18: Chapter 18 Torture Interrogation

The day after that spy was released, the sentry caught another suspicious person.

This time it was a young man in his early twenties, tall and thin, dressed in rags, looking like an ordinary survivor.

But Wang Jie was extra cautious.

He had the young man brought in and questioned him personally.

"What's your name?"

"Liu Xiaojun."

"Where are you from?"

"From a village to the east."

"How did you find this place?"

The young man pointed east: "The gunshots over there. I've been hearing them for several days and knew there were people here. So I came to try my luck and see if I could find some food."

Wang Jie looked at him and didn't speak.

The young man was very nervous, constantly rubbing his hands, his eyes darting around.

Wang Jie asked the system:

"Can you scan this person?"

[Scanning...]

[Target: Human Male]

[Infection Status: Uninfected]

[Threat Level: Low]

Wang Jie raised an eyebrow.

It seemed there was no problem.

But he always felt something was off.

He thought for a moment and asked again, "Did you see anyone else in the village?"

The young man shook his head: "No, no. Just me."

"Then how did you survive?"

The young man paused for a moment, then said, "I... I have food supplies. Before the apocalypse, my family stockpiled a lot of things."

Wang Jie nodded.

Then he suddenly asked, "Do you know Jingang?"

The young man's pupils contracted slightly.

Although it was only for an instant, Wang Jie saw it.

"I don't know him," the young man said. "Who is Jingang?"

Wang Jie smiled.

"Lock him up," he said to the soldiers.

The young man's expression changed drastically: "Why? I'm a good person! I really just came to find food!"

Wang Jie ignored him and turned to leave.

Lin Waner caught up: "You suspect he's one of Jingang's men?"

Wang Jie nodded: "It's too coincidental. We just let one go yesterday, and another one comes today."

Lin Waner thought about it: "True. So what do you plan to do?"

Wang Jie was silent for a few seconds.

"Harsh interrogation."

Lin Waner was stunned: "You—do you know how?"

Wang Jie shook his head: "I don't. But someone does."

He called over several Heavy Soldiers.

The soldiers looked at the young man expressionlessly.

The young man was tied to a chair, his face pale.

"I'll ask you one last time," Wang Jie said. "Who sent you?"

The young man gritted his teeth: "No one sent me! I came on my own!"

Wang Jie sighed.

He nodded to a soldier.

The soldier stepped forward, picked up an iron rod, and smashed it hard against the young man's shin.

"Ah—!"

A scream echoed in the room.

The young man trembled in pain, tears streaming down.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Wang Jie had the soldier stop.

The young man gasped for breath and said haltingly, "It... it was Jingang who sent me. He told me to pretend to be a survivor, sneak into your base, scope out your situation, and find a chance—find a chance to sabotage your defenses."

Wang Jie nodded: "Anything else?"

"Also... also to see what your leader looks like, to see if he's really as formidable as the legends say."

Wang Jie was taken aback: "Legends?"

The young man looked at him with a hint of fear in his eyes: "Jingang said a tough guy appeared around here recently, leading dozens of soldiers and repelling five hundred zombies by himself. He wanted to know who that person was."

Wang Jie fell silent.

He didn't expect his reputation to have already spread.

"Anything else?"

The young man shook his head: "No, no more. I'm just a scout; that's all I know."

Wang Jie looked at him and was silent for a few seconds.

Then he said, "Lock him up. We'll deal with him after we've dealt with Jingang."

The soldiers dragged the young man away.

Lin Waner stood beside Wang Jie, watching the young man's retreating figure, and suddenly asked:

"Wang Jie, you've changed."

Wang Jie turned to look at her.

"You wouldn't have hit someone before."

Wang Jie was silent for a while.

Then he said, "In the apocalypse, if you aren't ruthless, you won't live long."

Lin Waner looked at him, a hint of complexity in her eyes.

But she didn't say anything else.

She just gently took his hand.