Hearing this.
Jiang Feng and the other two could only stay in the torture chamber.
From Chief Huang's words, Jiang Feng knew that the remark was meant for the five Red Lotus Cultists to hear.
The interrogation methods to follow would surely be brutal and bloody.
But those five Red Lotus Cultists were all ruthless types; even seeing all the torture implements and the lingering bloodstains not yet cleaned from the floor, the five remained calm and composed.
As if none of it mattered to them.
These details made Jiang Feng uneasy.
The identities of these five Red Lotus Cultists must be anything but simple. If, in this torture chamber, they confess any critical information that the prison guards hear, it might spell death for them.
Even if Chief Huang drove them out before the important information was revealed, if there's trouble in the future, they might still be dragged into it; after all, small fry always end up shouldering the blame for their superiors.
"Tie them all to the Iron Horse Bench."
Chief Huang ordered.
A few constables stepped forward and, one by one, tied up the five Red Lotus Cultists to the Iron Horse Bench. Jiang Feng and the other two had to grit their teeth and help.
The so-called Iron Horse Bench—
It forced a person to lie as if straddling a horse's back.
This cruel device had a furnace beneath that could heat the bench red-hot, branding the prisoner's belly, the pain so excruciating it's said countless criminals died on it.
"Bring the Pot Saber."
Chief Huang spoke again.
Jiang Feng hurried to fetch it and handed it to Chief Huang.
The Pot Saber,
Was a blade affixed to one's finger, designed to strip the flesh from the finger in one swift movement.
And beneath this blade rested an iron pot.
The iron pot contained a spicy potion, so when the flesh was peeled away and the Pot Saber clamped onto the finger bone, the spicy vapor rose up instantly, stimulating the nerves to unbearable agony—few ever could endure such torture.
"I heard that in the Red Lotus Sect, you serve as a Sub-Branch Steward. If you tell me where your sect's strongholds are in Dragon Capital, I'll spare you."
Chief Huang approached a burly man.
The man was tied to the bench, his belly and face pressed against the iron, as two constables stoked the fire beneath. The bench heated quickly.
Chief Huang gripped the man's finger, waiting for him to speak.
But—
The man remained silent.
Face and torso flush against the scalding bench, he just bit down, face twisted, cold sweat pouring as the pain intensified.
"Puh!"
Seeing this, Chief Huang showed no mercy.
He forcefully clamped the Pot Saber onto the man's finger.
"Aaaah!"
The man finally couldn't hold it in, letting out a miserable howl.
Jiang Feng and the other two Little Prison Guards watched as the flesh was ripped from the man's index finger, exposing bare white bone. Chief Huang, evidently dissatisfied, poured the potion out from the Pot Saber and splashed it onto the exposed bone.
"Aaaahhh!"
The fleshless finger bone smoked, bubbles popping and hissing.
"You bastard—kill me or I'll slaughter your whole family; everyone here will die!"
The man roared uncontrollably.
The pain in his finger and the burning agony from the bench drove him mad with suffering; even his voice vibrated with Qi Blood waves, creating a powerful sonic boom.
Jiang Feng and the two other Little Prison Guards felt stabbing pain in their eardrums, forced to cover their ears.
"Aaaagh!"
The man continued to scream without pause.
"Splurt!"
Chief Huang snatched a saw from the table and brought it down hard on the man's calf, sawing back and forth, hoping to pour more potion from the Pot Saber onto the fresh wound.
Trying to force the man to confess.
"Bang!"
There was a sound of someone collapsing in the corner.
It was Jiang Feng.
Stunned by the man's screams and the blood-soaked brutality of Chief Huang, Jiang Feng finally lost control and collapsed to the ground.
"Sir, he's timid and weak, fainted from fright; I'll drag him out so he doesn't trouble you."
The Little Prison Guard standing beside Jiang Feng quickly asked for permission.
"Get out!"
Chief Huang snapped.
He didn't spare a single glance at Jiang Feng lying unconscious on the ground.
The prison guard didn't dare to say more; just as he was about to drag Jiang Feng away, the other silent Little Prison Guard hurried to lift Jiang Feng's feet, helping carry him back to the workroom, quickly leaving the torture chamber.
Inside the workroom, Jiang Feng opened his eyes.
The two Little Prison Guards who had cleaned the torture chamber with him were already gone.
Only now did he realize, in this hazard-filled world, he wasn't the only clever one—those two Little Prison Guards were sly too, never causing trouble without reason.
Days passed, one after another.
In the blink of an eye, ten days went by.
Jiang Feng checked his info panel every day.
Noticed that his Fortune Point didn't change much, so apparently, the torture chamber wasn't all that dangerous. Even if he hadn't faked fainting, Chief Huang wouldn't have let them overhear any critical intel.
That morning, after finishing his night shift, Jiang Feng left Zhenbei Prison early.
He had only walked a few steps from Zhenbei Prison—
He felt something was off.
His Sixth Grade Realm kept him highly alert.
He could clearly sense someone watching him, their gaze trailing his every move.
Jiang Feng racked his mind. Apart from killing those three tall, thin men outside the Black Market, he hadn't stirred any trouble, and had disguised his identity extremely well.
Even if those men had people behind them, they shouldn't have figured him out so soon.
Could it be Li Wei's people?
Li Wei was with the Divine Arrow Army; if he had partners, it should be one of them, but why would they wait outside Zhenbei Prison in broad daylight? If they were after him, they'd kill like Li Wei had—release an arrow at night.
Or is it...?
Too bad, Jiang Feng couldn't guess who it might be.
Why watch him for no reason?
That he could sense it meant his stalker wasn't as strong as he was.
Should I bait them out, see what they're after?
But then he recalled the Thunder Burst Bead the tall one had hidden in his hand before.
This world had hidden weapons and traps.
If his enemy had some powerful trick, and he fell for it, then what?
He hesitated for a moment.
Jiang Feng turned around and went back into Zhenbei Prison.
Decided to stay a few days before venturing out again.
It was the safer move.
If his stalker was truly targeting him—
They'd certainly wait outside in a few days' time.
And if he was just being paranoid, staying in the prison a few days meant nothing lost; after all, he was used to the stench, damp, and gloom inside.
As Jiang Feng turned and went back into Zhenbei Prison—
The hidden gaze trailing him grew puzzled, but didn't leave, continuing to wait outside Zhenbei Prison.
Three days passed like this.
Finally, after Jiang Feng finished his shift and left Zhenbei Prison, he had a Bone-Carving Saber concealed on him.
But this time, after stepping outside, he didn't sense any gaze fixed on him, and breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Just then, a Little Prison Guard approached him.
His name was Ge Huizhong.
The very one who had, inside the torture chamber, volunteered to report to Chief Huang and drag Jiang Feng away.
Reserved and diligent, Jiang Feng respected his character; he nodded in greeting, but Ge Huizhong acted as if he hadn't seen him and brushed past.
In that instant, Jiang Feng caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance.