Chapter 414: Reporting
「A few hours later.」
Luoxue, Qian Wei, and the others were released from the interrogation rooms one by one.
The Dark Abyss department was quite efficient.
They quickly confirmed that Luoxue and her group had never entered the Kunpeng.
As for Long Ming, although he had the opportunity, the surveillance footage from Blacktan Fortress proved he had not been near the hiding spot.
Thus, they were all cleared of the charges.
Kazir said coldly to Luoxue and the others,
“Collect your things. You can go.”
“So we’re cleared? Then who on earth framed us?”
Qian Wei asked, sighing in relief.
“That’s none of your business. We will handle it. Now, go!”
Kazir urged them on callously.
“Wait, where’s Long Ming?”
Luoxue suddenly asked.
“Yeah, why don’t we see Long Ming? If we’re fine, he should be too.”
Qian Wei and the others all looked at Kazir.
“I said, this doesn’t concern you! Leave immediately!”
Kazir had no intention of explaining.
“Mr. Kazir, as Long Ming’s commanding officer, I have the right to know the status of my subordinate to ensure he receives fair and just treatment. Otherwise, I will file a formal complaint against you!”
Luoxue showed no sign of backing down.
Gazing at the resolute Luoxue, a flash of surprise crossed Kazir’s eyes.
He’d been in this department a long time. Everyone released from here couldn’t wait to leave; no one ever picked a fight with them over someone else.
Kazir was silent for a few seconds before speaking.
“Someone reported him, so he can’t leave. He needs to be investigated. Now you can go!”
Luoxue and the others were stunned. They wanted to press for more answers, but ultimately gave up before the words left their mouths.
The personnel from Dark Abyss were all specially trained. They would never utter a single word they weren’t supposed to.
“Let’s go.”
Luoxue led Qian Wei and the others away, her expression cold.
Soon, they returned to Sector L.
Zhihan and the others rushed to greet them.
“Sister Luoxue, you’re finally back! We were worried sick.”
“Yes. Sorry to have worried you.”
Luoxue and her team replied, their spirits low.
“What’s wrong with you all? Did something happen?”
Zhihan and the others asked, bewildered.
“Long Ming was held back.”
Qian Wei replied with a sigh.
“What happened? What right do they have to keep Long Ming? Don’t tell me he really did hide the ore?”
Jing Chuan and the others were dumbfounded.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Long Ming isn’t that kind of person! He was held back because someone reported him.”
“Reported him for what?”
“We don’t know either. We’ll have to wait for news.”
Luoxue said, taking a deep breath.
Jing Chuan and the others all sighed.
They felt incredibly frustrated, but there was nothing they could do. Their words carried little weight.
…
「In the interrogation room.」
CREAK~
The door was pushed open again.
Long Ming narrowed his eyes. He saw Kazir and Joke walk in together.
The two of them walked to the interrogation table, sat down, and looked coldly at Long Ming.
Long Ming’s expression was calm; he had no intention of speaking.
“Don’t you have anything to tell us?”
Kazir asked in a cold voice.
“I’ve already told you everything there is to tell. You should be verifying my story, not questioning me.”
Long Ming replied candidly.
“The matter of the ore is over. Your companions have all been released.”
Kazir said, staring at Long Ming.
Hearing Kazir’s words, Long Ming’s heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked,
“Then when will you let me go?”
“You’re not leaving.”
Kazir observed Long Ming continuously, his expression growing more grave.
He realized the soldier before him was no simple man; he was the type with an incredibly strong will.
“Why?”
Long Ming looked at Kazir and asked.
“Someone reported that during the rescue mission, you had a clear opportunity to save Supervisor Dikaya of the Forty-Second Legion’s logistics department, but you didn’t. Now, explain to me why you didn’t save him. Also, where did you go? Why did you end up saving a group of ordinary doctors instead?”
Kazir gazed at Long Ming and demanded in a cold voice.
Long Ming didn’t answer Kazir’s question and just sat there in silence.
Kazir and Joke weren’t in a hurry either. They just watched Long Ming quietly.
Time ticked by.
In the blink of an eye, ten minutes passed, but Long Ming still hadn’t spoken.
Kazir’s face darkened, and he demanded icily,
“It’s been ten minutes. Are you still not going to talk? Our patience is limited.”
“Can I choose not to?”
Long Ming said, letting out a breath.
“You can. But you’d better be prepared for torture. We now suspect you’re connected to the missing Energy Crystals and the classified cargo.”
Kazir directly slapped the label of “suspect” on Long Ming.
“It seems I have no choice then.”
“Talk. This is your last chance.”
“I have a grudge against him. I was originally going in to save people, but when I realized Supervisor Dikaya was inside, I gave up.”
Long Ming replied coolly.
“As far as I know, you just joined the 42nd Legion not long ago. You’ve never had any contact with Dikaya. How could you have a grudge against him?”
Kazir demanded icily.
“Dikaya was harsh with our squad, and he tried to force himself on our captain. Do you think I’d save him?”
Long Ming looked at Kazir, his voice cold.
Kazir fell silent upon hearing this. In truth, they were well aware of what kind of person Supervisor Dikaya was.
The problem was that the only lead they’d managed to find had just gone cold.
In fact, they were also under immense pressure. Their superiors were demanding like madmen that they find the missing Energy Crystals and any clues about the egg.
But the investigation so far had only uncovered a bunch of corrupt officials; there wasn’t a single lead on those two matters.
Kazir and Joke then stood up and left the interrogation room.
“What should we do?”
Joke asked Kazir in a low voice.
“Keep him locked up for 24 hours. If we confirm there are no other issues, we’ll release him.”
Kazir said to Joke.
“Okay.”
Joke nodded.
「In the interrogation room.」
Long Ming sat quietly in his chair, head lowered, communicating with Hilic in his mind.
‘Are you sure you covered our tracks perfectly? These guys are searching for us everywhere like rabid dogs.’
‘Hmph. I am not like those idiots. Rest assured, they won’t find us.’
Hilic replied with great confidence.
Hearing this, Long Ming closed his eyes to rest.
…
「The next day.」
The door to the interrogation room was pushed open.
Long Ming slowly raised his head and looked toward the door.
Joke stood at the entrance and said coldly to Long Ming,
“You can go!”
CLICK!
The restraints around Long Ming’s waist immediately unlocked.
He let out a deep breath, stood up, walked to the door, and asked,
“Can I have my Mechanical God back now?”
“Get it from the storage area.”
Joke led Long Ming toward the storage area.
…
「A long while later.」
Long Ming returned to Sector L on a mobile platform.
“Long Ming!”
A surprised and happy voice called out.
Long Ming turned his head to look.
He saw Luoxue and the others standing not far away.
“Why are you all here?”
Long Ming walked over, a little surprised.
“Of course we were worried about you!”
“We decided to wait for you here. It’s so good to see you’re okay.”
…
Luoxue and the others said as they walked toward him.
“What could happen to me?”
Long Ming replied with a smile.
“Right, which bastard reported you? Why did the Dark Abyss people detain you?”
Jing Chuan asked, completely confused.
“Yeah, what exactly happened?”
Luoxue was also very puzzled.
“It was like this. When I went in to rescue people, I happened to run into the trapped Supervisor Dikaya. Without a second thought, I turned around and went to save someone else. I guess he held a grudge and reported me.”
Long Ming explained with a smile.
“Long Ming, well done!”
“It’s just a shame that guy’s so hard to kill. He didn’t even die from that!”
…
Hearing Long Ming’s words, Jing Chuan and the others all gave him a thumbs-up.
“Jing Chuan, you guys, stop talking!”
Luoxue quickly cut them off.
Jing Chuan and the others were taken aback and quickly looked around.
Qian Wei said with a grave expression,
“Long Ming, you did the right thing, but this also means we’ve completely turned against Supervisor Dikaya. Our situation will probably get even harder from now on.”
“It’s fine. It’s not even certain if that guy will get out of this safely himself.”
Long Ming said nonchalantly.
“Right. Let’s head back and talk more there.”
Luoxue said to Long Ming.
“Okay!”
Long Ming followed Luoxue and the others away.