GAMMT - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Torture
As soon as the bandit scout received his boss's order, he immediately shed his usual ferocious demeanor. When Fu Chuan approached, he put on a concerned and righteous expression, using a kind tone to guide her to a certain location.
The moment Fu Chuan heard this, she knew the bandits wanted to use her as bait, but this was within her expectations.
"Okay, big brother, I'll head over right away."
Inwardly, she was on high alert. That place was definitely trapped, and they might even throw her in there with the wasteland wolves.
As she galloped wildly, she observed the situation ahead. The wasteland wolves behind her were indeed in hot pursuit. Because the forest path was narrow, the trail she had entered was actually a path disguised by the bandits; they themselves took the rugged, more difficult wild paths.
Soon, Fu Chuan saw ropes strung between the trees in the forest ahead. Looking up, she saw sharp metal fence spikes hanging down, ready to fall. As long as someone galloped past and tripped the rope on the ground, the spikes above would plummet, impaling and killing them.
There were probably also pit traps camouflaged with leaves, but she couldn't spot them at a glance. Even if she could, she couldn't let on that she had.
What should she do?
Fu Chuan knew that to survive, she first had to prove her value as bait, and then make them see a greater benefit.
So, just as she was about to reach the rope, she deliberately made the mechanical horse rear up chaotically and bolt around in place. She feigned panic and cursed while pulling on the reins...
"What the hell? Dammit! Even these metal contraptions can act up!"
Seeing this, the wasteland wolves behind her sensed an opportunity. The large pack quickened its pace and charged forward in a frenzy.
At the sight, Fu Chuan deliberately screamed in terror, then scrambled off the horse in a panic and tumbled to the ground. After rolling through the grass, she scrambled up and ran towards a large tree, the wasteland wolves hot on her heels.
With that charge, snap! The tripwire on the ground was triggered, activating the mechanism. The sharp metal fence spikes above came crashing down...
The spikes fell with immense force. With a series of sickening crunches, like skewering watermelons, they viciously pinned more than twenty of the vanguard wasteland wolves to the ground.
The wolves howled in agony. However, Fu Chuan, who had reached the edge of the trap, saw why they were called Iron-Ridge Wasteland Wolves—their backs were protected by cyan-colored iron hides. When the spikes fell, the impact forced the powerful wolves to the ground, pinning them, but they had withstood the most fatal piercing wounds. Still, the force of the impact had damaged their internal organs, causing them to vomit blood and cry out in pain.
But after struggling for a few moments, they fell still.
Fu Chuan looked closer, a chill running down her spine. The tips of the spikes had been coated with a special corrosive fluid, which directly ate through the iron hides at the wound sites. The corrosive liquid flowed from the wounds straight into their internal organs, poisoning them to death!
There was a reason these bandits could run rampant in this area.
They've got some skills!
But the pit traps ahead surely held other mechanisms. Going down there meant death.
She couldn't go that way.
Besides, letting them take down the wasteland wolves too easily wouldn't do her any good either.
The wolves at the back reacted instantly, swerving to avoid the trap and continuing their pursuit of Fu Chuan. With no time to spare, she commanded the other mechanical horses to block them. Here in the narrow, claustrophobic forest, with trees providing cover, the wolves' ability to surround her was limited, while the effectiveness of the mechanical horses as barriers was enhanced. Fu Chuan mounted another mechanical horse and fled deeper into the woods, occasionally feigning a pathetic state.
Seeing him about to lead the wolves far away from the pit traps, the bandits grew anxious.
Initially, when they saw the kid stop abruptly before the iron fence, they thought he had seen through the trap. But it turned out to be a problem with the mechanical horse, and he looked genuinely wretched, nearly getting devoured by the pack...
They couldn't let him lead the wolf pack away.
The bandits, who had planned to be the patient predator, using the traps to kill all the wasteland wolves, were now forced to reveal themselves.
Fu Chuan soon saw dark figures appearing in the forest ahead. Gunshots rang out, bullets whizzing by... it sounded like there was a machine gun among them. Being cunning, she had already surrounded herself with a tight formation of mechanical horses. Regardless of whether they intended to kill her, the mechanical horses were valuable loot, and they wouldn't want to damage them and reduce their value.
The wasteland wolves, realizing there was a new enemy, finally understood they couldn't focus solely on Fu Chuan. They began to scatter, dodging the bullets, and then tried to dash into the woods to ambush the hidden bandit gunmen. Unfortunately for them, at that moment, Fu Chuan heard chanting.
At least ten Arcanists were chanting. She heard the incantation and, based on her memory, recognized it as a level-two special surface trap Arcane, Iron Thorns, being cast by a level-two Arcanist leading nine level-one Arcanists.
The ground twisted, and sharp, purplish-black, metallic thorns erupted, primarily binding, entangling, and piercing their targets. All thirty Iron-Ridge Wasteland Wolves were brought under control. The destructive power was even greater than the bandits' gunfire.
From her vantage point, Fu Chuan could even judge the spell's duration by the changing color of the Iron Thorns.
Sixteen seconds.
Was sixteen seconds long or short? In any case, the other bandits seized the opportunity and fired wildly. In less than ten seconds, they slaughtered the wolves, aided by the damage from the piercing thorns.
Of the original hundred wasteland wolves, half were eliminated in less than ten minutes, with the Arcanists' power being the most terrifying factor.
One level-two plus nine level-ones could easily control fifty Iron-Ridge Wasteland Wolves. That was too strong.
Moreover, their coordination was seamless and their experience vast, incomparable to a novice like her who had only just encountered practical Arcane arts, despite her strong theoretical knowledge.
Real combat was real combat.
Fu Chuan then watched as these men annihilated the entire wasteland wolf pack.
Five minutes later, the ground was soaked in blood. Among the blood-drenched bandits, she saw a man in leather boots and loose trousers. He wasn't tall or large, but he had a rugged air about him.
This man was the leader of this bandit den, and also a level-two Arcanist.
He could crush her with a single finger.
Fu Chuan's eyes reddened, filled with a mix of shock, fear, and a soft hint of joy. "Thank you for saving my life, big brother! I am Xie Keli. If you check, you'll see—if you save me, my father will surely reward you."
The bandit leader, Li Kai, stared at him coldly, his gaze like a venomous snake's, as if licking over every inch of his body with its tongue, trying to see right through him. Suddenly, he smiled faintly.
"Don't be afraid, little brother. Now that you're here, it's like you're home. We big brothers will protect you."
Fu Chuan's heart skipped a beat. Sensing someone approaching from behind, alarm bells screamed in her mind. She immediately shrank back in terror and shouted, "Are you serious, big brother? I'm not well-educated, so don't you lie to me! As long as you don't hurt me, I… I'll give you a million copper coins! I have money, I just sold off the assets my mom left me!"
What bandits wanted was money. No point in empty promises.
Just as she finished speaking, Li Kai narrowed his eyes, seemingly calculating something. Then, with a glance... thud!
A heavy blow struck the back of Fu Chuan's head, and in the next second, she collapsed.
Splash.
Icy water was thrown on her. When Fu Chuan came to, she found herself tied to a cross. The environment had changed to a cold, damp interrogation cell.
The cold water trickled down her pant leg. Dazedly, she saw Li Kai before her, having taken off his jacket. He was turning a branding iron in his hand, its tip glowing red-hot.
He turned his head. "Awake? I just did some checking. Turns out you weren't lying, little brother. You really are of noble blood. An illegitimate son, yes, but important enough for the family to send guards personally. Looks like you're on the verge of becoming a proper young master."
Fu Chuan looked at his smile that didn't reach his eyes and noticed a communication device on the table to her left, its green light still on.
Was he recording?
Why would he be recording?
Crap! This is bad!
Fu Chuan's quick mind went on high alert, but on the surface, she appeared awkward and cautious. "Big brother, I wasn't lying. I really have money. As long as you contact my father…"
"Your father? The Xie Clan of Jingyang City is a Green Blood noble family, and their ranking is on the rise. I can't afford to provoke them. The moment I contact them, they could track our location and wipe out my brothers in an instant."
Li Kai looked rugged, but he was an old fox. After speaking, he approached with the branding iron. As he walked, he said, "And what's interesting is, while you were unconscious, I found out that a few of my brothers seem to have had some connection with your guards. They were collaborating to do something to you, but you found out and killed them all, didn't you?"
Initially, Fu Chuan had planned to kill Adar and his men, then hide for a while. Even if these bandits later learned the truth, they wouldn't be able to do anything to her, because by then, she would have been rescued by the Li Corporation. After all, she was still Xie An's son. Though the Li Corporation was a massive enterprise, rescuing her would be a small favor, a no-cost investment with a high return in goodwill. The person in charge wouldn't lack that much judgment.
But she hadn't anticipated the appearance of the wasteland wolves, which had upended her plans.
Many things had become unpredictable, including being caught by the bandits... and now being interrogated.
"Killed them? They were trying to harm me?!" Fu Chuan looked completely stunned, then had a sudden realization. "The group that attacked us before was yours?"
She was filled with panic, as if she had just realized she had walked into the lion's den. "No wonder they found us so quickly, there was a mole among the guards! You planned this from the start! Why? Why did you want to kill me?"
She turned the tables, questioning him.
In truth, she had figured it out. This was a deal between a splinter group within the bandit den and Adar's men. Adar, acting on someone's orders, wanted to use a borrowed knife to kill, while this group wanted to earn some extra cash, even keeping it a secret from their own boss.
"If that's the case, how did you get all the mechanical horses?" Li Kai remained unmoved, continuing his cool questioning, but the branding iron was scorching hot.
As it drew near, the cold water on her body seemed to heat up.
Fu Chuan trembled in fear. "They started fighting among themselves later! That Adar, the guard captain, he was protecting me, but I always felt he wasn't being sincere, he barely even used his Arcane arts. In the end, he was shot and killed by your men. But I'm the young master, I had control over those mechanical horses from the start."
In reality, she had used Adar's fingerprint to unlock and transfer control of the mechanical horses to herself.
Li Kai: "Is that so? Then what about these wasteland wolves? You didn't deliberately lure them here?"
This time, Fu Chuan didn't need to act; her anger was genuine. "The hell if I know what happened! I took the chance to flee for my life. With the mechanical horses protecting me, I thought I could escape. But then the wolves started howling and charged out, chasing me relentlessly. I was terrified and ran everywhere, finally reaching a forest where I thought I could hide… Who knew this was your territory?"
She was betting that these wasteland wolves had come after her later, which meant they must have eaten the bodies of Adar and the other bandits, leaving no witnesses and no way to trace the poison.
But on the surface, she looked extremely remorseful and deeply uneasy.
"You're lying." Li Kai suddenly sneered, pressing the branding iron right up to her face. It was so close the heat stung her eyes, forcing her to shut them, but she could hear his chilling voice.
"You don't have a single copper coin on you, which means you hid your assets beforehand. You were thinking you could come here and buy your life with money, right? That means you knew this was a bandit den from the start, yet you still pretended!"
As he spoke, he was about to press the branding iron onto her eye.
Fu Chuan screamed in terror, "I'm not lying! I put the coins inside one of the mechanical horses! I did that because I know wasteland wolves are highly sensitive to metal. I was going to use that horse to lure them away, to use the money to save my life! But I didn't expect the wolves to act like they were being controlled, they just kept chasing me, they wouldn't be distracted at all! That's why I had no choice but to hide in the forest."
She was taking a gamble, betting that this man had dissected the wasteland wolves. The smell of blood on him was too strong, and the blood on his boots was still fresh, not yet coagulated. He must have just finished and found something.
The branding iron stopped.
A moment later, it was thrown back into the furnace with a clang.
Fu Chuan's heart trembled slightly; she had won the gamble.
Li Kai sat back down in his original spot and raised an eyebrow. "It seems you've offended quite a few people, Young Master. Someone paid off your guards to kill you, and someone else used a level-two Arcane guidance spell to have a wolf pack kill you."
Just as she thought!
Fu Chuan had used Li Kai to confirm the facts of the pursuit, but she couldn't relax, because Li Kai didn't care in the slightest who was after her.
"We checked. You just sold your assets, right? It was more than a million, wasn't it? At least eight or nine million. Hand over the copper coins, and I might spare your life. Otherwise…"
He lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke. His yellowed teeth were exposed as he smiled.
"I'll skin you alive and dry you out."
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