Under Li Hai’s indifferent gaze,
Qiu Zheng Long did not dare to struggle or show any sign of resistance throughout the entire process of being tied up, restrained, and even pressed to his knees.
The other Demon Slayer Division branch personnel present could only watch their superior being bound, yet not a single one dared to step forward to stop it, nor did anyone dare to plead for him.
They kept their eyes down, each one as quiet as a cicada in winter, not daring to lift their heads, fearing they would also be arrested and forced to kneel beside Qiu Zheng Long.
As for the bound Qiu Zheng Long, he knelt on the ground, his face pale, as he cried out to Li Hai, “Young Military Supervisor, you’ve truly wronged your subordinate! Supervisor Gong met her demise due to a Yao Beast tide, and it has nothing to do with your subordinate!”
Clearly, Qiu Zheng Long believed that Li Hai’s sudden attack on him was due to Gong Shuo Hong’s disappearance.
But after he finished his plea, Li Hai calmly asked, “Didn’t you previously say Gong Shuo Hong was missing? Why are you so certain she’s dead now?”
Without waiting for Qiu Zheng Long to reply, he coldly spoke again, “I find it very strange. How could a Thousand Army Grade expert like you allow a mere Yao Beast tide to destroy the entire branch to such an extent?
And Gong Lianhong, why did she so obediently stay in the archives when the beast tide attacked? Didn’t she even know how to escape?”
After hearing Li Hai’s questions, Qiu Zheng Long quickly replied, “Young Military Supervisor, your subordinate happened to be away when the Yao Beast tide struck. After your subordinate received the urgent message and rushed back to repel the Yao Beasts, I discovered that Supervisor Gong had already disappeared, and the archives had been reduced to dust.
Therefore, although your subordinate used the word ‘missing’ when reporting Supervisor Gong’s disappearance to the Zhan Mo Si Headquarters later, your subordinate, based on intuition and experience, believes that Supervisor Gong most likely died in the Yao Beast tide.
As for why Supervisor Gong was unable to escape in time when the beast tide attacked, based on the information your subordinate gathered from the post-disaster investigation, there are two main reasons.
Firstly, after Supervisor Gong entered the archives, she locked the door from the inside. Young Military Supervisor, you also know that once the inner and outer doors of the provincial branch archives are locked, both people inside and outside the door must insert and turn keys simultaneously to open it.
The second reason is that the location where this Yao Beast tide crashed into was precisely the outer wall of the archives. Supervisor Gong was, in effect, the first person to confront these Yao Beasts, and she bore the full brunt of the beast tide’s fiercest assault.
Reporting to the Young Military Supervisor, your subordinate has finished speaking.”
After saying this, Qiu Zheng Long looked at Li Hai with an extremely open and candid gaze, as if waiting to see how he would respond.
At the same time, many of the Bao Lan Sheng (Azure Blue Province) branch personnel present also felt that Qiu Zheng Long’s words were well-reasoned and factual, so they too looked at Li Hai with various expressions, wanting to see how he would handle it.
To their surprise, Li Hai merely smiled silently: “Truly watertight and slippery, making it seem as if I’m abusing my power.”
Saying this, he calmly looked at Qiu Zheng Long and indifferently said, “Those Yao Beasts that attacked the branch, you must have killed a few, right? Where are their bodies?
“This…”
Qiu Zheng Long froze for a moment, then immediately said, “Reporting to the Young Military Supervisor, when your subordinate rushed back to the branch, I was too anxious and filled with rage, so I almost pulverized all those Yao Beasts into bloody ash. Therefore, no remains were left behind.”
“Is that so? What a coincidence,” Li Hai said indifferently. “Then you must remember what they looked like, right?”
“Your subordinate remembers,” Qiu Zheng Long nodded and said in a deep voice, “They were a group of black ox-like Yao Beasts, covered in fine scales all over their bodies, naturally fierce and possessing boundless strength.
And once these black ox-like Yao Beasts are injured, they can quickly recover by simply gnawing on some mud, ash, or plants. You have to pulverize them completely to truly kill them.”
“Hmm~” Li Hai smiled ambiguously, “These Yao Beasts sound very familiar.”
Then he looked at the other Bao Lan Sheng (Azure Blue Province) captains present and asked calmly, “Gentlemen, is what your Commander Qiu said accurate? Were the Yao Beasts that invaded this place indeed black ox-shaped?”
Upon hearing Li Hai’s question, these captains immediately nodded and replied, “Young Military Supervisor, what Commander Qiu said is correct.”
“Young Military Supervisor, those Yao Beasts that attacked the branch were indeed black ox-shaped.”
“Your subordinate has never seen such Yao Beasts, not even in historical records.”
“Young Military Supervisor, you must have wronged Commander Qiu.”
“These Yao Beasts were truly fierce; only Commander Qiu could deal with them. We were powerless.”
Amidst the increasingly loud clamor of the many captains present, Li Hai suddenly sneered.
Then he extended his right palm, and the words “hell” lit up on his palm as he released an Iron Scale Fungi Cattle, completely black and covered in fine scales, from the Guiyou Cave Heaven.
Upon seeing this fungi cattle appear out of thin air, Qiu Zheng Long and everyone present were stunned, instantly falling silent, their faces filled with disbelief and unease.
“Young Military Supervisor, you—”
Qiu Zheng Long asked blankly, “You—where did you catch this kind of Yao Beast? It seems it’s already—”
“Already extinct, right?”
Li Hai sneered coldly, “That’s why you thought of using this kind of Yao Beast to fabricate a lie, trying to deceive me,
and deceive the Zhan Mo Si Headquarters.”
Then, without waiting for Qiu Zheng Long to defend himself, he coldly spoke again, “Honestly, I don’t quite understand why you chose this Iron Scale Fungi Cattle to orchestrate this so-called beast tide invasion.
Don’t you know that they are extremely docile and cannot even reach Steel Grade when fully grown?
Heh, if you’re going to play arson, you should put some thought into it. Do the people who helped you stage this clumsy performance really think they are the only ones in this world who possess this kind of Yao Beast?”
Looking at the extremely docile fungi cattle standing quietly before him and listening to Li Hai’s sharp, cold words, Qiu Zheng Long couldn’t help but fall silent.
But then, he immediately looked up again and argued, “Young Military Supervisor, those Yao Beasts your subordinate killed earlier only resembled the fungi cattle you mentioned in appearance, but in reality, they were vastly different and cannot be classified as the same type—”
“Enough, don’t say anymore,” Li Hai coldly interrupted him. “I don’t have time to play detective games with you for so long. I only need to know that you are lying to me, and that’s enough. I believe the interrogation experts at the Zhan Mo Si Headquarters will pry open your iron mouth.”
After speaking, he looked up directly at all the Demon Slayer Division branch personnel present.
His two streams of cold eyes, tinged with disappointment, made these people unable to lift their heads, all overcome with shame.
Because they had all lied just now.
“Sigh~~”
Li Hai sighed with extreme disappointment, “I originally only suspected that this farce involved only Qiu Zheng Long,
but now it seems that Gong Shuo Hong’s disappearance—no, more than that, the potentially severe financial deficit in the Bao Lan Sheng (Azure Blue Province) branch—you all have a hand in it.”
