novelraw Chapter 35: INTERROGATION
Chapter 35: INTERROGATION
The group walked through the clinic. It was the same one the Veritas Corps used, built just beside their headquarters.
The nurses bowed as they saw Max walk past them.
Max did not so much as glance at them. His mind was fixed on their destination.
In no time, they reached a ward on the far end of the clinic.
A doctor stood in front of it.
When he saw Max, he bowed deeply before walking away.
Max turned back and looked at the people following him with a gentle gaze.
His hand rested on the knob, tugging it slightly.
The door creaked open, revealing the spacious ward.
There was a single bed at the far end.
The lady sat on the bed, her head resting on the headboard.
A silver blanket was draped over her frame.
The dirt and blood from the previous day were long gone, now replaced with clean bandages.
Her long brown hair rested on one of her shoulders.
As the door opened, she looked up, her blue eyes meeting those of Silas.
They were sunken, radiating a fear that seemed to crush her entire existence.
The group walked closer to her, stopping a few feet away from the bed.
Max looked at her frightened body, then spoke.
"How are you feeling now?" he asked.
The lady did not reply immediately.
Max waited. He understood her fear.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her voice low. "Please kill me before they find me," she said, tears dropping from her eyes.
Alfred was surprised by her sudden outburst. "What did you go through to believe death is the only way out?" he asked, taking over from Max.
The lady did not speak. It was as if another word would only draw her closer to doom.
Max sighed at this.
*How do we even know anything if she is not willing to speak?* he wondered.
Silas walked closer to her with calm steps.
"Don’t worry, you are safe with us," he muttered softly in her ear. "This is the mansion of the Planet’s governor."
Her eyes widened at Silas’s words. She hesitated for a while before she spoke again.
"How do I believe you?" Her voice was already calmer. The fear was still there but not as dominant as before.
"See for yourself," Silas said, pointing at the window.
The lady looked at the window and understood what Silas meant in an instant.
She dropped her legs over the floor, the chill surging through her body.
But she paid it no attention.
She staggered towards the window and saw what lay beyond it.
Her body eased a little. "So this is the Veritas Corps’ headquarters," she muttered to herself.
That alone confirmed what Silas had said.
She walked back to the bed and sat upright.
Her face was sour with pain but she endured.
"They are an evil group called Crimson Fang," she said.
At her words, Max and Alfred looked at each other in confirmation.
*Just as I thought, we failed to wipe them out completely.*
They did not interrupt her.
"They engage in various shady things, from human trafficking, slavery, drugs, and even selling human parts to cannibals."
As she said those words, her frame pulsed.
She remembered all the gruesome torturing she had gone through as a slave there.
But she continued. To her, finally having the backing of someone as influential as the planet’s governor was more than enough to survive. She could even exact vengeance if the game was played well.
After two hours of talking, they finally had a full understanding of the Crimson Fang’s true capabilities.
It had indeed grown far bigger than what Max had destroyed years ago.
In fact, the comparison between the current Crimson Fang and the previous one was like an elephant and an ant.
At some point during her account, they had to sit down, the shock was just too much.
"You know too much for a slave," Amelia suddenly said. Although her voice was quiet, everyone heard it perfectly.
And it made them look at the lady with caution.
What Amelia had said was true. No slave would know so much about an organization so large.
But the lady shook her head slowly. "They believe none of their victims can ever escape, so there is no secrecy among their members. Announcements are even made using loudspeakers."
Max thought for a while before he nodded. Considering what he had heard about Crimson Fang, escaping from them was truly near impossible.
If not for the lady who had escaped, they would have considered it impossible.
And this led to their next question.
"How did you escape from the place then?" Alfred asked, his tone as cold as usual.
The lady looked at Alfred with tired eyes.
"There was an internal fight among the officials stationed there. I took advantage of the massacre to escape."
"So that means Crimson Fang is currently weakened," Max said quickly.
If it was true, they could make use of that window to end the organization once and for all.
But to his dismay, the lady shook her head. "That is just one of their many bases. They have more than just that."
"How many are we talking about, and do you know their locations?" Silas asked.
"I know the location of the base where I was held captive. As for the other bases, you might be able to get information about them at this base," the lady replied slowly.
"Alfred, a book and pen," Max said, stretching his palm towards Alfred.
Alfred nodded, a book and pen materializing in his palm.
He handed them to Max.
"Here, write the location down," Max said.
The lady shook her head. "No, I need to be a part of the destruction of that place. If you want my help, take me with you," she proposed.
"What makes you think I would agree to that?" Max asked.
The girl shook her head. "I am not asking, I am pleading," she said, bowing as deeply as she could while sitting.