Chapter 318: Getting Answers
Chapter 318: Getting Answers
"I’ll only give you ten seconds to answer, so you’d better answer quickly." Yi Chen glared threateningly and asked while slightly retracting his palm.
"Why did the Violet Heaven House create the Brown Flu virus? What was their objective?"
Although in fright she had stated that she was going to answer his questions, when faced with it yet again, she couldn’t help but hesitate, thinking about the consequences it would have on her.
Noticing this subtle hesitation, Yi Chen panicked.
Clearly remembering how extremely she reacted to this method, he knew that if he failed to get the truth out of her now, then no matter how much he tortured her later on, the chances of getting the truth out of her were very minuscule.
Not wanting that to happen, he started counting backwards with a menacing expression as his palm closed in on her yet again.
"Seven...Six ...Five..."
"No wait! I’m answering..." Cao Li tried to buy some time to clear her thoughts, but Yi Chen didn’t seem to give a damn about it and kept counting.
"...Four...Three...Two..."
Seeing the palm almost on the verge of touching her, Cao Li winced and, while tilting her head as far back as possible, exclaimed.
"For profits! We did it for profit!"
It was only then that the approaching hand stopped, and seeing this, Cao Li sighed in relief, but that wasn’t the end of the interrogation. It was only the beginning.
"The Violet Heaven House did what for profit? How did it all start?" he asked to ensure that there was no room for misinterpretation in the video that was being recorded.
Seeing that the palm was still just a few inches away from her face, Cao Li answered with gritted teeth, "The Violet Heaven House...we created the Brown Flu virus for profit..."
Sensing Yi Chen’s gaze, she knew that he wasn’t fully satisfied with the answer, so she continued, "...After learning about the many uses of the Talantuala nuts, the first thing we did was take full control of it by making a trade deal which involved food and water.
Although it worked initially, as the condition of the Kingdom began to improve, they started looking for more options for trade.
So, to ensure that we held the monopoly, we created the virus whose cure only we possessed.
Thereafter, we circulated the tablets in such a way that the entire Kingdom’s ecosystem became dependent on us...That’s all there is to it, so please move that hand away!"
Cao Li begged with a revolting expression while forcing herself to look away from the hand that was just a few inches away from her face.
Although she was forcing herself not to look at it, the intense smell from the hand was something she was finding extremely difficult to tolerate.
However, Yi Chen didn’t give a darn about her words and asked the next question soon after.
"Who all other than you know about it?"
He had come to realise that if he gave her an inch, she was the type to ask for a mile. Therefore, he had no intention of moving his hand away even an inch until she answered all his questions.
It seemed to have worked as the answer came immediately.
"A-All the higher-ups of the Violet Heaven House, including the Core family members like me, are aware of it..."
"Then..."
Yi Chen took out a yellow tablet from his storage ring and asked the next instant with a low voice, "... These yellow tablets, they aren’t as expensive as you portray them to be, right? How much does it cost to make ten of them in actuality?"
Glancing at the yellow tablet and then towards the slimy palm that was right next to her face, Cao Li tightly squeezed her eyes and answered, "Yes... their prices are inflated. It only takes about five hundred bronze notes to create ten of those tablets..."
"Since we had invested so much into the Kingdom, we wanted to earn it back. Therefore, we raised the prices-"
"Don’t give me that crap." Yi Chen snorted at the excuse and countered, "It’s been almost a thousand years since then, and you would have long recovered your investments, yet you continue to sell one tablet for ten low-grade spirit stones.
And I’m not even counting the wealth your Violet Heaven House would have procured from using the black powder you obtained from the Talantuala nuts here... do you really take me for a fool?"
As he said those words, Yi Chen couldn’t help but think of Old Ding.
Nearing the end of his life, he still continued to push himself daily to deliver those Talantuala nuts, all in the hope of earning a few more yellow tablets so that he could live longer.
The piles of sickly bodies that he was made to witness by Bai Tianhe were still vivid in his eyes. Maybe most of them would have reached their natural end after using those vitality-consuming tablets.
However, there would definitely be a few who would have been lying in that pile because they couldn’t afford another tablet that day.
Just thinking of that infuriated Yi Chen, and not giving Cao Li a chance to respond to the previous question, he asked with irritation evident on his face, "You guys just used them for cheap labour, didn’t you?
Despite the profits you were amassing from the Talantuala powder, you kept exploiting the entire Kingdom just to increase your profit margin by a few more percent...Am I wrong? Tell me?!"
"N-No...you’re not." Cao Li answered, afraid that if she didn’t, Yi Chen would lose himself to his anger.
Seeing her answer this question so easily, not a trace of satisfaction was felt by Yi Chen. Instead, a bitter feeling welled up inside him, seeing just how apathetic she was towards the plight suffered by the people.
She had only answered his question because of the fear she felt and nothing else. However, Yi Chen didn’t mull on it any longer and, taking a deep breath to get hold of his bearings, continued with the questioning.
"Since this virus was created by the Violet Heaven House, how did you administer it to the entire population? Did you put it in the air?"
Although he had checked the fog a few days ago, only to find that it was a natural pollutant, there was still a chance that the virus was only infused into the air periodically. It was because of this reason that he had asked the follow-up question.
"N-No..." Cao Li shook her head as a trace of relief welled up in her heart, seeing that Yi Chen had regained his composure.
So, not wanting to see that side of him again, she answered truthfully, "...It’s the water. The water we send through the transportation arrays is infected with the virus, so unknowingly everyone gets infected over time."
"This..." Yi Chen’s eyes widened at the revelation as he immediately thought of the several glasses of water he had drunk since coming to Lava City.
"...Then am I also infected?" he asked with a frown the very next second.
Cao Li, somewhat expecting this reaction, shook her head strongly and said, "Yes, you’re also infected. However, it’s only after being exposed to it for a year that one falls sick and starts showing the symptoms..."
"I see..." Yi Chen responded with subtle relief but furrowed his eyes the very next moment, "Wait... then, since the foreigners and foreign workers are made to leave the kingdom in two months’ time, doesn’t that mean this virus is curable if one doesn’t consume this water?"
"Y-Yes...one just doesn’t need to consume the infected water for a prolonged period, and the virus will die naturally...That’s how the Ninth Qi Absorption Stage cultivators and above who can go on for long periods without food and water become immune to the virus..."
’...Such a meticulous plan.’ Yi Chen couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise, realising how every little thing was linked to every other thing.
"Then..." he asked with a questioning gaze, "Won’t the citizens who venture out of the Kingdom for a long period realise this?"
"No, that won’t happen since they won’t go out for that long." Cao Li answered and continued with knitted brows, "...On one side, we are surrounded by the Great Beast Forest...a place those below the Ninth Qi Absorption Stage rarely venture into unless for hunting, which doesn’t last that long.
On the other side, we have other Kingdoms...already thinking in this regard, the Violet Heaven House had spread rumours that, although rare, there’s still a chance of the Brown Flu virus being contracted from physical contact.
Therefore, no kingdom accepts the people from the Black Rock Kingdom, and even those at the Ninth Qi Absorption Stage and above are looked upon with wary eyes."
’Such a meticulous web of plans...’ Yi Chen thought to himself, finding it difficult to believe how every little thing was interconnected to this dark scheme that had been going on in the background all this while.
At the same time, realising just to what extent the Violet Heaven House would go for profits was something eye-opening for him.
The entire kingdom, which had been gratefully drinking water supplied by them, had no clue at all that it had been infected with the very virus they were fighting against.
’It’s so messed up...’ Yi Chen shook those thoughts away, realising that the longer his mind lingered on them, the angrier he would become.
"D-Did I answer all of your questions...?"
Cao Li anxiously asked, seeing that Yi Chen had been silent for quite a few seconds.