Chapter 750: Chapter 750 Interrogation
This night, Xu Ke and Alice endured a lot of torment.
The next day, when Xu Ke went downstairs, he didn’t see Alice. Instead, he only saw a landlady who, upon seeing him, looked furious and dissatisfied. Originally planning to go over and talk to her, Xu Ke changed his mind and quietly walked outside instead.
Seeing Xu Ke not even asking how Alice was doing, the landlady threw down the things in her hands with a crash, muttering ceaselessly, "I really misjudged you, thought you were some kind of good man, but you turned out to be scum, a piece of garbage. My daughter is so good, yet you can’t appreciate her. What kind of person are you, huh?"
Walking on the road, Xu Ke sneezed, paused for a moment, and then continued towards Claude’s estate.
When Xu Ke arrived, there were still five minutes until the time the two had agreed upon.
Claude had been waiting in the estate for Xu Ke, and seeing him arrive as promised, a smile appeared on his face.
"You finally made it. If you hadn’t come soon, I would’ve sent someone to get you," Claude said with a smile as he looked at Xu Ke.
"Something came up unexpectedly and delayed me a bit. Since you’re in a hurry, why don’t we start now?" Xu Ke glanced at the time on his wrist and replied with a smile.
"If we can start now, that would be best. Come with me," Claude’s gaze lingered on Xu Ke’s lips for a second, feeling slightly uncomfortable in his heart, but he didn’t show it on his face.
Claude walked ahead, with Xu Ke following behind, leading to a door in front.
"Here it is. The scene inside might be a bit unsettling for you. Do you need a moment to mentally prepare before going in?" Claude asked considerately.
"No need, I’ve already mentally prepared myself. Let’s go in," Xu Ke shook his head, declining Claude’s suggestion.
"Alright then." With Claude’s words, the door before them opened.
The people who were captured that day, not one less, were all held inside this secret chamber. Some were locked in cages, some were bound to the side, but they all had gags in their mouths.
Upon entering, the smell of rotting meat and a strong scent of blood filled the air. Even though Xu Ke had mentally prepared himself, the nauseating stench nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Xu Ke held his breath, taking a while to slowly acclimate to the chamber’s odor, while Claude stood by, neither hurrying him nor showing any sign of discomfort, as if he was used to the smell.
"How is it, are you okay?" Seeing Xu Ke start to breathe more smoothly, Claude finally spoke.
"I’m okay," Xu Ke answered.
Xu Ke also had a secret chamber in Shangjing, where he sometimes engaged in unspeakable activities. However, Xu Ke liked cleanliness, so his chamber didn’t have any sort of smell and was far cleaner than this one.
"That’s good. These people have thick skins. My people tortured them all day, yet they didn’t reveal any useful information. I heard that in ancient times, China had many harsh officials who used severe punishment, but I don’t have any trustworthy Chinese people on my side except for you. I hope you can help us find out who is behind them," Claude said.
"What you’re talking about is from ancient China. Now, China is still a civilized place; such things are rare. All my knowledge comes from online, never tested in reality. If you trust me, I’ll give it a try," Xu Ke replied, not fully committing, leaving himself an out.
Claude didn’t seem to mind, waving his hand with an expression giving away no emotion. "It’s okay, be bold and experiment. Anyway, since they failed to assassinate successfully this time, there will surely be another attempt. Even if nothing useful can be extracted and they all die, there will be another chance. Let this time serve as practice for you. I have few trustworthy people around me; I hope you’ll be one more. Don’t disappoint me," Claude said, patting Xu Ke’s shoulder.
Xu Ke’s face showed a fitting look of delight, his voice trembling with excitement. "Rest assured, I will not disappoint your expectations. I will do my utmost to accomplish this task."
"I trust you. Do your best," Claude squeezed Xu Ke’s shoulder. "If there’s anything you need, just say it, and I’ll provide whatever I can," Claude said these words and then left the chamber. He had his own matters to attend to; waiting at the estate for Xu Ke today already showed how much he valued him.
The chamber was locked from the outside, leaving Xu Ke alone with an array of torture devices and the prisoners filling the room.
Xu Ke’s gaze moved over each prisoner present, finally stopping on the man tied up in front.
Xu Ke walked towards the man. It was clear the man had endured significant torture; his clothes had been reduced to tatters hanging off him, his body covered in wounds, like a blood-dyed gourd, his breathing grown faint.
Stopping a step away from him, Xu Ke said, "I can see you’re having a rough time. Do you want freedom? Want to walk out of this chamber alive? Seeing how severely you’ve been injured, I’ll give you a chance. Answer my questions, and I’ll let you walk out. Otherwise, you’ll be the first I start with."
"Your injuries are already severe. You know, without treatment, you might die. You’re still young; if I guess right, you might have a love, maybe even a cute child, a perfect family. Can you bear to leave them?" Xu Ke asked.
"Are you really planning on sacrificing your wonderful family for an employer who has no real connection to you? Are you ready to die at the peak of your youth, leaving behind your beautiful lover and adorable child to struggle in this world, unsupported and family-less? Have you thought about how hard their life will be without you?" Xu Ke continued, observing him all the while.
The man let out a faint laugh, "Stop indulging in those baseless fantasies. I don’t have so many relatives in this world. I only have this one life. Whether I live or die today doesn’t matter. From the moment I started down this path, I didn’t plan on returning alive nor betraying my employer. You can give up; don’t waste your energy on me. You won’t get anything," the man said with great effort.
He was indeed gravely injured, and after saying this, even his breathing became noticeably fainter. Without careful observation, one might think he was gone already.