"By the way, Commander Wang, isn't it the one responsible for garrisoning Mingdu? The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy? Why did you, the Evil Lord Soul Engineer Group, appear just now, while the members of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group have all disappeared?"
Jing Hongchen looked at Wang Yiheng with a slightly unhappy look, and the latter pondered for a moment and replied:
"This, literally speaking, they are responsible for guarding Mingdu, so they cannot move..."
"Our Evil Lord Soul Instructor Group just happened to catch up with this incident because we came back to receive personnel rotation training and equipment updates. Otherwise, Hongchen Hall Master, you might not be able to wait for other regular troops to come and help you."
Huo Yuhao was a little confused by Wang Yiheng's dumbfounded gaze and cast a searching gaze. Seeing that his words were not clear enough, Wang Yiheng explained helplessly:
"The meaning of stationing in Mingdu is that they are mainly responsible for peripheral defense to prevent enemy regular troops from attacking Mingdu. Therefore, the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group's stations are relatively scattered. They are mainly responsible for defending the palace and important administrative institutions, as well as some important areas outside the city. Point."
"In other words, their training subjects and task arrangements lacked preparation for the possibility of a mole within Mingdu. They would be unable to mobilize manpower for a while, and their response would be half a beat too slow."
"After all, who knows whether those bastards from the Noumenon Sect are only here for Mingdetang or whether they are collaborating with other forces to mobilize their forces. In case they are attacking in the east and west and want to mobilize their troops, in fact, the real goal is to attack The palace or administrative agencies are taking action..."
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Kong Deming indicated with his eyes that he could continue speaking. Wang Yiheng also intended to make up for the rift caused by his previous arbitrary suggestions, and then explained his words completely to Huo Yuhao:
"In the final analysis, Mingdetang is not on the protection list of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group. If they arrive a little late, they will not bear any responsibility for it. After all, it is not the core of their job; but if they are transferred away from the mountain and cause more trouble, If a critical place is attacked, the responsibility will be huge, and you may have to take down several people..."
"The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Corps only has a small number of people. In name, it is to guard Mingdu. In fact, how can it defend everything? We can only pick key areas to garrison and defend. If the Noumenon Sect does not attack Mingde Hall, it will instead attack The City Hall can hit their guns. So let’s talk about it...it’s no good if they come early, and there’s no responsibility if they come late.”
Huo Yuhao had a constipated expression on his face when he heard the reason for Wang Yiheng's delay in bringing the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group, and felt that it was really a bit complicated.
There is some truth in that. The five major Protector's Hand soul mentor groups all have a staff of about 300 people, and the total number of people is less than 2,000. Even if Mingdu, the largest city in the continent, spreads them all out, they can't defend in one direction. They can only choose the most important places to garrison, and if the situation arises, they can be dispatched as needed.
As for the numerically numbered soul mentor group, the number is generally around 500 people (only combatants, not counting civil service, logistics and other systems), but their combat effectiveness is far from comparable to that of the Protector's Hand.
The annual expenditure of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group is equivalent to the tax revenue of two medium-sized cities. All members have at least Soul King level cultivation, and the three soul engineer leaders, the first and second deputy, are all ninth-level soul engineers.
In the hands of the Protector of the Country, the members of the other four beast king-level soul master groups started out as soul sects. The three soul master group leaders, one chief and two mates, are guaranteed to have at least one ninth-level soul master; Because the requirements have been lowered to Soul Master, the entire division generally cannot find a ninth-level soul master.
The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group is only loyal to the royal family, and together with the Enshrinement Hall, they are known as the two main pillars of the royal family's military strength. Although neither of them seems to be too loyal in reality, at least they appear to be loyal in appearance. , never said anything unfavorable to the royal family, and now it has become a dead end that "can't beat it, can't let it go".
Huo Yuhao turned his attention to Jing Hongchen and couldn't help but ask: "The defense list of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group does not include Mingde Hall?! Do they do things like this? They don't know how important Mingde Hall is? "
Jing Hongchen looked slightly embarrassed, but Kong Deming coughed slightly to help him out: "Okay, Yuhao, the things behind this are a bit complicated. No wonder Hongchen Hall Master...it is a problem left over from history. You will understand it later."
"Although they arrived two steps too late, at least they finally took action. They retreated when they saw that you were already dealing with the aftermath."
Huo Yuhao nodded lightly and stopped asking questions, and changed the topic:
"Master, you said before that the college has not yet decided who the murderer is. Is there something unspeakable behind this?"
Jing Hongchen shook his head worriedly, and Wang Yiheng also sighed: "Although the Noumenon Sect is powerful, I am not afraid of them with the power of Mingde Hall, but their appearance today makes it a bit difficult for the Hall Master... "
Jing Hongchen gave Wang Yiheng the opportunity to explain. He didn't want to explain it himself, which was a bit embarrassing.
Seeing this, Wang Yiheng continued: "The shining martial soul of the Ontology Sect couldn't be more obvious, but only those who stayed in Mingde Hall at that time knew it, and there were only a few hundred people at most. But the Ontology Sect shouted Hao at the top of their lungs at that time Tianzong is here, I'm afraid the rumor will soon spread to everyone in Mingdu."
"Of course Mingdetang would not believe this nonsense when making decisions, but the Ontology Sect also revealed its intention not to reveal its identity. Anyway, this is Mingdu. In the end, whoever Mingdetang said was the murderer will be revealed to the outside world. The outcome depends on whether Hongchen Hall Master wants to get off the hook or get to the bottom of it."
"If you get off the donkey, then cooperate and put the shit basin on the head of the Haotian Sect. Anyway, they have not been seen for thousands of years, so just pretend that the Noumenon Sect has never been here. If you get to the bottom of it, it will naturally be a threat to the entire continent. The wanted members of the Noumenon Sect are seeking revenge."
Jing Hongchen complained: "Commander Wang, what do you mean by this? I want to fight to the death with the Noumenon Sect, but these turtles can't even find the true master of the sect. The attack has come to an end for the time being, and the damage has been determined. The subsequent handling is really annoying. If the murderer is identified but cannot take revenge, it will probably hurt the prestige more than pretending not to know."
Huo Yuhao reminded in a low voice: "Hall Master, actually you can't find where the Haotian Sect is..."
Jing Hongchen: "That's right..."
"By the way, Mr. Kong, Hall Master, I still have a question that needs to be clarified, and I have to ask you for advice."
"It's okay, just ask." Kong Deming said with a big wave of his hand.
"This question may be a bit taboo..."
Wang Yiheng immediately understood and stood up, cupped his hands and said: "The Evil Lord Soul Instructor Group still has many matters to deal with, so I will take my leave now. As for the person who caused discomfort to Hongchen Hall Master, I will take care of it."
"Thank you so much, Commander Wang, for what happened today." Jing Hongchen stood up from the sofa to see off the guests.
Watching Wang Yiheng leave the worship hall, Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Mr. Kong, could this leader of the Wang Division... be one of ours?"
Kong Deming picked up the tea cup and shook his head with a smile: "It doesn't really count. It's just that our stance is close to ours. He doesn't want to choose sides among the princes. He will support whoever inherits the throne in the future. This is generally the case in the military. Traditional We will not interfere in the struggle for the throne, and we will not be liquidated for remaining neutral."
"At his point, if he really wants to change his position, he is quite flexible. We can only say that he will stand in the middle with us for the time being. As for the deputy division commander who dug a hole for you, his original intention may be Although he wants to invite Hongchen Hall Master into the urn, but with his statement like this, isn’t he taking advantage of Wang Yiheng and Hongchen Hall Master to leave together to try to use your hand to drag him into the water?"
"If the Evil Lord Soul Instructor Group really moves, how can Wang Yiheng, as the division leader, be irresponsible for the actions of his subordinate troops? That person wants to kill two birds with one stone, but as long as he can't open an opening in your body, this moment will be gone in a flash. He could only watch the opportunity. He performed well today, held his position and stopped the losses."
"You just need to do what you should do. Don't worry. As long as you don't deliberately start a fight, Xu Tianran doesn't care about you now, and he won't be able to do anything to you in the future. Wang Yiheng...he borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. With Kong Deming's sea-fixing needle in the worship hall, he could protect himself. Even when Xu Tianran was at his most powerful in the original work, he couldn't do whatever he wanted.
Jing Hongchen, who sat down again, took a breath first and then asked: "Yuhao, what you just said is a bit taboo question. Now that there are no outsiders here, you can ask it."
Huo Yuhao nodded: "Mr. Kong, Hall Master, I want to ask about some matters related to the former prince..."
When Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming heard the three fatal words "First Prince", their eyes couldn't help but become more serious.
"If I remember correctly, the result of the treatment of the former crown prince and other close relatives of the late emperor was that they all died of food poisoning, right?" Huo Yuhao looked at the green plants outside the window, his eyes far away, as if he was recalling A long time ago.
Jing Hongchen didn't know what Huo Yuhao had in mind, so he reminded him in a deep voice: "It's not a claim, just treat it as fact."
Kong Deming's eyes moved slightly, thinking further than Jing Hongchen, and also suggested: "The fate and whereabouts of the former prince have been determined, and no more troubles should be made, otherwise it will be detrimental to the country."
Huo Yuhao shook his head regretfully. After careful consideration, he decided that in dealing with He Caitou, he had to at least talk to these two before he could go ahead and do it without any further trouble.
"I think so too, but...some people always want to overturn the long-established conclusion and cause trouble to people from all walks of life. However, due to our status, we are constrained in dealing with it. It's really unacceptable. Save your worries.”
"If there are another setbacks in the matter of the former prince, it will shake the foundation of the country. Even if he is really alive, he will have to die to reassure all parties."
Jing Hongchen's expression changed slightly, and his voice became a little more serious and nervous: "Yuhao, you discovered something again, you don't have to hide it, just tell me!"
Kong Deming still had the same calm tone: "Oh? Someone else wants to harm the empire? Then don't blame us for making them unhappy. Yuhao, tell me what you think."
…………
In a wine shop in Mingdu, Orange pushed Xu Tianran's wheelchair and looked coldly at the eighth-level soul instructor with his head lowered in front of him, wearing the uniform of the Evil Lord Soul Instructor Group.
Xu Tianran gently clasped the teapot on the wooden table next to him with his fingers, and said with a smile: "Don't be formal, sit down. This pot is a new tea given by the emperor, it would be a pity to waste it."
The orange behind him immediately understood and stepped forward to pour a cup of tea for Xu Tianran and the visitor respectively.
Xu Tianran took the tea cup from Orange, thanked him, and looked at the dark-colored, nervous and somewhat restless man in front of him with an unclear smile.
"Drink, why are you so polite to me? Wenjie, you are a dignified eighth-level soul engineer and the deputy leader of the Evil Lord Soul Mentor Group. Even in front of His Majesty, you are in a high position and have great authority. You have also been loyal to me for many years. If you don't even drink a cup of tea, is it possible that you are separated from me?"
Wenjie's heart tightened, and he kept saying "I don't dare" and took the teacup from Orange's hands respectfully.
"Thank you... uh..."
Before Wenjie could think of a name, Orange ducked back behind Xu Tianran's wheelchair, not letting him continue to struggle.
"I know everything about Mingdetang today."
After Xu Tianran took a sip of tea, he took the initiative to start the topic. Wenjie, who was worried that his self-assertive behavior in Mingde Hall would displease the prince, cheered up for this.
"I am extremely saddened that the scientific research institution that the empire relies on the most has been attacked by such a frenzied attack."
Xu Tianran looked like he really felt sorry for the loss of Mingdetang. He gently patted Orange's hand that was resting on the wheelchair and said:
"Orange, please help me pay more attention to which of the students affected by Mingde Hall has the most serious injuries and whose family is the poorest. Among the students who sacrificed their lives for the country, which of them is the only child in the family? I want every family to visit and provide support."
"Yes, Orange remembers it."
"Alas, it's a pity that I am physically inconvenient, otherwise I would have wished to go to Mingde Hall in person to help move bricks and plaster to show the grace of the Tian family."
"His Royal Highness has a kind heart, and everything in the past has shown how much you value him. I am sure Master Hongchen Hall will keep it in mind."
Xu Tianran sighed softly and turned to look at Wenjie again: "You, you did a good job today. You are very loyal. I can see how much you worry about me, and I even used my brain. I know that Jing Hongchen is old He always makes plans before acting, so he took advantage of his absence to open a gap in the scheming juniors, but..."
Xu Tianran patted the assistant hand of the wheelchair a little harder, and the sound of the patting sounded to Wenjie's ears like a funeral.
"My head of the literary division, please think more about it next time. How can the person who can take the enshrinement hall token, even if he is younger than Orange, be a simple person who is at your mercy?"
The corners of Orange's mouth raised slightly, but he still held back from laughing.
"How could the people in the worship hall just randomly hand out the tokens without checking? Do you still not know what happened to that young man?"
Wenjie nodded. He felt like he had stung a hornet's nest today.
"It's not too late to know now. His name is Huo Yuhao. He is recognized as the number one genius of soul guidance tools in the past millennium by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. He is the direct disciple of Xuan Ziwen, the first researcher of Mingde Hall, the junior brother of Orange, and the disciple of Kong Deming, the leader of the Enshrined Hall. Disciple and grandson, the master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen, treats him as his grandson-in-law."
"Your Highness, I..." Wenjie imagined that the identity of the person who could take charge of the overall situation when Jing Hongchen left was not simple, but he never expected that there would be so many BUFFs.
There was some regret in Xu Tianran's eyes: "I really don't understand why people in military uniforms think they are smarter than people in white coats... Which of you can match Kong Lao's ingenuity? And why do you think that his disciples are smarter than others?" Will he be a simple-minded character? Xuan Ziwen is the exception among exceptions."
"Soldiers should do their duty. Some things that use too much brainpower are dangerous and unnecessary. Only by adhering to one's duty can one start well and end up with a good reputation. Do you think this is true?"
Listening to Xu Tianran's beating, Wenjie lowered his head and agreed repeatedly.
"Forget it. Since nothing happened in the end, there is still room for improvement. Let's just come to Japan Palace and go to Mingtoku Hall to resolve the misunderstanding."
"You don't have to do this again next time. It's enough to be able to faithfully handle the things I've assigned you. There are some people you shouldn't touch. I'm here to protect you. I'm grateful for your past contributions and there's no need to add any unnecessary extravagance."
Seeing Wenjie's submissive response, Xu Tianran let him finish the tea and then gave him a gift.
"tangerine."
Xu Tianran, who was resting his eyes with his eyes closed, whispered to Orange who was waiting beside him.
"Do you have any instructions, Your Highness?"
"You've seen Wenjie's performance. There are only people like this in the army who can help me. I'm really worried..."
Orange remained silent, but his eyes widened slightly.
"To be honest, what I fear the most is that they make their own decisions. At least this time he is facing Huo Yuhao, whose quality is still a little bad, and I can put out the fire in time. If he overestimates his ability and plots against Jing Hongchen... then I can It’s true that years of hard work have been wasted, and it’s hard to make up for it no matter how hard you try.”
"Orange, he is your junior brother. You must know his true level and mentality. These people in the army should not be his opponents, but they just did it. No one helps me look after and take care of the people in the army. I have always had my heart hanging in the air and dare not let go of my power, for fear that they would go off alone and cause trouble for me..."
Juzi looked at Xu Tianran's face that seemed a little tired, and couldn't help but secretly thought that it was really not easy for His Highness the Crown Prince, and every step involved intrigues.
"You like the army, and you want to use the power of the army to help you avenge the White Tiger Duke, right? I hope you can dabble in more knowledge in this area in the academy. If there is an opportunity in a few years, I will send you to the army. If you practice hard in the middle school and make great achievements, you will be able to rise to great heights with me taking care of you. I really need a supervisor, can you help me, Orange?"
"Your Highness..." Orange bit her lip and made up her mind: "I am not just a supervisor, but I also hope to truly become a general who can help you solve your problems."
Xu Tianran nodded slightly with a smile on his face.
"Then I'll wait and see."
…………
In the dimly lit prison, He Caitou's hands were tied behind his back on the chair, and big beads of sweat could not stop flowing from his head.
The black cloth bag covering his head was still not taken off, but two holes were cut out for his eyes so that he could observe the outside world.
A ball of cotton was also stuffed into his mouth. At first, he struggled fiercely, but now he could only make a muffled "wow" sound.
This prison is not the kind of prison that has a lot to do with the royal family. Instead, it is mainly controlled by Mingdetang and Zongfangtang from behind. It is relatively reliable and will not spread news randomly.
The prison staff complied with Huo Yuhao's request not to torture He Caitou, but this did not mean that they could not use other methods to beat him to death.
During the short period of time when He Caitou was in prison, several criminals who had committed other serious crimes and were imprisoned were brought to He Caitou one after another. Various punishments were imposed on them one after another, which made He Caitou tremble with fear.
The gentler one is waterboarding. After the prisoner is tied up, he lies on a wooden board, his feet are raised higher than his head, and his face is completely covered with a towel. The interrogator then turns on the tap. Water pipes provide continuous water flow to the towels.
The criminal who was subjected to waterboarding could only exhale once, and the towel covering his face made it impossible for him to spit out the water in his mouth. This caused the criminal to feel as if he was about to drown.
This kind of punishment does not look bloody, but it is not bad when it comes to mental and physical damage.
As for other whippings, brandings, etc., they were also demonstrated in front of He Caitou. The screams of the criminal made He Caitou feel the same pain, and he felt that all the bones in his body were chilling.
In Huo Yuhao's memory, these were basically banned in the original world for humanitarian reasons, but how could Douluo Continent have such a high moral level to talk about humanitarianism...
The female soul mentor who found the soul guidance device blueprint stolen by He Caitou yawned. Looking at He Caitou, who had a cloth bag on his head and had calmed down, he yawned boredly and waved his hand to the person just now. The interrogator who was about to get on the tiger bench said: "Okay, okay, let's stop for a moment. You guys should also take a rest and give this little brother some time to reflect."
"yes!"
The female soul mentor tilted her head and looked at He Caitou with her chin tilted, and said with a smile:
"Don't be afraid, little brother. Since you have prevented me from getting off work today, I will simply spend the rest of my time playing with you. I will replace you when I get sleepy."
"Have you seen the methods just now? In fact, I don't like to use those that are too harsh. I want to block my ears when I hear the stinky man screaming. I have read literature about this when I was in school. I didn't expect it. After graduation, I will have the opportunity to personally participate in these tasks. Sister, I am a very expert in research."
The index finger tapped the table lightly, the smile on the female soul mentor's face remained:
"The material of the whip just now was too hard and too thick, and it could easily break bones and cause disease. If I came here, I would choose a softer material and make it thinner, so as to leave only a little skin trauma."
"When I meet those who are more chauvinistic, I still have some tricks, such as lighting them with a candle and slowly... ha, or changing them into women's clothes and dragging them to a clothing store to be models..."
"I'm not afraid that if you don't speak up, you will come in with a straight face and end up confused like a dog. I've seen you many times. You still have a lot of youth waiting for you. There's no need to suffer in vain, right? Cooperate well and I'll ask you anything. Answer whatever you want, do whatever you are told, and I guarantee that the Sun and Moon Empire will give preferential treatment to collaborators."
He Caitou's head in the bag made a "wuwu" sound, and the body tied to the chair also struggled slightly for the first time in a long time.
However, the interrogation chair was integrated and fixed with the ground during construction, and it was impossible to overturn the stool even with He Caitou's body shape.
"Look, how come you just don't listen to me? I'm already very unhappy about being forced to work overtime today to make trouble with you. If my sister and I take up my weekend rest time to spend time with you, I will be very unhappy. I will If you are unhappy, it will only make you even more unhappy..."
"Click!"
There was the sound of a mechanism being opened from the door of the interrogation room. The female soul mentor cast her gaze over. After recognizing the person clearly, she quickly stood at attention and saluted:
"Sir Huo, you are here, please take a seat!"
With that said, she pulled out the chair under her desk and extended her hand to greet Huo Yuhao.
The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly at this address. He said "Thank you" and sat down smoothly.
"Sister Yulan, how is the situation?"
Before entering the door, Huo Yuhao found out that the female soul instructor who had been busy all day was named Gu Yulan. One of her identities was the sixth-level soul instructor of Mingde Hall. She had been booked by the Fire Phoenix Soul Instructor Group and would come to join after finishing her work in half a year. service.
In terms of age, he is more than a whole round older than Huo Yuhao, but in terms of position and status, he is much different from Huo Yuhao.
"Sir Huo, according to your request, we did not torture him, but we inevitably used other serious criminals to demonstrate our methods... This is also convenient for this little brother to relieve his psychological pressure and make him more comfortable to cooperate with us. Well."
"Did he explain anything?"
"Not yet, he is very tough and doesn't say a word..."
Huo Yuhao looked at He Caitou's head with only two eyes exposed, shook his head with regret, waved and said:
"Then don't hide it, push out all the stuff behind him, and let him see it for a long time."
Following Huo Yuhao's order, the two interrogators pushed the two two-meter-high cabinets that were originally placed in the blind spot behind He Caitou so that He Caitou could see clearly.
There were densely packed torture instruments on it, including some that He Caitou had seen, some that he had never seen before, and even some that he had never imagined.
Seeing the steel products shining coldly under the light, He Caitou's eyes widened and he let out an eager "Woo-Woo" sound.
Huo Yuhao stood up and took out a vise from the cupboard. After returning to his seat, he crossed his legs and looked at the body of the vise carefully. He slowly put on the white gloves prepared at his desk and said in a leisurely tone:
"He Caitou, there is an old saying in the sun and the moon, which is... he who knows the current affairs is a hero."
"Woo!"
Huo Yuhao stretched out a finger and slowly scanned two cupboards filled with torture instruments:
"I think the various instruments of torture now will be able to open your mouth."
"woo woo woo woo!"
After blowing into the vise, Huo Yuhao said slowly:
"I hope you can cooperate with us well, and we will not treat you badly."
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
"Haha, you really don't say a word, you are very tough." Huo Yuhao said with a sneer.
Gu Yulan leaned against Huo Yuhao's ear and whispered: "Sir Huo, we actually stuffed something in his mouth because we were afraid that he would dirty your ears by talking nonsense."
Huo Yuhao frowned, looked at the cabbage head again, and whispered:
"Take it out, and it will be written in the interrogation record that the criminal refused to obey even to the point of death, and not a single word was uttered."
"clear!"
Seeing He Caitou being pinched by Gu Yulan's chin, Huo Yuhao folded his hands and said in a deep voice:
"He Caitou, tell me your purpose of sneaking into the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the first place. Was it to steal the blueprints and technology of our country's secret soul guide?"
"Tell me who instigated you to do this. Was it Shrek's teacher Fan Yu and deans Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er?"
"Tell me who your conspirator was in Mingdu. Is it...I haven't thought about this yet. I'll give you a list later, and just follow it and write your confession."
(End of chapter)
