Chapter 95 : Caught

“Siying, is there any way to wake up these villagers right away?” Nangong Ruochen looked at the unconscious enemy spies and villagers, troubled. There was already enough in the cave that needed to be moved manually, it would be too exhausting to carry these unconscious people out of the mountain.

“Oh right, just open the bottle cap and let them smell this, they’ll wake up,” Yun Siying said as she took a delicate porcelain bottle from her pocket and tossed it to him.

Nangong Ruochen let out a breath of relief after catching it. Now the villagers could help carry things too. He handed the bottle to a nearby soldier, who then let the villagers smell it. As soon as they did, they woke up immediately.

Once a dozen villagers had woken up, the soldiers took them to a separate room for individual questioning. This was partly to ensure that there were no enemy spies among them, and also to gather their information in order to help contact their families.

After confirming there were no spies among the villagers, Nangong Ruochen gave an order.

“Wang Hu, check if these enemy spies have any poison hidden in their mouths or on their bodies. Once confirmed, remove their arms.”

“Yes, Captain,” Wang Hu responded, moving quickly especially when it came to disarming them, which he did swiftly and efficiently.

The drug’s effect was truly strong, not even the pain of having their arms dislocated could wake them. The spies were tied together with rope like a string of gourds, to prevent any escape, and then they were awakened.

The spies came to in confusion. When they saw the soldiers in uniform, a flicker of panic crossed their faces they knew they were finished.

Some of them tried to commit suicide first. But the poison hidden in their mouths was already gone, and even biting their tongues didn’t work since their mouths were blocked. One of them noticed a nearby tree and tried to run toward it, presumably to bash his head, but he only made it a couple of steps before dragging down everyone tied to the same rope. He lay there in humiliation.

The enemy spies, still tied together, were to be secretly transported back for interrogation. But they remained stubborn, refusing to move, clearly hoping for death instead.

“Captain, they won’t budge. What should we do?”

“If they don’t want to leave, then just shoot them,” another soldier growled, hatred in his eyes he despised enemy spies more than anything.

“They can’t be killed yet. We need to interrogate them, there may be more spies hidden in the country,” Nangong Ruochen said.

Seeing the furrowed brows of Nangong Ruochen and the others, Yun Siying stepped forward and made the spies each swallow a pill she had developed. Then she folded her arms and stood back, watching them.

Nangong Ruochen approached her and asked, “Siying, what did you give them?”

“Poison. They all look like they don’t want to live, so I thought I’d do them a favor and help them on their way,” Yun Siying replied seriously, her eyes never leaving their faces. ‘Tsk tsk tsk’, perfect test subjects, she was curious to see how effective her drug really was.

“Siying, they can’t die not now,” Nangong Ruochen said anxiously. Plus, she had no authority to take matters into her own hands like that, he was worried she’d get in trouble.

“Don’t worry, they won’t die yet. They’ll have to suffer for a few years first,” she said calmly.

Everyone looked at the enemy spies with hatred in their eyes especially the villagers. Their expressions burned with rage, as if they wanted to eat the spies’ flesh and drink their blood, and even that wouldn’t be enough to settle their anger.

Under all these hostile stares, the spies who had once worn arrogant expressions of defiance”go ahead, kill me” suddenly curled up, crying out in pain. Sweat poured from their foreheads, some rolled on the ground howling in agony, even trying to bash their heads against the floor but were stopped by an invisible force.

Everyone looked at the spies’ miserable state, but no one urged them to leave the mountain. Watching the scene, the burning anger in their hearts subsided a little. Half an hour later, Yun Siying gave each person another pill.

Gradually, their headaches faded, and they regained their clarity. Yun Siying said, “Let’s go now. But if you still want to experience that feeling again, feel free to stay I have plenty more pills.”

“You devil!” someone shouted, eyes full of fear.

“Tsk tsk tsk, and you’re blaming me? You used our villagers for drug experiments and killed so many people. If I’m a devil, what does that make you?” Yun Siying chuckled at the accusation.

Despite their bitterness, the spies stood up and followed Yun Siying. They had no choice. The pain they’d just endured was like their skulls splitting open, agony so intense that death seemed preferable. If given a choice, they’d rather be stabbed to death and die loyal to their cause than suffer that again.

The soldiers carried the supplies from the cave, and the stronger villagers helped too. The long procession made its way through the forest. Thanks to Yun Siying’s mental powers, wild beasts stayed far away, making the journey smooth.

Instead of passing through the Hongxing Brigade’s area, they detoured around it to a road where two military trucks were waiting. Once everything was loaded, Yun Siying had to go with them to the police station.

“Siying, this is breakfast I had someone buy it for you from the state-owned restaurant. Eat, then get some rest. We’ve set up a temporary room for you. I might still need your help later,” said Nangong Ruochen, busy but still thoughtful.

“Okay,” Yun Siying replied, and took the steamed bun, eating in big bites. The thin skin and rich filling left a lingering fragrance in her mouth. She knew that after getting involved in this matter, trouble would follow, so she cooperated willingly.

After eating, Yun Siying used her mental powers to hypnotize the enemy spies and the Li family, helping reduce the workload for Nangong Ruochen and the others. Unexpectedly, she also saw the Xue family at the police station including Shu Ruxue so out of kindness, she hypnotized them all and then fell asleep.

“You brought food to Siying again. Are you sure it was really for her?” Nangong Ruoyi asked his younger brother seriously.

“Yes, I’m sure. So, big brother, pull your thoughts back,” Nangong Ruochen replied firmly. He could give up many things but not Siying.

“I only see her as a younger sister… but yes, I’m interested in her too. Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t pursue it. Take good care of her,” Nangong Ruoyi said, knowing he had been a step too late. The girl clearly liked Ruochen, even if she hadn’t realized it yet. The two were already falling for each other, and he wouldn’t stand in their way.

“Thank you, big brother.” For the first time in his life, Nangong Ruochen felt such deep appreciation for his older brother.

After finishing their meal, the two brothers began interrogating the enemy spies. To their surprise, the spies cooperated easily, answering every question.

Nangong Ruochen and Nangong Ruoyi suspected it was due to the fear instilled in them by Yun Siying.

They were partly right. But more importantly, Yun Siying had used her mental powers to hypnotize the spies causing them to reveal the full truth without resistance.