NOVPUBChapter 168: Chapter 167: The Black Tea Interrogation Method
Chapter 168 -167: The Black Tea Interrogation Method
Around eleven in the morning, Jerry Will entered the garrison of the city guard, accompanied by a group of attendants.
Soon, he was ushered into a lavishly decorated reception room.
Sitting opposite him were Chaoyang, Ailuodi, Woody, and Ge Wei.
After Jerry sat down, he glanced over the three individuals and asked, “What’s going on, where is Lady Shandela?”
“The Commander is feeling a bit under the weather, so I’ll be the one questioning you in her stead. My name is Woody, and I’m Shandela’s deputy,” Woody said, sticking to the predetermined script. “These individuals are the investigators from the city guard, responsible for uncovering the truth behind the Heigang Building explosion.” 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
“Sorry, but I received an invitation from the Commander herself; other than her, I won’t talk to any of you. I bid you farewell.”
Having said that, Jerry actually stood up and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Woody couldn’t help but angrily say, “Every citizen has the duty to assist the investigation of the Lord and the Lord’s military forces. Why can’t you talk to me?”
“Fine, then go complain to His Lordship,” Jerry said indifferently.
“What if I’m here?”
Suddenly someone spoke.
The door was opened, and there stood Shandela at the doorway—not standing, but being pushed in on a wheelchair. She was wearing only a thin dress, with evident bandaging around her abdomen, and there were faint bloodstains on her clothes.
Jerry’s expression changed, and his voice suddenly dropped, “How did you… get hurt like this…?”
“It’s nothing, just got ambushed by a member of the Heretical Cult when I wasn’t paying attention,” Shandela replied.
Her tone was noticeably weaker than usual, but her gaze was still sharp, “Now that I’m here, can you please retake your seat?”
Jerry clicked his tongue in resignation and sat back down.
“You should continue to rest and recuperate,” Woody frowned.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to die. Especially after Miss Jenny injected me with antibiotics, I feel much more alert,” Shandela said with a smile.
This must be a placebo effect, Chaoyang thought, as antibiotics can’t possibly work that fast.
“Is it my imagination?” Ailuodi whispered, “I feel that this man’s attitude towards Shandela is somewhat different…”
He shrugged, indicating he wasn’t quite sure himself.
“You have a keen sense of observation.” To their surprise, Shandela had heard her whisper and replied in the same low voice, “This guy owes me a life debt. His ship was surrounded by pirates while carrying goods, and it was ultimately my patrol fleet that rescued him.”
“Be careful, this lady has very sharp ears; she can hear most whispered conversations,” Ge Wei joined in.
“Whose side are you on?”
“What are you talking about?” Jerry asked, somewhat guardedly.
“Oh, I was just exchanging some information with them… After all, with injuries like this, I can’t oversee the investigation for the time being,” Shandela straightened her body, “Please go ahead and ask your questions. Their questions are my questions now.”
Woody flipped open a small booklet, “Jerry Will, on the night before last, at around nine o’clock, you went to the Heigang Building for a meeting with Aibuvich and didn’t leave until almost eleven. We’d like to know, what did you two discuss?”
“Nothing special, just commerce,” Jerry responded.
“What about the specifics?”
“What else could it be, needed to arrange for shipment, of course. Tobacco, alcohol, hallucinatory herbs, Power Pills… all sorts of good stuff that Magnificent Castle doesn’t produce. Can only bring them in by sea.”
“Do you know he was a member of the Heretical Cult?” Woody asked further.
“Huh? Come on, seriously?” Jerry raised an eyebrow, “Oh… right, the newspapers did say something similar, but that’s all just journalists’ wild speculation, isn’t it?”
“I’m asking you whether you knew!”
“How could I possibly know that? Do I look like a member of the Heretical Cult to you?” he said with displeasure, “If you keep slandering me like this, I might just leave.”
“He knows,” Ailuodi whispered.
“How can you tell?” Shandela asked.
“Intuition,” Angel replied curtly.
The Commander was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Trust her, her instincts are rarely wrong,” Chaoyang responded.
“Don’t forget she figured out your unusual relationship with the Third Son just by intuition,” the Priestess added.
Shandela gave Ge Wei a somewhat puzzled look. How come he seemed a bit different since his visit to the temple?
“Then what odd behavior have you noticed about Aibuvich in recent years? Be it speech or conduct, feel free to discuss,” Woody jumped to the third question.
“None,” Jerry Will said as he crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair, “The guy is too fierce. I don’t want to have anything to do with him personally, let alone pay attention to his actions.”
“But we found out you have visited bars and brothels operated by Aibuvich multiple times.”
“Ah? How many times is ‘multiple times’? Hundreds?” Jerry said impatiently, “In Magnificent Castle, there are only a few high-end salons. If I don’t go there to have fun, where else could I go? To the slums to play mud pies with the kids? Who in the city with a bit of money hasn’t been there? Do they all have ties to the Heretical Cult?”
“Can’t you answer the question properly?” Shandela spoke up.
Jerry’s expression became slightly more restrained, but it was still the same old rhetoric, “I go to those places just for fun. Maybe I bumped into the Black Steel boss a few times but really, we’re not close.”
“If that’s the case, then talk about what you know regarding Aibuvich… For instance, when did you meet him, and how did you start doing business with Heigang Building.”
“Is that even a question?”
“Yes,” Woody said earnestly, “We need his information, even the smallest detail from his personal life.”
Of course, the actual situation was not as such.
These questions were all devised by Chaoyang and Ge Wei together. The first three questions were to assess the other party’s attitude, while the subsequent ones were purely to make him talk more.
The more he spoke, the more likely he would get thirsty.
Meanwhile, Chaoyang would occasionally take a big gulp of tea and then lick his lips with lingering satisfaction, aiming to elicit the other party’s thirst.
Sure enough, by the fifth question, Jerry picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a big gulp.
Chaoyang and Ge Wei exchanged a glance.
This was enough.
After ten minutes, Jerry’s eyes began to droop, and he tried to perk up with tea, but it barely helped. “I’m getting tired… Can we end it for today?”
“I’m sorry, but I still have a few questions for you. Besides, the kitchen has prepared a rich lunch for you, which you can enjoy right here,” Shandela insisted.
“No, I’d like to rest,” he tried to rise to his feet but failed to leave the chair after several attempts. It was only then that Jerry realized something was amiss. He looked at the non-fatigued group with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, “Is this… your doing? Damn it, what are you planning to do? Guards, guards!”
“It’s no use, they’ve been isolated from the residence, and it’s just us here,” Ge Wei said with a deliberately pleasant smile.
“Shandela, you… how could you do this? I came here trusting you!”
“Don’t worry, if what you’ve said is true, then aside from sleeping here, nothing will happen to you,” Shandela closed her eyes, “Trust me, this is for your own good. If you were part of the Heretical Cult, death might even be a kinder fate.”
But Jerry could no longer hear the rest of her words.
The anesthetic effect of the drug had already infiltrated his brain nerves.
He swayed a bit, then collapsed onto the table with a thud, losing all consciousness in an instant.
