novelraw Chapter 134: A Scheme to Sow Discord
Chapter 134: A Scheme to Sow Discord
The man wore a pure white stand-collar uniform, every crease sharp as if carved by a blade.
Beneath his silver-white hair, a pair of silver-white earrings swayed slightly.
It was Qin Bai.
Qin Bai sat at the head of the long table.
Five mission reports were laid out before him.
His fingertip tapped rhythmically on the table: "I am Qin Bai, a teacher at Vermilion Bird Academy and the overall commander of the Vermilion Bird Academy hunting team... Do you know why I've called you here?"
"Because... we saved people?"
Xu Hao tried to lighten the mood.
Qin Bai stopped his movement and opened a report: "You claim to have killed nine Bone Eroders, but the on-site investigation shows at least twenty-seven combat traces."
Su Zhan appropriately showed a confused expression."There were no other teams in this Mist incident."
Qin Bai said slowly: "And... all the corpses have disappeared."
Everyone knew this point, but no one had mentioned it.
Now that Qin Bai had stated it.
Everyone fell silent.
How to explain? How could they explain?
They couldn't explain it.
"Let me help you recall."
Qin Bai opened another file: "Previously in Vermilion Bird City, three days before school started, Su Zhan, Liu Ziming, Feng Jue, Xu Hao, you four were eating barbecue at the Haowei Barbecue Restaurant in Vermilion Bird City, and then encountered a Mist incident.
During this Mist incident, you four fought against Snake-Tailed Beasts, and when your spiritual energy was almost exhausted, you split up and ran.
Finally, according to your accounts, during this Mist incident, you encountered an Aberrant wearing an Ultraman mask.
When you were in danger, it saved all of you, killed the Snake-Tailed Beasts chasing you, and didn't kill you. Have I stated this correctly?"
Su Zhan, Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, and Xu Hao silently nodded.
"Very strange, isn't it?"
Qin Bai pointed at the four and laughed: "An Aberrant, actually saving people? Moreover, after that Mist incident, we only found one Snake-Tailed Beast corpse, all the others had disappeared."
Xie Xi heard this and looked at the four with surprise.
She hadn't known about this news.
She was already very puzzled about why the two Mist incidents she experienced had such strange phenomena?
So this phenomenon had already started at this time.
"And then..."
Qin Bai's voice was unhurried, speaking as if telling a story: "When you were in Lan City, you were there to participate in the freshman exchange event, but at this time your team had gained another member, Xie Xi.
You five were targeted by the Transcendence Society with a Mist incident, and your teacher, Wang Mingyuan, conveniently happened to be sent away.
At that time, just like the Mist incident experienced in Vermilion Bird City, you fought against Mist creatures, overdrew your spiritual energy, and ultimately still chose to split up and run, hiding.
Isn't it coincidental? In this Mist incident, an Aberrant also appeared, wearing a firefighter's mask, similar in appearance to the previous Aberrant.
Having scales, the body shape was also similar, but this time it had an extra tail, though I estimate it was probably obtained through evolution.
This Aberrant also didn't kill people, only killed Mist creatures. After the Mist ended, only a few Voyeur corpses remained.
Hehehe... I actually wish all Aberrants were like this one, only killing Mist creatures, not killing people, and even saving people. If they were all like this, Daxia wouldn't be under such great pressure as it is now."
Everyone listened in silence.
"Mm, and then there's this recent Mist incident."
Qin Bai's gaze swept over the five: "We learned from survivors that you saved them from the Aberrant, that point is undeniable. Later, after you fought with the Aberrant, the Mist appeared.
Then you fought against Bone Eroders, exhausted your spiritual energy, and once again chose to split up and run, each trusting to fate.
And in this Mist incident, an Aberrant appeared once again. Survivors saw an Aberrant wearing a blue-faced, fanged mask, with pitch-black scales and a tail.
This Aberrant once again fought against Mist creatures.
Once again didn't kill people.
And after this Mist incident ended, the Mist creature corpses once again disappeared. This time it was even more extreme, not a single corpse was left, as if the Bone Eroders had never appeared."
Everyone remained silent.
Qin Bai's fingertip began rhythmically tapping the table again: "Do you have anything you want to say?"
Su Zhan's psychological pressure skyrocketed.
He could feel Xie Xi's probing gaze shifting between him and his teammates.
This young lady was probably brainstorming eight hundred conspiracy theories in her head.
"Coincidence."
Xu Hao spoke up: "It's statistically possible, like winning the lottery..."
"Winning three times?"
Qin Bai slapped his hand on Su Zhan's shoulder: "The first time you four freshmen, the second time a five-person team, this time still a five-person team, hmm... In the Vermilion Bird City Mist incident, we investigated, Xie Xi indeed has an alibi, so the main investigation targets from now on... are you four."
Su Zhan thought, this is bad.
He looked at Xie Xi.
The young lady visibly relaxed, looking at the four of them with complex emotions.
This wasn't about eliminating Xie Xi's suspicion, this was clearly a divide-and-conquer strategy!
When he said "main investigation targets."
The subtle contraction of Xie Xi's pupils as her gaze swept over the other four revealed subconscious vigilance.
Of course...
She was merely the main target of the division.
The others were the same.
They would begin to harbor wariness towards their companions.
At this moment, the more the five tried to show trust in their teammates, the stronger that subtle sense of estrangement became.
Like a sudden crack on transparent glass, it doesn't affect the clarity, but can no longer be ignored.
"Awakeners cannot become Aberrants."
Liu Ziming pretended to nonchalantly wave his hand: "Commander Qin, this is an axiom of this world. Rather than suspecting us here, you should find the person who deliberately made you suspect us, find the person trying to sow discord in our trust relationship."
"Hehehe..."
Qin Bai laughed, looking at Su Zhan: "Student Su Zhan should know what kind of personality I have. I also really hope this world's axiom is true, but all these signs indicate...
Alright, this intelligence is sufficient. I will present this intelligence to the Dean's office, requesting her permission for me to use special interrogation methods on you. I believe the truth will be revealed then.
Of course, Xie Xi is excluded from suspicion. The interrogation targets are you four."
Su Zhan thought, this is terrible.
He had witnessed Qin Bai's methods before.
As long as it doesn't kill you, he'll push to the extreme.
...Just kidding, even if it's about to kill you, he'll still push to the extreme.
Now that so much suspicious intelligence had been revealed, the Dean might really approve Qin Bai's request.
The most, most, most important point was that the interrogation targets didn't include Xie Xi.
Why?
Xie Xi's family background was too powerful.
Actually, Su Zhan's previous idea was exactly as Qin Bai said: every time he used his Aberrant form, teammates were present, hoping to use them to divert some attention.
This really wasn't him being selfish.
After all, they weren't Aberrants to begin with, so it didn't matter.
Moreover, he had saved them.
Diverting some attention for him wasn't too much to ask, right?
He remembered Liu Ziming previously evaluating Xie Xi's parents, their strength equivalent to the Vice-Dean level of Vermilion Bird Academy.
In the team, Xie Xi had the most powerful background.
Su Zhan's main goal was still to leverage Xie Xi's influence, borrow her parents' power, pull her to the united front, so her parents would naturally intervene.
But now Xie Xi was excluded from suspicion by Qin Bai.
Was she truly excluded from suspicion?
No, in the three Mist incidents Qin Bai mentioned, Xie Xi was indeed absent the first time.
But did that prove she wasn't the Aberrant in the second and third incidents?
After all, the Aberrant forms in the first and second incidents were different.
Her suspicion couldn't be eliminated.
Qin Bai's purpose in doing this was nothing but fear of Xie Xi's background.
By doing this, he also drove a wedge between Xie Xi and them.
After all, if they were interrogated together, everyone would be in the same boat, and Xie Xi would use her parents' power to help everyone.
But now?
It doesn't concern her!
If Xie Xi herself isn't subjected to interrogation and coercion, what reason does she have to help her teammates?
Especially after Qin Bai planted a seed of suspicion about her teammates in her mind.
Su Zhan's eyebrows raised slightly.
Qin Bai, oh Qin Bai.
He thought Qin Bai only had interrogation and coercion skills, but he didn't expect he also understood human psychology, using a divide-and-conquer strategy to eliminate their biggest backer.