Chapter 58: Arriving One After Another
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Spatters of saliva landed on Liu Zuowu’s face. For a split second he froze—then rage exploded through him. His fists shot out like pistons, hammering into Chen Ning’s abdomen.
As a Level-Five War Officer, his blows could easily make an ordinary man vomit up last night’s dinner.
But when his knuckles struck Chen Ning’s stomach, it felt like punching a slab of oak—unyielding and dense. Chen Ning merely clenched his jaw, refusing even a grunt.
Liu Zuowu sneered. “Oh? Got a spine, huh? I’ll beat that spine out of you—let’s see how long you stay tough!”
He shifted targets and smashed two punches into Chen Ning’s face. Bruises blossomed instantly, blood seeping from the corner of Chen Ning’s mouth and eye.
Yet Chen Ning’s gaze only burned colder, laced with contempt.
That look stoked Liu Zuowu’s fury. With a snarl, he seized Chen Ning’s hair and drew back his fist again.
“Let’s see if I can’t fix that face of yours—”
But one of his adjutants hurriedly blocked him.
“Major Liu! The Legion Commander said not to get reckless. If you punched his face like that, there’d be obvious signs of abuse.
Remember, Liew Ruyan and Bai Yuhao are still waiting in the reception room. Even if we’re going to kill this brat, keep it clean. If word gets out and the Verocious Wolf Legion clashes with the Phoenix Legion over this, we’ll be the ones to take the blame.”
Liu ZuoWu paused, breathing hard, then slowly lowered his fist. He grinned darkly.
“Heh… you think I’m out of tricks? I’ve got plenty of ways to make him beg. Xiao Qiang—bring me the shock baton.”
One of the soldiers handed over a black electric baton.
Liu ZuoWu grabbed Chen Ning by the collar, ripping his shirt open—and for a moment, the whole room froze. Chen Ning’s torso was crisscrossed with scars, layer over layer, a roadmap of pain and survival.
They said scars were a man’s medals. If that were true, Chen Ning’s rank would’ve been general.
Liu ZuoWu gave a mocking whistle. “Well, well… no wonder you’re so stubborn. You’ve eaten pain your whole life. Let’s see how you like this one!”
Liu ZuoWu spoke as he directly activated the electric baton in his hand and pressed it against Chen Ning’s chest. As the baton made contact with the muscles of Chen Ning’s chest, it emitted a crackling electric spark and the smell of scorched flesh.
The people around found it somewhat cruel, instinctively leaning back slightly, watching with uneasy sympathy.
Only Shi LiLi clapped, eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
“Good! That’s more like it! Hit him again—he’s not even screaming yet!”
Liu ZuoWu growled and jabbed the baton against Chen Ning’s body again and again. Sparks flashed, skin charred, blood trickled. Still, Chen Ning stayed silent, jaw locked, eyes steady as iron.
Half an hour later, Liu ZuoWu was drenched in sweat. Chen Ning hung half-conscious, his breathing ragged—but his will unbroken. Not a single groan escaped him.
Shi LiLi, painting her nails leisurely, smirked.
“ZuoWu, maybe you’ve gone soft? He’s still not even whimpering. Use something nastier, hmm?”
Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, Liu ZuoWu glanced at Chen Ning, then slowly let his gaze drop lower. A cruel grin split his face.
“Heh-heh, I don’t believe your whole body can withstand my electric baton. Acting tough, huh? I’ll give your family jewels a few shocks and see if you’re still so tough.
I want you— even if you escape tonight— to spend the rest of your life unable to be a man, unable to get hard again.”
Shi LiLi laughed and clapped again. “Now that’s real punishment! Hurry up, ZuoWu, I can’t wait to watch!”
At that, Chen Ning’s expression finally changed. A flicker of dread crossed his face—after all, no man could remain unfazed in a situation like that.
Liu ZuoWu saw it and laughed triumphantly. “Ha! Finally scared, are you? Let’s see how—”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A heavy pounding rattled the interrogation room door. A cold, commanding voice barked from outside:
“Open up!”
Everyone froze. Liu ZuoWu and Shi LiLi exchanged wary looks. Who would dare interrupt a sanctioned interrogation inside the Verocious Wolf base?
Liu ZuoWu gestured for the door to be opened.
A bald, broad-shouldered officer strode in, flanked by soldiers—escorted by several officers from the Azurebird base. His uniform bore a black shark insignia with bared fangs: the Black Shark Special Legion. His rank—Major.
Liu ZuoWu’s eyes narrowed. Black Shark… Major Rahu!
Rahu scanned the room, his expression darkening when he saw Chen Ning—bloodied, half-dead, still shackled.
He turned toward Liu ZuoWu and Shi LiLi, his voice like a blade.
“Torture to extract a confession? Really?”
Shi LiLi jumped up in anger.
“Who are you? How dare you barge in here! And you—” she glared at the guards, “you useless fools, letting outsiders intrude! Believe it or not, I’ll have my husband demote every one of you!”
Rahu didn’t even look at her. “I’m Major Rahu of the Black Shark Legion. This may be your base, but we all serve the Empire. I have every right to be here. As for you—a woman yapping in a military facility—what exactly are you?”
Liu ZuoWu’s heart skipped. Rahu—Major under Major General Xiao Feng himself. One of his most trusted men!
He hurried to smooth things over. “Major Rahu, this is the Legion Commander’s second wife, Madam Shi LiLi.”
Liu Zuowu knew that Rahu was Xiao Feng’s favored subordinate. Xiao Feng’s military rank was one level higher than Liu LuanLin’s, and the Black Shark Legion was a special forces legion, while the Verocious Wolf Legion was an ordinary one.
So although Liu ZuoWu and Rahu were both majors, Liu ZuoWu still considered himself a level below Rahu.
He introduced Shi LiLi’s identity for no other reason than to make Rahu show her a bit more respect; otherwise, things would get awkward for everyone.
But who was Rahu? He had never known how to give anyone face, nor did he know how to curry favor with the powerful—much less show respect to a noblewoman like Shi LiLi, who held nothing more than the status of a concubine.
Rahu curled his lip. “A hen crowing at dawn. There’s always a reason a garbage legion is garbage.”
“Hen crowing at dawn” means a hen announcing daybreak—a metaphor for a woman overstepping her position and trying to do a man’s job, which is considered improper.
The insult hit like a slap. Faces darkened all around. Rahu ignored them, waving his hand sharply.
“Unshackle Chen Ning. He’s leaving with us.”
Two of his men, along with Xie YongQiang, moved forward to comply—when a thunderous voice cut through the air:
“So now any stray mutt thinks he can strut around my base?”
Everyone turned.
Through the doorway strode a stout, broad-shouldered middle-aged man in an officer’s uniform, presence heavy as a mountain.
Liu ZuoWu, Shi LiLi, and every soldier in the room straightened at once—because this man was none other than Liu LuanLin, Commander of the Verocious Wolf Legion.
Rahu’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected the Legion Commander himself to appear. A Colonel—three ranks above him. Getting Chen Ning out was about to become… complicated.
Shi LiLi’s face brightened instantly. She hurried to meet her husband. “Darling, you came just in time! This Rahu—just because he’s from the Black Shark Legion—stormed into our base, bullying everyone.
Even ZuoWu was too afraid to stop him!”
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