Zhou Huai took a deep breath, forcibly calming the churning emotions within him.

He had thought the Pendulum of Life would be taken away.

He had thought Principal Lin might be severely injured.

But he had never expected that she would actually die on the return journey.

That was one of Great Xia Nation's top SS-Rank Professionals.

How could she be killed so easily?

In Zhou Huai's mind, the image of that always stern old woman watering flowers in front of her villa involuntarily surfaced.

In the memories shared by Gandalf, Lin Zhu's figure was always so lonely.

No friends, and no family.

Her biggest hobby was chatting with the flowers and plants she cared for with her own hands.

Even though those flowers and plants never responded, she never grew tired of it.

Later, he heard General Zhang Donglai say that although Principal Lin was an SS-Rank Professional, she hated combat and slaughter the most.

She looked harsh, and spoke bluntly without leaving any face.

But deep down, she was a very kind and gentle person.

At this moment, the Old General sitting opposite Gandalf was Hou Changfeng's old mentor, Chen Huaishu.

His eyes were filled with incomprehension and scrutiny.

Clearly, Gandalf had also been on the airship at that time, so why was he so shocked by Lin Zhu's death?

Looking at his expression, it didn't seem fake.

What on earth was going on here?

Before he could ask, Gandalf, controlled by Zhou Huai, asked first: "What about the others on the airship?"

"Are Zhang Cheng, Li Hao, and the others... still alive?"

Chen Huaishu took a deep breath, his voice as heavy as iron.

"Gone."

"On the entire military airship, including combat and logistics personnel, there were a total of forty-three people!"

"Everyone perished!"

"Except for you, Gandalf!"

Every word from the Old General was like a thousand-pound iron hammer, heavily smashing onto Zhou Huai's heart.

Everyone perished!

Not a single living soul was left!

Everyone on this airship was a top prodigy carefully nurtured by Great Xia Nation in recent years.

As a result, they all died.

It seemed that the other party's goal wasn't just as simple as snatching the Pendulum of Life.

They likely aimed to shake the Foundation of Great Xia Nation from the very beginning.

Zhou Huai let out a long sigh in his heart.

If.

If Gandalf had still been on the airship back then, would the outcome have been different?

However, Donghai City was about to fall into a crisis at that time.

He had no choice.

Moreover, judging by the combat power of the opponent who could completely annihilate a ship of top powerhouses, even if Gandalf were present, he probably would have only met the fate of being killed on the spot.

"Now, can you talk?"

Looking at Gandalf, whose emotions had gradually calmed down, Chen Huaishu spoke again, breaking the dead silence in the interrogation room.

"We don't want to suspect you either. But you are the captain of this ruins exploration team, and when we last made contact with the people on the airship, you were clearly on it."

"Then why, why did everyone on the airship meet with disaster, yet only you survived safe and sound?"

"And why did you suddenly appear in Donghai City?"

"Gandalf... I need you to give me an explanation!"

Zhou Huai's expression sank, and he fell into silence.

How could this be explained?

This was simply unexplainable.

He couldn't possibly tell the truth.

That would completely expose the secret of his true body.

The military could not be completely trusted.

Watching Gandalf remain silent for a long time.

A thick look of disappointment appeared on Chen Huaishu's face.

"Gandalf, things have come to this, and you still refuse to speak?"

"Since you are unwilling to speak, then we can only... force you to speak."

Chen Huaishu gently clapped his hands.

The heavy alloy door of the interrogation room opened silently, and a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses walked in.

He wore a smile, possessed an elegant temperament, and looked like a scholar rather than a soldier.

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf to look at him with vigilant eyes.

"What do you want to do?"

Chen Huaishu leaned back in his chair, his voice cold: "Let me introduce you, this is Wei He, our military's specially hired S-Class Professional, 【Mind Arbiter】. He is specifically responsible for the military's interrogation work."

"Twenty years in the industry, never a single mistake. Any lies and secrets have nowhere to hide in front of him."

"He can hypnotize your soul, making you proactively tell every single secret hidden deep in your heart."

That middle-aged man named Wei He pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, a highly professional smile appearing on his face.

He walked behind Gandalf, and his hands unexpectedly rested gently on his shoulders, massaging them with moderate pressure.

"Don't be nervous, relax."

His voice carried a strange comforting power, making people involuntarily want to lower their guard.

"It's just a very routine psychological counseling, and it won't cause any harm to your body and spirit."

Hearing this, Zhou Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Twenty years in the industry, never a single mistake?

Then I'm truly sorry.

Today, he can only be allowed to make a mistake once.

The thought fell.

Zhou Huai unhesitatingly withdrew his consciousness from Gandalf's body.

Gandalf's Intellect Core AI took over.

The exact moment Zhou Huai's consciousness exited, Wei He's movements stopped.

The corners of his mouth curled into a confident arc, and his right hand snapped gently in the air.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound echoed in the silent interrogation room.

The next second, Gandalf, who was originally sitting upright, suddenly slumped, his head hanging powerlessly, and his eyes tightly closed.

Wei He pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, guiding in a gentle voice: "Now, raise your head and open your eyes."

Hearing this, the drooping-headed Gandalf stiffly and slowly raised his head.

He opened his eyes.

Those eyes that were originally as deep as the starry sky had now become hollow and dim, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

Wei He made an "OK" gesture toward Chen Huaishu.

"Old General Chen, you can ask your questions."

Chen Huaishu cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at Gandalf's handsome yet dull face.

He asked in a deep voice: "Gandalf, we investigated your information in Donghai City, and everything is fake. Before participating in the National Examination, it was as if a person like you never existed at all."

"Where on earth do you come from? Which organization do you work for?"

"In this Kaslandis Ruins incident, what on earth did you do?"

A series of sharp questions were fired off like a string of cannonballs.

The entire interrogation room suddenly fell into a brief dead silence.

Both Chen Huaishu and Wei He held their breath, waiting for the answer that was about to be revealed.

After a long while.

Everyone heard Gandalf's hollow voice slowly ring out.

"Let me go, you stupid human!"

Chen Huaishu: "..."

Wei He: "..."