Chapter 304: Afternoon (2)

Chapter 304: The Hour of Midday (Part Two)

"Sir, you cannot blame me for this. You did not enter the interrogation chamber just now, so you did not see— that Gui Wang Da is nothing but a complete madman!"

Zheng Kui wore a bitter expression, pleading incessantly: "I told you that Xie Bi An died in the line of duty. He had no intention of confessing at all; instead, he lunged at me to kill me. If not for that sixth-grade interrogation chair, it might have been me who perished."

Lu Cheng Jiang sneered: "If you had died in the line of duty, I would have led the entire Wo District Jin Yi Wei to petition for merit on your behalf! Ensuring your family's prosperity and enduring legacy!"

"That is best left undone."

Lu Cheng Jiang gazed at Zheng Kui's awkward smile, his irritation growing.

He could not fathom how someone with such a timid and incompetent disposition had secured such a lucrative post as thousand-house commander or hundred-house official.

Yet, after a moment's reflection, Lu Cheng Jiang understood—if Zheng Kui were not such a spineless wretch, thousand-house Su Ce would not have held him in such contempt, forcing him to seek refuge under Lu's command.

But despite knowing Zheng Kui's true nature, he was still too inept!

Gui Wang Da was now imprisoned in the interrogation chamber, all contact with the outside world severed.

This isolation was precisely when his heart felt most uneasy.

Moreover, Gui Wang Da himself was acutely aware that the entire Quan Shan Cheng Household was desperately trying to clear their names, and casualties were inevitable.

Furthermore, he had already hinted to him a few hours prior that the Honghu faction knew Xie Bi An's group would launch a surprise attack on Jin Ze Cheng.

This would inevitably plant in Gui Wang Da's mind the suggestion that his subordinates had fallen into an ambush.

All the groundwork had been laid, and extracting a confession from Gui Wang Da was a matter of course.

Yet, even this final, simple step, Zheng Kui had botched.

Lu Cheng Jiang's expression was helpless; he sighed heavily, "Gui Wang Da probably realized from your demeanor that you were deceiving him. Otherwise, with his temperament, that interrogation chair might not have held him."

"Impossible—he was already electrocuted into that ghastly state. How could he still observe so keenly?" Zheng Kui looked horrified.

Lu Cheng Jiang approached the interrogation chamber door, his eyes as if they could pierce through the door, seeing the figure wrapped in blue electric arcs.

"The entire Quan Shan Cheng Household Jin Yi Wei, among the nine major hundred-house offices in the Wo District, has ranked first in annual casualties. You think it's because Gui Wang Da is incompetent?"

Zheng Kui asked doubtfully, "Is it not so? Gui Wang Da is notorious for his reckless aggression, often charging forward without confirming intelligence. This is common knowledge among all in the thousand-house office."

"Those who parrot others' words are fools. Go back and thoroughly examine the household's case files in recent years. Once you do, you will find that the only major city in the Wo District without any Honghu activity traces is Quan Shan Cheng!"

Lu Cheng Jiang slowly turned to stare at Zheng Kui, enunciating each word: "That is Quan Shan Cheng!"

"The other hundred-house offices and the Four Great Companies are intertwined in interests, their entanglements unclear. Some have even invested in the Four Great Companies' ventures, becoming shields for those Wo people. Only Quan Shan Cheng has no Honghu presence, and even the Four Great Companies have only one branch there."

"This is not because the other three cannot compete with the Huang Shi Group, but because in their eyes, Quan Shan Cheng is a tasteless yet perilous chicken rib. Only the Huang Shi Group's remnants, clinging to past glory, dare to touch this cursed spot."

"As you saw, after the arms smuggling case, the Huang Shi Group was driven out of Quan Shan Cheng as well."

Zheng Kui's face was shocked. These facts were openly recorded in the thousand-house office archives, but he had never connected them.

Perhaps more accurately, he had never had the leisure to do so.

His energy had been devoted to squeezing more silver from the Four Great Companies, leaving no time to consider such irrelevant matters.

"But why would Gui Wang Da do such a thing?"

Zheng Kui remained puzzled, "He acts so independently, with no apparent benefit at all!"

"If he were as calculating as you, perhaps the thousand-house office's deputy commander would be Gui Wang Da, not me, Lu Cheng Jiang."

Lu Cheng Jiang sighed softly, "If we were Imperial Guards on the mainland, I might have become good friends with him. Alas, this is the Wo District, and such a man offends too many people."

"The current Jin Yi Wei no longer holds the authority of the old days when the Emperor granted them power. To survive, one must curry favor with too many, doing dirty work that cannot be brought to light."

"People say one cannot control their fate in the martial world, but they do not know that in officialdom, one is even less in control!"

"Gui Wang Da, who calls himself a 'revivalist,' is at best a righteous brute. A man like you, Sir, is a patient and wise strategist!"

Zheng Kui's expression turned solemn, bowing respectfully, "What the Jin Yi Wei truly needs now is you, Sir. Gui Wang Da and his ilk will only ruin the greater plan for minor gains!"

Lu Cheng Jiang's tone was desolate, "Alas, most people can only see what is before them. How many can perceive what lies behind?"

"The day the Jin Yi Wei truly rises again, history will restore your innocence!" Zheng Kui's face was excited, full of admiration.

"Hopefully."

Lu Cheng Jiang sighed, then set aside his melancholic expression, his voice deepening, "It seems relying on deception to extract Gui Wang Da's confession will not work."

"It is my incompetence." Zheng Kui said shamefully.

"It is not your fault. You have never been on the front lines; dealing with these battle-hardened veterans is challenging for you."

"Thank you for your understanding, Sir."

Zheng Kui blinked, whispering eagerly, "Then what do we do now? Must we wait until the War Ministry's deadline passes to handle Gui Wang Da?"

"Now, the Hour of Midday has just passed, and it is the Hour of Shen. There are still four hours until the twelve-hour deadline for solving the case—too long, and variables may arise."

Lu Cheng Jiang slowly shook his head, his voice resolute, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We cannot wait for events to unfold; we must seize control ourselves."

"Do you have a plan, Sir?"

Eager to redeem himself, Zheng Kui patted his chest, vowing earnestly, "Whatever you command, Sir, I assure you I will see it done!"

Lu Cheng Jiang smiled slightly, "Gui Wang Da is convinced we are deceiving him. This time, we will present some evidence to him."

"Do you mean someone truly died in the Quan Shan Cheng Household?"

Zheng Kui suddenly shivered with excitement.

Lu Cheng Jiang did not rush to answer but produced an electronic document and handed it to Zheng Kui.

The document played a scene—Xie Bi An hurling his knife in rage in the Sixth Garden, then being engulfed by countless artillery shells.

The entire scene trembled, likely extracted from someone's electronic eye.

After playing once, it became somewhat blurred; it seemed another playback would erase it entirely.

"Whether the person truly died matters not. What matters is making Gui Wang Da believe, making him furious, making him despair!"

Lu Cheng Jiang whispered, "The two black and white spirits in Quan Shan Cheng have followed him for a long time, from when he first became a hundred-house official, fighting alongside him. His other Jin Yi Wei subordinates died one after another, leaving only these two old men. Though their relationship is superior and subordinate, they are more like father and son."

At this point, Zheng Kui understood, smiling, "So when the son dies, the father grieves. If Gui Wang Da does not wish the other black spirit to die, he must submit to you, Sir, trading his life for Fan Wu Jiu's!"

"Zheng Kui, you are quite perceptive. With some training, you could be a rare talent."

Lu Cheng Jiang rarely praised him, nodding, "Once this is done, the Quan Shan Cheng hundred-house position will be yours. The Empire has an old saying: better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Though the thousand-house office is higher in rank, it lacks the vast domain of the lower ranks!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Kui's face flushed red, clutching the electronic document excitedly, "Sir, rest assured, as long as I hold Quan Shan Cheng, I will never forget your patronage!"

"Your words are enough. It shows I, Lu Cheng Jiang, have not misjudged you."

With that, Lu Cheng Jiang raised his hand and pushed open the interrogation chamber door, a thick darkness almost congealed pouring out.

"Go. Notify me immediately when Gui Wang Da confesses."

"Yes!"

Zheng Kui nodded vigorously, stepping back into the room that had nearly shattered his courage, a smile he could not conceal on his face.

Click~~.

The moment Zheng Kui entered the interrogation chamber, before he could speak, a strange chill surged from his tailbone to his head.

He turned back in shock, only to find the door behind him had closed and locked automatically.

Zheng Kui furrowed his brow unconsciously, but he didn't dwell on it, still standing cautiously at a distance, raising his hand to toss the electronic document before Gui Wang Da.

"Gui Wang Da, didn't you think I was just bluffing you just now? Now the facts are right in front of you, take a good look."

The electronic document lit up and began to play on its own.

The continuous gunfire and explosions, but Xie Bi'an's anxious shouts were unusually clear.

Then came the roar of the fire dragon emerging from water, deafening.

It gave the impression that no one in the scene could possibly survive.

The audio and video recorded in the electronic document were short, and after playing, it went 'pop' and self-destructed.

"Do you see clearly now, Gui Wang Da? I already told you, resisting stubbornly will only kill more people, and now it has come true."

Zheng Kui's sarcastic words had not yet finished, when suddenly a glaring red warning light burst into his vision, flashing frantically, dazzling and causing panic in his heart.

At the same time, the azure electric arcs wrapped around the mechanical body vanished at a visible speed, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"What's going on? Who turned off the restraint in the torture chamber?"

Zheng Kui watched the naked mechanical body slowly rising, his whole body drenched in cold sweat, a fear beyond words enveloping his heart.

He turned and rushed toward the torture chamber door, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open the locked gate!

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, heavy and deliberate.

Zheng Kui looked down at the Jin Yi Wei Baihu (Imperial Guard Captain) waist badge in his hand, which had all permissions blocked, his twisted face revealing a mix of horror and anger.

Snap.

A drop of sweat slid from his forehead to his nose, finally falling onto the waist badge clenched in his palm.

At this moment, Zheng Kui finally understood.

"Lu Chengjiang, you bastard, so your method was to sell me out!"

Zheng Kui's throat erupted in a hysterical roar, "Lu Chengjiang, you beast!"

What spirit, what promises, it turned out to be all excuses to deceive his mind.

That electronic document proving Xie Bi'an's death was a complete ruse to enrage Gui Wang Da!

No wonder Lu Chengjiang had secretly opened the torture chamber to torment Gui Wang Da, and repeatedly let himself interrogate him.

He probably knew from the start that ordinary methods and tricks couldn't fool Gui Wang Da. What he wanted to do was use the pain of the law and Gui Wang Da's concern for his subordinates to thoroughly disrupt his mind, provoking his desperate killing intent!

Then send himself, the best target for venting anger, to Gui Wang Da's face, letting him kill him with his own hands.

Killing a comrade-in-arms, this was an unbreakable line for all Jin Yi Wei.

No matter how great Gui Wang Da's past achievements were, or how much he had been wronged and slandered in this case. As long as he killed his own people, even Qian Shuo couldn't save him!

Afterwards, even if someone noticed the many doubts in this matter, as an important participant, he was already dead, naturally becoming the best scapegoat.

Dead without a witness, who could do anything to the deputy chief Qian Shuo?

"Not bad for a top five Xi Shou in the Zongheng order, from beginning to end, you've held me tightly in your hands, Lu Chengjiang, you're really good at this!"

Zheng Kui revealed a tragic smile, turned around, leaned against the door, watching the approaching ferocious mechanical body.

"Gui Wang Da, what I just showed you was Lu Chengjiang's way to provoke your anger. Xie Bi'an might not really be dead. His purpose was to enrage you, make you kill me. If you fall into this trap, the culprit in the Guan Shan Cheng case will really be doomed!"

Zheng Kui still didn't give up his desire to survive, he tried his best to keep his voice steady, persuading Gui Wang Da.

"Die, Lu Chengjiang."

The mechanical body's steps halted, and from beneath the lowered head, a intermittent voice came out.

"Yes, yes, the damned Lu Chengjiang! You let me go, I can testify for you!"

Zheng Kui looked at the stopped Gui Wang Da, and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

"Zheng Kui, you're going to die too!"

The terrifying mechanical head, without the synthetic skin, suddenly lifted, the remaining eye glowing with madness.

The pupil embedded in it alternated between contracting and dilating, the mechanical heart in the chest cavity emitting an uneasy buzzing.

It's... it's over, Gui Wang Da has been manipulated too!

Zheng Kui's body, pressed against the torture chamber door, trembled uncontrollably, "Gui Wang Da, wake the hell up!"

Pfft!

Zheng Kui stared in disbelief at his own chest, a mechanical arm covered in burn marks had plunged into it.

The intense pain made him instinctively open his mouth to gasp, his vision beginning to blur.

Just as his entire field of view fell into darkness, a familiar yet elusive voice suddenly rang in his ear.

He looked around in confusion, only to be horrified to find that the voice was coming from his own mouth.

"Gui Wang Da, I, Lu Chengjiang, guarantee that no one can save you this time!"

Click.

The torture chamber door, which had been completely locked and couldn't be opened even with Baihu permissions, suddenly began to slowly open on its own.

Behind the door was a spacious corridor leading downward, which was also being swallowed by the glaring red light.

A large group of fully armed Jin Yi Wei filled the path, their blades and gun barrels pointing forward.

"Get out of the way!"

An angry shout rang out from the rear, a figure pushed through the Jin Yi Wei in front of him, rushing to the front.

At the moment the alarm sounded, Qian Fengting's heart immediately jumped with a chilling thought.

But when he arrived at the lower level, the scene before him still left him stunned, his body growing cold in waves.

"Old Ghost, are you out of your mind?"

Tap.

A blood-soaked mechanical body slowly walked out of the torture chamber, dragging the incomplete corpse on the ground, leaving a trail of bleeding blood.

Bang.

Zheng Kui's incomplete corpse was thrown at Qian Fengting's feet.

Gui Wang Da's remaining eye had now regained focus.

"Despite all precautions, I still fell into his hands in the end."

The mechanical synthesized voice came from the body, along with the faint buzzing of the mechanical heart.

"Old Ghost, don't act rashly!"

Qian Fengting's pupils contracted sharply, and after shouting, he suddenly turned to look at the highly alert Jin Yi Wei behind him.

"You all put down your weapons! Who gave you the nerve to point guns at a Jin Yi Wei Baihu?"

"Under the eyes of all, killing your own comrades, can such a person still be considered a Jin Yi Wei?!"

At the sound of this voice, the Jin Yi Wei all turned to lean against the walls.

A crack split through the crowded throng, revealing the speaker standing at the rear—Lu Chenjiang!

“Ghost King Da, I thought your brutal and reckless methods were merely the cause of your grave error in ‘usurping merit through massacre.’ But I never imagined you’d descend into madness, slaughtering even your own kin!”

Lu Chenjiang clutched his wrist and sighed, “You’ve disappointed me beyond words. How shall I account for this to Suzhou Thousand Master upon his return to the imperial homeland?”

“No need to account for it—I’ll take you down with me right now!”

In Ghost King Da’s lone righteous eye, his gaze remained serene.

He faced the blades and spears before him, his steps unwavering.

“Old Ghost, wake up!”

Qian Fengting no longer cared that Lu Chenjiang stood beside him—he lunged forward, pressing his voice low: “When Suzhou Thousand Master returns, there’s still room for redemption. If you take one more wrong step, there will be no turning back!”

“Qian Thousand Household, your words are just.”

Lu Chenjiang regarded Qian Fengting with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “Pity your ‘good friend’ arrived too late. Had you persuaded Ghost King Da sooner, he wouldn’t have fallen to such depravity.”

The phrase “good friend” was emphasized with a bitter edge, laced with mockery and jest.

“Deputy Thousand Household Lu, this matter has been shrouded in suspicion from the start. I suggest we detain Ghost King Da first, await Suzhou Thousand Master’s return to investigate, and then render judgment!”

Qian Fengting stepped in front of Ghost King Da, his voice heavy with command.

“Ghost King Da of Huangshan City, driven mad by greed and ambition, slaughtering the people for merit. Even after the incident, he shows no remorse, killing Thousand Household Zheng Kui and attempting to flee! The evidence is irrefutable, the facts laid bare before us. What further investigation is needed?”

“But—”

“There is no ‘but’!”

Lu Chenjiang cut off Qian Fengting’s feeble plea, his tone resolute: “Suzhou Thousand Master returns to the imperial homeland to report on his duties. All matters of the Thousand Household fall under my jurisdiction! Seize the criminal Ghost King Da at once, and if he resists, execute him on the spot!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a series of violent explosions erupted overhead.

Stone fragments scattered across the corridor above, followed by a massive cement slab crashing down, its edges gleaming like a blade’s cut.

Amidst the swirling dust, a towering figure descended, the Crimson Spring Blade in his hand still glowing with crimson light.

Like a mountain, he stood between the Imperial Guards and Ghost King Da!

Qian Fengting looked up at the broad back, his face paling as two thick, gleaming cannon muzzles slowly retracted beneath the armor plates on the figure’s spine.

“Damn you all for coming, but did you have to blow up the Thousand Household Office?!”

“Are you people of Huangshan City here to clear your names or to storm the prison and seize someone?!”

“Old Ghost, we’ve come to save you!”

The figures of Fan Wujiu and Xie Bi’an followed, landing on either side of Li Jun.

Three Crimson Spring Blades pointed forward, their numbers few but their presence thunderous and awe-inspiring!

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