"What is going on?"

Chen Huaishu's old face was full of suspicion.

This was obviously not the answer he wanted.

He looked at Wei He.

Wei He smiled awkwardly.

He made a gesture to Chen Huaishu: "This might just be a small mistake, please let me try again."

As a result, after trying three or four times in a row, it still had no effect at all.

In Gandalf's mouth, he just kept repeating that meaningless line: "Let me go, you foolish human."

This made this S-rank 【Mind Inquisitor】 start to doubt his life.

Why?

Why did his tried-and-true, never-failing skill not work at all on this young man?

Wei He clenched his teeth and made a promise to Chen Huaishu again.

Try again.

This time, he would definitely succeed!

However, before he could take any action,

on that cold interrogation chair, Gandalf, who had kept his eyes tightly closed all along, spoke first.

"Don't waste your effort, this move is ineffective against me."

The voice was calm and clear.

It was like a completely different person compared to the sluggish puppet-like appearance from before.

Wei He's movements instantly froze in place, and the expression on his face was extremely colorful.

Chen Huaishu was also stunned, and then his falcon-like eyes suddenly became sharp, locking onto Gandalf tightly.

Looking at Chen Huaishu, whose expression was gradually turning ugly,

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, paused and continued: "I want to see Marshal Zhao."

"Without seeing him, I won't say a single word."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, resumed his posture of silence being golden, and said nothing.

Just moments ago, Zhou Huai had already thought things through.

The military department needed an explanation, and he indeed ought to give one.

But this explanation could only be known by Zhao Qingcang, Marshal Zhao alone.

His time was running out.

The rate at which his soul power was draining was accelerating, and he didn't know how much longer he could stay conscious.

He had to resolve the trouble before him as soon as possible.

Then find out who stole the Pendulum of Life.

And take revenge for all the exploration team members who sacrificed themselves on that airship!

Chen Huaishu looked at the impervious Gandalf before him, feeling somewhat helpless.

He never expected that this young man would be so special.

Even the military's ever-victorious interrogation method was actually ineffective against him.

But currently, it was only at the stage of suspicion regarding Gandalf.

Furthermore, the other party had just single-handedly saved millions of residents in Dongning Province, achieving monumental contributions.

Both reasonably and emotionally, he felt a touch of compassion.

He didn't want to really resort to ruthless methods against the young man in front of him.

Chen Huaishu pondered repeatedly in his heart, and then slowly stood up from his seat.

"Since that's the case, I will convey your meaning to Marshal Zhao."

He took a deep look at Gandalf, his tone complex.

"I hope that by then, your answer won't disappoint Marshal Zhao too much."

After saying that, he turned around and led the disheartened Wei He out of the interrogation room.

As a result, this wait lasted another full two days.

When the heavy alloy door opened again, Chen Huaishu's figure appeared at the door of Gandalf's cell.

His tone showed neither joy nor anger, and he just calmly stated,

"Let's go, Marshal Zhao has agreed to see you."

Soon, two guards, one on the left and one on the right, led Gandalf away from this cold cell.

To Zhou Huai's surprise,

the location of this meeting was no longer the oppressive prison of the military, but Marshal Zhao's office.

Pushing open that heavy solid wood door of the office,

Chen Huaishu brought Gandalf in.

"Marshal, Gandalf has been brought."

Zhou Huai raised his eyes and looked at the old man sitting behind the desk, lowering his head to review documents.

He couldn't help but be stunned.

This Old Marshal, who was always spirited and naturally majestic in the past, now seemed to have aged ten years out of thin air.

There were even more white hairs at his temples.

In his eyes, which were once as profound as the stars, there was also a lingering fatigue and sorrow that could not be dispelled.

Hearing the sound, Zhao Qingcang slowly raised his head.

His gaze fell on Gandalf, calm and waveless, showing not much emotional fluctuation.

He casually pointed to the sofa on the side.

"Sit."

The voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of weariness.

"I heard you have something to say to me."

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, calmly looked at Chen Huaishu aside and did not sit down immediately.

"I want to talk to the Marshal alone."

Hearing this, Chen Huaishu cast his gaze toward Zhao Qingcang.

Marshal Zhao nodded silently.

Only then did he take slow steps out of the office and thoughtfully closed the door.

Inside the office, silence was restored once again.

Zhao Qingcang slumped onto the sofa, no longer looking at the mountain of documents on the table.

His tiger-like eyes stared fixedly at Gandalf, a gaze as if he wanted to thoroughly see through his soul.

"Tell me, what on earth is going on?"

Zhou Huai nodded,

and sat down on the opposite sofa as well.

He pondered for a moment, as if organizing his words, before slowly opening his mouth:

"At the time the exploration team had the accident, I was no longer on the airship."

"So what happened afterwards, I truly know nothing about it."

Zhao Qingcang was expressionless.

To Zhou Huai's words, he neither affirmed nor refuted them.

He just looked at him quietly with those profound eyes and said calmly: "Go on."

Zhou Huai took a deep breath, as if having made up his mind, and spoke again.

"When I say it out, you might not quite believe it."

He paused and said word by word, extremely clearly:

"The Gandalf you see before you is actually not an True Person."

"Instead, it is just a Avatar of mine."

"A Avatar?"

Zhao Qingcang finally reacted.

His two thick eyebrows raised slightly.

In his eyes looking at Gandalf, there was finally a trace of puzzlement: "What does this mean?"

Zhou Huai organized his words.

He knew that what he was about to say next would completely subvert this Old Marshal's cognition.

"To put it simply and clearly, I possess the ability to create S-rank Avatars."

"Gandalf is just one of the many Avatars I created."

"At that time on the way back, the Donghai City beast tide broke out. I had no other choice but to let that Gandalf Avatar on the airship disintegrate on the spot. Then in Donghai City, I recreated a Gandalf and let him go support Donghai City."

"This is why Gandalf suddenly appeared in Donghai City."

Exposing a part of his biggest secret to Marshal Zhao.

This was the best way out Zhou Huai thought of after deep consideration.

He had no way out now.

Only by gaining Marshal Zhao's trust could all the problems before him be readily solved.

He still needed to rely on the incomparably massive intelligence network of the Great Xia Military Department.

To find the true location of the Pendulum of Life.

However, what Zhou Huai never expected was that,

after hearing these remarks of his that were enough to shock the entire world, Zhao Qingcang's face did not reveal a shred of the surprise and shock he had anticipated.

The old man just listened quietly, the expression on his face as calm as an ancient well without ripples.

Until Zhou Huai finished speaking, he slowly nodded, and a trace of understanding flashed through his profound eyes.

"As expected..."

"This is about what I expected."