Chapter 26: Truth and Lies
Three minutes later.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
I'erduo coughed up large mouthfuls of blood as her breathing grew increasingly rapid. Her chest felt scorching hot, as if her internal organs were burning.
Blood dripped from beneath the edge of her mask, and I'erduo could barely stand.
"Nobanite (Undead language: There's still a chance)."
Although I'erduo lacked extensive combat experience, her willpower was tenacious. More importantly, she only needed to hold off Su Xiao for a while; someone would come to support her soon. She hadn't infiltrated the Royal Capital alone.
It made sense. A powerful fighter like her, though not overly experienced in battle, naturally wouldn't be sent alone into the Royal Capital. Her true main force was her master, Executioner Dunknik, a terrifyingly powerful Undead.
However, I'erduo had run out of time. If Su Xiao wasn't confident he could capture her alive, he would never have sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Hum~
The high-load kinetic combat boots were covered in crimson stripes. Su Xiao crouched and delivered a side kick. I'erduo's left arm and leg bent, trying her best to protect her torso, while the two daggers she had held were kicked away 36 seconds ago.
I'erduo flew to the side and slammed into the wall with a bang, leaving a large dent. Due to inertia, her body bounced out of the crater.
Just as I'erduo was midair, Su Xiao appeared behind her, clenched his right fist, and punched her in the back.
Bang.
I'erduo flew forward. She had been struck almost continuously by Su Xiao for three minutes, causing her consciousness to blur and the piercing pain throughout her body to gradually fade.
In truth, even if she hadn't been hit by the flashbang earlier, defeating Su Xiao would have been nearly impossible. It was a gap in strength and experience—an insurmountable divide. Or rather, if Su Xiao had used his blade, whether she would still be alive was uncertain.
If I'erduo fought Joseph Ke, Joseph Ke's win rate would be seventy percent.
The greatest difficulty in Su Xiao's battle with I'erduo was that he needed to capture her alive; otherwise, the fight would have ended long ago.
With a thud, I'erduo fell to the ground. The lower half of her mask shattered, revealing a pointed chin and the gray-white skin unique to the Undead race.
"I... haven't... lost... yet."
Green light flickered on I'erduo's body, clearly signaling she was about to unleash a "big move." But in the next moment, a dark shadow shot toward her head.
Bang!
Su Xiao kicked I'erduo in the head, forcing her accumulated "big move" back.
After crashing through two walls, I'erduo slammed into a wardrobe. This time, she seemed much more subdued.
Su Xiao stepped through the hole in the wall into the room where I'erduo was. Blood dripped from his fingertips.
Among a pile of clothes, he spotted a bandaged arm. He grabbed it and pulled I'erduo out.
I'erduo's body hung limply, her eyes closed, her head tilted to the side. At that moment, her emerald-green eyes snapped open.
"Ptoo!"
I'erduo spat at Su Xiao's face, not saliva, but a metal nail from her mouth.
With a clink, the metal nail pierced a 150-point strength energy shield, getting stuck on it.
Seeing the pale blue energy shield, I'erduo's pupils rapidly contracted.
"Oh? Looks like you recognize this?"
Su Xiao studied I'erduo with interest.
"Aoge... can't be blue."
I'erduo murmured. Hearing this, Su Xiao smiled, but to I'erduo, his smile was terrifying beyond words.
"Aoge has always been blue."
Su Xiao released I'erduo's arm. As her body fell, he aimed a punch at her jaw—an area densely packed with blood vessels and nerves. A sudden heavy blow would cause unconsciousness.
Bang! I'erduo's vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.
"She even knows the name 'Aoge.' Looks like the Undead race knows something about the Law Destruction Faction."
Su Xiao hoisted the unconscious I'erduo onto his shoulder. Her red cape draped over his chest as he walked out of the building.
Having successfully captured I'erduo alive, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't hand her over to the royal family. Doing so would gain him nothing. He captured her not only for clues to a hidden side quest but also to directly learn the location of the Law Destruction Faction's ruins—an even greater prize.
Su Xiao had three goals in this world, and everything he did was to accomplish them.
First: Complete the main quest. The rewards for this main quest were too tempting.
Second: Find the Law Destruction Faction's ruins, which would bring him immense gains.
Third: Complete the adventure group's promotion. So far, the promotion quest hadn't been issued yet, so he needed to wait.
What Su Xiao was doing now was working toward the first and second goals.
...
Three hours later, in a semi-enclosed basement of the Iron Hand mansion.
This basement was originally used to store fruits and vegetables, but due to its excellent soundproofing, the previous Iron Hand had converted it into an interrogation room.
Given the Iron Hand's position, interrogations were routine, so the room was stocked with numerous tools, some of which Su Xiao had never seen.
The Undead girl I'erduo was tied to an X-shaped iron frame. Her head hung low, seemingly unconscious, though she had actually woken up ten minutes ago.
Su Xiao sat on a wooden chair directly across from I'erduo, holding a tablet and engrossed in a game.
"I know you're awake."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. I'erduo's eyelids twitched. Su Xiao paused his game. His earlier statement, "I know you're awake," was repeated roughly every hour to psychologically pressure the enemy.
Su Xiao rarely used tools to interrogate enemies; he preferred to break their mental defenses, as intelligence obtained that way was more accurate.
Inflicting only physical pain would eventually cause the enemy to break down, but information given in a state of collapse was unreliable.
"That old man should come to rescue you soon. I left traces along the way—traces hard to find."
Su Xiao continued playing on the tablet, as if he weren't interrogating I'erduo at all, just chatting. As for the "old man" he mentioned, it was purely speculation.
Given I'erduo's combat level, would the Undead race send only her to infiltrate the Royal Capital? Of course not. I'erduo was an excellent warrior, strong and young, capable of handling important tasks.
But the assassination of the old king was too critical. The Undead race would surely send experienced Undead warriors. I'erduo was likely just one of them, responsible for cleanup or silencing, not directly involved in the assassination.
"You..."
I'erduo gritted her teeth, revealing clean flat teeth and four canine fangs.
"Without you as bait, that old man would never take the hook."
"Des... picable!"
I'erduo growled, her human language still not fluent.
Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged as his fingers quickly tapped the tablet screen. He wasn't playing a game but recording something.
"Despicable? Then let me tell you something even more despicable. If that old man really comes to rescue you, he'll die here."
Su Xiao's tone was flat.
"Master..."
I'erduo immediately realized something and forced back the shout she wanted to unleash.
Su Xiao recorded a few keywords on the tablet: Master, Undead male, age 40–60, extremely strong, preferred weapons long daggers or short swords.
"I'erduo, I haven't seen your master in a long time. He's indeed strong, but this time, I've prepared a big gift for him."
Hearing the name "I'erduo" from Su Xiao's mouth, the Undead girl's mouth slightly opened, and her pupils contracted. Apart from her gray-white skin, her appearance wasn't much different from a human girl, but she was only about 1.4 meters tall with very pointed ears.
"You, you..."
Clearly, I'erduo was panicked. She was certain she had never met this Iron Hand in her life.
Boom!
A loud crash came from above, followed by a cacophony of noise and dull thuds.
In the Iron Hand courtyard, Amu, with a remote-controlled alarm clock hanging from his neck, was pounding the ground, surrounded by a group of guards "shouting and killing," creating an "impressive spectacle."
Twenty minutes later, two blood-soaked Imperial Guards entered the underground interrogation room.
"Sir, he escaped, but he's heavily wounded. We're pursuing him."
The two Imperial Guards left after speaking. Su Xiao remained seated on the wooden chair the whole time. This Undead girl had a strong will; extracting information from her wouldn't be possible with words alone.
"That old man is indeed strong, breaking through the defenses."
Su Xiao's expression showed no change, but I'erduo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Though she was confused, Su Xiao calling her by name had startled her greatly, as only three Undead in the entire Royal Capital knew her name.
"But this time, he's doomed. I brought ten Holy Warriors of similar strength to mine. After all, facing Executioner Dunknik requires caution."
Su Xiao met I'erduo's gaze for the first time. Information was power. He had gathered a lot of data on strong Undead. Among males aged 40–60 using dagger-type weapons, there were three candidates, but two weren't strong enough to teach a disciple like I'erduo.
I'erduo's mouth opened and closed, completely at a loss for words. But she was certain of one thing: there must be a traitor among them.
She didn't realize that her shout of "Master" had given Su Xiao this series of key clues.
"See you next time. Maybe when I come here next, I'll bring Dunknik's head."
Su Xiao stood and walked out of the underground interrogation room. Throughout, he hadn't asked I'erduo any questions. It wasn't time yet.
From the current situation, completing the hidden side quest shouldn't be far off. Perhaps Executioner Dunknik was the mastermind? It wasn't impossible; in fact, it was highly likely.
Indeed, reasoning wasn't Su Xiao's forte. Directly capturing an enemy for interrogation was the most effective and fastest method. The complex murder case earlier had given him a headache, but now things were simpler. As long as he could pry open I'erduo's mouth, everything would be fine.
Moreover, leaving traces of I'erduo for her master wasn't just talk. Even if the master was incredibly strong, Su Xiao wasn't afraid. His "Demon Hunting Hour" had fully charged mana, ready to use at any time.
Fighting the young and then the old was troublesome, so after dealing with the young, Su Xiao planned to lure out the old and kill him.