Qin Siyang was no expert at interrogation—he was far better at killing.
"Unfortunately, killing doesn't solve every problem."
He sat on a gnarled tree stump, staring at the gaunt young man strung up with thick hemp rope before him, a flicker of weariness tugging at him.
"Once I thought killing was a hassle, but now I realize not being able to kill is even more troublesome."
To find a truly secluded spot, Qin Siyang had carried the young man—limp as a corpse—weaving through countless back alleys before finally stumbling on an abandoned, desolate courtyard.
Thief Sequence Ability users relied on their hands to activate their skills. So before the young man woke, Qin Siyang had bound his left and right fingers tightly together, lashed his palms into a single clenched fist, restrained his arms to his sides, and only then hoisted him up to hang from a dead yet still standing ancient tree in the yard.
"Ten years since the apocalypse, and this tree still stands unbroken despite being long dead. Quite a feat."
Qin Siyang nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the man dangling from the branches.
He'd also scavenged tools—hammers, nails, and the like—from a nearby derelict warehouse to use as interrogation aids. For now, everything seemed foolproof; all he had to do was wait for the young man to rouse.
But half an hour passed, then an hour, then two—and the young man still hung there, his head lolling like a corpse, no sign of regaining consciousness.
Qin Siyang's confidence wavered. "Did I punch him to death by accident?"
He pressed a hand to the young man's nose.
"Still breathing. He's fine." Qin Siyang let out a sigh of relief, then clicked his tongue in disdain. "Can't even take a punch. I didn't even use full strength, and he's been out like a light for two hours."
As if in response to his scorn, the young man's head lolled twice.
"Finally awake."
Qin Siyang slapped the young man's cheek, watching as his eyes fluttered open, then settled back onto the tree stump, waiting.
The young man stirred, his head still spinning violently. He blinked hard, finally dragging himself back to reality. He struggled against his bonds, only to realize he was strung up—and the seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy who'd attacked him was sitting right in front of him!
His eyes flew wide with shock and rage. "Who are you?! How dare you attack a Sequence Ability user!?"
Qin Siyang's nerves settled a little at the outburst. Good—he sounded like he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Prying useful information out of him should be a breeze. After all, who else would dare attack a Sequence Ability user but another one?
He said nothing, just pulled out the silver coin from his pocket and held it up. "I left this coin."
"You?! You dared to follow me?! Do you even know who my uncle is?!"
"Who is your uncle?"
"Qian Wendao! Chief of the Information Department at the Sequence Ability Administration Bureau!"
Qin Siyang stared at him, dumbfounded.
That easy?
He'd braced himself for the usual ordeal: the young man clamming up tight, him resorting to coercion and bribery, getting a fake answer, then having to use torture to wring out the real truth.
He'd known the guy wasn't bright the second he opened his mouth—but not this dim-witted.
Qin Siyang sighed. "Your uncle must have burned through eight lifetimes of good karma to have a nephew like you."
The young man frowned, sensing the unmistakeable sarcasm. "What do you mean by that?!"
"Exactly what I said."
Qin Siyang's thoughts flickered, a hint of doubt creeping in.
This guy was so clueless—how had he managed to steal the coin without anyone noticing? Even someone as cunning and deceitful as Roylena hadn't been able to track down the mysterious contact behind the fake registrations. It just didn't add up.
Then the young man spoke again, his voice shrill with indignation. "My uncle always comes to get the money himself! Today he was busy, so I did it for him! Let me go if you know what's good for you! If my uncle finds out about this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
Oh.
Qin Siyang nodded, the pieces finally clicking into place.
That made sense. Qian Wendao had always come in person before. A bureau chief who'd carved out a secret loophole in the Administration Bureau couldn't be a pushover—he'd be meticulous, careful, never a hair out of place, which was why he'd never left a single clue. Today he'd sent this fool in his stead, and Qin Siyang had gotten lucky enough to catch him red-handed.
He muttered to himself, "Guess I have the gods looking out for me. Or wait—these days the gods are all twisted abominations. Should say I've got pure luck on my side."
"Let me go right now! Or I'll tell my uncle everything!"
"You're so bold with your words," Qin Siyang said coolly. "Why don't you stand up for yourself when your squad mates bully you, then?"
"I… I just disdain bickering with them!"
Qin Siyang shook his head. "You're afraid of offending them and getting kicked off the squad."
"They only have the power to kick you out, and you don't dare say a single harsh word to them. But me? I'm the one who can kill you—and you still dare to threaten me?"
He shot the young man a cold, mocking smirk. "I have no idea how you've survived this long. Probably just because you've got a powerful uncle to hide behind."
"Y-you're going to kill me?!" The young man's eyes darted about wildly, panic etched across his face. He saw genuine, unbridled killing intent in the teenager's eyes—those cold, sharp gazes sent chills down his spine, even through his thick cold-resistant gear.
He realized, with a jolt of terror, that this boy had almost certainly killed before!!
"My uncle is Qian Wendao! If you kill me, he'll avenge me for sure! He'll make you pay!"
Qin Siyang couldn't hold it in any longer. A loud snort of laughter burst out of him.
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Didn't your uncle tell you what this silver coin is actually for?"
The young man swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. "N-no… but I know it's the fee you're paying him to do something for you! You're begging him for a favor!"
Qin Siyang nodded. "A fool, but not a complete one."
"You're calling me a fool?!"
Qin Siyang stared at the man in his early twenties, utterly perplexed. He came from a privileged family, was a Sequence Ability user, and was a few years older than him—so why was he this stupid? Even someone as idiotic and vicious as Li Jingwen was far smarter than he was.
He stood up and clapped the young man lightly on the shoulder. "Even if I kill you, your uncle won't dare say a single word about it. Understand?"
"Forget it. Rest a little longer. I'm going to go check if you're telling the truth."
"Rest? I don't want to rest! Let me go—!"
The young man's words died in his throat as Qin Siyang punched him square in the jaw again, knocking him out cold instantly.
"Even if this fool is ninety-nine percent telling the truth," Qin Siyang muttered to himself, "it's better to be safe than sorry."
"I'll head to the Echo Virtual Chatroom to confirm he's telling the truth about Qian Wendao before I let this idiot go."
Qin Siyang lowered the unconscious young man from the tree, slung him over his shoulder, and carried him to another abandoned warehouse he'd scouted earlier—a makeshift cell for his prisoner. He then returned to the tree and tidied up the interrogation tools he'd prepared: a saw, a hammer, nails, a pair of scissors, all stashed away to the side.
"I spent so much time getting all this ready, and none of it's going to be used."
He let out a soft, rueful sigh.
"He really is a fool with all the luck."