Empire of Shadows

Once a no-bottom-line interrogation begins, it means that both the interrogator and the interrogated start transforming from human to non-human.

Gavin arrived at the capital military district’s interrogation room for the first time. The walls here were covered entirely with waterproof, white ceramic tiles.

The gaps between the tiles were dark red in some places, likely left by blood that had seeped too deep to be cleaned away.

The room was filled with a strong smell of disinfectant. It was very intense, and it looked like this room had just been repainted.

Gavin was restrained on a cross-like instrument of torture. He had tried to resist, but besides taking a beating, he still had to obey, and there would be no change. So he began to learn obedience.

This is not a good sign, he told himself, but he had no way to refuse.

The room was somewhat desolate. Seven or eight minutes after the soldiers who had brought him left, an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel pushed a small cart in from outside.

There was a tray on the cart, and the tray held some highly concentrated alcohol.

He knew this because when the cart was pushed next to him, he could smell the strong scent of alcohol.

Soaked in the alcohol were some instruments of torture.The officer closed the door, took off his military uniform, and hung it on the coat rack by the door, along with his hat.

After hanging up his clothes, the officer rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and walked over. He glanced at Gavin, then dipped his hands into the alcohol, and put on gloves.

While inspecting the instruments of torture, he said, ”They said you’re not a soldier, just a politician involved in collusion with the enemy, so I didn’t have them prepare the large instruments of torture for you.”

”Sometimes the enemy we face is very tenacious, just like the one I met last time.”

As he spoke, he took out a long, narrow knife. Alcohol dripped down the blade, which gleamed with the cold light unique to metal under the lamp.

”I took out his intestines and placed them in front of him, but he still wouldn’t talk. In the end, I had no choice but to drill into his brain. I wanted to see what was inside, what gave him such strong will and determination to keep the secret, even to death.”

He put the knife back. ”This process won’t be long. I am different from those who like to torture people for a long time. I believe that once your physiological fear reaches its limit, if you still refuse to talk, there’s a very high probability that we won’t be able to dig anything out of you. So you don’t need to worry too much. Everything will be quick.”

”There are only two kinds of people I deal with.”

”Living people who are willing to talk to us, and dead people who take their secrets to the grave. There is no third option.”

As he spoke, he began to undress Gavin, cutting his clothes open directly with a sterilized pair of scissors. While cutting, he asked, ”They want me to get a list from you.”

”A list of how many people have defected to the Slad people and sold out Dantra’s interests. They believe there must be many big shots on this list, and you are one of the insiders.”

As he spoke, he had almost completely removed Gavin’s clothes, leaving Gavin completely naked in front of him.

Gavin seemed to notice something different. This officer was a man, and men usually show some resistance when touching the features of another man, but he... did not show this emotion.

He was just working normally, and was even thoughtfully helping Gavin clean and disinfect.

”This is to prevent you from finally giving in, only to die of complications from wound infection because we didn’t disinfect. So you don’t need to worry. Everything is for your own good.”

He said, changing to a small instrument, a pair of pliers that looked like vice grips.

But vice grips have serrated jaws that interlock, allowing them to firmly grasp things with friction. The one in his hand, however, was just a sharp spike and a groove to accommodate the spike.

He directly pinched up a layer of skin on Gavin’s body and opened a cut in it.

The sudden pain made Gavin curse. He also tried to struggle, but it was meaningless.

When he was tied to this cross, it meant that, just as the officer had said, he only had two paths.

To be released by others, not to struggle down on his own.

The officer didn’t wait for Gavin to keep shouting. He pinched up another piece of skin, and then clamped the pliers on it. In an instant, another piercing, bleeding hole.

This officer was indeed an interrogation veteran. The blood looked scary, but in reality, not much had flowed out. However, to have four fresh red holes, with fat oozing out, in a place he could see, was a physiological and psychological challenge for anyone who had not undergone anti-interrogation training!

”Why the hell don’t you ask me the questions!” Gavin couldn’t stand it anymore. He had previously thought that the so-called interrogation was someone beating him and forcing a confession. He had never imagined it would be like this!

When a stubborn person encounters a calm pervert, it is highly likely to cure his bad habits. Let alone that Mr. Gavin was not a genuinely stubborn person.

The officer smiled somewhat shyly. ”Wasn’t I afraid that if I asked, you wouldn’t tell, and it would waste our time?”

”So I’ll let you feel it first. This way, our conversation will be more convenient...”

What followed was a very ”friendly” conversation. Both sides seemed willing to end today’s work as quickly as possible, but there was a small difference of opinion.

”Is the leader of the Second Largest Party on the list?” The officer’s notebook recorded these contents. He said, looking up at Gavin. Gavin’s eyes darted away.

Clearly, this was the result they wanted. After several previous friendly ”negotiations,” he had already admitted to colluding with the enemy.

He admitted that he had handed over some military intelligence to the Slad people in exchange for the Slad people’s support for the Second Largest Party coming to power.

The cost was the lives of soldiers and civilians, a severe blow to the President’s authority.

At first, he didn’t want to admit it, but after having five of his fingernails pulled out, he had confessed.

He couldn’t be described as covered in cuts and bruises now, but he was definitely in a bad state.

Seeing his hesitation, the officer picked up another instrument of torture, and amidst Gavin’s terrified ”don’t do that,” he made him scream again.

This time, he didn’t hesitate. Because he found that his injuries were making him increasingly uneasy and fearful. He nodded repeatedly. ”It was the Party Leader who asked me to make contact...”

Soon he confessed what the President wanted. Then, at all the places involving names, locations, and dates, he pressed his fingerprints, and also signed his name at the bottom of each page.

Then the officer left. Two soldiers came in and threw a set of clothes at him, and took him away for hemostasis and treatment. He was still needed, in court.

In just one day, Mr. President had obtained three lists. Another man had died of a sudden heart attack while on the interrogation rack, otherwise, it would have been four.

Looking at the materials in his hands, his face was not entirely filled with the pleasure of having obtained what he wanted. There was also a hint of hesitation.

A great purge was certainly tempting, but he would also completely stand in opposition to everyone, whether it was the Second Largest Party, the current ruling party, or those capitalists, financial groups, and political families. They would all stand against him.

They could tolerate someone becoming president and wielding the country’s power, but they would not tolerate a madman using the power they bestowed upon him to pose a fatal threat to them.

This was a very difficult step. Once he took it, there would be no turning back.

He had the soldiers leave first. He sat in his chair, watching the clouds slowly pass by the narrow window, falling into deep thought for a time.

The disappearance of Gavin and the others finally triggered the dissatisfaction and panic of the leader of the Second Largest Party. They found out through some channels that these people had been detained and interrogated. In an instant, a sense of worry arose in the Second Largest Party, and even within the ruling party.

The President’s hand had grasped the hilt of the knife. Would he raise the knife and strike down fiercely, or would he put it back into the sheath?

Everyone seemed to be frantically contacting everyone they could. The originally stable domestic political environment in Dantra, due to the continuous losses in the war, began to move from stability towards collapse!

This also made them contact the Federation and Slad again. They were willing to pay a greater price in exchange for the war to restart.

Only if external pressure continued to increase would the President and the military shift their attention from internal to external matters...

The situation within Dantra began to worsen. It was like a pressure cooker with continuously increasing pressure. No one knew when the cylinder would be unable to withstand the immense internal pressure and would suddenly explode.

Lance’s situation here was much simpler than the complexity over there. The prolonged fighting had consumed quite a few people on both sides. Localities had also begun to form ”guard teams” to protect the safety of the civilians within the autonomous regions.

The sound of gunfire, which used to be a distance from Zhuolan, was now getting closer and closer. In the quiet of the night, one could even hear the gunshots and artillery fire from outside the city.

The government army’s numbers were, after all, not an advantage. Moreover, quite a few deserters had appeared in the government army. Unlike those rebels, they had a way out.

Put down their weapons, take off their uniforms, and they were ordinary people back home.

As for those rebels, even if they took off their uniforms, if the government army found them, extreme measures would still be taken.

More and more people were pouring into the concession. Perhaps for them, only the concession was safe at this time.

”More and more people are pouring in. It has already begun to affect the local order, so...”

A few concession officials stood in Lance’s office, reporting the situation here to him.

Too many people pouring in. Lance had indeed noticed this situation when he had toured the concession in the past few days. The people who had come from outside the concession were crowded on the roadside.

They had not undergone any civilized ”transformation,” and still maintained the Rapa people’s terrible living habits and low quality. Many people were urinating and defecating everywhere, even if they were sleeping next to their own excrement.

During the day, they would beg everywhere, or even steal. The police department had already had quite a few reports.

And even if the police were dispatched and arrested these people, it was not a good choice.

Locking them up was equivalent to providing them with a free place to eat and rest. It was possible that more people would begin to proactively commit crimes, trying to have the concession throw them into prison.

But if they were ignored, these people’s audacity would only grow.

Lance sat there and thought for a while. ”Continue to use flogging against them. Whip them hard, and after whipping them, throw them out of the concession.”

”When necessary, you can make an example of a few.”

Some time ago, they didn’t quite understand what ”making an example” meant. During this time, Juan had given them a very vivid lesson.

Ever since Juan had begun to deal with the ”awakened masses,” people had discovered the terror hidden within this young man.

A while ago, quite a few people, imitating the federal style of parading and demonstrating, had held up placards in the concession. The general meaning was that this land belonged to Rapa, and that the ”Rapa Treaty” signed by President Diego was illegal and void. They demanded that Lance and the federal people return the land to Rapa, instead of continuing to occupy it.

The reason why these people hadn’t shown up before was that the anti-government forces hadn’t entered the Zhuolan area. They didn’t dare to stand up and do this.

But as the anti-government forces continuously pressed on Zhuolan, these people had begun to show up.

Regardless of whether they had made such a choice under the remote control of some people, or if they themselves truly believed that doing so would be useful, Lance had already had Juan deal with it, and had also given him some hints.

Severe and heavy punishment. Do not fear the people’s discussion.

In just two short weeks, those people who could occasionally be seen had disappeared from the streets.

As long as they were caught by Juan, they would be secretly dealt with after being tortured.

Before, some people had wanted to see Juan fail, thinking he was too young to be a police chief, and that he might mess up this matter.

But his performance had made everyone shut up. So much so that the current Juan already had his own nickname—Hyena.

It wasn’t that no one had reported Juan, saying that he had abused the death penalty, and that he arbitrarily arrested people without abiding by the law.

But this was not the fucking Federation. The things that are applicable in the Federation, including the moral bottom line, are not suitable for use here.

The federal government would not deal with those demonstrators. Of course, only most of them. Sometimes, they would also find a way to deal with some of the extreme demonstrators.

But in Rapa, no one cared if their spirit of freedom was upheld. No one cared if their life and property were protected.

This is Rapa, the confluence of barbarism and civilization, the boundary between heaven and hell.

This also reflected, from the side, that the federal cultural output was successful. In just over a year, people in Rapa had already begun to believe the federal rhetoric. This was a symbol of success!