Chapter 309 The Trap

He walked out of the interrogation room.

Old Fox closed the door and cast a meaningful glance at the one-way glass, smeared with red and silver.

Chen Mei was still silent, sitting on the chair, handcuffed with vine wood. But it was clear that his expression was no longer as calm as before. With closer observation, faint beads of sweat could be seen gathering in the gaps of his curly hair, sliding down his cheeks.

"What we need to do now is wait."

Zhou Jiren leaned against the interrogation room door, a pipe clenched in his teeth.

This was a gamble.

Gambling on whether Owl would take action.

"If Owl has some channel to access internal Council rumors, as we predicted… then he should be unable to sit still the moment Chen Mei was arrested," Gu Shen said. "The disturbance at the Jiangtan that night was huge. News of Chen Mei's arrest has spread like wildfire throughout the capital."

"Indeed."

Zhou Jiren said in a deep voice, "But what I'm worried about… is the 'trust' they've built between them."

This was a classic "prisoner's dilemma."

If Owl maintained absolute trust in Chen Mei, and Chen Mei truly kept their secret…

Then confinement, interrogation, all methods… would ultimately fail to achieve their purpose.

"I will upload the recording to the Council…" Lu Nanjin said calmly, "How strong their trust is will soon be clear. But I believe that with Owl's methods of detonating spiritual threads at every turn… he won't cherish anyone's life other than his own, and Chen Mei will be no exception."

Yes.

Gu Shen nodded inwardly as well.

Judging from the Perpetual Motion Foundation's consistent style, once things were exposed, the Foundation believers who served as pawns only had the option of self-destruction and death.

"And then there's…"

Gu Shen carefully reminded, "You mentioned 'spiritual links' earlier. If they can perform 'spiritual links,' then they might be able to conduct some kind of spiritual communication."

"Yes… you are indeed attentive. Don't worry about that."

Zhou Jiren said lightly, "This interrogation room is completely coated with red and silver, and I've also applied a layer of the 'Wood Origin Barrier'. If a transcendent's spirit intrudes, I will sense it immediately."

There was such a method?

Gu Shen felt a little nervous upon hearing this. It seemed that red and silver couldn't prevent his spiritual communication with Chu Ling, but the so-called "Wood Origin Barrier" was unclear.

The difference in strength between the two was vast.

He didn't know if his link could be sensed… but from the beginning, Chu Ling hadn't come online, most likely because she sensed the danger.

"Chen Mei is stubbornly refusing to speak now, and we have no other choice but to wait." Nanjin hugged her sword and said slowly, "But his reaction when he saw Zhou Yu's photo… is worth pondering."

When he saw the evil deeds that the Perpetual Motion Foundation had committed, Chen Mei had a moment of hesitation.

The "Zhou Yu photo," which was originally intended for the final pursuit, became the reason for his firm choice to remain silent—

"The only explanation is that he knows Zhou Yu."

Gu Shen said, "But that's not reasonable. The time of Zhou Yu's death doesn't match the time he started practicing body techniques… At that time, he was just a child and had no way to know Zhou Yu."

"Alright, don't dwell too much on it, and don't make unnecessary guesses."

Zhou Jiren looked calm. "The net has been cast, and now we're waiting for Chen Mei to respond. Don't worry about him stubbornly guarding secrets. I… have ways to make him talk."

Gu Shen was a little curious, "What ways?"

"I got a hundred pounds of high explosives." Zhou Jiren said lightly, "The same stuff that guy used to blow you up on Lipu Street last time, trinitrotoluene, an old-fashioned explosive from the old era. The only advantage is its great power."

"…What?!"

Gu Shen and Nanjin were both startled.

"A hundred pounds?"

Gu Shen looked strangely at the calm Zhou Jiren, thinking that this old fellow was casually opening his mouth, and a hundred pounds came out of his mouth.

Worthy of being the Grand Arbiter of the Tribunal.

This method was indeed brilliant.

What would it look like to detonate a hundred pounds of high explosives? The place where Chen Mei was being interrogated was remote, in the suburbs of the capital, an empty old building. If the explosives detonated, the entire building would probably be blown to the sky.

Was he going to send… Chen Mei to heaven?

"If possible, I'd like to get more… but it's a pity, this stuff is restricted, and you can't buy it through normal channels. Getting too much at once would expose it. I got some from the Council through acquaintances." Mr. Tree smiled as he looked at Chen Mei in the interrogation room and said, "A hundred pounds, I wonder if he can withstand it?"

Gu Shen and Nanjin exchanged glances.

They both understood their teacher's reasons—

If Chen Mei and Owl had established a relationship of trust… then what they had to do was destroy that relationship of trust.

Releasing the news that Chen Mei had joined the Special Operations Team was to test "Owl's" patience.

And this explosion was to make Chen Mei believe that Owl had taken action.

"Rest well and recharge your batteries these two days."

Zhou Jiren put his arms around his two students' shoulders. "Today's mission ends here."

Nanjin suddenly asked, "Are you really going to use a hundred pounds of high explosives? Transcendants aren't gods… especially when they're restrained. What if Chen Mei dies?"

"Good question…"

Mr. Tree said lightly. He didn't answer directly, but said something seemingly irrelevant.

"The capital has been quite uneasy recently. The pressure to push through the bill is imminent… and the nomination of alternate councilors is just around the corner. Everyone is nervous. At this juncture, the air seems to be filled with gunpowder. A single spark could set it off."

He slowly said, "If Chen Mei dies, then the capital will really explode."

Gu Shen felt his scalp tingle just thinking about it.

Chen San's only son was dead… How furious would this councilor be?

"The murderer must pay the price."

Zhou Jiren said calmly, "The Special Operations Team will extend its deepest condolences, and at the same time, fully assist Councilor Chen in finding the murderer… As for how to find him at that time, I'm sure someone will be more eager than us."

In the end, the ones who understood the capital the most were Zhao and Chen.

If you wanted to find nits on them, they had to do it themselves.

"Of course… I'm not such a cold-blooded and ruthless guy." Mr. Tree smiled, "Don't underestimate the survival ability of the 11th floor of the deep sea. A mere hundred pounds of high explosives is nothing to Chen Mei."

"In short… the real big move will begin soon. Let's wait and see. The transportation of the explosives takes time, and the spread of the news also takes time."

"At that time…"

Mr. Tree raised his hands, imitating the scene of the building being lifted up and flying into the sky by a huge explosive force.

"Bang—"

The old man smiled and said, "With a big explosion. The show begins."