Tap… tap… tap…
Yun Che drifted on the edge of consciousness, the rhythmic sound of fingernails lightly rapping on cold metal reaching his ears. Before opening his eyes, blinding light pierced his eyelids, staining his vision crimson. Then, a young, slightly mocking voice pierced the glare:
"Still asleep? It's broad daylight! Get up, or the sun will be roasting your backside!"
Yun Che furrowed his brow, his thick lashes fluttering several times before he forced his heavy eyelids open.
His mind was foggy upon waking, a profound sense of wrongness washing over him like ice water! He realized with a jolt—he wasn't lying in a soft bed! He was shackled to a cold metal chair! His hands were wrenched behind his back, wrists bound not by cold iron but by supple yet unyielding black leather restraints, firmly anchored to the rigid chair back!
He instinctively strained against the bindings; the leather straps didn't budge, emitting only a faint friction sound. Looking around, he saw only gray-black, windowless walls. A single heavy, cold-metal door was the only exit. Before him sat a large metal desk dominated by two blindingly powerful incandescent lamps, like miniature suns, casting searing light onto his face. The air reeked of cold iron rust and dust, a nauseating mix.
Across the table, silhouetted against the harsh light, sat a figure. Yun Che squinted, struggling to adjust his vision, before finally making out the person's appearance.
The moment he recognized the figure, a chill shot up his spine! He instinctively shrank back, his spine pressing hard against the cold chair back!
This person… Yun Che hadn't interacted with him much, but that face, that execution, were etched into his bones! Three years ago, the executioner who publicly flayed a traitor alive for one hundred and twenty cuts before death claimed him—Chi Xiao!
He remembered the name, a codename unlike a demon's true name, his real identity a mystery.
Chi Xiao was the most feared interrogator and executioner under Ye Jin's command. Tall and slender, he possessed an androgynous face of extraordinary, unsettling beauty. Cat's eye emerald green eyes seemed to hold ominous whirlpools, a small, vivid crimson tear mole at the corner adding to his eerie charm. He sported wine-red hair, the ends naturally curled, usually worn loose, but tied into a high ponytail only when "on duty."
Now, that shock of red hair was pulled tightly back.
Yun Che's gaze dropped, his heart lurching! Laid out on the desk was a row of instruments of varying shapes! The longest stretched forty centimeters, its blade needle-thin and lethally sharp; the shortest was palm-sized, its blade curved into a horrifying arc ending in a barbed hook. The others were either serrated, glowed with an eerie blue light, or sported barbs, each radiating a palpable aura of malice. Yet, the hilts of these horrors were all inlaid with gleaming silver and dazzling gemstones, exuding a sickeningly "artistic" cruelty.
Chi Xiao leaned forward slightly, elbows on the desk, palm cradling his elegantly defined chin, gazing at Yun Che with a smile tinged with something almost nostalgic. "How unpredictable fate is, Yun Che," he mused, his tone laced with amusement. "To think we'd meet again like this in an interrogation room… and you… on that side." His voice lifted at the end, dripping with mockery.
Yun Che pressed his lips together, silent. He had no energy for pleasantries with this demon. The gleaming instruments on the table spoke volumes.
A captured spy faced only a living hell. Chi Xiao's goal was clearly to pry secrets about the Security Bureau from him. Yun Che was resolved to remain silent. His strong will to live wouldn't stoop to betraying his country for a few more breaths.
Chi Xiao seemed unfazed by his silence. He casually picked up the shortest, grotesquely curved blade, his long, pale fingers stroking the sharp edge with unnerving tenderness, as if caressing a lover's skin. He adopted a conversational tone:
"I recall… you were sent here at nineteen? Since Zhonghe dared entrust you with this mission, you must have undergone rigorous training. So…" his emerald cat-like eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with insight, "...the Security Bureau must have a secret base dedicated to training 'young elites' like you?"
Yun Che remained expressionless, a statue, only his pupils shifting almost imperceptibly.
Chi Xiao didn't miss the tiny tell. The corner of his mouth curled into a bewitchingly beautiful arc, his voice honeyed: "If you were willing… to tell me the exact location of that training camp… that would be splendid."
Yun Che finally spoke, his voice cold as forged iron: "...Do you think that's possible?"
"Haha!" Chi Xiao laughed as if hearing a delightful joke. "Point taken. So then…" his tone shifted instantly to one of feigned concern, "...I must 'interrogate' you. Be good, cooperate nicely, won't you? Why invite suffering?"
A short, cold laugh escaped Yun Che. "I hear you have a habit—draw blood first, ask questions later. Like using a blade to break a man's spirit. Why all the chatter today? Why not just stab me and see if I beg?"
Chi Xiao feigned surprise, touching his chin, his emerald eyes wide with mock novelty. "I've interrogated many tough nuts, but one who asks for a beating? Truly a first." He spread his hands magnanimously. "Alright then…" he gestured towards the desk, "...considering our 'acquaintance,' I'll grant you a privilege. Pick one. Which of these treasures would you like to 'experience'?"
Yun Che's gaze swept over the row of death-dealing "artworks." His body instinctively tensed, his throat parched. His bound hands clenched into fists behind his back, nails digging into his palms.
Seeing his silence, Chi Xiao blinked his beautiful green eyes, feigning sudden understanding. "Oh—! I see! You don't recognize these treasures? Don't know their uses? No problem, allow me."
He extended a hand, fingers pale as alabaster, tracing the desk edge with elegant precision, left to right, like a curator showcasing prized exhibits:
"This smallest one, Treasure Number One," he tapped the curved blade, "has a specially designed arc, perfect for… cutting out tongues. Though…" his tone held a hint of regret, "...using it makes prisoners slur their words, complicating interrogation. So, recommendation rating… two stars."
"..."
"This is Number Two," he pointed to a blade thin as cicada wings. "Its edge is sharper than the finest paper. Effortlessly slips… right into your nail bed," he mimed an elegant insertion, "and 'pop!' lifts the entire nail clean off!" His eyes shone with a sickly light. "That pain… exquisite! Piercing! And the wound is small, bleeds little, won't hinder further questioning. Highly recommended! Five stars!"
Yun Che was silent for several seconds before grinding out words thick with disgust: "...Pervert. Worse than I'd heard."
Chi Xiao, far from offended, chuckled gleefully as if receiving high praise. "Ah, I'll take that as admiration for my professionalism. Oh," he added, as if remembering something, picking up an antique-style dagger with relish. "Recognize this blade?"
He waved the dagger before Yun Che's eyes; its surface reflected cold light under the lamps. "The star of that flaying show three years ago? This was it. One hundred and twenty cuts, each drawing blood, before the man finally expired." His tone was light, conversational, like discussing a successful project, but his emerald eyes locked onto Yun Che's face. "Wonder if the edge… is still as 'effective' as it was back then?"
Before the words faded, the blood-stained dagger drifted closer to Yun Che's neck! The cold steel pressed against his warm skin, precisely over the pulsing carotid artery! Yun Che could feel the weapon's inherent chill, the faint, lingering scent of old blood!
Yun Che's body stiffened violently. He instinctively jerked his head back, a flicker of terror flashing uncontrollably in his eyes.
Chi Xiao watched his taut expression with a smile, then deftly twisted his wrist. The dagger spun like a living thing between his fingers for two full rotations before the blade retreated from the lethal neckline. He toyed with the dagger, pinching its tip between thumb and forefinger, letting it sway dangerously. His tone was soothing, yet chilling: "Don't be scared, darling. The first cut in an interrogation can't be to the neck—it kills. Where's the fun in that?"
Yun Che shot him a glacial look, his voice icy: "Spare me the chatter."
Chi Xiao couldn't help but "pfft" out a laugh, his emerald eyes brimming with mockery. "Tsk tsk tsk… you're truly fascinating! Knife at your throat and you're scared, pull it away and you puff up. This temperament of yours…" he deliberately drew out the last syllable, laced with malice, "...does it lean a bit… masochistic?"
The word "masochistic" burned Yun Che's nerves like a branding iron! Instantly igniting the humiliation and rage he'd suppressed! Fragments of unbearable memories flashed through his mind! His face darkened instantly, fury blazing in his eyes as he spat out: "Looks like you're the one begging for a beating!!"
If his hands weren't bound, he would have lunged without hesitation to beat this pervert beyond recognition! Yun Che glared venomously at Chi Xiao, the fury churning in his chest threatening to explode!
Just as he was about to unleash another torrent of curses—
Creeeak—!
A heavy, grating screech of metal abruptly tore through the interrogation room's taut atmosphere!
The heavy iron door, symbolizing a cage of despair, was being… slowly pushed open from the outside.