Chapter 224: Interrogation Results
Chapter 224: Interrogation Results
“Lone Soldier is a reliable person…”
The meeting hadn’t disbanded yet; everyone in the office was watching Lu Xin through a blurry screen.
Without special approval, any form of image recording or even sketching of Doll was prohibited, so there were no cameras in the Safe House where Doll resided. However, given the critical importance of Lone Soldier’s interaction with Doll at the time, they had activated a thermal imager for external observation, enabling a rough assessment of their movements inside the room.
Therefore, when they saw Lu Xin lying on the sofa, expressions of astonishment briefly crossed their faces. After a moment of silence, Professor Chen smiled and offered his assessment: “I was a little worried before, but now, I find him entirely trustworthy.”
The Conference Room fell quiet; no one answered right away.
Professor Chen looked puzzled. “What’s the matter with all of you?”
“Hehe…”
Mo Yi, wearing his wig, chuckled. “As a staff member, I admire Lone Soldier’s professionalism. But as a man…”
“Whoosh—”
Instantly, countless gazes in the Conference Room turned toward him.
Among them were the chilling stares from the female mystic and Professor Chen himself.
Mo Yi hastily ducked his head, adjusted his wig with his hand, and lowered his eyes, not daring to speak again.
“There is something we need to note,” Mr. Su glanced at Mo Yi, a fleeting smile appearing on his face before it vanished, replaced by solemnity. “While Doll is naturally everyone’s primary concern, Lone Soldier’s emotions must also be considered. From what we see, they can positively influence each other.”
“What I least want to see is losing this beneficial dynamic.”
“…”
Professor Chen nodded. “Lone Soldier hasn’t asked for much. What’s this about a stepmother?”
Chen Jing’s voice came through the speaker phone: “It’s related to a case handled by Lone Soldier earlier involving a Dreamweaver Ability User. The task is mostly complete, and the perpetrator has been apprehended. However, there are still some unresolved aspects to the case.”
“Lone Soldier has previously demonstrated a habit of seeing tasks through to full completion. It’s natural he remains concerned about this one.”
“…”
“In that case, it should be fine to hand it over to him,” Professor Bai stated. “Lone Soldier has a high task completion evaluation. Doll, too, has shown commendable compliance and execution capabilities during multiple Special Contamination Incidents. It can be said that aside from her worrisome growth potential, in terms of her stability and benevolence, she is one Ability User within Qinggang, even the entire Alliance, whose power level and Risk of Loss of Control are most reassuring.”
“Therefore, having them carry out such a task together poses little issue. It will, in fact, facilitate observation of them.”
Professor Chen nodded. “Agreed.”
“If it involves Dreamweaver-type, shouldn’t the Special Clean-up Department’s Dreamweavers or Watchdog handle the capture?” Minister Shen frowned slightly, expressing a differing opinion.
“Now, now, Old Shen, don’t be hasty. I have other arrangements,” Mr. Su at the head of the table smiled at Minister Shen, then looked to others as he announced his decision:
“This time, the Level One alert is temporarily lifted.”
“Furthermore, Old Chen’s observation request is approved; a specialized working group can be established now.”
He smiled at Professor Chen. “Pick whoever you deem suitable. Those not selected, however, won’t stand idle either. This Advanced Talent Training Conference concerns the major direction of Qinggang’s future development; no one can afford to be complacent. More importantly, the expert team from Maritime Nation is scheduled to arrive in Qinggang tomorrow afternoon.”
“Whoosh—”
Every head at the conference table turned toward Mr. Su, faces registering surprise.
Clearly, not everyone in this Office had known about the arrival of the Maritime Nation expert team.
“For reasons of confidentiality, we did not disclose this matter in advance. However, in a way, this Advanced Talent Conference is also being held to facilitate the reception of the Maritime Nation expert team. They are bringing research data on S-class Ability Users,” Mr. Su explained with a smile. “Moreover, the leader of their delegation is the Old Captain, Maritime Nation’s first ship commander.”
“Whether it be his status, the research they have pledged to share with us, or Maritime Nation’s willingness to engage in friendly contact with Qinggang and share research on Spiritual Mutation—all of this warrants Qinggang receiving them with utmost sincerity…” He paused slightly before continuing, “…and vigilance.”
…
“Sincere reception” and “vigilance” seemed like opposing concepts, yet Mr. Su stated them with remarkable naturalness.
The others heard them with similar ease.
Facing all their gazes, Mr. Su smiled faintly. “But such a request for exchange is one we cannot refuse.”
“We have friends arriving from across the sea; we must guard against ill intent, yet also welcome their exchange of information and cooperation.”
“Therefore, my proposal is to temporarily reassign Watchdog and several B-class or higher Ability Users from the Special Clean-up Department to accompany this expert team. Additionally, Old Shen, your department needs to be alert. We need preparations in place to subdue them immediately if necessary.”
“After all, in this era we live in, when hosting friends, you must raise a glass in their honor with one hand, while keeping a gun aimed at them with the other.”
“…”
Minister Shen nodded. “Agreed.”
…
…
“Beep beep…”
The notification sound from the tablet in his backpack roused Lu Xin, who hadn’t really been asleep anyway.
He pulled out the tablet, and his spirits immediately lifted.
“After deliberation, Lone Soldier is approved to conduct two task lines concurrently. Primary Task: Accompany Doll; facilitate communication.”
“Secondary Task: Investigate the Wish-Incident concerning Madam Lu Weiwei.”
“Key Points: During task execution, attend to Doll’s Emotion; do not violate Doll’s guidelines…”
“…”
“Huh? Interrogation results already?” A touch of surprise flashed across Lu Xin’s face. He hastily sat up straight to read.
He wasn’t particularly taken aback that the Special Clean-up Department wanted him to bring Doll along on the task. When reviewing the materials earlier, Chen Jing had already explained that Doll herself was a highly reliable Ability User. Her title as the Guardian Deity of Qinggang City wasn’t just talk.
According to the current Special Clean-up Department records, Doll led both in the number of tasks completed and their completion rate.
…Which meant, come to think of it, she must have saved up quite a bit of money too.
Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Lu Xin started carefully reading the interrogation records transmitted with the approval document.
“The Wish-Incident?”
This file contained the complete interrogation footage of Lu Weiwei – Xiao Yuan’s stepmother.
For efficiency, though, Lu Xin first opened the summary report of this interrogation session.
The summary provided a concise account of the interrogation process and findings:
According to it, when this Madam Lu was taken to the City Defense Department interrogation room, she was extremely cooperative. In fact, they hadn’t even subjected her to the usual psychological priming or intimidation tactics before she hurriedly confessed to what she had done and experienced.
Xiao Yuan’s nightmares were indeed inflicted by her.
But she genuinely wasn’t an Ability User.