C10 Sighing for Help

Chen Yan's voice boomed across nearly half the military camp, yet there was no response from the tent.

"Chen Yan has erred, and I ask the district commander to administer punishment!"

Lin Yan watched Chen Yan kneeling on the ground, and inexplicably, his heart ached for him. This incident had nothing to do with Chen Yan. It was bad enough that no experts from the military district had come to his aid, but now he was being treated with disdain.

"Commander, get up. You bear no fault in this matter. Why kneel and seek punishment?"

Lin Yan halted his steps, standing a short distance behind Chen Yan, and called out to him.

Chen Yan's frame shook at the sound of the familiar voice, and even Shen Zhong was incredulously moved.

"Is that kid still alive?"

Shen Zhong scrutinized Lin Yan intently. Emerging from the mysterious cave, Lin Yan appeared unchanged, unlike the others.

"You're actually unharmed?"

Shen Zhong approached Lin Yan with excitement, closing the distance between them rapidly.

"Did you wish for me to be harmed?"

Lin Yan's gaze fixed on Shen Zhong with an intensity that belied his youth, a fierceness that instilled a flicker of fear.

"Quickly, what did you witness in that cave?"

Shen Zhong, with a forceful grip on Lin Yan's collar, demanded answers. Lin Yan, though bound by chains, still possessed strength. With a twist, he shrugged off Shen Zhong's grasp.

"Everyone, halt!"

Guo Feng released a martial artist's presence, causing Shen Zhong to cast a sidelong glance before slowly backing off.

"Take this young man away. Tonight, we'll interrogate him thoroughly about his experiences in the cave. If he reveals nothing, we'll resort to 'that method.'"

Guo Feng commanded the soldiers, who, under their imposing presence, escorted Lin Yan away. Chen Yan remained kneeling outside the district chief's tent. Yet, when Guo Feng mentioned interrogation, Chen Yan's eyes flicked discreetly towards Lin Yan.

The others might not understand Guo Feng's reference, but as the battalion commander, Chen Yan was all too aware of the torture Guo Feng implied. Even a warrior at the peak of the Martial Pulse Stage couldn't withstand such punishment.

In a secluded tent within the Green Python Battalion, Lin Yan was bound tightly to a solid stake with ropes made from Barbarian Beast sinews, strong enough to restrain a warrior in the early stages of the Martial Pulse Stage.

"Spit it out, kid. Are you human or something else?"

A gaunt man with a lengthy goatee and piercingly small eyes stood before Lin Yan, brandishing a spiked leather whip with practiced ease.

"I am human, a soldier. Why have you detained me?"

Lin Yan responded to the man.

"Ha! Ridiculous. Your aura betrays you; you're certainly no longer human, much less a soldier. How could a mere soldier be at the Martial Pulse Early Period?"

The man stepped closer to Lin Yan, the whip in his hand gently tracing Lin Yan's back.

"Hardheaded, I see. Looks like it's time for you to taste some real pain."

Crack!

The sound of the whip echoed as it lashed across Lin Yan's back, tearing flesh and drawing blood.

"Out with it! What alien race do you belong to, and what secrets does that cave hold?"

Before Lin Yan could utter a word, the man struck again, his actions more indicative of a desire to punish than to interrogate.

"I've already told you, I am human. Alien race? If I were from an alien race, your bones would've been crushed by now."

Slap!

"Damn, kid, you've got a smart mouth on you. I'll make sure you don't survive today!"

Whip cracks echoed as Lin Yan was lashed dozens of times before the man stopped, winded from the effort.

"Are you a stone or what? I've been beating you and you haven't made a peep."

The interrogator dropped the whip and sat down in front of Lin Yan, lighting a cigarette.

"But even if you're as tough as a rock, I've got ways to break you open!"

Once his cigarette was done, he opened a heavy iron box, revealing an even sturdier small box inside.

As he opened the smaller box, a thumb-sized beetle emerged.

"This is the Marrow Devouring Insect. Not sure if you've heard of it. Regardless, let me enlighten you: this creature feasts on human brain and bone marrow, thriving and breeding inside your body.

And you? You won't die immediately. You'll be tormented slowly until its eggs hatch. Within a day, the offspring will crawl out of you, leaving nothing but a corpse."

The man, holding the squirming insect with a tool, inched closer to Lin Yan.

"Boy, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me what happened in that cave."

The interrogator's grin was sadistic as Lin Yan struggled in vain against the ropes made from Barbarian Beast sinews, too strong for someone at the early Martial Pulse Stage to break.

"Hold on!"

"What? Scared now? Turns out you're just a coward!"

"Coward your ancestors! I just want to cuss you out!"

Lin Yan spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto the man's face.

"You little bastard, not even the emperor of heaven could save you now!"

Fury blazed in the man's eyes as he brought the Marrow Devouring Insect close to Lin Yan's skin.

The insect's pincers twitched, ready to burrow into Lin Yan's flesh.

"Back off!"

In the nick of time, an armored figure burst from outside the tent. With a swift kick, he sent the interrogator flying and flicked his finger at the beetle. The Marrow Devouring Insect, poised to penetrate Lin Yan's body, was suddenly redirected onto the interrogator.

"No... No... Get it off me!"

The man frantically tried to remove the beetle, but to no avail. It bit through his armor, tore open his belly, and burrowed into his flesh within seconds.

"Ah! Ah! Ah..."

As the man's screams filled the air, Lin Yan was freed from his bindings.

"Commander, what brings you here?"

Relief and happiness shone in Lin Yan's eyes.