Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 236 Scientific Interrogation, Terrifyingly Powerful! [Requesting Guaranteed Monthly Tickets]

"My lord, the Emperor has sent reinforcements again!"

Song Zhong entered the signing room where Zhang Biao was and cautiously reported:

"He also said that your life belongs to him, and he won't allow you to die."

"Tch! My fate is in my own hands, not his!"

Zhang Biao pursed his lips, then quickly changed the subject, asking, "How's the interrogation of that Geng Zhong's personal guard going? Has he spoken up yet?"

Song Zhong seemed to have grown accustomed to Zhang Biao's disrespect towards Old Zhu, and could only shake his head and sigh helplessly. But when Zhang Biao asked about the interrogation results, he said somewhat awkwardly:

"My lord, that fellow is a tough nut to crack. Please grant me a few more days."

"waste!"

Zhang Biao interrupted without any politeness:

"Aren't you Embroidered Uniform Guards supposed to be so capable? How come you can't even interrogate people properly? You're just wasting my time!"

After saying this, he stood up from his seat and then waved his hand dismissively:
"Come with me, and I'll show you what scientific interrogation is all about!"

Song Zhong was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding Zhang Biao's new vocabulary, but he still followed Zhang Biao to the prison cell.

As soon as they entered the cell, they were hit by a stench of blood and decay.

The guard had been tortured until he was a bloody mess and barely breathing, but his eyes were lifeless, and he kept his teeth clenched, refusing to utter a single word.

"Sir, this fellow's mouth is foul and stubborn; ordinary torture... probably won't work."

A burly Jinyiwei commander, wiping sweat from his brow, reported to Song Zhong with a hint of helplessness.

Song Zhong frowned.

He had seen too many tough guys, but a suicide squad member like this, who wasn't even afraid of death, was indeed the most difficult to deal with.

Just then, Zhang Biao walked over impatiently.

He glanced at his personal guards, who were tied to the rack and barely recognizable as human, his face showing no pity, but rather a scrutinizing gaze and a strange appreciation.

"Not bad, he's a real man."

Zhang Biao nodded, his tone flat, as if he were evaluating an item.

The guard didn't even lift his eyelids, remaining silent.

Zhang Biao didn't mind and started chatting casually, as if they were old friends.

"What's your name? Who else is in your family? Are your parents still alive? Do you have a wife and children?"

"How long have you been with Geng Zhong? How has he treated you?"

"What did you eat last night? Is the food at the garrison alright?"

Are you interested in men?

No matter what Zhang Biao asked, the guard remained unresponsive, like a clay or wooden sculpture, without even changing the frequency of his breathing.

Several experienced Jinyiwei interrogators nearby secretly shook their heads, feeling that Zhang Biao was wasting his energy.

For these rigorously trained and iron-willed assassins, persuasion and casual conversation are completely useless.

Zhang Biao talked on and on for a long time, but seeing that the other party was still unmoved, he finally stopped.

He touched his chin, a look of 'I knew it' on his face.

"It seems that conventional methods are indeed not working for you."

Zhang Biao clicked his tongue and said, "If you're not even afraid of death, then physical pain is nothing to you."

The guard's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, a hint of disdain in them.

Zhang Biao abruptly changed the subject, a signature smile on his face that Song Zhong and the others were familiar with—a smile that blended madness and wisdom:
"But do you know what people are most afraid of?"

The guard remained silent, but a very subtle ripple seemed to flicker deep in his eyes.

Zhang Biao didn't need his answer. Instead, he spoke to himself in an almost chanting, hypnotic tone:

"It's not pain, it's not death, it's clearly feeling your life force slipping away bit by bit, hearing the footsteps of death approaching step by step... and being powerless to do anything about it."

"It's the kind of extreme fear that comes from knowing you're about to die, yet being left alone in the darkness, slowly waiting for the final moment to arrive."

These words, like a cold, venomous snake, quietly crept into the ears of the guards.

Even Song Zhong and several Jinyiwei guards standing nearby felt a chill creep up their spines for no apparent reason.

After Zhang Biao finished speaking, he didn't waste any more words and instructed Song Zhong:

"Old Song, find an absolutely quiet and spacious room, and cover all the windows with black cloth so that not a single ray of light can get in."

"Prepare a sturdy stool, a basin of clean water, and a piece of opaque black cloth."

Although Song Zhong was full of doubts, he immediately did as instructed.

Soon, everything will be ready.

The guard was taken off the rack and dragged into the modified room.

The room was small and empty, with only a stool and a basin of water in the middle.

The doors and windows were completely covered with black cloth, with only a dim oil lamp providing a faint light source, which cast distorted shadows of everyone, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

The guards were forced to sit on the stools, their hands tied behind their backs to the stool legs.

His face still bore the usual numbness and deathly stillness, but deep in his eyes, a trace of barely perceptible vigilance and unease involuntarily slipped out.

Zhang Biao picked up the black cloth, walked up to the guard, and slowly blindfolded him.

In an instant, the guards were plunged into complete darkness.

"What...are you going to do?"

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked a question in a hoarse voice. This was the first time he had spoken voluntarily since his arrest.

Zhang Biao did not answer.

Immediately afterwards, the guard felt someone grab one of his hands and forcibly straighten his index finger.

Then, he felt a slight stinging sensation at his fingertips, as if he had been scratched by something sharp.

It's a dagger!

The wound is shallow and doesn't hurt too much.

The guards were even more puzzled, completely unable to understand what Zhang Biao was up to.

This minor injury is nothing compared to the previous torture; it's like a tickle.

However, just as he was secretly scoffing at Zhang Biao's despicable methods—

"Tick..."

A very faint sound, yet exceptionally clear in the absolute silence and darkness, of water droplets sounded behind him.

Immediately afterwards——

"Tick...tick..."

The sound of dripping water began to ring out continuously in a steady and slow rhythm.

The source of the sound seemed to be not far behind him, at the location of the basin of clear water.

Zhang Biao's voice rang out again, cold and calm, as if it came from the deepest hell:

"Can you feel it? Your blood is flowing into that basin of water, drop by drop."

"There are approximately four to five thousand drops of blood in the human body."

"At this rate, it will probably take... well, seven or eight hours, before you bleed out."

"You will first feel thirsty, then feel cold all over, your consciousness will begin to blur, and finally you will slowly die in endless darkness and loneliness."

"Don't worry, we won't bother you. We'll leave you here alone, quietly... listening to the countdown of your own life."

After saying that, Zhang Biao winked at Song Zhong and the others, making a 'tactical retreat' gesture.

Song Zhong and several Jinyiwei guards were now terrified, looking at Zhang Biao as if he were a demon crawling out of hell.

This method of interrogation was something they had never heard of or seen before.

However, the psychological pressure it creates far surpasses that of any form of physical torture.

Everyone held their breath and quietly left the room.

"crunch-"

The heavy door was slowly closed, making a final, soft sound.

For the blindfolded soldier bound to a stool, the entire world consisted of nothing but an endless, suffocating darkness, and the relentless, pounding sound that seemed to strike his heart.

“Tick…tick…tick…”

For the first half hour, there was no movement in the room.

With strong willpower, the guards tried to convince themselves that this was just a tactic to intimidate the other side, that the wound was shallow, and that the blood would clot on its own soon.

He even sneered inwardly, thinking that Zhang Biao was nothing special.

However, as time passed, the ticking sound seemed to possess some kind of magic, penetrating his eardrums and drilling directly into his brain, echoing continuously deep within his consciousness.

He began to unconsciously count the sound of the water droplets.

One hundred times... five hundred times... one thousand times...

He felt a faint, chilling sensation, as if blood was flowing out, emanating from his fingertips.

He began to feel thirsty.

The darkness amplified all his senses, and it also amplified the fear in his heart.

He began to struggle, but the rope was tied very tightly.

He strained his ears, trying to hear the slightest sound outside the door, but there was nothing but that damned, endless ticking.

It was as if the whole world had abandoned him, leaving only him and the terrifying sound that symbolized the passing of his life.

"Hey! Is anyone there?!"

He couldn't help but start cursing, using the most vicious language to curse Zhang Biao and all the Imperial Guards.

"Zhang Biao! You bastard! If you've got the guts, give me a quick death!"

"Song Zhong! You lackeys of the imperial court! You shall die a horrible death!"

Outside the door, Song Zhong and the others nervously observed the situation inside through a small crack that had been deliberately left open, while looking incredulously at Zhang Biao, who was standing calmly to the side and even starting to yawn.

Zhang Biao gestured to them to "stay calm."

The guards' shouts and curses continued for a while, but received no response.

He stopped yelling when he got tired of it.

Once again, only the ticking sound remained in the room.

This time, the fear brought by the silence and darkness was ten or even a hundred times stronger than before.

He felt as if he had been abandoned on a deserted island, slowly being submerged by an invisible tide.

An hour has passed...

The psychological defenses of the personal guards began to crack.

He could 'feel' his own life force, which was constantly leaving him with each tick.

The agony of waiting for death is a thousand times more terrifying than facing a knife or axe directly.

"Let me out...please...give me a quick death..." His voice trembled with sobs, turning from a roar into pleas and whimpers.

There was still no response from outside the door.

"Tick...tick..."

The sound was no longer a drop of water to him, but the footsteps of death, each step landing on his heart.

Another half hour passed...

The guards' morale completely collapsed.

The extreme darkness, loneliness, and the tangible fear of life slowly slipping away finally shattered his hardened shell as a suicide soldier.

He seemed to have already 'seen' himself turning into a withered corpse, abandoned in this endless darkness.

"I confess! I confess—!"

He let out a bloodcurdling howl, like that of a dying beast:
"Help me! I'm bleeding to death! I don't want to die!! I don't want to die like this!!"

Upon hearing the howl, Song Zhong and the others were shocked and looked at Zhang Biao in disbelief.

Zhang Biao then slowly stood up, showing no surprise on his face.

He gestured to a member of the Imperial Guard to open the door.

"Squeak-"

Light streamed in, illuminating the pitiful state of the soldier in the room, tears streaming down his face, his body trembling violently, on the verge of collapse.

The black cloth covering his eyes was already soaked with tears and sweat.

Zhang Biao walked up to him and said coldly, "Tell me everything you know."

The guard, grasping at a straw, pleaded with a sob in his voice:

"First... first save me... stop the bleeding... my blood..."

Zhang Biao remained unmoved, his tone as cold as iron: "Speak quickly! Your time is running out."

The fear of death completely overwhelmed the guard; he dared not hesitate any longer and began to confess incoherently:
"I don't know who's behind Geng Zhong... I really don't know. Commander Geng always keeps his meetings with his superiors very secret..."

"But I know... in Black Wind Pass... in that cave... there are still ledgers that haven't been destroyed... and some powerful bows and leather armor..."

"It's a small amount of leftover stock from the last time the weapons were taken away using the 'beast token'...and related shady accounts...Lord Geng said...there's news from above...that it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Before we could finish dealing with those two Imperial Guards, they sneaked up on us. You all know what happened next."

"That's all... I really only know this much... Please help me... Please..."

Zhang Biao obtained the most crucial information, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He then gestured to the Imperial Guard beside him.

A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward and examined the personal guard's fingers.

The shallow wound had already healed on its own, and even a scab was almost formed.

The so-called 'tick-tock' sound was just an effect created by Zhang Biao having someone drip water from a sieve.

The guard felt someone touch his fingers. He was startled at first, then realized what was happening and froze, his face showing an expression of utter absurdity and collapse.

Zhang Biao stopped looking at him and turned to Song Zhongdao:
"Assemble the men immediately, target Black Wind Pass Cave!"

As Song Zhong watched Zhang Biao's retreating figure, and then looked at the soldier who had completely broken down and slumped on the stool, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

[Is this what scientific interrogation is?! It's absolutely terrifying!]

He dared not delay for the slightest and immediately replied in a deep voice, "Yes!"

the other side.

It was still that hidden secret room in the prince's mansion.

The flickering candlelight cast the shadow of the prince in the main seat on the wall, making it appear to grow longer and shorter.

"Your Highness, an urgent report from Raozhou Garrison! Geng Zhong... has been exposed!"

The warm jade pendant in the prince's hand suddenly stopped spinning. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife in the shadows: "Tell me carefully! How far has he progressed?"

The man in black spoke extremely fast:
"Zhang Biao saw through Geng Zhong's trick of faking the scene of Lan Long's murder."

"Duke Lan Yu of Liang suddenly arrived in person, and the situation is out of control."

"Geng Zhong has been decisively eliminated by our people. The rear office has also been set on fire according to the emergency plan to destroy as many traces as possible."

"But Zhang Biao did not give up. He had taken full control of Raozhou Garrison, was interrogating the remaining personal guards of Geng Zhong, and was making every effort to search for a canal gang leader called 'Water Monkey,' as well as to track down a batch of timber that had been used to smuggle goods."

The prince listened quietly, his face showing no trace of regret or anger at Geng Zhong's death, only a cold calculation.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes when he heard the words 'water monkey' and 'timber'.

"That good-for-nothing Geng Zhong still left some loose ends after all."

The prince's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling killing intent.

"How much do his men know?"

"Your Highness, according to the rules, Geng Zhong is a one-way contact."

“His ordinary personal guards and garrison soldiers only knew how to follow orders, they were unaware of the inside story, let alone the existence of the prince.”

"But that 'water monkey' was an outsider personally developed by Geng Zhong, who was specifically responsible for transferring some sensitive materials through the canal gang network. He probably knew more details."

"The source of that batch of timber is also a potential problem."

"Hidden dangers..."

The prince repeated the sentence softly, tapping his fingertips on the armrest.

“Zhang Biao is like a shark that has smelled blood; he won’t let any clue slip by. We must get ahead of him and eliminate all the ‘hidden dangers’.”

He raised his head, his gaze sharp, and issued the order:

"First, that 'water monkey' knows too much. Let our people in the canal gang do it cleanly, like a gang feud or an accidental fall into the water."

"Secondly, the source of that batch of timber, the relevant craftsmen, supervisors, and all those who could possibly be traced back to us, all of them were dealt with, and the accounts were completely destroyed."

"third!"

A glint of light flashed in the prince's eyes: "And this is the most important thing. Zhang Biao is like a headless fly right now. Any clue he finds could be an opportunity for us to eliminate the hidden danger."

As he spoke, he leaned forward, lowered his voice, and his tone carried an undeniable decisiveness:
“We’ve dispatched our best ‘cleaning team’ in two groups.”

"One team, secretly follow Zhang Biao and his investigation team. Don't alert them, just keep an eye on them from a distance."

"Once we discover that they have found any substantial evidence, such as ledgers that Geng Zhong may have kept privately, secret letters between him and 'Water Monkey,' or the actual transaction records of that batch of timber, we must do everything in our power to preemptively destroy the evidence!"

"If the situation is urgent, allow them to kill the person who obtained the evidence without being exposed!"

"The other group will take the initiative."

"Based on the locations of clues we have about Geng Zhong that he may have left behind, such as his secret residence in the city and his frequently visited hidden contact points, we will conduct a thorough search in advance. Any papers, marks, or tokens that may be related to us will be destroyed!"

"remember!"

The prince's tone was chilling: "Our advantage lies in our covert presence. Zhang Biao is out in the open, searching for potential threats that we might overlook. We must take advantage of this."

"Let him help us 'clean house,' but we must not allow even the slightest spark to touch me!"

"Yes! Your Highness is wise!"

The man in black bowed deeply, understanding the cruelty and urgency of the mission.

This is not merely a passive defense, but rather an active use of Zhang Biao's investigation to conduct a more thorough internal purge.

"Your Highness, there is one more thing, concerning His Highness Prince Qi."

The man in black continued to report:

"Mr. Cheng sent me a message that he has already begun making arrangements and will try to divert the Emperor's attention, especially Zhang Biao's next investigation, to Prince Qi."

"He said... His Highness Prince Qi's actions in Qingzhou and the Grand Canal are enough to draw attention."

Upon hearing this, a faint, almost satisfied expression finally appeared on the prince's usually impassive face.

"Mr. Cheng is a wise and experienced strategist. I am very pleased to have him assisting the seventh prince."

The prince's tone carried a condescending tone, as if Prince Qi and Mr. Cheng were merely pawns on his chessboard.

"Seventh Brother is impatient and greedy, and he has left quite a few dirt on Qingzhou and the Grand Canal. He's perfect for attracting that mad dog Zhang Biao."

He pondered for a moment, his mind rapidly processing the information.

Although Zhang Biao escaped the trap of the Grand Canal transport route, he inadvertently tore open the line of 'nurturing bandits to enhance his own importance'.

In his view, while this was dangerous, it also brought new opportunities.

"Tell Mr. Cheng that his thoughts coincide with my own."

The prince issued his orders with a clear and logical approach:

"First, on our side, we will execute the orders I just gave."

"Second, cooperate with Mr. Cheng's actions. We will 'just right' leak the vague clues we have about the Prince of Qi's 'unusual' interactions with certain border towns and garrisons through the Qingzhou canal transport hub to Zhang Biao's men."

"Remember, it should be vague, it should involve a transition, and it shouldn't be directly related to us."

"Third, give Kaifeng a little more push. At the scene of Zhu Youxun's 'vendetta,' we can 'leave' some ambiguous objects that could be linked to the Qi Prince's Mansion."

"We need to make everyone believe that it was because the King of Qi was afraid that the connection with the King of Zhou's residence would be exposed that he resorted to such ruthless measures."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:
"Zhang Biao likes to investigate, doesn't he? I'll show him a way! Let him follow the trail of the loss of military equipment from the garrison and trace it all the way back to the King of Qi!"

"The seventh prince has been acting recklessly in his fiefdom and in the Grand Canal over the years. It's time for him to share the Emperor's wrath with me."

"Yes! Your Highness's strategy is flawless! I will make the arrangements immediately!" The man in black bowed deeply.

The prince waved his hand, and the man in black quietly withdrew.

In the dark room, the candlelight crackled.

The prince sat alone in the shadows, slowly stroking the jade pendant in his hand.

Losing Geng Zhong is a setback, but not necessarily a bad thing.

This forced Zhang Biao to reveal his intention to investigate the garrison ahead of time, allowing him to make arrangements earlier and shift the blame to the King of Qi.

"Seventh brother, seventh brother, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The prince muttered to himself, a cold smile curving his lips:

"If you have to blame someone, blame Zhang Biao, that mad dog, for biting too hard. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself... for not knowing how to restrain yourself."

"Your Majesty!"

He had barely finished speaking when a voice came from outside the door: "The Duke has arrived."

The prince frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Why did he suddenly come here?

The prince straightened his robes and then instructed the guards outside the door, "Let him in."

"Yes."

The guard outside the door responded.

The hidden door slid open silently, and a burly middle-aged figure walked in, looking travel-worn.

……

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(End of this chapter)