Chapter 248: We Have Two S-Class
Chapter 248: We Have Two S-Class
“It’s useless. Qinggang has already lost.”
In the Qing Harbor Main City, within the Northern District, inside a sparsely populated, heavily guarded research institute.
The first Old Captain of the Maritime Nation was confined in a narrow, tightly secured room.
The entire room, with the exception of the heavy iron door, was constructed from a ten-centimeter-thick layer of lead cast in concrete.
Furthermore, sandwiched in between was thick tempered glass.
The airtight structure, coupled with a small ventilation fan, made the room exceptionally oppressive.
This was a cell meant for Ability Users. Though the Old Captain was not an ability user, he received this same treatment.
Looking exhausted, he sat opposite a long table, shackles on his wrists, an Ability Suppressor collar around his neck. Harsh lighting fell on his face, making it appear not only weary but also bearing a grayish pallor akin to an oil lamp about to burn out.
The IV drip that had sustained his life had been removed, but he was administered an additional shot of adrenaline.
Everyone knew his remaining time was short, but he couldn’t die until they extracted the necessary information.
The Old Captain didn’t resist any of this. In fact, during the recent interrogation, to avoid having an ability user forcibly control his mind and rob him of dignity while extracting a confession, he cooperated fully, disclosing everything within his knowledge that he was willing to share.
However, he did not exhibit the despondency of one whose cause was utterly lost.
Occasionally opening his eyes, his clouded pupils brimmed with a confident certainty that he held all the cards.
“Against these ability users, the only thing one can do is prepare everything in advance.”
“These ability users might alter Memory, Perception, or even the mind itself, but they cannot alter facts.”
“So, as long as adequate preparations are made and the fundamental logic is triggered… everything will proceed along the correct path…”
… …
Facing the woman interrogating him from behind the glare of the desk lamp, the Old Captain, buoyed by the surge of adrenaline, spoke coldly and calmly:
“That child, Shen Ming, will use his death to bring the Maritime Nation its only hope of survival.”
“You also needn’t keep interrogating me like this.”
“I have already told you everything you need to know.”
“Because, without your knowledge, Monsters from the Abyss have already been drawn to Qinggang. Therefore, you cannot avoid this Chaos. And when Qinggang descends into chaos, Shen Ming, leveraging the Psychic Entities appearing there, can continuously grow stronger. His Psychic Magnitude will reach an unprecedented level. He will become a true Divine Being.”
“Qinggang’s destiny will be in his hands.”
“I am aware you have developed weapons designed to counter ability users. But before him, such things are laughable…”
“Now, I have laid everything out for you… but what can you possibly do about it?”
“Knowing full well the existence of ability users in this world, I never sought advantage by hiding secrets in the first place!”
… …
The woman behind the desk lamp frowned.
She was one of the Six Freaks of Qinggang, the fifth-level specialist in the field of psychology, Jia Mengyi.
Because the situation was too severe, she had personally taken over the interrogation duties.
This kind of interrogation was the most uncomfortable, as what was gleaned were confirmed, immutable facts.
“What I want you to understand right now,”
Dr. Jia thought for a moment, then said,
“is that what you consider settled facts… might still encounter variables.”
“Now, let me tell you what has happened in Qinggang.”
She slowly picked up a freshly printed document by her side.
“First, regarding the Mutants scattered throughout Qing Harbor Main City and its five Satellite Cities: because we detected their abnormalities roughly eight hours in advance, we activated the Level One Internal Emergency Defense Protocol. Before they could truly mutate, we successfully apprehended and isolated over seventy percent of these Mutants.”
“When the mutation occurred, we dispatched one A-Class Ability User who instantly eliminated these Mutants.”
She paused here, then stated:
“So, if the plan for your S-Class Ability User was to use these Psychic Entities to elevate his Psychic Magnitude to one hundred thousand, or even higher… that objective failed from the very beginning.”
“The facts also prove that the Psychic Entity codenamed ‘Red Apostle’ only managed to reach a peak Psychic Magnitude just shy of fifty thousand.”
… …
Saying this, she deliberately pushed aside the desk lamp, letting the Old Captain see the triumphant smile on her face.
Only after clearly registering his look of dumbfoundedness did she continue:
“Of course, even the remaining thirty percent of Psychic Entities did cause us a certain degree of Chaos. However, because the City Defense Department had imposed strict lockdowns in advance, these Psychic Entities have also begun to be pinpointed and eliminated by Qinggang’s ability users, who were long pre-positioned at key locations. Very few actually reached the position of an Apostle.”
“As for the ‘Red Apostle’ Psychic Entity left behind by that S-Class Ability User from your Maritime Nation… after one of our Second Stage Ability Users from Qinggang intervened, the connection between it and the scattered Psychic Entities throughout the city has already been severed…”
“Hmm… just now, you deliberately omitted that the ‘Red Apostle’ could devour ordinary people’s Psychic Energy, didn’t you?”
“It’s alright. We’ve deduced it.”
“What I can tell you now is that the Psychic Entity you considered a ‘God’ has not only ceased its increase in Psychic Magnitude, but… it has even been battered beyond recognition by our ability users… The most direct evidence? That enormous, city-wide visible Psychic Entity’s Shadow… it’s already vanished. Its detectable readings are plummeting rapidly.”
… …
Having said this, she pushed aside the desk lamp again, flashing another triumphant look at the Old Captain.
“Alas, what a pity… Originally, we Qinggang were eager to test it as a target for our newly researched Hyperfrequency Ion Cannon…”
“…Such a shame. We only dispatched two ability users, and the problem was practically solved!”
“This isn’t possible…”
The Old Captain’s lips trembled; he refused to believe what the interrogator had just said.
Even though he told himself repeatedly that this could be false, when he saw the smug expression on the interrogator’s face—that irritating look that made someone want to punch it, and twice at that—his anger flared uncontrollably. A roar of fury burst from his throat, like an old lion letting out a helpless cry.
“Don’t you believe it?”
Doctor Jia adjusted the lamp again, flashing a triumphant smile at him.
Then she stood up and pulled open the iron covering over the small window ledge, letting the Old Captain peer directly out.
“I purposefully chose this interrogation room’s location just for you, so you’d have a clear view of the East Sea Grand Hotel.”
“Take a look…”
Her voice couldn’t hide its pride: “Can you still see that Monster directly now?”
“…”
The Old Captain widened his eyes as he gazed through the cramped window.
He still remembered Shen Ming’s position at his death; he had witnessed Shen Ming’s towering figure overlooking the city before. When he realized that the shadow of the Red Apostle was indeed gone from that spot, he paled instantly.
“It can’t be, things couldn’t end the way you claim…”
“Our plan was prepared meticulously; it couldn’t have been solved so easily by you…”
He shouted loudly; it felt less like an argument and more like an attempt to comfort himself.
“But that’s the way it is…”
Doctor Jia wore an innocent expression, then sighed regretfully:
“Oh, and since you won’t be leaking any secrets now, it’s fine to tell you.”
“In Qinggang, we’ve always had a group who love all kinds of research and embrace a positive scientific spirit. What we fear most is when some Ability Users have levels too high, and the Alliance Research Institute takes notice, coming to demand them or imposing irritating rules. Therefore, we’ve maintained a very rational, very normal habit.”
“We lower the reported level of top Ability Users by one grade.”
“So others only think Qinggang has one A+ level Ability User, but actually, we have two S levels.”
“One, where her true rank was concealed.”
“The other, we never planned to report at all…”
“…”
This time, even without moving the lamp, the Old Captain could see that unbearably smug smile on her face.
“You didn’t see that coming, did you?”
“…”
“You’re playing with fire, and you’ll burn yourselves…”
The Old Captain screamed desperately; he could no longer hold back his rage. Shouting frantically, his voice grew hoarse:
“Two S levels are beyond what any Highwall City could sustain; you couldn’t possibly have two S levels…”
“And… and…”
“Do you really think that boy is so easy to handle?”
“Even if what you say is true, Qinggang City will still face Annihilation…”
“When you force him to use his final ability, Qinggang will become a land ruled solely by Monsters forever…”
“…”
As this outburst of shouting faded, the Old Captain sensed a deathly silence in the interrogation room.
He watched the irritating woman opposite him slowly drain the smile from her face.
She just gazed at him calmly, sending a jolt through his heart and sparking an instant, dire premonition.
“Special report…”
The woman ignored him, pressed the headset at her right ear, and murmured into the channel:
“The latest interrogation findings are in…”
“The Red Apostle likely has one more untapped ability; alert the Lone Soldier to remain cautious.”
“Suspect his third power is linked to deploying numerous Psychic Entities.”
“…”
After finishing, she stood up, gently rubbed her waist with a twist, and took a long, deep breath.
She added: “Also, dispatch some Ability Users capable of excavating his deep Memory; clearly, he’s hidden a portion away.”