Chapter 25: The Rumor Is True

Wen Xishu relied on his sheer willpower and thick skin to significantly drag out the interrogation. By the time Xie Changfeng realized it, it was already a bit too late. He suddenly understood that he had been provoked by words and had wasted much of his effort during the interrogation.

Truth be told, this kid Wen Xishu was truly detestable. His words were not physically harmful, but they were deeply insulting. Of course, Xie had encountered foul-mouthed suspects before, and usually, a good beating would make them obedient. But Wen Xishu’s bones were much harder. Even with all the people Xie had interrogated, Wen Xishu definitely ranked among the toughest. At this moment, Wen was covered in wounds and mangled flesh, his eyes unable to open, yet his face still managed to convey utter disdain.

Xie Changfeng was exhausted. The main reason was that he himself realized that if he didn't produce results from the interrogation soon, there would likely be consequences. Thus, he began ordering his men to prepare a truth serum for Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu’s brain was spinning, his consciousness blurring, but even then... he did not panic. With a mouth full of blood, he mumbled, maintaining his previous rhythm and continuing his verbal assault on Xie Changfeng. He knew this moment was unavoidable, but if he panicked now, he would expose his weakness. From a young age, Wen Xishu had understood one thing: win by any means necessary, and even if you cannot win, make sure the opponent is uncomfortable and unhappy.

However, he really couldn't think of any more tricks. Because his consciousness was drifting, he occasionally felt unable to distinguish reality from illusion. Dimly, he seemed to hear... the sound of footsteps in the distance. The next second, he saw the figure of a man standing in the mist. His face was unclear, but he made a gesture—a "shush" gesture.

"Xishu, keep it a secret, okay?"
"From now on, let's play a game where whoever speaks first loses."

He felt as if he had returned to his childhood, nodding happily, his heart filled with the joy of his older brother wanting to play with him. Was this a memory of "Wen Xishu"? Unaccountably, his perspective shifted from the first person to the third person. His consciousness was indeed chaotic. He suddenly thought that perhaps this body was just like this—whenever it felt extremely dangerous and lacked a sense of security, it would think of Wen Zhaohua. The person who could provide that sense of security.

Wen Xishu felt a strange sense of envy. He was, in fact, the current master of this body, but he also had his own experiences. Although he had accepted his transmigration, he had not fully accepted himself in terms of self-identity. Long ago, Wen Xishu had wondered: what would it be like to have an older brother? Would he take away half of the parents' love, or half of their hate? Would he have spared him from those terrifying experiences?

"Wen Xishu, what kind of help did Wen Zhaohua give you!"
"What's going on! Is the truth serum not working on him? Increase the dosage!"
"Don't worry about it, if he's a fool, he's a fool; he was a moron to begin with. Give him more!"

The blurry, distant voices came from afar. It sounded like someone talking inside a blanket, muffled and unclear, yet one could sense the other party's frustration. Wen Xishu wanted to speak. He felt those voices gradually merging with Wen Zhaohua and everyone trustworthy in his memory. He was losing his ability to judge and was thinking of answering the questions. But the figure in the distance still stood in the mist, maintaining the "shush" gesture. The fog only grew thicker, and the figure became increasingly indistinct. Finally, Wen Xishu heard what seemed to be a hearty laugh, but he had no energy left to ponder what the laughter meant.

...

The medical staff found it incredible. Even after the truth serum was injected, this young man could still remain silent. He had already increased the dosage according to Xie Changfeng's instructions, but it seemed the target still possessed defensive consciousness. It was said that those with an extreme lack of inner security could possess a certain resistance to truth serum, though there was no scientific basis for it. The effect of the serum made it difficult for a person to distinguish whether a voice came from a trusted person or an interrogator. Ultimately, guided by the voices, they would tell all. But Wen Xishu had actually held out for a round.

The medical staff couldn't help but wonder: in this young man's world, was there not a single trustworthy person? He, of course, did not know Wen Xishu's history. His body hid secrets that might have been worth "slicing up for research," and the entire Wen family had been slaughtered. Aside from himself, the only other survivor was that super-criminal named Wen Zhaohua. In such an environment, he truly didn't know whom to trust.

Regardless, he wouldn't be able to hold out for a second round. The medical staff prepared to increase the dosage again. Xie Changfeng suddenly grew nervous; that secret—the one all the top brass wanted to know—was about to be revealed to him. He swallowed hard and said, "Quick! Don't stop!" On an intuitive level, his sixth sense told him he had to race against time.

But he was still too slow. A burst of hearty laughter rang out, and Xie Changfeng was shocked.

"You little brats from the Security Bureau! You've grown lazy!"

A few seconds before the laughter, it had been far away, but as the words fell, the person had already arrived nearby. Interspersed were the sounds of muffled groans—the guards.

Xie Changfeng wanted to shout, "Enemy attack!" but when he saw the old man's face, the words died in his throat.

"Looking at you, it seems you haven't managed to get anything out of him? Hahahaha..."

The old man's laughter was unrestrained. Xie Changfeng’s face turned grim; he recognized who this person was. He hadn't expected such a figure to appear here. Albert Napolitano. The man rumored to have climbed to the ninetieth floor of the Slaughter Tower.

"Doctor, has this kid already been injected with truth serum?" Albert actually already had the answer. Looking at Wen Xishu's unfocused eyes, he knew the Security Bureau had stopped caring about the health of this meritorious individual. His smile faded, solidifying into a position of considerable pressure, and his eyes grew sharper: "Where is your 'human rights above all'?"

The doctor knew who Albert was, though he had never met him and did not know this man was a legend of the Bunker. He only felt a numbing sensation in his knees, as if they were about to buckle.

"In... injected, we even increased the dose, but... but we haven't been able to get anything out of him."

As if it were the doctor who had been injected with the truth serum, he subconsciously told the truth in the face of this old man. He had expected Albert to fly into a rage, but instead, Albert laughed heartily once more:

"Hahahaha, very good, very good indeed. He actually didn't yield; this kid has a decent foundation, doesn't he?"

"Alright, thank you all for testing him. I have to take him away; there's still one spot left for the Three Towers Academy enrollment."

He patted the doctor on the shoulder quite amiably. He didn't use force, but both the doctor and Xie Changfeng were stunned. They hadn't seen how Albert had moved from the doorway to the doctor's side in an instant.

At this moment, Xie Changfeng couldn't help but recall the rumors about Albert. The Slaughter Tower, the Desire Tower, and the Trickery Tower could all grant sequences and certain attributes. However, these attributes could not be brought into the Bunker. No matter how powerful you were in the Three Towers... once you arrived in the Bunker, you were just an ordinary person. This was why so many people performed peerless deeds in the Towers, only to return to the Bunker and be exploited by the elite. Therefore, people believed the Three Towers games were just games, and everything was virtual, except for the material rewards.

But there was a theory that if someone could break through to the ninetieth floor of a tower... they could bring their attribute panel from the Three Towers into reality at a certain ratio. At the same time, they would disappear from the leaderboards, becoming a so-called "hidden master." Most people thought this was just a ploy to entice people to the Slaughter Tower. Although everyone loved to run to the Desire Tower, if the abilities could be brought into reality, people would be more inclined to choose the abilities of the Slaughter Tower, as those were tangible, deterrent powers.

In short, many, including Xie Changfeng, did not believe this theory was true. Until this moment, as he watched Albert Napolitano, he suddenly realized... perhaps the rumors were partially true. This man could truly use a fraction of his Three Towers power within the Bunker.