13: interrogation

Lu Jianchuan walked along the road leading to the Police Station, feeling like a hollow shell from which the Soul had been extracted. The early summer sun brought warmth, the aroma of breakfast stalls along the street filled the air, and children ran past laughing; everything was full of life.

But these colors, sounds, and smells reached his senses as if filtered through a thick, fuzzy pane of ground glass, distorted and distant. His body mechanically moved his legs, but his mind remained stuck in that bloody warehouse, stuck in the final moment Uncle Li pushed him away.

He didn't know how he had managed to walk to the entrance of the Police Station. The familiar building, the familiar Police Emblem, now felt like a gigantic, silent tombstone, crushing him until he couldn't breathe.

Pusing open the glass door, he stepped into the Office Area. Usually at this time, Uncle Li would have already brewed tea, looked up at him, and perhaps joked, "Kid, you're not late today."

But not today. A strange low pressure permeated the office; the faces of his colleagues were heavy with sorrow and a hint of imperceptible panic, and their conversations were hushed.

He had just sat down at his Workstation, before he even had time to turn on his computer, when an older police officer with whom he usually got along well walked over, his expression solemn. He patted his shoulder, his voice hoarse:

"Little Lu... have you, have you heard?"

Lu Jianchuan's heart constricted violently, nearly leaping out of his chest. He looked up, gazing blankly at the officer.

The older police officer swallowed hard, lowering his voice to a near whisper: "Brother Li... he... died in the line of duty last night."

Although he already knew, and although he had rehearsed it countless times in his mind, when the words were actually spoken by someone else and struck his eardrums, a cold chill instantly ran through his spine. He felt the color rapidly draining from his face, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

He opened his mouth, his throat too dry to make a sound. Driven by extreme grief and an instinct for self-preservation, a voice squeezed out of his throat, carrying a dryness and weakness that felt foreign even to him:

"...What? Uncle Li... died in the line of duty? I... I didn't know... What happened?"

Subconsciously, he chose concealment. He couldn't explain how he knew, nor could he reveal the truth of last night. Burying that secret deep in his heart was the only clumsy self-protection he could manage right now.

The older police officer looked at him, utterly devastated and seemingly instantly crushed, and sighed heavily. Assuming he simply couldn't accept the sudden bad news, he shook his head, his eyes red, and didn't ask any more questions, just patted his shoulder firmly again and walked away.

Lu Jianchuan froze in place, his mind a blank slate.

Just then, a slight commotion arose at the entrance of the Police Station. Two people wearing dark gray uniforms—simple in style but of a unique texture—walked in. The man leading them was about forty years old, with a crew cut, a face as rugged as rock, eyes so sharp they seemed to pierce the Soul, and a sturdy build that strained the uniform tight.

Following behind him was a young man who looked recently graduated, wearing Frameless Glasses and possessing a quiet demeanor. He held a tablet computer and a small silver briefcase.

Their appearance immediately drew everyone's attention; their uniforms, distinct from police attire, inherently carried an unquestionable sense of authority.

The Chief immediately went up to greet them. After a brief, quiet conversation, he nodded gravely, then turned toward the Office Area, his gaze settling on the helpless Lu Jianchuan.

"Lu Jianchuan." The Chief's voice carried the gravity of official business. "These two Comrades are from a higher department. They need to understand some circumstances regarding Officer Li Ming. Please go with them to the Interrogation Room."

Under the complicated, sympathetic, yet slightly scrutinizing gazes of his colleagues, Lu Jianchuan silently stood up, like a marionette, and followed the two mysterious visitors toward the quiet, closed Interrogation Room at the end of the corridor.

The room furnishings were simple: just a table and a few chairs. The sturdy Investigator leading the way motioned for Lu Jianchuan to sit down. He himself sat opposite, hands clasped on the table, his posture as steady as a mountain, his gaze resting on Lu Jianchuan's face like a physical weight.

"Comrade Lu Jianchuan, please accept our condolences." Zhan Yong spoke, his voice deep and steady. "I am Zhan Yong, and this is my colleague Chen Xing. We have some questions regarding Officer Li Ming that we hope you can cooperate with."

The Interrogation began. The questions revolved around Lu Jianchuan's relationship with Li Ming, his recent work, and his whereabouts during the time of the incident last night.

Lu Jianchuan was still dazed; the immense grief and exhaustion made his responses slow and intermittent, but all his answers pointed toward an ordinary young police officer deeply affected by his Mentor's sacrifice, leaving no flaws.

Just as Zhan Yong was conducting the questioning and drawing all of Lu Jianchuan's attention, Chen Xing, standing to the side and slightly behind, appeared focused on taking notes on the tablet computer. However, his right hand very naturally retrieved a slender, matte black device, only the size of a pen, from the silver briefcase.

His movements were smooth and concealed. Using his body as cover, he subtly aimed the tip of the device toward Lu Jianchuan's back and gently pressed his thumb on the end.

Inside the device, an invisible, extremely subtle Energy Fluctuation spread out like ripples, instantly sweeping over Lu Jianchuan's body.

The entire process took less than half a second, without any sound or light effects; not even the airflow changed. The screen of the small, watch-like Receiver on Chen Xing's wrist flashed rapidly a few times before finally settling on a dim value—0.007%.

Chen Xing's eyes shifted slightly. He met Zhan Yong's gaze for a fleeting moment and gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Zhan Yong received the signal, maintaining a poker face while continuing the formulaic questioning, but the scrutiny deep in his eyes seemed to have lessened slightly.

Meanwhile, in the Consciousness Space.

"System! Look quickly! It's those two people from the warehouse entrance!" Han Chengyu immediately recognized the sturdy man and the young Investigator. "They've come looking for him! Have they discovered something?"

[Analyzing. Target individuals: Zhan Yong, Advanced Investigator of GUPA Sector Seven; Chen Xing, Intern Investigator of GUPA Sector Seven. Based on their behavioral patterns and equipment, this visit is highly likely for targeted questioning and preliminary screening.]

"Screening? How will they screen?"

Just as Han Chengyu asked the question, he "saw" Chen Xing's extremely concealed scanning action.

"It's over! He's going to be exposed!" Han Chengyu's heart jumped into his throat.

However, the alarm he anticipated did not sound. The opponent's instrument seemed to have yielded a perfectly ordinary result.

"Huh?" Han Chengyu was stunned. "System, what's going on? Didn't you say his concentration was 0.038%? Why did it detect such a low value?"

[This is an active Shielding Measure.] The System calmly explained.

[In the bound state, I can generate a faint Energy Illusion, covering the Aptitude Holder's true particle concentration, causing them to appear 'latent' under conventional detection. This measure is intended to protect the Aptitude Holder from being targeted by certain forces due to premature exposure, thereby avoiding detention, research, or other involuntary human experiments.]

"It can do that?!" Han Chengyu breathed a sigh of relief, immediately followed by a wave of fear. "So, if it weren't for you, he might have been captured and sliced up for research by now?"

[That possibility exists. At the current stage, concealment is a necessary means of protection.]

Inside the Interrogation Room, Zhan Yong's questioning continued, but clearly, no valuable clues were obtained.

Inside the Interrogation Room, Zhan Yong's questioning was nearing its end. Lu Jianchuan remained submerged in immense, genuine grief. He didn't even have the energy to ponder the true intentions of the two men, merely answering passively, as if all his emotions and cognitive abilities had been drained away with Li Ming's passing. The shocking secret that occurred in the dark warehouse, combined with his current genuine breakdown, formed his best Protective Cover.