Chapter 668: Telling the Truth
Fang Xiaoxiao and Zhou Bin looked even more grim. They knew Wang Haidong was right.
Federation law had strict regulations on the use of Truth Serum. It could only be requested if there was sufficient evidence proving the suspect was involved in a major crime, and all other methods of obtaining key information had been exhausted. In Wang Haidong’s case, the evidence only pointed to Zhang Yuhuai. He didn’t qualify for the serum at all.
If Captain Meng forced the injection, not only would the illicitly obtained evidence be inadmissible, but he would also be toeing the line of criminality himself. With Li Mingyuan standing behind Wang Haidong, he would inevitably use this point to launch an attack. When that happened, Captain Meng would likely be unable to protect himself. Thinking of this, the two couldn’t help but look at Xu Wuyi with concern, afraid he would stubbornly insist on doing it his way.
Seeing their expressions, Wang Haidong’s smile became even more pronounced. He leaned back, shifting into a more comfortable position, and said, "Captain Meng, I know it’s not easy for you guys to handle cases. But rules are rules, and the law is the law.
"I’ll cooperate with your questioning, and I’ll say what I should say. But if you want to use *those* methods, I’m afraid that won’t fly."
A brief silence fell over the interrogation room. Fang Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Wuyi, wanting to say something, but seeing his calm demeanor, she swallowed her words. Zhou Bin sighed and shook his head.
Xu Wuyi, however, suddenly stood up. He walked over to Wang Haidong and looked down at him. The black-and-white mask was less than a meter away from Wang Haidong’s face. Under the pale light of the interrogation room, the two light-blue crystals on the mask gleamed with a cold light.
Wang Haidong was a little unnerved by the sudden movement, but he quickly composed himself. He didn’t believe this masked man dared to do anything. People from the Inspection Department had to follow the rules.
"Captain Meng, what are you..."
Xu Wuyi did not answer. He simply raised his right hand, extended a finger, and gave a light tap in the air in front of Wang Haidong.
In that instant, Wang Haidong felt a bizarre power envelop him. The power was incredibly light and faint, like a passing breeze, devoid of any oppressive feeling. But the moment that power touched him, Wang Haidong was suddenly struck by a strange sensation, as if the entire world around him had shifted.
It hadn’t grown dark, it hadn’t grown cold, nor had it become terrifying. Rather, it had become... orderly. It was as if vague rules had suddenly become crystal clear; as if evadable responsibilities had suddenly left him with nowhere to hide; as if hidden truths suddenly demanded to be spoken.
Wang Haidong’s pupils contracted sharply. He didn’t know what was happening, but he instinctively felt a deep-seated dread. It wasn’t the fear of facing danger, but a deeper, more primal terror—like the feeling of doing something wrong as a child and having his mother stare him in the eye, asking, *Did you do this?*
He wanted to shut his mouth, to swallow those words back down. But he found he couldn’t. A rule was currently operating upon his very being, and that rule consisted of only one command: tell the truth.
Xu Wuyi withdrew his hand and looked down at him from above, his voice so calm it didn’t hold a single ripple of emotion. "Wang Haidong, when did the Tianhai Group’s Star Realm smuggling operations begin?"
Wang Haidong opened his mouth, desperately wanting to say, *I don’t know*.
But what came out instead was, "Eight years ago."
His voice was incredibly soft, so soft he sounded like he was muttering to himself, but those three words fell loud and clear into the ears of everyone present.
Fang Xiaoxiao was stunned. Zhou Bin was stunned. Even Wang Haidong himself was stunned. His eyes went wide, his face full of absolute disbelief. He didn’t understand why he had said those three words. They were clearly a secret he would have taken to his grave rather than admit.
Xu Wuyi didn’t give him time to think. He continued asking, "Where did those smuggled military-grade materials come from?"
𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"They were leaked from the Celestial Swallow Battle Group’s warehouse," Wang Haidong said, his voice still soft, but every word perfectly audible. "Li Mingyuan had someone steal them, and I was in charge of fencing them."
"What about the High-Energy Weapons?"
"They also came from the Battle Group, through the exact same channels."
"How did you and Li Mingyuan split the money?"
"Thirty-seventy. Thirty for me, seventy for him. Since he provided the channels and the goods, and I was only responsible for selling, he naturally took the lion’s share."
"Where are the records of the split?"
"In my hands. There is a handwritten ledger hidden in the basement of my villa in the East District. That was my backup plan. If he ever turned on me, I would use that ledger to save my life."
A dead silence descended on the interrogation room. Fang Xiaoxiao and Zhou Bin sat there blankly, their minds entirely completely blank as they watched Wang Haidong spill everything in a rapid, non-stop confession.
They had seen many types of interrogations, but they had never seen anything like this. No drugs, no torture, not even the slightest threat or coercion. Their captain had merely raised a hand and tapped the air in front of Wang Haidong, and Wang Haidong had completely changed. He answered whatever he was asked, shaking out every single shady secret he possessed.
They wondered what kind of ability this could possibly be.
Fang Xiaoxiao recalled that day at the Tianhai Building. Zhao Gufeng had been the same way—he had thrown a punch, only to suddenly stand there motionless, his eyes vacant like a fool’s. She hadn’t known what had happened then, but now she vaguely understood. Their captain had the ability to make a person lose all control over themselves. Whether it was an Innate Martial Artist like Zhao Gufeng or an ordinary person like Wang Haidong, they were all completely powerless to resist him.
Zhou Bin had also thought of this. The gaze he directed at Xu Wuyi carried deep shock and a trace of undisguised awe. He wondered what this masked man’s background could possibly be.
Xu Wuyi ignored their shock and continued asking, "Besides partnering with you in smuggling, what else has Li Mingyuan done?"
Wang Haidong’s gaze was somewhat unfocused, but his mouth kept moving. "He embezzled quite a bit from within the Celestial Swallow Battle Group. The logistics department is his turf. Procurement, warehousing, transportation—he takes a cut at every stage. I don’t even know how much money he really has."
"Where did that money go?"
"He spends some on himself, uses some to grease palms, and the rest... he seems to be keeping someone on the outside. I don’t know the specifics, but he transfers a large sum of money from the account every month. The destination is unknown."
Xu Wuyi nodded. He stayed silent for a few seconds before asking, "Who else knows about your partnership with Li Mingyuan?"
"Not many people know," Wang Haidong said. "On my end, only Zhang Yuhuai knows a little, but even he doesn’t know the full picture. On Li Mingyuan’s end, a few of his trusted aides should know, but I’ve never met them."
"How do you contact each other?"