The two executive officers were stunned at first, but then nodded hurriedly.
"He will die on the way to the Public Security Bureau, understand?"
"Understood, understood!" The executive officers knew very well that Chen Ming was about to resort to dirty tricks—his sole purpose was to frame Chu Tianhe for murder in broad daylight!
"Take him away!"
With a wave of his hand, Chen Ming followed the two executive officers and shoved Chu Tianhe into the car. Naturally, the heavily wounded supermarket owner was thrown in with them as well.
Chapter 28
"Brother, your life, lend it to me for a bit!"
Once inside the car, Chen Ming dropped all pretenses and without another word, viciously slammed his foot right into the supermarket owner's chest!
"Chen Ming, I advise you not to court your own death!" Chu Tianhe glanced at Chen Ming, well aware of what he was trying to pull.
"Court my own death?" Chen Ming sneered, barking, "I'm cutting off *your* lifeline, understand?"
Instead of making Chen Ming stop, Chu Tianhe's warning only provoked him into kicking the supermarket owner's chest even harder!
*Crack!*
The sickening sound of ribs fracturing rang out again. Having already been severely injured, how could the supermarket owner possibly withstand such a beating? He immediately breathed his last on the spot!
"Now, isn't this committing murder in broad daylight?"
As he spoke, Chen Ming cast a provocative glance at Chu Tianhe sitting beside him, a sinister and devious sneer plastered across his face.
Yet Chu Tianhe merely looked on coldly, watching it all unfold without a single attempt to stop him. He didn't say another word the entire way, and was brought straight into the Public Security Bureau like this by Chen Ming!
"Have you heard? Officer Chen arrested an ancient martial artist!"
"Awesome! Officer Chen even dares to arrest an ancient martial artist, he's amazing!"
"They say that guy committed murder in broad daylight and was super arrogant!"
"Officer Chen is definitely getting a promotion this time!"
Inside the Public Security Bureau, everyone was chattering away about Chen Ming's glorious exploits. Over the years, Chen Ming had arrested no one knew how many criminals, racking up countless achievements. Yet these people had no idea how many of those so-called criminals had actually been forcefully fabricated by Chen Ming himself!
"Officer Chen, per protocol, we've brought the man back. Shouldn't we notify the War Department Yamen now?"
The two executive officers trailing behind Chen Ming came out to report after locking Chu Tianhe inside the interrogation room.
"Notify the War Department Yamen for what?"
Chen Ming's eyes widened fiercely as he snapped, "It won't be too late to notify the War Department Yamen after we finish our own interrogation!"
According to standard procedure, now that the suspect had been brought back to the Public Security Bureau, he should have been handed over to the War Department Yamen to handle. But Chen Ming's personal grudge with Chu Tianhe was far from settled; how could he possibly let him go so easily?
"Are the cuffs secured tightly?" Chen Ming turned to look at the two executive officers, demanding an answer.
"Secured tight. We used special ancient martial restraints—both handcuffs and leg irons—and locked him in the interrogation room equipped to suppress ancient martial qi!" Both executive officers instantly flashed evil grins.
By rights, no matter how grave Chu Tianhe's crime was, the case should have been tried by the War Department Yamen. The Public Security Bureau only had the authority to temporarily detain suspects in a holding cell, not throw them straight into the interrogation room!
With Chen Ming acting like this now, it was abundantly clear that he intended to make a move on Chu Tianhe. After all, the interrogation rooms were specially constructed to completely suppress ancient martial qi, making them far more effective than that restriction bracelet!
"Get my gear ready. I'm going to go in and have some real fun with him!"
"We've already got it ready for you, sir. Every single interrogation tool is fully prepared, right down to the brazier and the branding irons!" The two executive officers looked at Chen Ming with utterly ingratiating smiles.
"You two really get me!" Chen Ming burst into a ferocious, maniacal laugh and ordered, "Give me the keys to the interrogation room!"
"Understood!" The two nodded hastily and handed the keys over to Chen Ming. They knew very well that Chen Ming was going to lock the interrogation room from the inside so he could torture Chu Tianhe thoroughly. Until he had his fill of fun, nobody else was getting in!
This certainly wasn't the first time Chen Ming had pulled stunt like this, and both executive officers knew it inside out!
Before long, Chen Ming arrived at the interrogation room. Fixing his sharp gaze directly on Chu Tianhe, he said coldly, "Chu Tianhe, today Your Lordship is going to have a proper play with you!"
"How do you want to play?" At that exact moment, Chu Tianhe also raised his head, locking eyes with Chen Ming. His gaze was brimming with icy intent to kill!
Chapter 29
"How do I want to play?"
Chen Ming raised an eyebrow, a vicious grin plastered across his face as he sneered, "You'll find out in a second!"
*Bang!*
As the heavy door of the interrogation room slammed shut, the two executive officers leaned forward to peer inside. They had witnessed plenty of similar scenes before; every single time, ear-piercing screams like butchered pigs would echo from inside that interrogation room!
No matter how stubborn the backbone, once they passed through Officer Chen's hands, they had no choice but to obediently confess!
Meanwhile, Officer Chen had already casually picked up a red-hot branding iron, and looking at Chu Tianhe, he said, "Let's start with this one first, shall we?"
"Very well." Chu Tianhe nodded, looking surprisingly cooperative. This caught Chen Ming slightly off guard, and he sneered, "Chu Tianhe, I didn't expect you to know what's good for you after all."
"But since you're already here, even if you beg on your knees right now, it won't do you any good. If I don't cripple half your life today, my last name isn't Chen!"
Chen Ming assumed Chu Tianhe had turned yellow and lost his nerve. After all, nine out of ten people thrown into this interrogation room would piss their pants from fright; folding like a cheap tent was simply the norm.
Yet, before Chen Ming could even finish speaking, Chu Tianhe abruptly stood up. The heavy chains designed specifically to bind ancient martial artists rattled loudly in his wake.
"Struggling?" Chen Ming stepped closer, brandishing the hot iron with a savage expression. "Chu Tianhe, do you really think struggling is going to do any good?"
"This is a specially built interrogation room where your ancient martial qi is completely useless. These chains are custom-made too, specifically designed to deal with ancient martial artists like you!"
"Struggle all you want, it's useless. The more you struggle, the more fun I'll have. Go on, give me another struggle for Your Lordship to see!"
"Very well." Faced with Chen Ming's nearly distorted expression, Chu Tianhe's face remained largely devoid of emotional fluctuation. Uttering just that single word, he shifted his body once more!
*Clatter, rattle...*
With a sudden, powerful twist of Chu Tianhe's torso, all the metal restraints binding his body snapped apart entirely. In just two strides, he stood right in front of Chen Ming.
"You said we should start with this one first, right?"
Chu Tianhe fixed his gaze squarely on Chen Ming. With a vibration of his hands, the handcuffs shattered into pieces with a crisp snap. Following that, Chu Tianhe reached out and snatched the red-hot branding iron right out of Chen Ming's hand!
"Th-This is impossible! This is an interrogation room, you... you shouldn't... you shouldn't be able to use ancient martial arts!"
Seeing this scene unfold before him, Chen Ming was utterly dumbfounded. Instinctively, he took two steps back to put some distance between them, frantically patting his pockets for the interrogation room keys so he could unlock the door and flee!
"Are you looking for this?"
At that precise moment, Chu Tianhe held up his left hand. Wedged casually between his index and middle fingers was none other than the sole key to the interrogation room door!
"This interrogation room is indeed specially crafted, and Chu is indeed unable to use his ancient martial qi!"
As he spoke, Chu Tianhe exerted force with his two fingers, and right before Chen Ming's eyes, he crushed the key out of shape, molding it into a tiny metal ball. With a flick of his fingers, he shot the metal sphere straight into the wall, and then stated flatly, "However, to deal with the likes of you, Chu doesn't even need to use ancient martial qi!"
Only now did Chen Ming realize he had overlooked one vital, crucial detail!
A martial artist's physique!
Chu Tianhe was at the peak of the martial realm; his physical body had been tempered through oceans of blood countless times. Even without channeling ancient martial qi, his raw physical power alone was something ordinary men could never hope to contend with!
"Chu Tianhe, d-don't come closer! I'm warning you, I..."
Chapter 30
Terror instantly flooded Chen Ming's eyes. He wanted to run, but the key had already been destroyed by Chu Tianhe. The interrogation room was only so big—there was simply nowhere for him to run!
"You picked this branding iron yourself, so let's start with it!" Chu Tianhe inspected the branding iron in his hand, took a stride forward, and without the slightest hesitation, jammed the hot iron directly into Chen Ming's flesh!
"Ahhhhh—!"
Chen Ming's blood-curdling scream instantly echoed through the entire Public Security Bureau!
"What the fuck? That scream... why does it sound like Officer Chen?"
The two executive officers hadn't even made it far when they heard that single, shrieking yell. Taken aback, they instinctively spun around to check, only to discover in horror that the person being tortured in the interrogation room wasn't Chu Tianhe at all—it was Chen Ming!
"Stop! Goddamn it, stop right there!"
In a flash, the two let out a startled cry, their complexions turning completely pale. The rest of the Public Security Bureau personnel rushed over upon hearing the commotion. When they saw Chu Tianhe pressing the branding iron into Chen Ming's flesh over and over again, the blood drained from all of their faces!
"What are you all standing around for? Open the door, hurry up and open the door!"
"The key... Officer Chen took the key inside with him, we... we can't open the main door to the interrogation room!"
Through the thick, triple-layered metal bars, the crowd could only stand by and watch helplessly as Chen Ming shrieked in agony, utterly powerless to do anything!
"Hurry... hurry and notify... notify the War Department Yamen! Ah... ahh...!"
At this moment, Chen Ming was reduced to a pathetic stray dog, having long since pissed his pants out of sheer terror. He gripped the iron bars tightly with both hands and screamed for help at the top of his lungs!
Now he finally thought of notifying the War Department Yamen, because only they could save him!
Yet... for the people from the War Department Yamen to arrive, it would take at least twenty minutes. During those twenty minutes, Chen Ming had no choice but to bite the bullet and endure!
"Ah... ahh...!"
Chen Ming's piercing screams echoed continuously. What was supposed to be Chen Ming torturing Chu Tianhe had somehow flipped into Chu Tianhe torturing Chen Ming, serving up a live broadcast for the crowd of executive officers gathered outside, leaving them completely dumbfounded!
"Chu Tianhe, stop right now!"
"Torturing an executive officer is a capital offense!"
"Chu Tianhe, I'm warning you, the people from the War Department Yamen will be here any second! If you don't stop right now, you will definitely face severe consequences!"
"Stop! Chu Tianhe, stop right now!"
Despite the frantic warnings hurled by the executive officers outside the interrogation room, Chu Tianhe showed no intention of stopping whatsoever. He jammed the branding iron into Chen Ming's flesh countless times until its temperature dropped and it could no longer sear a mark into the skin. Only then did he toss the iron back into the brazier, casually reach over to pick up a pair of pliers from the nearby rack of torture implements, and say, "Next up, let's try this one."
"Chu Tianhe, you... I'm going to fucking wipe out your entire family! You... dare... ah... ahh... ahhh...!"
Driven mad by fury and terror, Chen Ming hurled curses at the top of his lungs. But those curses quickly dissolved back into agonizing shrieks as Chu Tianhe picked up the pliers and, with brisk and ruthless efficiency, ripped off all ten of Chen Ming's fingernails!
"Next, let's try this one!"
Following that, Chu Tianhe picked up a crescent-shaped blade and walked slowly toward Chen Ming!
"Ah... ahh... stay away! D-Don't come closer, ah...!"
Chapter 31
By this point, Chen Ming had been frightened out of his wits, his liver and gall bladder nearly splitting from terror. Nobody knew better than him what these torture tools were actually used for!
The crescent-shaped blade currently in Chu Tianhe's hand was specifically designed for carving out a person's kneecaps—a brutal form of ancient punishment known as the *Bin* punishment!
"Didn't you say you wanted to have some proper fun with Chu?" Looking at Chen Ming, whose face was twisted with terror and who had soiled himself completely, Chu Tianhe frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "This is only the beginning. Every single torture tool in this room is going to be used on you. Until then, you are not allowed to die!"
And so, the moment one torture device was exhausted, Chu Tianhe immediately moved on to the next. Chen Ming's screams at first grew increasingly shrill, but as the instruments of torture piled up, his cries grew weaker and fainter!
Even the executive officers watching from outside the interrogation room couldn't bear to watch any longer, turning away one by one, too terrified to gaze upon the bloody spectacle.
Meanwhile, over in Jiangzhou City, at the War Department Yamen!
"What? What the fuck did you just say?"
"Say that again!!"
Upon receiving the phone call from the Public Security Bureau, Li Feng, the supreme commander of the War Department Yamen, broke out in a cold sweat. He roared into the phone, "Spell it out for me clearly, who did your Public Security Bureau arrest?!"
After confirming repeatedly that the Public Security Bureau had indeed arrested Chu Tianhe, Li Feng's mind went completely blank!
The War Department had issued strict, repeated injunctions: under no circumstances was anyone to cross Chu Tianhe! He was the Hall Master of the Pantheon living in seclusion in Jiangzhou right now—whoever the hell messed with him was simply looking for a death wish!!
Just a few days ago, Zhang Zhenhu, the supreme commander-in-chief of the War Department, had knelt in public before Chu Tianhe, and later knelt in mourning at the cemetery for seven whole days!
Even someone like Zhang Zhenhu didn't dare provoke that man, yet the Public Security Bureau had actually gone ahead and arrested him?!
Furious, Li Feng cursed loudly, roaring into the phone, "Do you idiots even know who you've arrested?!"
"You... you bastards have dragged King Yama himself right into your Public Security Bureau!!"
"A bunch of brainless pigs!"
Slashing the phone down, Li Feng didn't dare waste even a fraction of a second. He frantically mustered all the fierce generals under his command and sped straight toward the Public Security Bureau. Stomping the gas pedal all the way to the floor, he drove the car through the dozen or so kilometers of road as if he were racing on the Bayinbulak Circuit—he was literally putting his life on the line!
In an instant, every single branch of the War Department Yamen across the entire city mobilized en masse, locking their sights entirely on the Public Security Bureau!
"Hurry, hurry, hurry... idiots, a pack of absolute idiots!!"
As he drove, Li Feng cursed continuously. In Great Xia Country, every city operated under a tripartite system of authority: the Public Security Bureau dealt with ordinary citizens, the War Department Yamen handled ancient martial artists, and the Divine Martial Guards Commander answered directly to the upper echelons of the War Department to handle sudden military crises!
Among them, the Public Security Bureau held the lowest rank, while the War Department Yamen and the Divine Martial Guards Commander stood on equal footing!
Unlike the Divine Martial Guards, the War Department Yamen didn't boast massive numbers, but every single one of their members was an elite among elites. After all, they had to deal with criminal cases involving ancient martial artists; without genuine strength, they couldn't keep things suppressed!
Yet no matter how formidable their strength might be, none of them dared to act presumptuously in front of Chu Tianhe!
Li Changhu, the former Divine Martial Guards Commander, was already dead, and his successor had yet to arrive. Now the people at the Public Security Bureau had gone and provoked Chu Tianhe—was the sky truly falling down to crush him to death?!
Rage burned like wildfire inside Li Feng's chest!!
"Where are they?!"
In no time at all, Li Feng arrived at the Public Security Bureau at the head of several hundred experts from the War Department Yamen. Storming through the front doors, he unleashed a fierce, scathing barrage of curses!
The personnel at the Public Security Bureau were completely thunderstruck. When had they ever witnessed such a massive spectacle? Virtually every single powerhouse from the Jiangzhou City War Department Yamen was present, surrounding the entire Public Security Bureau tier upon tier, packed tighter than a drum!
*Gulp!*
Trapped in such a tense atmosphere, everyone swallowed hard. Looking back through the history of Jiangzhou, this was the very first time the War Department Yamen had ever deployed such a terrifying show of force!
Could it be that they really *did* arrest King Yama this time?!
Chapter 32
"Are you all fucking deaf?! I asked where the person is!" Seeing no response from the crowd, Li Feng let out another deafening roar that shook the rafters!
"In... in the interrogation room..."
"What?" Hearing those words, Li Feng felt as though a thunderbolt had exploded inside his head, leaving his brain buzzing with fury!
"You locked him in the interrogation room?"
"You... you bastards really know how to dig up trouble for me!" Li Feng was on the verge of exploding with anger. But since the matter was already done, cursing was useless now; he hurried his pace and marched straight toward the interrogation room.
"Ah... ahh...!"
Before he even reached the spot, Li Feng caught the sound of one piercing scream after another, causing him to furrow his brow in deep confusion: "What's going on in there? Are they carrying out an interrogation?"
Li Feng was shocked. What kind of figure was Chu Tianhe? Under the vast heavens, who on earth could possibly subject *him* to torture?
This completely shattered Li Feng's understanding of reality!
"They are interrogating someone... but it's not Chu Tianhe... it's... it's Chu Tianhe who is torturing Officer Chen!" The executive officer trailing beside him reported hastily, his face etched with extreme anxiety as he pleaded, "Commander Li, please hurry and save our Officer Chen, otherwise he won't make it out alive!"
"Dammit, I knew it!" Li Feng couldn't help cursing again, and quickened his pace even further.
"Commander Li, you're finally here." Seeing Li Feng appear, the cluster of executive officers lingering outside the interrogation room finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally laid eyes on their savior!
"Step aside! Make way for Commander Li!"
Moments later, the executive officers cleared a path, allowing Li Feng a direct view of the gruesome scene inside the interrogation room!
A man lay sprawled out, covered entirely in blood. Nearly every bone in his body appeared to have been shattered, and not a single patch of skin remained intact—his entire body was covered in the charred marks of branding irons!
And that man was none other than Chen Ming!
The very same swaggering, arrogant Chen Ming from twenty minutes ago!
"S-Save me... Commander Li, save me..." Catching sight of Li Feng, Chen Ming whimpered weakly on the floor like a drowning man clutching at a straw!
"You're the supreme commander of the Jiangzhou City War Department Yamen?"
At that moment, Chu Tianhe set aside the torture instrument in his hand, swept a glance at Li Feng, and then picked up a fresh tool, turning back toward Chen Ming.
"I am. My name is Li Feng, the chief commander of the Jiangzhou City War Department Yamen."
The moment Li Feng locked eyes with Chu Tianhe, the terrifying intent to kill radiating from the latter's gaze broke him out in an immediate cold sweat!
While ordinary executive officers had no inkling of who Chu Tianhe was, Li Feng knew full well. He was well aware of Chu Tianhe's methods, and as a result, his expression turned grave—he dared not show the slightest hint of arrogance!
"Kneel to the side and wait!"
Just when everyone assumed Li Feng's arrival would rescue the on-the-verge-of-death Chen Ming, Chu Tianhe's single sentence left them all utterly dumbfounded, standing frozen in place as if struck by lightning!
Kneel to the side?
And wait?
Who on earth was he talking to?
Li Feng?
Li Feng was the supreme commander of the entire Jiangzhou City War Department Yamen! To speak to him like that—had this man eaten the gallbladder of a bear or a leopard?!
Chapter 33
"Yes!"
Yet, to the utter shock of everyone present, Li Feng offered not a single word of rebuttal. Instead, with a respectful expression, he cupped his fists toward Chu Tianhe and immediately turned, kneeling down obediently to the side!!
*Gasp!*
Witnessing this scene, everyone in the room drew in a sharp breath of cold air!!
Wh-What on earth... was happening here?!
Every pair of eyes instantly locked onto Li Feng in disbelief!