Chapter 979: Retribution

Chapter 979: Retribution

The dark, damp cell had three walls of windowless concrete, and only one wall of barred iron with a viewing window and a steel door.

A man in prison garb sat on a metal chair in the center of the room, a glaring white light hanging above his head.

The air was thick with a smell of metal and rubber, making the gray cement walls feel even more oppressive, sinister, and cold.

This was the interrogation room of the 11th Prison in Avant City, where just a week ago, war criminals from the Southern Legion and servants of Tyr had been questioned.

Now, the prisoner sitting in the room under interrogation was a disciple of the Enlightenment Society.

Two Vlandrian guards sat on either side of a desk outside the interrogation room.

Unaware of the situation, they thought the man was just a common thief. The one playing the bad cop, a burly fellow with eyes like copper bells, shouted loudly.

"Come clean! Name! Age! Organization! And that... Academy research ship—where did you hide it?!" He flipped through the file to figure out what the guy had done, but was baffled by what a research ship even was.

A research ship?

Avant City didn’t even have a sea—how could something like that be lost here?!

A very real problem was that not all Vlandrians knew the ins and outs of the Academy.

In fact, most Vlandrians’ impression of the Academy was just "slugs in the swamp," and whatever little they knew came from scraps in the *Southern Legion Victory Gazette*.

It was hard to say how much truth was in that.

Facing the aggressive interrogation, Flynn closed his eyes and said nothing, wearing an expression of total resignation, not intending to utter a single word.

From the moment he was caught, he was as good as dead.

The only regret, perhaps, was that he hadn’t died.

But that wasn’t such a big deal.

He had long ago prepared to sacrifice himself for his ideals, and had always known this day might come.

So no matter what dirty tricks the guards used, they wouldn’t get a single word out of him!

Every prisoner who had sat here before was ashen-faced and dejected. The burly guard outside the iron bars had never seen such a stubborn troublemaker.

Seeing the man not respond for so long, he flew into a rage, slammed the table, and stood up.

"Not talking? Looks like you’re itching for a beating!"

As he pulled out his keys to go in and teach the guy a lesson, an older guard beside him quickly reached out to stop him.

The burly guard glared at his old colleague.

"Don’t stop me! No one’s changing my mind today! I’m going to teach him a lesson!"

The older guard advised earnestly.

"Calm down! Don’t be impulsive! The Alliance said just to keep an eye on him. Ask if you can, but if not, don’t rush to use force—they’ll handle it themselves."

"Damn it! I can’t take it!"

"Listen to me, forget it..."

"..."

Listening to the back-and-forth, Flynn, sitting in the cell, wasn’t the least bit scared—he almost felt like laughing.

Is that all?

Seems the Alliance isn’t much after all.

These people still cling to their civilized restraint.

And so, Flynn got through the first round of interrogation without much effort, and it was so easy he almost looked down on the Alliance’s methods.

Time passed. Just as he was about to fall asleep from boredom, there came a rustling sound and footsteps outside the barred door.

So that was just the appetizer.

Clearly, the Alliance interrogators weren’t going to let him off that easily. There would probably be another two or three rounds today.

Flynn, who had been conserving his strength, felt his eyelids twitch slightly, but quickly returned to a calm expression, sitting there with his eyes closed, ready.

Just as he prepared to meet whatever came, Fang Chang, standing on the other side of the iron bars, looked the man over—this one who was impervious to reason.

"Has he confessed?"

In response to Fang Chang’s question, the guard beside him looked a bit embarrassed and handed over a blank record book.

"No... You said to keep an eye on him and not use force, so we didn’t. We just asked casually, but he didn’t appreciate it—not a single word."

Fang Chang nodded, said nothing more, gestured for the guard to keep the book and pen, then walked to the viewing window, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"I’m a resident of Vault 404, name’s Fang Chang. I heard you’re from a vault too?"

At the word "vault," Flynn showed a slight reaction, opening one eye to glance at the man across the iron window.

But just a glance.

Fang Chang raised an eyebrow.

"So you’re not from a vault?"

Flynn let out a cold laugh, speaking flatly.

"Vault 68, Flynn... Even if I tell you, it means nothing. Our vault no longer exists."

"Vault 68, Flynn."

Fang Chang nodded, gave the dumbfounded guard a look to write it down, then looked at the man behind the iron bars, his tone gentle as he continued.

"...Our database indeed has no record of it, but it’s not too late to start a file now. The Alliance has many such vault dwellers. They live well and get along with other wastelanders."

Flynn curled his lips in disinterest.

"If you’re trying to convince me like this, save your breath."

"I’m not trying to convince you—there’s no need for that. We’ll soon know what we want to know," Fang Chang said with a faint smile, looking at the disdainful Flynn, and continued casually, "By the way, do you know where this is?"

Flynn didn’t answer.

Or rather, he couldn’t be bothered.

Fang Chang didn’t mind, answering his own question.

"This is the 11th Prison in Avant City, where war criminals of the Southern Legion are tried. You’re no better than them, and neither is the organization behind you. Since we defeated the Southern Legion and defeated Tyr, we can defeat you... And I can tell you responsibly, it’s as easy as crushing an ant."

Flynn sneered.

"You talk too much."

"I heard from my comrades that you talk a lot too. So why are you speechless sitting here?" Fang Chang looked at Flynn with a smile, then glanced at his watch, speaking in a chatty tone, "Time’s almost up. I’m just making small talk—don’t take it to heart."

Not letting his guard down because of those words, Flynn curled the corner of his mouth slightly.

"Give it up. I won’t tell you a single word."

His voice was soft,

like the forked tongue of a snake.

Looking at this stubborn man who still talked tough even at death’s door, Fang Chang suddenly smiled.

"Alright, I understand."

With that, he glanced at the time one last time, rose, and cast his gaze toward the guard who had barely scribbled a few notes in the log, issuing his command with curt brevity.

"Move him to Room 101."

This fellow was someone the Academy wanted anyway.

Since that was the case, let the Academy's people handle the interrogation.

That Jiang Xuezhou should be ready by now.

The guard stood at attention, his expression stern, right fist pressed against his chest.

"Yes!"

Fang Chang waved a hand, then strolled out the door with leisurely grace.

As the order was given, three burly guards swung open the iron door and stepped inside.

The lead guard grinned menacingly at his face, cracking his knuckles—this was the very man who had earlier vowed to teach him a lesson.

Flin felt not a trace of panic.

Yet, watching the retreating back disappear through the doorway, an involuntary shiver of foreboding crept into his heart.

What was that bastard plotting?

Why was he so certain he could crack open his mind?

The three guards entering the cell gave Flin no time to ponder.

Two flanked him left and right, on alert, while the lead guard used a key to unlock his leg irons and handcuffs.

The moment the restraints were undone, the two guards seized his arms, twisted them behind his back, and shoved him out the door.

In truth, all these motions were entirely superfluous.

To prevent him from biting off his tongue, they had already injected him with a muscle relaxant; he now had no more strength than an infant.

Flin sneered inwardly, letting the three guards drag him along, hauling him from the dark cell to the so-called Room 101.

To his surprise, Room 101 was not laid out like an interrogation chamber; instead, it resembled a server room.

Rows of pale green chassis sat against the walls, cables of varying thickness tangled together like a mess of yarn.

The only chair was a "dental surgery table" in the center of the room—instinct told him that ominous seat was meant for him.

What the hell were these people planning?

A faint unease stirred in Flin's heart; the calm in his eyes was gone, replaced by an instinctive struggle.

But the guards holding him showed no leniency, slamming him onto the chair and locking the restraints around his limbs.

"Weren't you so tough? Hope you don't piss your pants later," the burly guard sneered at Flin, patting his face.

He himself had no idea what methods the Academy intended to use, only that the one applying them was a C-level researcher from the Academy.

That rank must be pretty impressive, right?

Probably.

Flin's eyes fixed on the burly guard's back until all the guards had left the room; only then did he take in his surroundings.

The man called "Lairi Fangchang" was not here; instead, there was a pair of vaguely familiar-looking man and woman—

Flin's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly recognized the two standing there: the very couple who had ambushed him in the sewers earlier!

Seeing him staring intently, Ye Shi smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

"Flin, right? We meet again."

Flin glared at him darkly, then glanced at the woman fiddling with bottles, jars, and syringes, forcing a hoarse voice from his throat.

"What kind of trick are you pulling..."

Truth serum?

Hallucinogen?

Ha, those psychoactive drugs were useless against him.

"You mean this?"

Ye Shi followed his gaze, seeing him fixated on the nearby chassis, and chuckled. "This? In your terms, it's called a memory extraction device."

Flin's expression froze for a moment, but only for an instant.

"Memory extraction device? Don't bullshit me... How could you possibly have something like that."

Watching Flin's forced composure, Ye Shi smiled.

"Not really. Dawn City actually has one—just not here."

Flin let out a cold laugh, feeling a slight relief.

He didn't know where the Alliance had gotten that thing, but fortunately, it was separated by a vast desert; getting it here wouldn't be easy.

Yet just as he thought that, an icy voice drifted into his ears, yanking his eased heart back into his throat.

"There is indeed no such vile thing here, but if it's necessary, whipping one up on the spot isn't exactly hard for me."

Jiang Xuezhou, who had finished her preparations, turned around, her face expressionless as she looked at the man on the dental chair, handing the prepared syringe to Ye Shi.

He understood at once, holding the syringe between two fingers and striding briskly toward the chair.

Terror spread across Flin's face; he instinctively shrank back, but the restraints held him fast—nowhere to flee!

Though his gut told him "whipping one up on the spot" was pure nonsense, the confident look on the approaching man's face left no flaw to exploit.

Watching the man closing in and the woman's impassive gaze nearby, Flin shouted as if to convince himself.

"Stop your fucking bluffing! You think memory extraction tech is some dime-a-dozen thing? It's the fruit of over a decade of our sociological expertise—"

"Over a decade?" Jiang Xuezhou's eyes were cold as she looked at him, like a twisted worm. "Just fully immersive virtual reality—nothing more than inducing a person's subconscious through continuous neural signals to dig out deep-seated memories. You spent decades on that? That's it?"

Why was she so certain? Because she had experienced it herself.

Flin stared at Jiang Xuezhou in terror, watching the syringe approach his arm; his throat bobbed, but no words came.

He didn't know the origin of the memory extraction tech, only that it could squeeze secrets from a brain like a sugarcane juicer, leaving nothing behind.

Since most who went through the system ended up as vegetables, it was used internally as a punishment and deterrent.

He had never violated the organization's rules or betrayed it, so he'd never had the chance to try it...

And that was precisely why he had no idea how to resist it!

Jiang Xuezhou watched him impassively, her voice cold as she continued.

"...You think that's some brilliant technology? We didn't build it only because we didn't want some self-righteous fool, convinced of his own greatness, to crack open our minds one day and turn it against us."

"But you're an exception—because you are that self-righteous fool, and I feel not a shred of guilt using this tech on you."

"I haven't forgotten what you did to me. Now I'm giving it back..."

"Experience it for yourself."

With that, she turned to Ye Shi—the one who had once pulled her from the nightmare.

Seeing that the scene had concluded, Ye Shi wasted no time, giving Flynn a shot in the arm without a second word, then patting the terrified man’s shoulder with a grin.

“Good luck—just think of it as a bad dream.”

He recalled that in Jiang Xuezhou’s dream, there had been heavy snow, hadn’t there?

And some hyena-like mutants.

Though he had no idea what was so frightening about snow and a few hyenas, since she had sworn up and down that this device could wring every thought out of a person’s mind, he figured he’d take her word for it.

When it came to Jiang Xuezhou’s skills, Ye Shi had plenty of faith.

Flynn opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a single syllable, a massive force enveloped his entire body, yanking his increasingly heavy consciousness out of his flesh.

It felt like an out-of-body experience!

But as his soul departed, it wasn’t just his five senses that were sealed off—his memories were too!

He even forgot his own name!

His consciousness, torn from his body, floated in the air for a while before being sucked into a bottomless black hole, then plunging into an endless expanse of crimson!

He seemed to inhabit his own heart, yet also stood at the earth’s core!

Then, after who knew how long, a prickling itch crept over his entire body, and soon that itch turned into the searing agony of being roasted over flames!

“Ahh—”

Unable to bear the intense pain, Flynn tried to scream, but no sound came out; he could only wail silently in a void without time or space.

Boundless terror filled his soul!

And under the infinite iterations of overclocking, the things he feared—and fear itself—began to take shape, growing more and more concrete!

Every cell in his body felt like it was burning…

As if he’d fallen into lava!

Soon the boiling lava turned into something else; he tried to see what surrounded him, and the scorching presence quickly became what he feared most…

Fire?

Why fire?

No one asked him.

He asked himself.

That vague confusion had barely surfaced in his mind when before his eyes appeared the burning gates of Vault 68.

Not just the gates—through the raging flames, his gaze pierced to see many familiar yet unfamiliar faces!

Among them were his all-powerful father, his gentle and kind mother, his lively and adorable little sister… and the friendly neighbors, the amiable overseer, his best buddy, and the girl he once loved.

Those familiar faces had long been buried in the deepest recesses of his memory, but the boiling flames dug them all up, leaving none behind.

And not just them—

But the raiders who had killed them.

“No—!”

Flynn’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared hoarsely, trying to rush in and save them from the raiders, but the bridge, no more than ten meters long, felt like ten light-years; no matter how hard he ran, he never reached the end, until he collapsed in the flames, utterly exhausted.

Sparks scattered everywhere!

He watched helplessly as the memory played out in slow motion to its end, then slowly recalled his own name and theirs, along with the hatred etched into that unforgettable memory.

Those ingrates—

The Vault had given them food, clothes… and technology they’d never seen in their lives! Let them live a life they’d never dared to dream of!

And after they were fed, they turned around and bit the hand that fed them!

He would kill them all—

Wipe out every last wastelander on this planet!

At that moment, blue figures suddenly appeared in his bloodshot pupils, and with their arrival, the rain of fire melted away like ice and snow.

Human perception of pain has its limits.

Constant pain only numbs, making one unresponsive to external stimuli—and that was clearly not what the “god” pulling the strings wanted.

Seeing those blue figures, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared on Flynn’s face, like a traveler crawling through the desert spotting an oasis—

Even if it was just a mirage!

They walked toward him, and as he had hoped, their faces bore spring-like smiles, reaching out to help him.

Flynn mustered all his strength and finally grasped that hand.

But the moment their fingertips touched, a massive force enveloped him again, dragging him into boundless darkness.

“From today on, you are a disciple of the Enlightened.”

A familiar voice flooded his mind, and the world pieced together from memory fragments instantly collapsed, beginning to iterate anew.

“No—!!!”

Enough!

I’ll tell you everything!

Just stop this damn thing!

Fear filled Flynn’s eyes as he let out a second scream—

Or rather, a wail.

But no one paid him any mind.

No one even heard him.

Meanwhile, in a cell at Avant City’s 11th Prison, the second hand on the wall clock had only just ticked past one second…

At 5 PM.

Three hours had passed since the interrogation began.

Fang Chang glanced at the time on his VM and knocked on the door of Room 101 next door.

On the third knock, the door swung inward, and a stench of urine hit him.

Frowning at the pungent smell, Fang Chang leaned in to look—the man on the operating table lay in a pool of yellowish liquid.

“Did you fry his brain?”

“How could that be,” Ye Shi chuckled. “He’s still alive, but his mind’s in rough shape.”

He had seen everything the guy saw in the dream on the holographic screen.

Honestly.

He almost felt sorry for the guy.

But pity was pity—when it came to getting results, you still had to do what needed to be done.

And compared to the Enlightenment Society, their methods could already be considered merciful.

The Enlightenment Society's memory extractor could truly burn a person's brain out, while Jiang Xuezhou's hastily written program at most made one's mind feel as if kicked by a donkey a few times.

If one's mind was not firm, they might indeed go mad, but those with mature minds could still emerge from the nightmare.

“Truly an evil technology…” Fang Chang clicked his tongue, admiring from the bottom of his heart.

And the few Valorian prison guards standing behind him, after seeing the situation in the room, now looked at the young woman in the white coat with awe.

“As expected of someone from the Academy!”

“Their methods are truly ruthless!”

“Not a single external wound visible, yet they made the person lose control of their bowels and bladder!”

“That’s just too impressive!”

At that moment, Jiang Xuezhou had no idea that she and the Academy had earned the Valorian’s respect for some inexplicable reason.

She waved at Fang Chang, who stood at the door, signaling him to come in and close the door, then handed a thumb-sized hard drive to Fang Chang.

“I’ve gotten the clues out… Our research ship is probably no longer on Earth.”

Fang Chang frowned.

“Not on Earth? Then where?”

Jiang Xuezhou took a deep breath and said.

“The Orion… missile cruiser.”

Ye Shi and Fang Chang exchanged glances, both with expressions of shock and even bewilderment.

But soon, that bewilderment gradually turned into excitement.

“Holy crap? Are we about to open the space map?!” Ye Shi couldn’t help but exclaim in a low voice.

Fang Chang ignored him, just coughed lightly, and looked at Jiang Xuezhou with a serious expression as he asked.

“Let me confirm one thing first… Is this missile cruiser a starship?”

“Yes,” Jiang Xuezhou nodded and slowly began to speak, “All military ships of the Human Union era were starships. This starship was built at the Lagrange point shipyard, completed at the end of the Three-Year War, and soon after entering service, it was lost… The specific cause of the loss is unknown.”

“Awesome!!”

Ye Shi clenched his fists excitedly, wishing he could log off right then and there to tell the good news to the brothers on the forum.

However, this excitement in his heart lasted no more than two seconds before it plummeted into the abyss because of Jiang Xuezhou’s next words.

“Additionally… according to our data, this starship is carrying a hundred thousand neutron torpedoes.”

Pausing, Jiang Xuezhou continued in a trembling voice.

“Although the specific explosive yield data hasn’t been found, there is a saying…”

“At the end of the Three-Year War, the bombing mission against the surface hive by the Human Union Aerospace Force was carried out by this starship.”