The volume from the headphones was so loud it seemed like external speakers. The captain of the guards yawned and said to the person next to him, "I'm going back to sleep. In half an hour, haul the guy back. It's the first day, don't kill him."
"Yes!"
As the song reached its third repetition, Xiao Xun's veins bulged, and he screamed hysterically, "Ah!!! I want to see Qin Yongmei, I want to see Qin Yongmei… Have her come over, have her come to me."
The captain of the guards kicked the door open. "Shut him up and drag him back!"
"Yes!"
Xiao Xun was returned to the small room. He had been tormented for so long that he was utterly exhausted. He lay there and soon fell asleep.
In his dream, he returned to Saint Loman, back to his hometown, and was intimately affectionate with Mu Jiahe.
Then he was startled awake by the terrifying demon king who couldn't be killed. Upon waking, he was still in the confined space, but now there was a piece of bread and a cup of milk beside him. The bread was on a piece of paper, and the milk was in a paper cup.
Xiao Xun directly splashed the milk onto the patrolling infrared robot and said with cracked lips, "If you have the guts, kill me. You bunch of bastards."
Every day, different people were dragged out, and different people were thrown in.
Some of the people dragged out would return, while others never came back. It was unknown whether they were released or what happened to them.
Xiao Xun was brought to the familiar office, where Qin Yongmei sat behind the desk.
"Xiao Xun, you've lost weight in a few days."
Xiao Xun swallowed with difficulty. "If you want to kill me, just do it quickly. Don't torture me."
"As long as you reveal your true identity and the missions you were given, and cooperate with our work, I can guarantee that you can continue to work for the Gate God Society. You will still be the CEO of Longtan Group and the overall head of the 'Cradle Plan'."
Xiao Xun could barely lift his eyelids. "I have nothing to say. Seeing as we know each other, please don't torture me anymore. Just give me a quick end, can you?"
"What good will this do you? Can't you think about your family, friends, and loved ones?"
Xiao Xun took a deep breath. "Alright, as long as you return my wedding ring, I'll tell you what the aliens want me to do."
Qin Yongmei's lips curved upwards. "Certainly."
She took the ring out of the drawer and personally put it on Xiao Xun. "Can you tell me now?"
Xiao Xun recited a secret incantation, but the spatial ring showed no reaction. He suddenly realized the ring must have been swapped.
"This is not my ring."
Qin Yongmei said excitedly, "It seems this ring is indeed extraordinary. I specifically commissioned the world's top craftsmen to create an identical one. If the ring didn't have a special function, how would you have discovered it was fake?"
Xiao Xun thought to himself: Damn it, I was careless.
"This was given to my father-in-law by my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law gave it to my wife before he passed away. The one you gave me is too new."
Qin Yongmei looked into Xiao Xun's eyes. "Is that so?"
She was also trying to determine if Xiao Xun was telling the truth.
"It's just a ring. Since you could replicate it, you must have looked at it. There's no chip, and no place to hide anything. You also know my wife is gone, and this is the only thing she gave me. I want to wear it as if my wife is always by my side."
Qin Yongmei pondered for a moment. "You are a person of deep sentiment, and your work is evident. You have indeed helped the base a lot since coming here. Actually, there's no harm in you telling us. Look, as I told you, the aliens haven't harmed us, and they've even helped us. They're not bad people, are they?"
As she spoke, Qin Yongmei took another ring from the office drawer. "As long as you tell me which aliens you serve and how to contact them, we can go back to how things were, alright?"
"If you don't dare to say it, it's also fine. I also know that alien technology is very advanced. How about this? As long as you tell me if there are any accomplices of yours in the base, you don't have to say who, and I can let you go and return the ring to you."
She then dangled the ring in front of Xiao Xun. "Yes or no?"
"Yes or no?"
Xiao Xun became angry. "What difference does it make if there are or aren't? Even if there are, what can you change? Don't talk about anything else, but those weapons and equipment of mine, you couldn't replicate or imitate them in a hundred years. And these are the lowest-end ones. If the aliens really used such weapons to attack you, how long do you think you could last? If the aliens wanted to attack, they would have already done so. Why are they still arresting traitors every day? Do you think it's necessary?"
Qin Yongmei was momentarily speechless, then her expression turned cold. "You mean you refuse to cooperate?"
"Cooperate? How can I cooperate? You treat me like this, locking me up in such a place at the slightest disagreement."
Qin Yongmei clutched the ring. "I don't think there's anything wrong with how I'm treating you. You betrayed humanity. Even if we can't resist, or if the aliens have no ill intentions, you still betrayed us by not confessing."
"How many times have I said it? I haven't. I haven't met any aliens. These weapons are from the future. In the future, we invented them ourselves."
Qin Yongmei's interest was piqued. "Oh! So you're saying our world still has a future, and it hasn't disappeared."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xun poured cold water on her. "I'm not sure if the future I'm in is still the future of this planet."
Qin Yongmei frowned. "What do you mean by that? Do you have the ability to travel to other worlds?"
"If I had that ability, do you think I would be tied up and suffering here like this?"
Qin Yongmei scoffed. "Who knows what you're thinking? If only I had telepathy..."
She suddenly stopped talking, turned, and picked up the phone. Without dialing, she said directly, "Bring in the lie detector."
Qin Yongmei introduced him. "Next, you will see our latest lie detector. Its biggest difference from ordinary lie detectors is that if your pulse and skin resistance fluctuate significantly at the same time, it will use a strong electric current to warn you not to lie."
Xiao Xun smiled. "Sister Mei, all this effort you're putting in, why not just let me sit in the electric chair? Preferably, electrocute me right in front of those people you've arrested. First, it would serve as a deterrent, and second, perhaps some of the timid ones would confess voluntarily."
Qin Yongmei looked at the lie detector being wheeled in. "I will consider your suggestion, but for now, please cooperate."
The staff in white coats attached various tubes and clips to Xiao Xun, then stood by the monitor.
"Officer, you may begin questioning."
Qin Yongmei walked up to Xiao Xun. "Adjust your breathing, calm your mind. I'm only going to ask simple questions."
Xiao Xun frowned and said nothing, but his forehead was already covered in sweat.
Qin Yongmei, with her hands behind her back, glanced at the staff and nodded. "I ask you, is Mu Jiahe an alien?"
Xiao Xun stated resolutely, "No."
The staff member shook their head. Qin Yongmei continued, "Are those aliens going to destroy this planet?"
"I don't know."
The staff member shook their head again. Qin Yongmei pondered. "Are those aliens monitoring you?"
"I don't know."
Seeing the staff member still shaking their head, Qin Yongmei thought: Could it be that Xiao Xun is telling the truth?
"Where did your high-tech equipment come from?"
"I bought it from the future."
Qin Yongmei stepped forward, then suddenly softened her tone. "Are you willing to continue as the overall head of the 'Cradle Plan'?"