Under Mazao’s recent onslaught, the crucial informant was riddled with fatal wounds, nearly chopped to pieces. Fortunately, since the head had not been fatally struck, there was still time for a rescue.
Mazao hurriedly turned around and ran in front of the other person. With injuries this severe, modern medicine would deem it an instant death sentence, and saving him would be nothing short of a miracle. However, in the presence of the Power of Return, as long as one wasn’t completely dead, there was still hope for salvation. I even began to wonder if even after someone had fully passed away, as long as not too much time had passed, the Power of Return might still be able to retrieve their life.
Soon, under the effect of the Power of Return, the fugitive’s body full of holes miraculously rewound to its original state. Not only the fatal wounds but even the scratches were gone. This scene looked very much like the Power of Reset used by Dr. Silver Mask in the past.
The demon hunters watching from a distance also witnessed this unbelievable scene, exclaiming in shock and confusion.
"Is this time reversal? Such superpowers are indeed rare."
Fu Feng first expressed his admiration, then thoughtfully added, "However, this kind of mana... feels very unique. I consider myself well-informed but have never seen such a Magic system..."
Zhu Shi seemed to have made a similar remark about Mazao’s power. Although I don’t know how they managed to discern a so-called "Magic system" from such a simple display of superpower, it would indeed be strange if they had really seen it before. This power is not of this era; it belongs to a Blessed Monk.
Fu Feng turned to me and said, "If I’m not mistaken, your companion’s real age seems to match her appearance. To have achieved level abilities at such a young age, her talent is no less than Dong Che’s... Moreover, her current state doesn’t seem optimal, was that not her full strength just now?"
His comment didn’t avoid others’ ears. The demon hunters at a distance had a look of admiration when they gazed at Mazao, and even Dong Che seemed to develop an uncontrollable interest in her. Perhaps he intended to praise Mazao in front of others, to reflect well on us.
And indeed, I felt proud. By now, no matter how much others praised my power, I was resistant to it, taking any flattery as only natural. What I hoped more was for others to see Mazao’s brilliance. Their admiration for Mazao brought me more joy than praise for myself.
I walked over to Mazao’s side to check on her complexion. Despite having unleashed the power to defeat an achieved level enemy, she wasn’t faltering. Out of caution, I inquired a bit more, to make sure she wasn’t just putting on a brave face.
But she assured me, "I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m in good condition right now, there won’t be any problems fighting with burst power in a short term."
I let myself relax a bit, then pondered. I originally thought she could only muster Residence Level strength at most, but I had not anticipated that after some rest, she could reach this extent.
Of course, although she easily defeated an achieved level enemy, that doesn’t mean she is above achieved level. It was evident that her speed and strength were still on par with her enemy, and she was able to win easily due to the superiority of her special abilities. Moreover, her opponent seemed to rely solely on a suit of silver-white metal armor for strength and wasn’t truly at achieved level. My impression of the fugitive revealed from the armor was just an ordinary person, with mana fluctuations emanating from the armor itself.
Even so, this was beyond my expectations. Considering that her soul was still in a state of severe trauma, just how powerful would she be when fully recovered?
Could it be that Mazao in her prime was at the Great Success Rank? Such a thought seemed preposterous. To think that even in Luo Mountain, where there are less than twenty Great Success Rank individuals, a rank that towers above countless demon hunters, a rank of Transcenders. If Mazao were truly of Great Success Rank...
...it actually might not be impossible. More like it, Mazao in the Doomsday Era, burdened with the Broom Star Physique and having to ensure survival while protecting the utterly powerless Little Bowl, should not have been able to manage on achieved level strength alone. It was only when facing a Great Demon on par with Impermanence that she fell into a life-and-death crisis, and even then, the Great Demon did not claim her life—in the absence of a Great Success Rank foundation, this could hardly make sense.
At least I find it hard to conceive of myself being outmaneuvered by a mere achieved level demon hunter after becoming Impermanence.
Thinking it over, I could somewhat imagine the extent of soul trauma that Mazao, who had just arrived in this era, must have endured. A Great Success Rank Blessed Monk, to have been brought to such a dire state by an attack from a Residence Level existence. She must have been hanging on by a mere thread.
While I wasn’t fully certain if Mazao was at Great Success Rank in her prime, and it wasn’t appropriate to inquire openly in front of others, I turned my attention to the fugitive who had been healed during his unconscious state.
Fu Feng and Dong Che also approached. The latter glanced at Mazao, then looking at the face of the fugitive, remarked, "The disguise crafted by magic tools has also been undone... or was it cancelled out by the Power of Return just now?"
The Power of Return had also cleansed the blood off the fugitive’s face, allowing me to see his true features.
To my surprise, this fugitive was an "old acquaintance."
He was a High Researcher that I had once encountered in an independent reality space — the very one who had been disrespectful to Dr. Silver Mask, wanting to use me, a "child test subject" (I looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old at that time), for human experimentation.
I had interrogated him before and obtained pivotal information about the independent reality space from him.
Could this man be Ying Lingyun’s trusted assistant?
It seems reasonable. The first time he appeared in the independent reality space, he was following right beside Dr. Silver Mask, giving the impression that his status was only second to that of Dr. Silver Mask, the highest authority. And according to the information obtained from the interrogation, his experience predates that of Dr. Silver Mask by a considerable margin. Before Dr. Silver Mask, the one who held the highest authority at the old Human Bureau base was Ying Lingyun. So wasn’t he previously a close aide to Ying Lingyun?
What was with the silver-white metallic armor he was wearing just now, and how did he manage to bring it to the Fufeng Base? If he had worn such armor last time, I might not necessarily have been able to subdue him.
"Since the equipment has already been destroyed, he now has no ability to resist. First, take him to the interrogation room," Fufeng decided. Then, like picking up a cat or a dog, he lifted up the senior researcher from the ground and moved him to another location. We followed closely behind, and shortly after, we arrived at the interrogation room.
The senior researcher was tied to a chair, and Fufeng took out a communication tool to call over an interrogation specialist.
"Are you also going to observe the interrogation?" he asked us. "What follows may involve some rather unsightly methods..."
It seemed Fufeng was implying that some cruel forms of torture might be used.
Dong Che seemed a bit timid but also somewhat excited, fidgeting before saying, "Please, let us observe!"
Then he added, "This person was captured by me; I believe I deserve the right to observe."
"I have some fate with this person, and I also have some questions to ask him. Even if you ask me to leave, I won’t go," I said.
Meanwhile, Mazao remained emotionless, completely unfazed by the prospect of witnessing cruel torture. Dong Che seemed to have noticed this as well, glancing back at Mazao.
I wasn’t just making small talk when I said I had questions for the other party. Since the senior researcher was Ying Lingyun’s trusted aide, he might know some of Ying Lingyun’s secrets. It might also involve secrets related to Yinyue.
The Yinyue that appeared on Changan, I don’t believe Ying Lingyun was completely unaware of it.
More importantly, if the senior researcher appeared before me and Mazao due to the attraction of the Broom Star Physique, then his appearance was definitely not without meaning. He must have brought us some valuable clues, whether few or many, surely not none. Given his identity, I believe those could very likely be clues related to Ying Lingyun, Yinyue, and Changan.
Furthermore, I can even hope that he could tell me where exactly Yinyue has taken the soul of Changan.
Fufeng seemed rather reluctant to let us guests watch the interrogation process, but after some thought, he agreed.
The interrogator arrived in the interrogation room quickly. First, he saluted Fufeng, then walked up to the senior researcher and, like pressing the power button on a computer case, he stretched out a finger and tapped the senior researcher’s forehead.
The senior researcher’s eyes snapped open as if awakened from a nightmare.
He looked up in panic, his gaze sweeping over us, sweat beading on his forehead.
"I... I should be dead..."
Clearly, the Power of Return hadn’t reversed his memories; he remembered the fact that he was defeated by Mazao. Now he saw Mazao as well, and his expression melded anger with fear.
Then the interrogator suddenly brought his hands together with a clap, and with a loud snap, the senior researcher’s eyes instantly became lifeless, as if all strings in his brain had been broken by the abrupt sound. This seemed like a kind of Spiritual Interference magic, and the senior researcher now seemed completely compliant.
"I’ve hypnotized him, now he cannot remain silent or tell lies to our questions," said the interrogator.
It seemed rather similar to the effects of the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring.
This senior researcher was truly unlucky to a pitiable extent; last time I interrogated him using the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring, and now he’s fallen into the same passive situation.
Fufeng nodded in approval to his own person, then said to me, "Zhuang Cheng, you can ask your questions now."