Chapter 72 – The Tales Woven (II)

Chapter 72

The Tales Woven (II)

Do I have any experience interrogating people?

Yeah. There was that one time I interrogated Jim about his date with Donna. It did not go well.

Though I have no actual experience trying to squeeze info out of the perps, I did spend a considerable number of hours wolfing down the procedural cop shows. An unhealthily considerable number of hours. Honestly, I’m kind of ashamed.

But it seems that all of it is finally being paid off!

… am I really going to use ‘tactics’ I saw in TV shows on an actual, real, live person?

Yeah, I really am.

“Jiang Dong,” I said, pouring myself a small cup of water. Not because I was thirsty, but because I always imagined myself as one of those guys pouring a glass of scotch or whiskey as he interrogates people. “187 years old. Peak of the Spirit Manifestation Realm. Do you know him?”

“… I–I don’t, I don’t know.” Wow. I am good! Just a pair of lousy sentences and I’ve already got a man squirming! Maybe I should have become a cop? Nah. I’d have a career of constantly clashing with my superiors because they’d never believe my amazing theories.

“Really? You don’t?” I turned around and smiled, walking over to the chair pressed against the cupboard and pulling it out, sitting down, cross-legged, and staring straightly at the man who was avoiding my gaze. “That’s odd. I was certain you knew him.”

“Y-you’re, yeah, you’re mistaken. Is that why you did this? I, I will overlook it and not report it if you just let me go–“

“–ah, come on, Dong,” Yes, I was going to call him Dong. I may be mature, but my sense of humor stopped maturing at around the age of nine. “This is the part of being caught when you try to bargain for your future. You know? Promise you’ll tell me all I want to know, but in turn I have to spare your life. Or cackle like a madman and throw yourself at me in a desperate bid to die, as you’re unwilling to divulge any info about your true home.

“Anything cool besides whimpering out a half-cooked denial.” I took a sip of water in the coolest way I could think of… and then had to use every one of my muscles not to gag.

Oh my God, it’s so disgusting!

It’s not only strangely lukewarm, but it also has, like, I don’t know, a texture?! I can’t even describe it, but water is not supposed to have this kind of a texture! At least not the water I put in my mouth!

I professionally put the cup down out of my sight and strained myself to just stare in silence, hoping my professionally inquisitive glare will be enough to rattle him further.

“Heh. Throw myself at you? Despite how pathetic you are, I am now just a mortal. Though, I suppose there’s a higher chance of you being incapable of killing a mortal than of you somehow figuring this all out. So, who told you? Who is behind all of this?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Hey, look, it worked! While I’m not happy about being shat on, at least we’re getting somewhere.

“What was the message?”

“Huh?”

“The message that the Firebird delivered,” I said. “What was in it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Uhm, I would. That’s why I’m asking you.”

“And you think I’ll just tell you?”