Tie Zhenshan took a small step forward and said coldly, “Right or wrong, we have neither the time nor the inclination to investigate thoroughly.
Now, there are only two paths before you:
One is to surrender yourself and fully cooperate with our investigation;
The other is for us to destroy the Giant Tiger Alliance and forcibly take you away. You choose.”
Tie Zhenshan’s voice was as hard as iron, leaving no room for negotiation.
Hu Banshan’s face was ashen, his body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with despair and struggle.
He understood that he had no right to choose.
After a brief silence, he finally lowered his head, his voice low and powerless: “I... I will cooperate.”
No sooner had Tie Zhenshan finished speaking than an invisible pressure intensified, like cold iron tongs gripping Hu Banshan’s throat.
He had no doubt that if he dared to utter a single “no,” the next moment the Giant Tiger Alliance’s headquarters would be razed to the ground, and he himself would be completely eliminated.
That absolute crushing sensation from a higher life-level made it difficult for him to even breathe.
“Good... good...” Hu Banshan’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.
All his ambitions, calculations, and hopes for luck collapsed at this moment.
He struggled to lift his head, the last trace of color draining from his face, leaving only an ashen pallor and bone-deep fear.
“The Giant Tiger Alliance... everyone... awaits the commands of the three sirs...”
“Hmph, at least you’re sensible.”
Mao Wudi snorted coldly, his voice like a heavy hammer striking Hu Banshan’s chest, making his eardrums buzz.
The undisguised murderous intent in Mao Wudi’s eyes convinced Hu Banshan that this overlord, named after a “spear,” might pierce him through out of a mere flicker of impatience.
Rou Moyu’s face, which always carried a faint smile, was now covered with a layer of frost.
Her gaze swept over Hu Banshan, like a cold snake’s tongue licking skin, utterly devoid of warmth.
“Alliance Leader Hu, cooperation requires the proper attitude of cooperation.”
Her voice was still soft, yet every word was like an ice pick piercing bone,
“From now on, you and your people had best pray that we find the clues we need within the Giant Tiger Alliance’s territory, and not... other things that shouldn’t exist.”
Hu Banshan trembled all over, cold sweat instantly drenching his back.
He understood the cold undertone in Rou Moyu’s words—if those missing 990,000 or even more terrifying clues ultimately pointed to a certain place within the Giant Tiger Alliance, what awaited them would be more dreadful than death.
“Yes... yes...”
Hu Banshan did not dare to hesitate, immediately yelling orders to his subordinates, who were already terrified and silent:
“Did you all hear that?! Put down your weapons! Open all passages! Everyone stay put! No unauthorized movements! Violators... will be killed without mercy!”
His command was trembling and cracking, both an act of loyalty to the three great overlords and a desperate attempt to grasp at the last straw to save the lives of his subordinates—at least for now.
Tie Zhenshan said no more, exchanging glances with Mao Wudi and Rou Moyu. The aura emanating from the three of them slightly receded; next, they would personally interrogate Hu Banshan and the core members of the Giant Tiger Alliance to obtain the most direct intelligence.
As for the content of the interrogation,
Naturally, it concerned whether the Brothers Alliance had any abnormal actions previously,
Clues about the 990,000 missing corpses,
The Giant Tiger Alliance’s potion storage locations,
A list of personnel who knew the potion manufacturing plan,
How many pathogens were previously manufactured, and the whereabouts of those failed corpses!
They did not believe that the Giant Tiger Alliance, also in Dream City, would be completely unaware of the transfer of 990,000 corpses.
Any large organization inevitably leaves traces when operating, let alone an operation of this scale.
As for the last major power in Dream City—the Luoxia Alliance—there was no need to expend effort; they actively cooperated, even helping to clear out various large and small gang forces in Dream City, which made the operations of the three major overlord-level forces much smoother.
At the same time, at Firefly Base, Zuo Feng received a letter from Da Bai Tu. The moment he saw the contents of the letter, Zuo Feng’s pupils suddenly contracted, and his face turned ashen.
The words ‘Corpse Clan’ and ‘990,000 missing corpses’ sent a chill down Zuo Feng’s spine. He abruptly stood up, the letter crumpled in his hand.
He then suppressed the anger in his heart, sat back down on the sofa, and slowly massaged his temples. He hadn’t expected that what was originally a simple deterrent encirclement would uncover such a terrifying conspiracy.
Zuo Feng’s mind rapidly processed various information and possibilities. He secretly wondered, could the Corpse Clan be those countless dense eyes from the sacrifice that caused the birth of Void Land?
His fingers slowly massaged his temples, Zuo Feng’s thoughts darted like lightning through past intelligence, constantly organizing those scattered clues.
First, there must be a more powerful organization behind Wan Youyu; otherwise, it would be impossible to produce a million potions.
Second, the 99% failures were the true successes. How did Wan Youyu manage to transfer those corpses so silently? And where were these corpses transported?
Third, were the potions used on those 990,000 corpses truly the same potions used to create the pathogen? Or were they modified potions from the force behind Wan Youyu?
Fourth, who exactly was the force behind Wan Youyu? Was Wan Youyu the sole executor of the plan, or were there more executors hidden in the shadows?
Zuo Feng’s thoughts delved deeper, and the various clues about the Corpse Clan, potions, and corpse transfers intertwined into a vast web in his mind.
But suddenly, Zuo Feng’s mind paused; all of this, tracing back to its source, pointed to the potion that created the pathogen, and the creators of this potion were Professor Yan and his research team, who were now the core research force of Firefly Base.
Zuo Feng’s pupils slightly contracted, and his fingertips suddenly trembled. Professor Yan... did he already know the true purpose of the potion?
Or was his research subtly guided from the very beginning?
Or perhaps... was Professor Yan the true agent of the Corpse Clan?
Zuo Feng slowly closed his eyes, his thoughts struggling amidst extreme possibilities.
Zuo Feng had extremely high trust in Professor Yan, and he had always been on the fifth floor of the base, making it impossible for him to orchestrate such a large conspiracy.
But once a cloud of suspicion arose, it was difficult to dispel. Was it just a coincidence that the original formula for the potion was developed by Professor Yan?
Zuo Feng felt it was impossible, yet everything, when traced back to its source, pointed directly to Professor Yan. Zuo Feng suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint appearing, and he slowly stood up and walked towards the Laboratory on the fifth floor of the base.
He wanted to find out what exactly went wrong! Instead of guessing wildly, it was better to ask Professor Yan directly.
Zuo Feng entered the fifth floor of the base and arrived at Professor Yan’s exclusive Laboratory.
At this moment, Professor Yan was in front of a high-precision operating console, his back slightly hunched, observing something through a high-magnification electron microscope.
His graying hair was a bit disheveled, and his profile, illuminated by the faint glow of the screen, appeared exceptionally focused, even with a nearly devout intensity.
His fingers hovered over several precise control knobs, his movements steady and accurate, completely immersed in the mysteries of the unknown realm.