Light Barrier - Chapter 5: Interrogation

“Name.”

“… Gu Shen.”

“Age.”

“Seventeen years old, with one month and three days until my birthday… I think I should remind you that I’m still a minor. If you want to do something, you’d better think it through… There are legal consequences!”

“Gender.”

“???”

Under the spotlight in the interrogation room, there was a table and three people.

Wei Shu was on the left, Nan Jin was on the right, and Gu Shen was shackled to a chair by vine handcuffs opposite them. He squirmed like a catfish and kept glancing and gesturing at the person on the right, only to be ignored.

“Place of residence.”

“… Building 703, Block 13, North Loop, Oto City, Azure River District, East Continent… Brother, are you checking my household registration?”

After routinely asking for personal information, Wei Shu nodded at the camera in the upper right corner.

The basic information was correct. This youth was not lying.

Mr. Tree held a cup of hot tea in front of the screen and snapped his fingers with a smile.

Snap!

In the interrogation room, the two vine handcuffs loosened and turned into dust.

Gu Shen heaved a sigh of relief and stretched his wrists, finally feeling comfortable. He grinned and nodded at the camera to express his gratitude… He could tell that the old man was not a bad person. The handcuffs had cuffed him for a long time, but they were only tight and didn’t injure him.

The interrogation had officially begun, but the chief interrogator, Wei Shu, was sitting in his seat, deep in thought… On the way to the interrogation room in the helicopter, he had read the young man’s file no less than ten times, from his birth records to his significant life events. He was actually a very ordinary young man.

However, at the last moment of his connection with Deep Sea, it had provided him with a recording from the light rail train.

Under the influence of A-009’s ability, the light sources in the entire carriage had been almost broken, making it difficult to see the specific details clearly. But it could be seen that… this young man named Gu Shen had remained absolutely calm during his conversation with A-009.

This was rare, but it was nothing much.

A-009 was a crazy ‘out-of-control individual’, and her characteristics had yet to be fully discovered… But it was obvious that remaining calm was useless in front of her. If it were anyone else, they would have most likely become… a calm corpse.

In the video, this young man actually made A-009 ‘calm down’!

Wei Shu slowly leaned forward, his handsome face looking gloomy and pale under the light.

During interrogations, this was a way to exert pressure.

The reason this young man had been in handcuffs was that his ‘dangerousness’ could not be determined yet. Someone who could ‘tame’ A-009 deserved serious attention.

According to past experience, these individuals with ordinary files often harbored many unknown secrets. They were adept at disguising themselves and refused to communicate. Even in interrogation rooms, they wouldn’t cooperate. Wei Shu thought that this person would be a difficult bone to chew, and he was prepared for a prolonged battle.

He said word by word, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

The young man looked bewildered. He was disguising himself well, but Wei Shu’s sharp eyes caught him swallowing nervously. Hmm, a sign of nervousness… Is it working?

Wei Shu said, “What happened on Light Rail Line 13 at 23:00 last night? We have footage. As long as you tell the truth—”

“Sir.” Gu Shen interrupted him and scratched his head. “Sorry… I’m really thirsty. Can I have some water?”

Wei Shu frowned.

“Sir, you’re curious about what happened on the train, right?” Gu Shen finished drinking the water, cleared his throat, and gestured animatedly with lingering fear. “Let me tell you… That train was terrifying. I’m just a child. After getting on, I saw this huge man, oh no, this tall lady…”

Wei Shu watched in a daze as Gu Shen gestured wildly and vividly described his encounter on the train.

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

This was not a taciturn, stubborn person who refused to communicate but rather an overly sociable person who confessed everything without being pressed.

There were some small issues with the footage from the light rail.

Seemingly corroded by A-009’s power, Deep Sea only provided a small portion of the footage showing the train about to exit the tunnel. According to this youth’s vivid descriptions, Wei Shu pieced together the entire sequence of events bit by bit.

Half an hour later, the world finally quieted down.

Gu Shen collapsed in his chair and took a big gulp of water. He asked expectantly, “Sir, how do you think I did?”

He had concealed the story of his encounter with the girl in the white dress and the silver ruler at the end.

This concealment was a kind of probing, as well as self-protection.

The other party didn’t seem to notice anything wrong… This disappointed Gu Shen. It seemed that the surveillance footage in the carriage had been compromised.

“… You did good. Don’t talk anymore,” Nan Jin replied coldly.

She glanced at the file in Wei Shu’s hand, which was now full of dense writing. This interrogation was undoubtedly fruitful because the anticipated questions had been reasonably addressed.

This young man had discovered the characteristics of ‘A-009′ during his first encounter, successfully responded, and survived… although this explanation sounded unbelievable…

The living person was right in front of them.

This boy named Gu Shen looked harmless and innocent, but Nan Jin knew very well that what had happened on the train couldn’t have been accomplished due to pure luck… This required very keen observation skills.

“Um…” Gu Shen asked cautiously, “Sir, are you done with the record? Can I go home now?”

Nan Jin hesitated.

Wei Shu remained silent, tapping his fingers while looking at the record, unsure about how to respond.

Creak…

The door of the interrogation room slowly opened.

“Teacher.” Nan Jin stood up respectfully.

Wei Shu hurried over and handed the documents to the old man. The old man with the dragon-headed cane stood in front of the door and only glanced at the files before waving his hand with a smile, indicating that Wei Shu should stay.

“Young man, come.” He smiled and beckoned Gu Shen. “Come out and chat with me. After we’re done, I’ll send you home.”

…

Gu Shen and Mr. Tree arrived on the rooftop.

A cool breeze blew past.

After Gu Shen experienced this series of events, his spirit was quite exhausted. But at this moment, he felt much more awake.

“Young man,” Mr. Tree said softly, “I saw the surveillance footage of the carriage. You’re very outstanding. You could deduce the ‘answer’ to the problem by observing the newspaper in A-009’s hands. This adaptability isn’t something that ordinary people possess.”

Hearing such praise, Gu Shen looked a little embarrassed.

But in fact, his heart didn’t fluctuate much. Hmm… It seems the part where I took the ‘ruler’ is missing from the footage.

Gu Shen adjusted his clothes and smiled awkwardly. “I was lucky.”

“You’re indeed very lucky,” Mr. Tree said calmly. “Do you know? If you had made physical contact with A-009, you would be a pool of corpse water now.”

Gu Shen was startled.

He looked to the side. This old man’s face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were clear and without any turbidity. Standing beside him, he didn’t feel the slightest pressure but instead felt as though he was basking in a gentle spring breeze.

“Normal people who come into contact with transcendental events wouldn’t be as calm as you. And even after surviving, they wouldn’t be calm.” Mr. Tree smiled. “Since we’re alone now, do you have any questions you’d like to ask?”

“… Actually, there are.” Gu Shen sighed softly and smiled. “But it’s better not to ask some questions. I understand this principle.”

What a clever young man. A hint of approval appeared in the old man’s eyes.

However, there were some things that didn’t necessarily have to be asked in order to be said.

“Before losing control, A-009 was a member of the Ancient Text Society. This organization spread across the Five Continents and researched forbidden sciences. She possesses the transcendental ability of ‘Corrosive Dissolution’, but because of indulging in forbiddin power, she eventually sent herself into the abyss.”

Although Gu Shen didn’t ask, Mr. Tree still spoke calmly. “Then… she became what she is now. Due to certain research needs, we didn’t kill her but kept imprisoning and transferring her.

“Though you’re quite lucky and didn’t suffer any injuries in this accident, after this event, you are now connected to the world of transcendents.

“From now on, it will be very difficult for you to have a peaceful life.”

At this point, Mr. Tree slowly turned his head.

He looked at the young man and sincerely stated the true purpose of this meeting on the rooftop. “Why don’t you consider joining me?”

“…” Gu Shen had a headache.

The reason he chose not to ask was to avoid similar trouble… What the heck is the world of transcendents? Are those transcendents really the ones who truly dominate the world’s order?

But he knew very well.

If this was the truth, then even if he turned a blind eye, the truth wouldn’t change.

“You can consider it. This is my number.” The old man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote down a string of numbers. “Feel free to call me if you change your mind.”

Gu Shen stood on the roof, silent for a moment.

In the end, he chose to take the piece of paper, but he only glanced at it briefly.

Gu Shen had a good memory, so he quickly remembered the numbers. Then he crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and threw it off the roof.

Seeing this, Mr. Tree was slightly surprised, but then he smiled. He didn’t ask Gu Shen if he remembered. The moment Gu Shen threw the crumpled paper, Mr. Tree lightly snapped his fingers.

Crackle!

This piece of paper containing Mr. Tree’s contact information ignited without any fire and slowly turned into ashes.