I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

Chapter 6: We'll accept the overwhelming wealth!

On the other side, there was an interrogation room used as a rest area.

There are no windows here, the walls are covered with sound-absorbing gray upholstery, and the only furniture is a metal table and two chairs.

Lin Mo sat there, with a glass of water that had gone cold in front of him.

He didn't touch it.

Several hours have passed since he was brought here. He has endured repeated questioning and waiting.

Every minute and every second felt incredibly slow.

His heart was pounding, and he found it hard to even breathe.

"Squeak—"

The metal door was pushed open.

Lin Mo's body trembled violently, and he sprang up from the chair, the movement so fast that the chair slid back half a meter, making a screeching sound.

Zhou Yan walked in.

He changed out of his black suit and into an ordinary gray jacket, but his expressionless face and sharp eyes remained unchanged.

He closed the door and his gaze fell on Lin Mo. Lin Mo's body stiffened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

Seeing Zhou Yan's solemn expression, Lin Mo could no longer hold back.

He thought things had taken the worst possible turn.

"Is the investigation complete?"

Before Zhou Yan could speak, he spoke in a hoarse voice, his words coming out so fast he almost bit his tongue.

"Do you believe me now? Everything I said is true! That system, that portal, and the goblins... it's all real."

He stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly uncontrollably, his eyes filled with pleading.

"I don't want to die. The next mission is in twenty-nine days, and the objective is... to kill ten minotaurs!"

"I can't beat them! How could I possibly defeat that monster by myself! You have to help me! You absolutely have to!"

His voice echoed in the closed room, tinged with a suppressed sob.

Zhou Yan was taken aback by his intense reaction.

He looked at the young man in front of him, who was on the verge of collapse. His pale face was distorted with extreme fear.

Zhou Yan was silent for two seconds, then made a downward pressing gesture towards Lin Mo.

His voice softened as he tried to soothe him.

"Comrade Lin Mo, don't be nervous."

"Sit down and talk."

Lin Mo didn't move, but stared intently into Zhou Yan's eyes, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.

Zhou Yan met his gaze and spoke clearly, word by word:

We believe in you.

"We have rigorously cross-verified all the statements you provided through multiple channels."

Zhou Yan paused for a moment before giving his final conclusion.

The conclusion is: completely true.

"boom--"

These four words exploded in Lin Mo's mind.

Lin Mo's tense body instantly collapsed.

His legs went weak, and he uncontrollably slumped backward into the chair with a thud.

She curled up, propped her elbows on the table, and buried her face deeply in her hands.

He didn't cry, but the violent shaking of his shoulders and the suppressed, heavy breathing coming from between his fingers were more unsettling than any cry.

Zhou Yan didn't urge him, but just stood quietly in place, watching him.

He knew that this young man was carrying too much on his shoulders all by himself.

A full minute passed before Lin Mo slowly raised his head.

His eyes were bloodshot and red, but the madness in his eyes had faded, leaving only exhaustion.

"Th-thank you..."

Lin Mo's voice was hoarse, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

Zhou Yan pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, pushing the glass of cold water in front of him.

"Now, can you tell us what you know?"

Lin Mo picked up the water glass and drank it all in one gulp. The cold liquid slid down his throat, clearing his confused mind a little.

Lin Mo knew that the real negotiations were only just beginning.

He must offer enough value to secure the unconditional protection of the state apparatus.

"I...I don't know what the principle behind that thing is."

Lin Mo put down his water glass and tried hard to organize his thoughts.

"It calls itself a portal system. After each mission, it would give me something called a spatial beacon fragment based on my performance."

"Right here in my... my system interface, on a screen that I can see but others can't. Those fragments, I can't remove them, and I can't use them."

He looked at Zhou Yan, a glimmer of hope rekindling in his eyes.

"I guess... I guess this thing might be used to upgrade the portal? Like... make the portal bigger, or make it stay open for a longer time?"

As he spoke, his body leaned forward unconsciously, and his voice became urgent.

"The next mission is to kill minotaurs, and I'm really scared... Minotaurs, you know what they are? Monsters in games!"

"If the door could be opened wider, more of our people and equipment could get in, and my... my chances of survival might be better, right?"

Zhou Yan's expression instantly turned serious.

The pen that had been spinning in his hand stopped and rested on the notebook in front of him.

He quickly wrote down the words "Space Beacon Fragment" and "Teleportation Portal Upgrade," and then drew a heavy circle around them.

"This guess is very important."

Zhou Yan raised her head and looked at him intently.

"Go on."

Encouraged, Lin Mo's spirits lifted and his brain began to work at lightning speed.

"And that potion! The one I brought back!"

"The reason I disappeared for seven days is because of the girl from another world that I saved."

"I was afraid the goblins would catch up, so I didn't dare take the main road and took a long detour, which took six days to get her back to their village."

"In that village, I saw... I saw the potion I brought back, they call it a basic healing potion, and it seemed... it seemed quite common!"

"Several hunters in the village carry one of these!"

Zhou Yan's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Lin Mo was unaware of the other person's unusual behavior. He became more and more excited as he spoke, and he almost stood up from his chair.

"Perhaps, if we could trade them some clean food and salt!"

Lin Mo waved his arms, his eyes shining.

"This...this must be a poverty alleviation strategy that uses a 'dimensional reduction' approach!"

He blurted out a word that even he found somewhat comical to describe the discovery.

"We can exchange so much! That way, if our soldiers are wounded, as long as they don't die on the spot, this medicine... can save them!"

"This allows us to accomplish more difficult tasks with less effort!"

The interrogation room was deathly silent.

Only Lin Mo's slightly heavy breathing was heard due to his excitement.

Zhou Yan did not speak.

He simply watched Lin Mo quietly. This twenty-three-year-old, under the immense pressure of death, spoke with a mixture of fear and speculation, yet his logic was remarkably simple.

Even so, he painted a blueprint for Zhou Yan and the entire country behind him, a blueprint full of infinite possibilities and endless bloodshed.

a long time.

Zhou Yan slowly closed the notebook in front of him.

He stood up and straightened the hem of his jacket.

Then, facing Lin Mo, he took a step back and put his feet together.

To Lin Mo's astonishment, Zhou Yan raised his right hand and gave him a solemn, standard military salute.

The movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

"Comrade Lin Mo."

Zhou Yan's voice was serious and solemn, every word resounding.

"On behalf of the country, I thank you."

"What you bring us is hope."

Zhou Yan lowered his hand and stared intently at him, his eyes burning with a light that Lin Mo had never seen before.