A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

"Now, do you understand?"

Zhang Yucheng's voice came from the other side of the sea of ​​clouds, still gentle, even with a hint of laughter.

He leaned down slightly, looking at Wolf, whose face was extremely pale in the sea of ​​fire, and kindly explained:

"We were in the conference room just now, that was a meeting."

"Although we didn't provide you with chairs, at least the floor is flat, the air is circulating, and the temperature is comfortable."

"Here now..."

He pointed to the scorching earth burning beneath Wolf's feet, his smile unchanged:

"That's where we negotiate."

"after all……"

Zhang Yucheng paused, then spoke matter-of-factly:

There's no point in talking to someone who finds standing too tiring.

"We need to let you..."

"Recognize where you really stand."

Wolf stood on the scorching ground, feeling the burning pain beneath his feet.

He opened his mouth, but found that his throat felt as if it had been dried out by the terrifying heat wave, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Only a single drop of cold sweat, mixed with the scorching heat of the surrounding air, slowly slid down his forehead.

pat.

It dripped onto the cracked, scorched earth beneath our feet, where smoke was rising.

It evaporated instantly.

Not even a trace was left.

Zhang Yucheng, sitting in the main seat, was already getting a little impatient.

"Also, I think you've made a mistake."

He paused, making sure every word was clearly audible to the other person:

"I sent you here to redeem people."

"This is not a negotiation."

"The process is very simple."

Zhang Yucheng held up one finger:

"One hundred million US dollars, or the equivalent in spirit stones, materials, technology transfer... anything is fine, I'm not picky."

"Pay the money, and I'll release them."

"Cash on delivery, goods in hand, transaction settled, clean and efficient."

He shrugged, his expression one of utter bewilderment, as if to say, "What's so hard to understand?"

"It's that simple."

"..."

Amidst the sea of ​​fire, all was deathly silent.

The only sounds were the bubbling of lava and Edward's increasingly heavy, burning, and painful breathing.

Wolf's face, which was as hard as granite, turned a deep liver color.

He has lived to such an old age, experienced countless storms, and seen all sorts of ruthless people, madmen, and schemers.

But this guy in front of me, dressed in an official robe, speaks in the calmest tone but with the most bandit-like words, and he even has the audacity to think his procedures are perfectly legitimate...

This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it!

"You...you're extorting money! This is kidnapping! This is blatant crime!!"

Wolf finally managed to squeeze out a roar through clenched teeth, his voice distorted by extreme anger and the surrounding heat.

He pointed at Zhang Yucheng, his finger trembling:

"What do you think this place is?! A bandit's den?! We're representatives..."

"yes."

Zhang Yucheng nodded, interrupting his roar, and even showed a relieved smile on his face, as if to say, "You just realized that?"

"I am extorting money."

He leaned forward slightly, looking at Wolf's contorted face, and kindly added:

"I thought I had made it obvious enough."

"..."

Wolf was stunned again.

He... he just admitted it like that?!

Not even bothering to cover it up?! Not even a fig leaf to hide it?!

What's the difference between this and robbing someone in the street and shouting out their ID number?!

Zhang Yucheng kindly explained:

"The letter I initially wrote to the person above was a ransom note."

"The wording was too straightforward. The higher-ups thought it was too rough and would have a bad influence, so they asked me to revise it."

"There's nothing we can do. There are orders from above, and as subordinates, we have to obey."

He shrugged, looking like he was being forced to do this too:

"So I embellished it a bit, adding words like 'deep regret' and 'serious concern' to package 'paying money' as 'reasonable compensation'."

"How's it going? Not bad, right? At least it looks like a proper diplomatic document now."

Edward, standing next to him, twitched his lips violently.

He said it!

Something just doesn't feel right when I'm looking at the documents!

The wording, the logic, the overwhelming, undisguised "send money quickly" vibe...

So that's where the root of the problem lies!

This is a fucking extortion letter disguised as a diplomatic document!

"I urge you to think about it as soon as possible."

Zhang Yucheng reminded him in a relaxed tone:

"Our colleagues in the department are currently entertaining your two friends from your country."

"If this goes on for too long... I'm afraid they won't be able to handle it."

Can't take it?

"You dare to use torture to extract confessions?!"

Wolf's eyes instantly reddened; that was his own nephew!

"They are prisoners of war! Protected by international law! This is a violation of the Geneva Conventions! It's a war crime!"

Here we go again.

Zhang Yucheng waved his hand, looking impatient, as if to say, "Why do you keep using words I don't understand?"

"What Geneva Convention? Never heard of it."

"Give us the money and we'll release them."

"No..."

He paused, then turned to Deputy Director Liu behind him and said:

"Old Liu, I'm getting a bit cold. It's windy on the sea of ​​clouds."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Liu immediately perked up and grinned:

"Okay!"

The next second—

"boom--!!!"

Inside the sea of ​​fire, the temperature suddenly soared!

The earth, which was originally just cracked and bubbling, now shines with a blinding dark red light, as if it had been branded with an invisible giant hammer!

Streams of magma and fire erupted like fountains!

The smell of sulfur in the air was so strong it was pungent, the heat wave distorted the view, and even the space itself seemed to ripple slightly under the high temperature!

"Ugh—!!"

Edward let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded inhuman.

He was just a bureaucrat who rose through the ranks by clerical work and cunning; how could he have ever experienced this?

At that moment, he felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace. The expensive shirt under his suit was instantly soaked with sweat and then quickly dried, sticking to his body and burning painfully.

Every breath of air felt scalding hot and burning my throat, my lungs felt like they were on fire.

The hair started to curl and emitted a burnt smell.

He even felt that the fat in his body was being squeezed out by the terrifying heat!

Wolf was doing alright, with dark energy surging around him, resisting the omnipresent, scorching heat.

But the frustration and anger in my heart were boiling more fiercely than the surrounding lava!

Hey!

The Jinghai 749 gang is nothing but a bunch of bandits disguised as officials! They're utterly shameless!

How dare they?!

How dare they?!

"Enough! Stop!!"

Wolf suddenly let out a beast-like roar, not at Zhang Yucheng, but at Edward, who was almost cooked beside him:

"Edward! Stop fucking talking! Our family will cover half the cost! Sign the agreement now! Transfer the money!"

He couldn't stand this godforsaken place for even a second longer!

He had considered launching a sudden attack and fighting to the death.

Look up at the image of Venus, seated high in the clouds, then at the Bull Demon King beside him, spewing sulfurous fumes, and then at the more than twenty menacing constellations in the sea of ​​clouds, their auras intertwined…

Wolf had no doubt that if he dared to make a move, he would be surrounded and beaten by at least thirty people in the next second.

Moreover, the two leaders, one chief and one deputy, are definitely no less capable than themselves!

This fight is impossible!

Edward, already delirious from the heat, heard Wolf's words as if they were heavenly music, and with his last strength, he screamed:

"Sign! We'll sign! Transfer the money immediately! Release them! Release them now!!"

Zhang Yucheng nodded in satisfaction and gave Deputy Director Liu a wink.

The temperature dropped sharply; although it was still scorching, it was at least back to a tolerable level.

"Wouldn't it have been better if it had been this quick and decisive earlier?"

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Yucheng sent a pre-prepared, standard-format agreement floating in front of Edward, with a pen thoughtfully suspended beside it.

"Sign, stamp, and then notify your finance department. The money must be in your account within ten minutes."

Edward's hands trembled. He didn't even look at the contents, and even if he did, it would be pointless. He quickly signed his name and then took out his small seal to stamp it.

After doing all this, he was like a fish out of water, barely able to breathe.

Wolf, barely managing to stay focused, stared intently at Zhang Yucheng:

"Director Zhang, the agreement is signed, and the money will arrive soon. Now, can you release them?"

He paused, his tone carrying a final hint of threat:

"Some information... if it gets out during the investigation, it might not be good for either of us."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yucheng smiled.

Her smile was very gentle.

"Mr. Wolf, you may have misunderstood again."

He said slowly:

"I have never had my men interrogate anyone for information."

"I just..."

"Let them investigate."

"This is purely a technical exchange and does not involve intelligence gathering."

"after all……"

He smiled at Wolf, revealing a set of white teeth:

"Our 749 Bureau is a legitimate organization."

"Torture and forced confessions, and the extraction of information are illegal and unethical practices..."

"We won't do it."

Wolf stood there, looking at Zhang Yucheng's face, which was full of "sincerity," and pondered the words "purely technical exchange" and "review" for a moment...

Hey!

Pure torture?!

They can't even be bothered to ask for intelligence; they're just torturing people for the sake of tormenting them?!

This is worse than torture! And it's insulting!

He finally understood completely.

With those thugs from the Jinghai 749 Bureau...

When I talk about the law, people say they've never heard of it.

When you talk about conventions, people treat you like you're talking nonsense.

In terms of strength, they are clearly stronger than you.

Let's be reasonable...

They simply told us the basic principle: "Pay them money and they'll be released; if you don't pay, they'll keep torturing you until you do."

Damn, the local gangs are so rude.