Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Whole Truth Revealed (Part Two)

"What?" In his astonishment, Zhao Li could only utter this single word to express his denial. Yet, before the old warden, his voice seemed utterly powerless.

Before Zhao Li could mask the tremor in his tone, the old warden sprang forward. One moment he was reclining in his chair, and the next, he appeared before Zhao Li with the swiftness of an eagle. The transition from stillness to action was so fluid and natural that not a trace of abruptness could be discerned.

Zhao Li had no time to react. The old warden's large hand seized his arm, and in the next instant, a surge of vital energy shot through Zhao Li's arm, forcing its way into his body.

This surge of energy was domineering, rushing along Zhao Li’s meridians straight to the Governor Vessel. Zhao Li tried to muster a counterattack, but the combat energy he could summon vanished the instant it encountered this power, dissolving without a trace. In no time, the energy had reached his core.

With his arm caught, Zhao Li found himself utterly powerless, as if his body had been commandeered by another will, leaving him paralyzed. He could only watch helplessly as the old warden gripped his arm and wild energy rampaged into his body, unable to resist in the slightest.

Fortunately, the warden had no intention of harming him. The energy merely brushed Zhao Li’s core, then withdrew without lingering. As it left his meridians, not a single trace remained within him. The warden’s control over his energy was exquisite—far superior to Christine’s, beyond comparison.

“There’s a dense cluster of energy in your core. That must be something left to you by a student from that elite academy, am I right?” The old warden had already returned to his reclining chair, leisurely savoring his wine, leaving no hint of the swift move he had just made.

“I knew it. Someone your age couldn’t possibly remain so composed—knowing you’ve been sent here under the guise of detention, yet acting as though nothing is amiss.” The old warden seemed to see right through him, analyzing seriously, “So it was all for the secrets within your body.”

Hearing this, Zhao Li felt his greatest worry melt away. It seemed the old man had misunderstood, but this misunderstanding was music to Zhao Li’s ears. With this as a cover, the reason for hiding his secret was now justified, and no longer tied to his cultivation.

Noticing Zhao Li’s visible sigh of relief, the old warden instinctively took it as a sign that the secret had been exposed, and he need not hide it anymore—hence, the look of release. It was only natural; after all, a young man fresh from high school, military training or not, could hardly be expected to conceal his emotions perfectly. The old warden felt pleased with his own deductions, unaware that Zhao Li was even more delighted.

“The military’s assessment only puts your combat technique at level four, yet you managed to defeat two level six opponents, along with several level fives and fours working together. That must be why, correct?” The old warden, convinced of his theory, began to elaborate further.

What could Zhao Li say? He could only nod. “Yes, sir!” Since the warden preferred this explanation, Zhao Li saw no harm in playing along.

“You haven’t completely absorbed it yet?” The question was more a display of concern from a superior to his soldier. In truth, there was no need to ask—the old warden had already sensed the condensed energy in Zhao Li’s core. The question was merely to reinforce his certainty.

Seeing Zhao Li nod, the warden moved on. “Now, what do you think about being assigned to this godforsaken place? Speak honestly!” He added a subtle warning, as if expecting Zhao Li to lie.

“Nothing, sir!” Zhao Li replied with the crisp emphasis of a soldier, straightening his back. No matter the officer, such a display of respect was always effective.

“Alright, don’t worry—I won’t do anything to you here. Since you’ve come under my command, you are my soldier, and I won’t let my own men suffer.” The warden, perhaps sensing Zhao Li’s continued reserve, offered reassurance.

“Truly nothing, sir!” Zhao Li answered aloud, though inwardly he was unsettled. Did he truly have no feelings about this? Was Christine behind all this? No, it was unlikely to be her. More likely, it was someone from the elite academy, afraid their graduate might make a critical mistake, so they chose this method to cover it up.

By conventional standards, short of silencing him, this was the best solution. Here, he would serve at least six years without leave. In that time, even if Zhao Li realized something or wished to speak out, he’d have no opportunity. And after six years, once the academy’s experiment had concluded and yielded results, who would remember what had happened to Zhao Li?

Strangely, Zhao Li didn’t feel as angry as he thought he should. In fact, he felt a sense of relief. Why was that?

“If you have no further thoughts, then serve your term in the prison diligently,” the old warden said. From beginning to end, he never gave his own name, yet to Zhao Li, that seemed entirely natural.

“Yes, sir!” Zhao Li saluted and prepared to leave. Heaven knew that, upon arrival, he’d been interrogated, his “great secret” exposed, and he didn’t even know where he was supposed to stay—he’d have to ask someone below.

“Listen, boy, this place is dangerous. If you don’t want to be killed by a prisoner while managing them, you’d better change that complacent attitude of yours!” The warden offered this final admonition, waving Zhao Li away to enjoy his meal alone on the rooftop, as if nothing at all had happened.

As Zhao Li’s figure disappeared behind the metal door, the old warden’s lips curled into a suggestive smile. “Interesting. To be so composed at such a young age… I wonder what he’d be like if he had ambition, if that ambition were truly ignited. Heh!”

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