Chairman Mao truly doesn’t know how to waste time. The respected chairman brought the entire crew to the interrogation room from the conference room.
When Chairman Mao said that an old friend was waiting for him, Shen Yuan already had an idea. No acquaintance or close friend staying in this holding facility comes to his mind. But someone who makes his blood boil with hate and murderousness? There is someone available near the vicinity.
Shen Yuan looked at the other side of the one-way mirror where a rectangular steel-gray table and chairs were seen— waving at him in his imagination.
"Are you sure I’ll be doing this?" Shen Yuan smugly raised an eyebrow at Chairman Mao Huanlong. His eyes fleetingly gave a side eye to other people who came with them. Given the place and the hint, the celestial fox spirit is particular in that Chairman Mao wants him to show how he would squeeze information out of that captured terrorist.
The alpha only responded with equal smugness that oddly suited him despite his age.
"Why? Is fear finally sinking in? Or are you worried that your dear alpha will be turned off once he sees you in action?"
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes. "Your assumption is unfounded, Chairman Mao. He knows about it already."
"But witnessing it with one’s own eyes and just knowing it from other people’s words are two completely different things. What if something changed because— What is this?" Chairman Mao continued to tease him. However, Shen Yuan managed to shut the senior alpha up by throwing something at the elder.
"Hey, how dare you!" Mo Zhu tried reprimanding the platinum-haired omega since he noticed he’d been completely informal towards the Chairman.
But Shen Yuan only treated him like air.
He just looked at Chairman Mao with a lopsided grin.
"I bought you some cheap deck of cards to entertain yourself.
I am concerned that you’re getting bored during your rest time and formed a bad habit of hanging around gossip posts on social media. I suggest you play poker with yourself, and once you win, I’ll treat you wherever you want for a game WELL PLAYED."
Chairman Mao looked at Shen Yuan incredulously, then exaggeratedly laughed, gaining the attention of the other members of the Special Counterrorism Unit that he was putting up.
The majority of them looked at Chairman Mao and Shen Yuan weirdly because they never thought that these two were this close. Shen Yuan was even informal in their conversation, something they never dared to do since Chairman Mao had been their idol growing up.
"You’re so petty! Bai Tingfeng! Your husband is extremely petty! Will you be okay?! You’re heading towards a dark future."
Bai Tingfeng only smiled dotingly at his husband. Of course, he would be okay. He never intended to do something that would force them to part, especially now that he is chasing after his husband.
The celestial fox spirit rolled his eyes for the second time. "You’re too noisy, Chairman Mao."
This senior alpha has a loose screw in the head. Shen Yuan confirmed this fact in his head.
He then wore his game face on. Chairman Mao felt the change in Shen Yuan’s internal gear and set aside his jester attitude.
The change in the air of two S-Class Mages brings forth a change in the atmosphere to others, too. They watched as the youngest and oldest of the group talked in a somewhat incomprehensible conversation.
"Did that person have a cardiovascular disease of some sort? Or a cardiopulmonary problem?" Shen Yuan asked.
"As per a recent medical report, nothing," Chairman Mao answered without blinking. "He’s in tiptop shape even for an S-Class Awakener."
"Is his blood clean from any drugs?"
"He’s not in the state that needs painkillers or anything that could cloud his mind. Don’t worry."
Shen Yuan hummed in satisfaction. He clenched his fist and made some cracking sound pop up as adrenalin started circulating in his system.
"How about medics? Do we have doctors on standby?"
"Mo Zhu here can conjure healing fire. Injuries, as long as it’s not fatal, is not a big deal," Chairman Mao approached the unsuspecting crimson-haired omega and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.
"Chairman Mao, what is happening? What are you talking about with Shen— that one," The young master from the Mo family questioned, his forehead creased with confusion.
Before anyone could answer him, Xia Jinhai approached Shen Yuan and gave him a tablet.
"The captive S-Class summoner’s data is available here. It is a little shameful for the Intelligence Department that we only managed to gather the basic information about that man, but it’s still better than nothing. Use it as you please when interrogating him."
"Oh, okay." The celestial fox spirit took the tablet and studied the profile shown on the screen with a quick scroll.
He really doesn’t believe that blood type, name, secondary sex, and other basic things would help him make Haichong speak, but out of courtesy, he kept the tablet in his hand.
With almost everything he needed in his hand, Shen Yuan walked towards Bai Tingfeng and whispered.
"You better keep your eyes on me. The following things I will do are barely the extent of my apathy. It’s up to you if you would still want to be with me despite what you see. This is the asshole who brings nightmares to our son, so there’s no way I’ll be pulling my punches."
He swears he isn’t affected by what Chairman Mao said earlier. But he also considers that the annoying old man has a valid point.
"Okay," Bai Tingfeng said. The alpha reached out for something in his suit’s pocket.
It’s a pair of black leather gloves.
"Don’t hurt yourself in the process," Bai Tingfeng said as a reminder. He gently assisted Shen Yuan in wearing the gloves.
"Ohhh, Leather... I like it, kinky."
Bai Tingfeng uncontrollably laughed.
This action didn’t go unnoticed by everyone in the room. How could it be otherwise when Shen Yuan has been the center of their attention since earlier?
They are curious what this omega could do that would be helpful for them. But not all of them are curious. There’s one whose face is completely green with jealousy and envy.
"Bitch," Mo Zhu murmured under his breath. He watched Shen Yuan’s back with hate. His eyes almost bore a hole with how intense his anger-filled eyes were.
"Hey!" Shen Yuan suddenly looked back, making Mo Zhu jump high.
Nervously, he waited for whatever this S-Class eyesore would say to him. However, he was gravely mistaken because it wasn’t intended for him.
"I forgot to eat my Mapo Tofu, Gu Jinpeng. Could you bring them to me? I’ll eat them while I’m at it."
Everyone looked at Shen Yuan with disbelief.
"Shen Yuan, are you crazy? You will eat your lunch while interrogating an S-Class Awakener?" Admiral Wu Jin asked a few decibels higher than usual.
But the omega in question only shrugged his shoulders, "What? I’ll eat whenever I want, whatever I want. Don’t tell me I’m not allowed to eat now that I’m starving. As far as I can remember, I haven’t signed any contract yet."
He raised one of the three paper bags his dog gave him and shook it—the sharp clicking sound of chopsticks.
Xia Jinhai couldn’t help but look at the bag suspiciously. Why does it seem like Shen Yuan got a lot of chopsticks with him? He’s the only one eating it.
Chairman Mao didn’t even blink once and gave his permission, almost like he was pushing Shen Yuan out of his sight, "Go on, enjoy your meal. Your old friend will come in shortly."
Shen Yuan harrumphed and sharply turned to enter the interrogation room. Away from the eyes of his colleagues and husband, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Try not to die. You fucking fly."
~~~
The savory smell of the delicious mapo tofu permeated the air of the interrogation.
Shen Yuan was eating in complete bliss when a group of jail guards entered while carrying a tall, slender young man with ashen skin and dark obsidian-like eyes.
He’s kind of expecting that he will see a disheveled man since this guy just experienced what it’s like to be burned in his soul, but to his surprise, Haichong looks like he is faring well, regrettably.
Clack!
The sound of metal hitting each other.
Despite his weak-looking exterior, there’s a bulky and heavy-looking handcuff covering Haichong’s entire hands.
"Oh, kindly take off those bothersome handcuffs before you leave, please," Shen Yuan said to the guards.
"But, these tools inhibit him from using his powers, M-Master Shen. What if—" one guard could stop himself from voicing his concern. They are simply B-Class awakeners, and never in a thousand years will they be capable of facing off against an S-Class awakener.
But Shen Yuan was a quick thinker. He pressed the intercom and asked Chairman Mao for permission to release the summoner’s hand.
Well, unsurprisingly, Chairman Mao gave his go signal.
"Come on, join me eat and eat this portion," Shen Yuan said brightly as he gave the spicy red tofu sauce bowl.
"It must be hard trying to get used to prison food. Go on. Eat."
The young man only looked at him wearily and with undisguised anger. "What the fuck are you doing here, Shen Yuan? Are you here to torment me? You know I lived through that fire of yours without any problem. I wouldn’t fall like before. You hear me!"