowed until that great ancestor agreed to come down!"
Liu Ruyan wore her usual haughty look.
"Nonsense! That's not what happened. It was clearly me who turned the tide—I gathered the 7 Dragon Balls scattered across the Death Wheat Field!"
"Then I shouted 'Come forth, Dragon!', and that's what summoned him!"
Shadow spoke with conviction. "No, you're both misremembering."
"The situation was critical. I grabbed a pen out of Yang Zhi's hand and forcibly brought the painting of Huili Eri to life."
"But Yang Zhi refused, and the Dragon God broke through the wall to help me so his book wouldn't get slashed."
"……"
These wildly outlandish answers echoed through the conference room.
And the moment they finished speaking, all 3 of them stared blankly at one another.
‘Hold on—what the hell were they saying?!’
‘Is any of that right?!’
‘It can't be—!’
‘But then why does that feel like exactly what I remember?!’
Wan Changzheng's eye twitched furiously.
He then turned to look at Zhao Yan beside him.
"Zhao Yan, your turn."
"Your report says you also personally witnessed the Dragon God's entire descent."
Zhao Yan's weathered face flushed crimson. He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look.
"Commander… can we maybe… cut this part?"
"I have a feeling… the image in my head is a little off…"
"Stop stalling! Orders are orders—if I say you speak, you speak!"
Wan Changzheng slammed the table, his tone brooked no argument.
Zhao Yan shrank his neck and began muttering quietly, clearly mortified.
"Reporting, Commander…"
"I remember… at the time… I was at the east end of the village, hanging over a wall trying to peek at Widow Wang bathing…"
"And then the Dragon God suddenly charged over in a police uniform, said I was being arrested for indecent conduct, and hauled me in on the spot…"
"Pfft—!!"
At those words, Xin An—who had been holding her breath in desperate restraint—completely lost it. She burst out laughing right then and there.
Immediately after, the other 3 squad members also lost their composure and erupted in laughter.
Smack!
An infuriated Zhao Yan whipped around and delivered a solid smack to the back of Xin An's head.
"Ow!"
Xin An clutched the back of her head, looking up with an aggrieved expression.
"Chief Zhao, they're all laughing—why am I the only one you hit?!"
"Obviously!"
Zhao Yan's face was red as a monkey's backside as he hollered.
"You're the squad captain! Who else am I supposed to smack?!"
"Enough!"
Wan Changzheng buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. He was already regretting asking.
"Alright, quiet down."
Elder Wu Chunlan knocked the table gently, her voice gentle.
"Children, there's no rush."
"Think again carefully, close your eyes and try to remember properly…"
"Is what happened really what you just described?"
All 3 of them clutched their heads in anguish.
They knew full well that what they'd just said was absolutely ridiculous.
Pure nonsense born from brains that hadn't finished developing.
Yet no matter how hard they tried to recall—
Those memories wouldn't budge a single inch.
"There's no use trying."
Yue Tian opened the reports in front of him, compared them carefully, and said in a low voice:
"It appears that your memories were indeed tampered with by the Dragon God himself."
The 4 of them deflated, lowering their hands with expressions of helpless, suppressed frustration.
But as things stood, there really was only one reasonable explanation.
The Dragon God hadn't wanted them to know the truth, and so he had used this peculiar method to ensure it.
"Even so, there's no need for you to worry too much."
Yue Tian spoke in a reassuring tone. "Based on the ancient classified archives we currently hold, the Dragon God is the sworn enemy of those Evil Gods."
"He also shares an irreconcilable enmity with the Arashin-kai."
"The enemy of our enemy is our friend."
"At least in the short term, he holds no ill will toward humanity, and none of you are in any mortal danger."
"However…"
Yue Tian's tone shifted.
"As a precaution—"
"For the safety of the people of Huaxia, and for the future of all humanity—"
"I must confirm whether this divine being, while altering your memories, also happened to modify your deep subconscious."
"For instance—"
"Whether he may have twisted your conviction to protect your country into a time bomb set to destroy the world."
"Therefore, I need to conduct a brief interrogation of the 4 of you."
"It will be over quickly. I ask that all of you cooperate fully."
At these words, Shadow and the others immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
If the Dragon God truly had planted a Trojan horse inside their minds—
Then they were walking nukes at the heart of Huaxia.
"Commander, rest assured! We will cooperate fully!"
The 4 of them rose to attention without hesitation.
A clear conscience fears no scrutiny—for the sake of their country, they were willing to submit to any investigation.
Besides them, the Iron Wall Squad and the White Eagle Squad had been unconscious at the time.
They had not faced the Dragon God directly, so no interrogation was required.
"Very well."
Yue Tian rose, formally introducing himself.
"Comrades, allow me to introduce myself properly."
"My name is Yue Tian."
"I once served as vice-captain of the first generation of Blade Squad. The War God Lin Bayi you've spoken of…"
"He was my former squad captain."
"And today, I am the highest authority in the Central Base's national security division."
"My Ability is Sequence 029: 【Interrogator】."
"In simple terms—anyone who meets my gaze falls under this Rule-Type force and will speak the deepest truth of their heart."
"This truth is grounded at the soul level. There is no possibility of embellishment or disguise."
"You may briefly lose consciousness for a few seconds."
"Are you ready?"
The 4 of them drew a deep breath.
They had long heard this man's fearsome reputation.
Countless embedded traitors had been exposed beneath those eyes.
"Ready and waiting!"
"Good."
Yue Tian gave a satisfied nod.
Without a moment's delay, he began.
"First question—how exactly did you summon the Dragon God?"
The 4 of them answered almost simultaneously.
"Hollow Bamboo!"
"Dragon Balls!"
"Huili Eri!"
"Widow Wang bathing!"
The answers were identical to their earlier absurd testimony.
Yue Tian didn't pause at all, pressing on immediately.
"Second question—will you betray and destroy Huaxia?"
"No!"
The 4 responded with conviction.
"Third question—will you destroy humanity?"
"Never!"
Snap.
Yue Tian snapped his fingers.
The entire interrogation hadn't even taken half a minute.
The 4 of them gasped for breath, their backs soaked through with cold sweat.
Before they could even process what had happened, Yue Tian had already turned and was walking toward the door.
"Interrogation concluded. No issues detected."
"Congratulations, comrades—you've cleared the check."
"I have an urgent military matter to attend to, so I'll be heading out."
He reached the door, glanced back at Wan Changzheng and Wu Chunlan.
"Old friends, I'll leave the rest of this mess to the two of you."
"Take care, Old Yue. Mind your health."
The 2 senior commanders smiled warmly and waved him off.
Click.
The door shut, and Yue Tian's figure vanished without a trace.
Inside the conference room, the 4 sat staring at each other, all in a state of bewildered disbelief.
‘So that was…’
‘That was it?’
‘Was that running through formalities, or rushing off to get reincarnated?!’
‘Wasn't that way too fast?!’
Just as the 4 were reeling in confusion, the 2 senior commanders seated at the head of the table—Wan Changzheng and Wu Chunlan—suddenly began to smile.
Even Zhao Yan beside them, once the penny dropped for him, couldn't help covering his mouth and chuckling.
"Commanders… what are you laughing at?"
Luo Kun stared blankly.
Suddenly—
Shadow's pupils contracted sharply.
She abruptly recalled that the moment they'd entered the room—
In her nervousness, she had instinctively locked eyes with Commander Yue Tian for just an instant.
And it was precisely at that moment that Yue Tian had suddenly asked them that question about how they'd summoned the Dragon God!
"Of course!"
Shadow's voice was trembling.
"He… he didn't use his Ability during the second round of questioning!"
"He used it… during the first question—the moment we walked in the door, when he asked us how we'd summoned the Dragon God, he had already activated Interrogator!!"
Luo Kun and Liu Ruyan shuddered, the realization dawning on them as well—only in retrospect.
So all along…
That cunning old fox Yue Tian had been using his Ability to trick them from the very beginning.
His goal was never about fearing the Dragon God had tampered with their memories.
His goal was to test his own Ability.
To see whether the false layer of memory the Dragon God had planted—
Could withstand the soul-level interrogation of Sequence 029.
The result was self-evident. A divine being's methods had utterly crushed mortal rules.
Even under a soul interrogation—
The truths they'd spoken were still those tampered, falsified answers.
"That sly old bastard…"
Liu Ruyan muttered under her breath.
Watching the 3 young people question their own realities, Wan Changzheng smiled and waved a hand to smooth things over.
"Alright, alright, stop cursing Commander Yue in your heads."
"He was thinking about the bigger picture. The secrets tied to you lot are simply too significant."
Wu Chunlan then walked to the front of the conference table and said gravely:
"Children, the reason Yue Tian left in such a hurry is because he's already gotten the answer he was after—and he's gone to report it to the other elders."
"What we need to tell you now concerns your upcoming assignments…"
"And the names on the list for the deployment to Eerie Island…"