Chapter 172 A heart-wrenching scene - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Inside the interrogation room, Lynn sat in the chair, feeling drowsy. After being taken from Serlina's mansion by the Enforcers last night, he had been brought to this prison, confined within the interrogation room. No one had come to interrogate him throughout the entire night, as though they had completely forgotten about Lynn Bartleon. Lynn found this behavior curious. He wondered what methods this group would use to interrogate him. That said, they didn’t have much time. His capture was a mere attempt by those hidden in the shadows to weaken Evester’s forces. However, such tactics were insignificant and could not achieve much. He wasn’t the serial murderer Bur Schumann and hadn’t committed those killings. A simple investigation would easily reveal the truth. Moreover, attempting to pin the crimes on him would be futile. Because Bur Schumann was still causing chaos in the capital. If they hastily concluded the case, the next crime would lead to public and noble backlash, drowning them in criticism. Besides, pressure was coming from the princess outside. Thus, they dared not go too far. Even though the Enforcers had orders to arrest him forcibly, if they couldn’t prove his guilt within the time limit, they would have to release him eventually. This understanding was why Lynn fearlessly accompanied them to this dismal place. Of course, the main reason was to prevent further deviation from the plot. With this in mind, Lynn expressionlessly placed his cuffed hands on the table, lightly drumming his fingers against the surface. “Tap, tap, tap.” The sound echoed monotonously in the empty interrogation room. Judging by the time, it seemed about right. After an uncertain amount of time, Lynn suddenly thought so. Sure enough. Moments later, as he watched, the interrogation room door, closed all night, was suddenly pushed open. Fresh air flowed in from outside, refreshing Lynn’s spirits and clearing his head slightly. He then saw a blond youth in military uniform appear at the interrogation room door, flanked by several soldiers and Enforcer members. Lynn squinted slightly. He didn’t expect this guy to be the one interrogating him. Considering the Enforcers and the military belonged to different systems, it didn’t seem like this should be his jurisdiction. With a hint of curiosity, Lynn sat up a little, resting his chin on his hand, and met Sia’s gaze. “I’ll handle the interrogation alone. You all wait outside.” Sia instructed the people behind him. With the Enforcers’ approval, the door slowly closed. Only the blond youth remained, standing calmly before Lynn, looking down at him. Sia Asolant. Yes, the blond youth before him was the brave hero Tia had long admired, and also the original male protagonist. The atmosphere turned somewhat silent. After a moment, Sia pulled out a chair and sat straightly before Lynn, military-style. “I didn’t expect our first official meeting to be like this.” “Neither did I, that you’d be the one interrogating me.” Lynn replied. Sia glanced at him, a flash of coldness in his eyes. Upon seeing this guy, he instinctively recalled the scene at the warp matrix, a hint of agitation surfacing inexplicably. Because since that incident, Tia had begun acting strangely. Considering last night’s banquet, where she had an invitation yet didn’t attend. Not only that, but when he later went to see her, she oddly refused to see him. Previously, such a situation was unheard of. Thus, he couldn’t help but entertain some unpleasant thoughts. While he didn’t believe Tia would cheat, he was certain that ever since Lynn appeared in his life, things around him started going awry. This was why Sia chose to request to personally interrogate this guy. “You seem rather calm?” Sia asked blandly. “Of course, because I didn’t murder anyone,” Lynn smiled slightly. “Captain, I assume you came to the Enforcers’ prison today to clear my name?” Sia didn’t reply, his face expressionless. Yet, inwardly, he felt disdain. The guy before him was practically at the end of his rope, completely unaware. Nevertheless, outwardly, he did not display these thoughts, merely replying formulaically: “Whether you murdered or not, we’ll see after my questions.” With that, he pulled a stack of photos from his pocket, laying them out on the table before Lynn like playing cards. Lynn glanced down and slightly raised an eyebrow. The photos depicted bloody scenes, with men and women alike beheaded and dismembered, laid within the symbol of the malevolent king Cushustan, with some body parts missing. “Here are military personnel recently killed by Bur Schumann, the dismemberer,” Sia explained while pushing one photo forward. “Johnny Viler, ranked lieutenant, stationed in Special Intelligence. Found dead in his apartment during leave three months ago.” “His right arm from the elbow down disappeared, along with a special operations report.” “This was Bur Schumann’s first crime against the military.” “Take a good look and tell me, do you recognize any of these crime scenes?” “No comment.” Lynn shrugged without hesitation. Meanwhile, he speculated inwardly. Sia didn’t seem surprised and continued noting something in his notebook. He then pushed out a second photo: “Ashley Rowland, Trainee in the Special Services, vanished mysteriously from her dorm two months ago, only to be found dismembered later, missing her entire left leg.” “The murderer seems obsessed with body parts. We think there are two possible motives for such a brutal method.” “First, it’s a ritual for elevating an ‘evil belief,’ spreading fear widely, becoming a terrifying urban legend.” “Second, to complete oneself, committing indiscriminate murder to select favored body parts.” “In your view, Lynn Bartleon, which motive better aligns with the dismemberer’s true intentions?” Sia’s sharp gaze bore into him, trying to catch any sign of guilt or oddity. Was this an attempt to cast him as having a murderous second persona? Lynn understood instantly. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t work. “No comment.” Lynn responded consistently. Noting this, Sia continued jotting in his notebook. Moments later, he pushed forward a third photo: “Kyle Peleya.” For the next ten minutes, their exchange repeated mechanically, question and answer. Regardless of Sia’s inquiries, Lynn’s replies remained unchanged: no comment. Finally, after asking about all the photos on the table, Sia closed his notebook. From the results, it seemed they had gained nothing. And the time for the interrogation given by the Enforcers appeared nearly up. Recalling his primary reason for coming, Sia asked, “Before we conclude, I have a personal question. Did you and Tia meet last night?” Since Sia had left early, he didn’t know Lynn was present. He only sensed something was off after learning of this post-event. “No comment.” Lynn maintained his infuriating smile. Sia took a deep breath, seemingly finally provoked by Lynn's infuriating demeanor. Or perhaps, the earlier matters didn’t concern him, and he merely went through the motions, thus feeling no anger. Then, under Lynn’s gaze, he stood up slowly. Due to the unique nature of the Enforcers’ prison, the entire area was under the suppression of containment objects, preventing the use of extraordinary powers. This was to avoid riots from the extremely dangerous prisoners. So, apart from physical strength, there was nothing else to rely on. And Sia was no exception. In a sense, this was Sia's strong suit. “Phase one of the interrogation is over,” Sia said as he unbuttoned his sleeves, revealing muscular arms. “Now begins the personal questioning by this officer.” “It's been a while since I’ve had the chance to battle physically. I might be a bit rusty.” “But rest assured, I’ll end it before the inquisitors from the three major churches arrive.” In an instant, a force like an ancient dragon’s power enclosed Sia’s ironlike fist, targeting Lynn’s abdomen with terrifying speed! The whistling wind swept through the interrogation chamber, producing a dull sound. Instinctively, Lynn raised his hand to block the heavy punch. After all, Lynn had the genuine heart of a Flame Dragon. With every heartbeat, the dragon blood continuously strengthened his body. In a sense, Lynn’s facade was very deceptive. Judging from his abilities, he seemed to lack straightforward combat skills, leaning more toward conceptual abilities. Yet, assuming that would be gravely mistaken. The true humanoid dragon was indeed him. At least with his current strength, disabling Sia’s attack without using extraordinary abilities wasn’t difficult. For someone extraordinary, physical strength was usually the least important component. Among others, Sia’s physical strength was considered top-tier. Thus, Lynn even felt a bit eager, wishing to break free from the handcuffs and fight this destined protagonist to see who was stronger. After all, it was a rare opportunity to counter the opponent’s bug-like extraordinary abilities. However, grasping the implications of Sia's earlier words, Lynn’s raised hand suddenly stopped. The three major churches are sending inquisitors too? Does that mean the Silent Church is among them? In a split second, an icy, puppet-like slender figure appeared in Lynn’s mind. Interesting. A barely noticeable smile emerged on Lynn's lips, as a dark thought surfaced. In the next moment, the hand meant to block Sia’s punch inexplicably lowered. As if he’d given up resisting. “Bang!” With a muffled sound, Lynn’s body flew like a kite with a broken string, landing far away. Blood gushed from his mouth. Seeing this, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Sia’s eyes. He had finally regained psychological dominance over this damned person. “Is that all? You’re an unqualified human punching bag.” “Speak, did you meet with Tia last night?” “Cough, cough... No comment.” “Bang!” “If you don’t talk, I’ll beat you until you do.” Within the Enforcers’ prison. Led by the on-duty Enforcer member, Tia walked half a pace behind, descending the ancient stairs slowly. The surroundings were like a dungeon, dilapidated and dark, faintly carrying a discomforting damp and bloody scent. Yet, for someone with severe cleanliness issues, she paid no mind to such trivial matters right now. “You say the military’s inquisitor just left?” “Yes,” the old, withered Enforcer member rasped, holding a lantern. “Captain Sia was sent to interrogate the suspect for twenty minutes.” T-Twenty minutes?! Far longer than she’d imagined! Tia felt the world spinning. She’d applied to the church for the chance to become an inquisitor to meet this person before her brother Sia. But she was still one step too late. Could Brother Sia have already discovered what happened last night?! At that thought, Tia’s face gradually paled. In her mind, she imagined the blond youth’s angry and disappointed gaze, leaving her bruising words as he walked away. Fortunately, the next moment, the old Enforcer’s words allowed her to sigh in relief: “But that guy didn’t say a word.” Good. Tia let out a subconscious sigh of relief. Who’d have thought that instead of using the opportunity to provoke Sia, Lynn had kept his mouth shut? It was unexpected. For a moment, Tia’s resentment and hatred toward Lynn faded significantly. If that’s the case, she’d let him off for now. During the interrogation, she would show some leniency. But does she really have to use that method of hypnotizing him? Even now, Tia wasn’t mentally prepared for it, her mind in disarray, and she bit her lip unconsciously. While lost in thought, the old Enforcer stopped and slowly opened the interrogation room door. “Like the military, your Silent Church has twenty minutes to interact with him.” “Thank you.” With the slow closing of the door behind her, Tia finally focused on the interrogation room. Upon seeing the scene before her, her emerald eyes narrowed sharply! The black-haired youth, who should have been sitting in the interrogation chair, was not there. Instead, he was lying in a corner, barely breathing, with seemingly no intact skin on his body. His bones appeared sunken, and blood poured endlessly from his mouth and nose as if death were imminent. The boy was so bruised and swollen that his original appearance was indistinguishable, his consciousness fading with the agony, looking wretched and pitiful. Yet despite this, he retained a sliver of consciousness, mumbling incoherently. “Viya... cough, cough” “I didn’t tell him anything...” Instantly, an indescribable emotion surged in Tia’s heart. Her face turned pale as if something had gripped her heart tightly.