Chapter 35: Interrogation
Su Xiao looked at Soifon with a puzzled expression, seemingly unable to understand what she was saying, but he did not immediately enter the room.
"What's the matter, afraid to go in?"
Soifon's eyes narrowed, her petite body tensing.
"Of course. What is this place? It feels a bit eerie."
Not only did Su Xiao not enter the room, but he actually took two steps back. Seeing this, Soifon's thin lips twitched almost imperceptibly. She held back, not laughing, because Su Xiao's reaction was far too normal. If he had entered the room without hesitation, Soifon could have confirmed that Su Xiao was definitely suspicious.
A clear conscience fears no accusation? Sometimes that's not the case. If Su Xiao had entered the room calmly, it would instead suggest he was faking something. Everyone has an instinctive fear; those who suppress that instinct are likely putting on an act.
"What this place is doesn't matter, but you're about to be judged."
Soifon stared intently into Su Xiao's eyes. Unfortunately, Su Xiao was destined to disappoint her.
"Judged..."
Su Xiao pondered for a moment, then quickly thought of something.
"Is the Head Captain in the room?"
"Of course."
"Is Captain Unohana also there?"
"Stop wasting time. Get in there."
Soifon grew impatient. After hesitating for over ten seconds, Su Xiao stepped into the room. He could be certain that the Seireitei had begun purging traitors.
He wasn't too concerned about this. He wasn't the only traitor; Aizen, Ichimaru Gin, and Tosen Kaname were all traitors too. Among the thirteen captains, three were traitors.
As soon as Su Xiao entered the room, the oil lamps on both walls were lit, illuminating everything inside. This was an interrogation room, with a wooden chair at the center surrounded by a circular wooden table.
Soifon came up behind Su Xiao, signaling him to pass through the gap in the circular table into the open area at the center and sit on the wooden chair.
Su Xiao cooperated. After sitting down, he looked around. Behind the circular table sat four people: Kyoraku Shunsui (Captain of the 8th Division), Tosen Kaname (Captain of the 9th Division, Aizen's accomplice), Hitsugaya Toshiro (Captain of the 10th Division), and Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Seeing these four, Su Xiao knew today's interrogation was secure. Even Tosen Kaname, a traitor himself, was sitting on the interrogation panel. If Su Xiao were to be caught out by this interrogation, his quick thinking would be far too weak.
More importantly, Su Xiao was now connected not only to the Gotei 13 but also to the major nobles within the Seireitei. As the creator of the Reishi Orbs, it was simple for him to ally with these great families.
The Seireitei had four major families, the high nobles, whose bloodlines were close to the royal family, granting them significant power. These four great nobles were the Kuchiki Clan, the Shihouin Clan, the Tsunayashiro Clan, and the Shiba Clan.
Among the four great nobles, Su Xiao had contacted three. On the surface, he could produce 100 Reishi Orbs daily, but the real number was 200. Of these, the Gotei 13 received 100, the Kuchiki Clan 50, the Shihouin Clan 30, and the Tsunayashiro Clan 20. The Shiba Clan was too fallen; when they contacted Su Xiao, they couldn't offer any sincerity for cooperation.
Of course, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was fully aware of this, but he could only pretend not to notice. The Seireitei wasn't his alone. The four—no, the three great nobles—also held considerable power.
This was a division of interests. The Gotei 13 held the largest share, which was already quite prestigious.
In fact, the choice of captains interrogating Su Xiao today showed that the Gotei 13 couldn't ignore the three great nobles. None of these four captains were connected to the three great nobles. Even Soifon, from the assassination unit, didn't directly participate in the interrogation, making the interest relationships quite clear.
Soifon was born into the lower noble family of the Soi Clan, which was a subordinate family of the Shihouin Clan. In other words, Soifon was a member of the Shihouin Clan, so she couldn't directly participate in interrogating Su Xiao.
The interrogation of Su Xiao was proposed by Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni found this suggestion very troublesome because Su Xiao was no longer a mere researcher of the 4th Division who could be easily manipulated. The relationships behind him were known only to a few.
Nevertheless, Yamamoto still agreed to the suggestion, pushing through the protests of the Kuchiki and Shihouin Clans to hold this secret interrogation.
The Reishi Orbs were very important to the great nobles. They were a rare resource for nurturing the younger generation. If a noble child consumed Reishi Orbs from a young age, even without much talent, they could at least achieve Bankai by adulthood. This was enough to make the great nobles eager.
Originally, Kyoraku Shunsui wanted to bring Kuchiki Byakuya as well, as Byakuya was a very upright person, but the elder of the Kuchiki Clan politely declined. That was the Kuchiki Clan's stance. As for the Tsunayashiro Clan, they did nothing.
If Su Xiao could walk out of the interrogation room today, the Tsunayashiro Clan would have no further part in the future distribution of Reishi Orbs. Those who didn't want to follow the principle of "he who takes must give" were not the kind of lofty partners Su Xiao needed.
Kyoraku Shunsui, Tosen Kaname, Hitsugaya Toshiro, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri exchanged glances.
"Since he's here, let's begin..."
Ten minutes later, Su Xiao basically understood what was going on. This wasn't an interrogation but a probe. The interrogation wasn't the main goal; Su Xiao's reaction before entering the room was the key.
However, when Kyoraku Shunsui asked what Su Xiao was doing during the incidents like Aizen's murder, Kurotsuchi Mayuri interrupted.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's point was simple: before Su Xiao entered the Seireitei, everything was peaceful, but after he arrived, trouble kept happening. Regardless, Su Xiao should be closely observed for a period.
That was just a polite way of putting it. Kurotsuchi Mayuri's real goal was to imprison Su Xiao, giving him a chance to torture him for information.
Detaining Su Xiao without evidence was, of course, unlikely. The contributions Su Xiao had made to the Seireitei couldn't be erased by a few words from Kurotsuchi Mayuri. This was just a routine investigation, and Su Xiao wasn't the primary suspect.
From start to finish, Su Xiao had been living in the 1st Division barracks, under surveillance by the assassination unit's Nankaku. No matter how they investigated, there was no direct evidence linking the Seireitei's upheavals to Su Xiao. Moreover, there was the current invasion by the Ryoka, which was a far more suspicious target.
Su Xiao was no longer worried about this kind of interrogation from the Seireitei. He was more concerned about whether those captain-level Shinigami would directly attack. If they did, he wouldn't just close his eyes and wait for death; he would have to fight back. If that happened, he would have to end his plan early and give Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and Aizen a "surprise."
"At most four days, no, three."
An hour later, Su Xiao walked out of the interrogation room, muttering to himself. At the same time, the Zanpakuto of the 13th Division Captain, Ukitake Jushiro, was stolen. Clearly, Su Xiao had accelerated the pace of his plan.
Su Xiao's situation was now becoming dangerous, or rather, this was the normal development of events. His method of infiltration differed from Aizen's. Aizen rarely acted after infiltrating the Seireitei, while Su Xiao was the opposite. His time was limited, and during his infiltration, he had to accomplish something, or it would be a huge loss.