Chapter 102: Who is Lying? |
'Impossible.'
That was Shi Rang's first thought upon hearing those words.
Not long ago, his memory had been wiped by Heart Fist. The Ascension Society could certainly achieve a similar, if not far more powerful, effect.
He was a highly meticulous and deeply stubborn man. Once he set his mind on something, he would pursue it to a Dead End, even if it meant battering himself until he was bruised and bloody.
That was exactly why he used the username Dump Truck.
Besides, how could he trust the words coming from an enemy's mouth?
In just a few words, the woman lightly brushed over the murders and the armed assault in the city center, speaking as if the Ascension Society were the innocent victims.
But immediately after, he recalled the message he had seen at the very bottom of the medical Records:
[S1-"Tian Ying": Approved.]
But what kind of figures were the Management Authority's Council Members?
Before accidentally stumbling upon that online meeting record, Shi Rang had not even known of their existence. "Level 5 Access Clearance" and "Class S Account" were terms the Terminal Station had never mentioned. Only after a meticulous search did he uncover the title of "Council Member".
These individuals were the behind-the-scenes Controllers of the Management Authority, capable of mobilizing and commanding every available force within the organization. Their mere titles were enough to command absolute reverence from a Mobile Task Force Captain.
Why would such a figure step in just to handle the aftermath of an accident?
There had to be hidden details behind this incident, a much deeper conspiracy. But why?
The confusion Shi Rang had harbored for so long returned to his heart.
He knew very well that Ying Shang was not special in any way. Setting Shi Rang aside, she had no living relatives, and her ties with her adoptive family had been severed long ago. Whether in terms of an Anomalous Effect or her social Connections, there was absolutely no reason for her to be targeted.
A trace of suspicion pierced his heart and rapidly spread through his entire body.
If... if there was even a one percent chance that what the woman across from him said was true, and the Ascension Society had not deployed some kind of Cognitive Weapon...
'Could the Records I saw be the fakes?'
'Why would they forge information in their own system? Why would the First Council Member approve such a forgery?'
He remembered Ying Shang's final phone call perfectly. The other end had undoubtedly descended into chaos. Perhaps a Field Agent really had been affected by a cognitive influence, resulting in her getting shot. But if that was the case, then who... who on earth was lying, and why?
Shi Rang felt like his brain was about to explode.
He was struggling within a convoluted, treacherous vortex of conspiracies, while Ying Shang had long been swept into it, bobbing once among the waves before vanishing completely without a trace.
He only wanted to live a normal life, to gain freedom, and to secure a happy future for the two of them. Why wouldn't fate just let him be?
"Regardless of where you learned about this, the person who gave you the information lied to you."
Noticing his dejection, the woman sitting in front of him pressed her advantage at the perfect moment:
"Many among our members possess abilities that can affect the mind, but the Management Authority is highly accomplished in countering Mental Attacks. They manipulate memories as naturally as eating and drinking; there is no need to challenge their expertise in that field. I am truly sorry about what happened to your wife.
"Return the item to us, and after that, you will have nothing more to do with us. I advise you not to lie, otherwise, I will have to use less gentle methods to verify the situation."
"They... they took her away, and she never came back..." Shi Rang's mind was in turmoil, and he could no longer maintain his facade of composure. "You understand the Management Authority, right? She had absolutely nothing to do with the attack, yet she was still taken away..."
The woman seemed to adjust her posture in the chair, pressing him with apparent concern, "She did not display any Anomalous Effects? Nothing like what you do?"
"No!"
"She didn't possess any items that exhibited an Anomalous Effect?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Then did she contact any organizations similar to ours and work for them?"
"Impossible!"
The woman pondered for a moment. "The power of the Ascension Society is beyond your imagination. However, in the heartland of the continent, under the joint suppression of the Management Authority and the Alliance, we have been forced into Underground operations. We frequently launch counterattacks, both big and small, rescuing imprisoned Ascenders and Victims from the Management Authority's grasp. We excel at this kind of work. If your wife is still alive, there is a chance we can find and rescue her. We could make a deal."
The poison of hope always wears a tempting disguise.
Shi Rang's heart raced, briefly making him forget the chafing wounds on his wrists and ankles.
He tried to retort, but before the words could leave his lips, the woman decided to strike while the iron is hot.
"Friends can become enemies, and enemies can become friends, but the Management Authority is unequivocally your enemy. They will capture anything that exhibits an Anomaly—like you. And they took your wife.
"We have had our unpleasant moments, but those were mere misunderstandings. We can help you, starting with a collaboration that poses absolutely no harm to you.
"Return the data, join our ranks, and we will offer you asylum. In return, you can stand with us against the Management Authority.
"What do you say?"
The Management Authority, the Alliance, the Ascension Society.
Three distinct factions were tearing Shi Rang in three different directions. The pull from the Alliance was the weakest, but the remaining two forced him to make an impossible choice between them.
He felt as if he were about to be ripped apart by the iron hooks of "conspiracy" embedded in his flesh.
He didn't want any access clearances, deals, or Anomalous Effects. He thoroughly despised himself for choosing to go home and prepare a surprise that day two years ago, instead of going to the art studio to find Ying Shang and stay by her side.
He just wanted everything to return to normal...
A moment later, he figured it out.
Operating from within the Management Authority was nothing short of a pipe dream. The First Council Member, Tian Ying, had orchestrated this matter and would undoubtedly see right through him in an instant.
If he wanted to find Ying Shang, he had to rely on forces outside the Management Authority.
The Alliance had not yet arrived, so he could act as the occasion warrants for now and test whether the person opposite him was feeding him lies.
He could not possibly lower his guard around this group of cold, arrogant murderers and their accomplices.
Perhaps a collaboration could be established, but both sides would merely be using each other. He was acutely aware of this fact.
Whether he ended up running or staying, the first priority was getting out of this chair!
Shi Rang flexed his aching arms as much as possible, took a deep breath, and came up with a solid counterattack. "I burned the data."
"Burned it?!" The woman suddenly shot up from her chair, her voice rising three octaves in shock.
"Let me finish—I memorized it! Every single word! You proposed a deal, so let's make a deal. I will write down the data from memory and then join you, and in return, you have to help me find her!"
If not for the blindfold, he would have seen the woman scrutinizing him closely, as if she were meeting him for the very first time.
From the beginning of their conversation until now, Shi Rang had finally pulled one back.
Knowledge was power.
A pair of hands pulled the blindfold away, and the harsh light forced Shi Rang to lower his head.
"Untie him, get him a pen and some paper, and take him to get something to eat. He looks like a walking skeleton."
Ten minutes later, Shi Rang sat in the spacious hall of the Stronghold, shoveling a plate of fried rice into his mouth. The gaunt woman with high cheekbones sat across from him, examining the first part of the data regarding the "Eye of God" Subject that he had transcribed from memory.
"The formatting is correct, and the details match up. It seems you really did memorize it."
Shi Rang didn't reply. He was so starving he felt like he could eat a whole cow, so he simply buried his head and continued eating.
He hadn't altered any of the content. The data he had provided so far was only a fragment; the rest served entirely as his bargaining chips. Even the slightest error could shatter their newly established cooperation.
He needed to stall for time as much as possible while he considered his next move, just in case they decided to hollow out his brain with that unknown machine once he handed over all the information.
Now he was certain—the machine's accuracy was limited, which was why the Ascension Society didn't dare act rashly.
Since the data was now hidden inside his mind, Shi Rang himself had become far more crucial to them.
He was currently situated Underground, confined beneath an abandoned sanatorium hidden deep within a forest. This place served as an important local safe house for the Ascension Society.
The gaunt woman who had verbally spared with him earlier was known as Leader Qin; she was the one in charge here.
Because the Alliance convoys were moving ostentatiously both in and out of the city, almost all the local members had retreated to the Stronghold to wait for the storm to pass.
A short distance away, a dozen or so people were gathered, pointing and whispering about Shi Rang, the new face. Heart Fist, his entire head wrapped in bandages, and Ring Worm stood among them, glaring at him with murderous intent. As for the Mini-Humans, most of them were holding a lively reunion and family recognition gathering inside a shoebox at the far end of the table.
"Are you guys friends now?" Leader Jack asked, sitting on Shi Rang's shoulder while clutching a grain of rice. His face was gleaming with grease as he nibbled away.
"Something like that. Aren't you going to join them?"
"I... I don't really want to go over there right now... Oh, by the way, The Sheriff asked me to tell you that he'll come see you in a bit... Are we still going back after this?"
"Good question." With food in his belly, Shi Rang's mood had improved significantly, and he finally had some strength back—the Stronghold's chef had pretty good skills. He looked across the table. "How exactly are you going to help me find her?"
"Write out the second page from memory first, and then—"
A distant, low rumble pierced through the walls and echoed into the Underground. The fluorescent lights overhead swayed violently from side to side, casting rippling shadows. Plates and cutlery clattered across the table, and water glasses plummeted to the floor, shattering into countless pieces as several people were thrown to the ground.
Was it muffled thunder? An earthquake?
No one voiced an answer; the violent tremors shattered all conversation.
Across the table, Leader Qin stood up once the shaking subsided and pulled the Walkie-Talkie from her waist. "What's the situation outside?"
"The Ascension Society's ability to deploy Sentries is absolutely abysmal."
A gruff voice crackled over the Walkie-Talkie.
"This is the Operations Commander of the Pan-Continent Alliance. I am giving you exactly one minute to surrender. Once the time is up, we will launch a full-scale assault on this building.
"You have fifty seconds left."