"I'm not going. Seeing that woman gives me a headache!" Qiao Weiwei was startled by Ye Ying and then ordered around, naturally feeling indignant. She gave Ye Ying no face at all and turned to leave.
Ye Ying looked at Tao Na, who wore an embarrassed and reluctant smile.
She hadn't rested much in over a month. First, it was the non-stop preparation for a surprise attack, then the anxious journey to Shanhai City, and finally, suppressing her panic and fear to infiltrate Shanhai City where the Xingchen Army was stationed to rescue Gu Ya.
Just as she escaped from the sea of suffering, before she could catch her breath, she had to muster full energy to meet with a general of the Xingchen Army. No one would willingly do this.
Besides, interrogating Hong Lian·Zhi Wu was the responsibility of the Military Law Department and the Intelligence Department; what did it have to do with their combat personnel?
"You don't want to go either, do you?" Ye Ying asked softly.
Tao Na lowered her head in thought for two seconds, then looked up at Ye Ying with determination and nodded.
"Then help me keep an eye on the Exotic Mechanics Department. Inform me immediately if anything unusual happens." Ye Ying no longer insisted and prepared to turn to leave.
Tao Na spoke, however, "Ye Ying, as a woman, I can understand how you feel. But Gu Ya has been rescued. Rest assured and stay by his side. There are some things we can't control."
Ye Ying looked at Tao Na with some surprise. She seemed to have misunderstood Ye Ying's intention in meeting Hong Lian·Zhi Wu; Ye Ying wasn't going for personal revenge.
"She's just a war criminal. I won't do anything to her. I just have a question I want to confirm," Ye Ying said softly, lowering her head.
Tao Na could indeed understand Ye Ying's feelings. Her beloved lover was captured and tortured by the enemy. Even after being rescued, his condition was not optimistic. Now, she had captured her enemy with her own hands, and anyone would want to beat the other party up.
But Ye Ying displayed extreme calmness and rationality, which surprised and impressed Tao Na.
"Alright, I'll go with you." Tao Na smiled slightly at Ye Ying, linked her arm, and headed towards the detention room. "Don't mind Qiao Weiwei. She just throws tantrums sometimes; she's not a bad person."
Tao Na was a few years older than her, naturally more mature in her thinking and better understood human nature. Ye Ying felt a bit more at ease. In this life filled with tension and danger, having a friend who could understand her feelings was truly rare.
"But you should pay attention to Qiao Weiwei. That little girl seems to have other ideas about Gu Ya. Your appearance is what made her restrain herself," Tao Na cautioned in a low voice.
Ye Ying chuckled dismissively. With her understanding of Gu Ya, he would never fall for Qiao Weiwei's tricks.
Besides, if he dared, Ye Ying would definitely cripple Gu Ya.
"What about you? I heard from a friend in the Intelligence Department that you deliberately approached Gu Ya for a mission back then," Ye Ying said jokingly.
Tao Na's face darkened, and she lightly pinched Ye Ying's arm, chiding, "You know it was for a superior's mission, yet you still question me. Gu Ya is quite good-looking, but... forget it, he's not my type."
The two walked towards the detention room, their relationship becoming much closer than before.
Upon arriving outside the detention room, they were undoubtedly slightly surprised by the luxurious security detail.
A lieutenant-level officer led the team, standing motionless at the entrance, his gaze alert and focused.
Four guards in heavy black exoskeleton combat suits stood rigidly behind the lieutenant, holding their guns.
There were even two mobile soldiers in miniature exoskeleton mechs guarding the entrance and exit of the corridor.
The entire corridor was oppressive and quiet. Even when a few staff members hurried past occasionally, not a sound could be heard.
Ye Ying and Tao Na belonged directly to the Strategic Bureau, holding a higher rank than these guards from the Yonggu Zihlan War Zone. Moreover, they were the main members of the Gu Ya rescue operation team. Apart from drawing the sideways glances of the mobile soldiers, they were not stopped.
"May I see Hong Lian·Zhi Wu?" Ye Ying asked the lieutenant softly and calmly.
The lieutenant nodded silently, raised his hand, and said softly, "Please wait." He walked into the detention room behind him.
The moment the door opened, Ye Ying saw that besides Hong Lian, there were three people inside wearing different colored military uniforms and holding high ranks.
Not long after, the door opened again, and the lieutenant said in a low voice, "Captain Ye, only you can enter. Hong Lian·Zhi Wu happens to have something to say to you."
Tao Na nodded at Ye Ying. To avoid suspicion, she turned and walked to a distant window to look outside.
Ye Ying walked lightly into the detention room. Meeting the gazes of the three officers, she calmly sat down beside them.
A beautiful woman with a somewhat babyish face, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, sat next to Ye Ying. Her eyes, filled with envy and a hint of admiration, never left Ye Ying.
"Dou Mei, Head of the Intelligence Bureau of the Yonggu Zihlan War Zone." Dou Mei smiled politely and extended her hand to Ye Ying.
Ye Ying merely shook her hand lightly and ignored her, her gaze fixed on Hong Lian·Zhi Wu inside the iron cage.
At this moment, Hong Lian·Zhi Wu lowered her head. Her face was bruised and battered, and her black star mecha pilot suit was tattered, clearly damaged when the mechanical giant hand of the Black Hell grabbed her.
Sensing the familiar aura, Hong Lian·Zhi Wu slightly raised her head. Her eyes fixed on Ye Ying with a hint of mockery and said softly, "I didn't expect the one who defeated me to be so young. I'm old, I'm old..."
"I heard you have something to ask me. Coincidentally, I also have a question for you," Ye Ying said softly. "You clearly had a chance to escape, so why did you deliberately slow down and wait for me to defeat you?"
During the battle, the separated God-Slaying Blade could have quickly pulled away the damaged Nightingale mecha. Facing the approaching Nightingale, the God-Slaying Blade made no counter-attack and was directly defeated by the Nightingale.
This was indeed illogical, indicating that Hong Lian·Zhi Wu had other intentions.
Hong Lian·Zhi Wu gave a dry chuckle, parted her cracked lips, and said softly, "There's nothing more I have to say now. I've decided to defect to Xian Xia."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other three high-ranking officers showed their respective expressions.
Tian Quan, seated furthest inside, loudly rebuked, "Hong Lian! You massacred so many people of Xian Xia! Your fate is sealed! Even if we don't kill you, can hundreds of millions of Xian Xia people not kill you? You think a mere statement of defection will let you escape the fate of death? Wishful thinking!"
Shi Mingjun's expression was solemn. He said calmly, "If you honestly disclose Xingchen Army's strategic deployment in Xian Xia, as well as all hidden Xingchen remnants on the land of Xian Xia, perhaps we will consider your situation accordingly. If we discover you are lying, no one can save you."
Dou Mei, however, said with a hint of excitement, "Hand her over to me. I have ways to pry her mouth open."
Ye Ying stared at Hong Lian·Zhi Wu's disheveled face and asked softly, "What are your objectives and conditions?"
The indignant Tian Quan suddenly turned and shouted at Ye Ying, "Captain Ye! You are combat personnel directly under the higher authorities. Now the higher authorities have temporarily handed over the judgment authority of Hong Lian·Zhi Wu to us, the Yonggu Zihlan War Zone. You have no say here!"
Dou Mei raised her hand like a mountain and stopped the man, smiling and saying softly, "Vice Commander Tian, I'm here. Give me some face and calm down. As you can see, Hong Lian·Zhi Wu only started speaking when Captain Ye arrived."
"Dou Mei!" Tian Quan stood up angrily and roared, "Don't think I don't know your background! You're still connected to Special Department Nine! You want me to give you face? Wishful thinking!"
Dou Mei's expression suddenly turned grim, and she said in a low, forceful voice, "With the enemy at our doorstep, we're still going to engage in infighting? I think the war has addled your brain!"
"Silence!" Shi Mingjun, seated in the middle, calmly interrupted their argument. He glanced at Hong Lian·Zhi Wu and asked, "Your objectives and conditions."
Hong Lian·Zhi Wu flicked away the strands of hair covering her face, revealing sharp and calm eyes, and said slowly, "I will lead the thirty thousand Black Star Army remnants stationed in Xian Xia to defect from the Black Star Empire and join the Xian Xia nation. My soldiers and I will be at your disposal. The objective is..."
As she spoke, Hong Lian's gaze suddenly became hesitant and mournful. She lowered her head, and a tear fell onto the back of her hand.
What exactly was the reason that caused this usually fearless, lively, and stubborn woman to shed a tear.