Chapter 54
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: 16. Interrogation (2)
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"This is the vice commander of the Face Pursuit Squad, the great hero Jeong Sa-jeong, known as the Iron Mountain Boar."
Gwak Nan-hoe introduced the first man—a fellow in his mid-fifties, of medium height with a sturdy build. His compact muscles resembled smooth stones, and his thick neck was especially striking. It looked like even a full-force slap to the face wouldn't turn his head an inch.
Despite his solid appearance, Vice Commander Jeong Sa-jeong merely glanced sharply at Flying Tiger.
For reference, the Face Pursuit Squad had two vice commanders, both from Lion Hall like Gwak Nan-hoe.
In other words, the squad's top brass consisted of seven people: the commander, two vice commanders, and four protectors. Lion Hall claimed three spots, while the four great families each held one.
"And this is Hochi Wang Baek-gun, who holds the position of protector in our main unit."
"Pleased to meet you. I was in charge of headquarters security last night. That's why I was especially eager for you to wake up, Flying Tiger warrior. How's your body faring?"
"Thanks to you all, I'm alive and receiving good treatment. The physician says I'll be able to move around by tomorrow."
"Ho, even after losing that much blood? Youth really is something, isn't it?"
Unlike Vice Commander Jeong Sa-jeong, Wang Baek-gun greeted Flying Tiger with a gentle smile.
He was known as a mild-mannered old man of slight build. However, the twist was that the moment he gripped his sword, he transformed into a savage, ruthless killer—like a split personality. What kind of master of the martial world would have a sword that didn't drink blood? It was par for the course, but his shift was particularly extreme.
In any case, Wang Baek-gun was one of the top experts in Dance Melody Manor. Based solely on his reputation in the jianghu, he rivaled the number two spot even within the Face Pursuit Squad.
"And this one, you already know well, right?"
Gwak Nan-hoe's final introduction was, naturally, Flying Tiger's direct superior at work. Flying Tiger gave a quick bow, and Jin Ga-yong clicked his tongue with a nod.
"You said you'd rest up and extended your leave, but what the hell have you been doing to end up like this?"
"Tell me about it."
Clap.
Gwak Nan-hoe clapped her hands to signal the end of introductions and dove straight into the main topic.
"Flying Tiger warrior, by the grace of Squad Leader Jin Ga-yong, you stayed at Zhao Family Manor on Ye Mountain to recuperate. Then, ten days ago in the morning, you left with Ma Yeop. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now, from that point until last night, tell us in detail where you went and what you did."
"You want me to recount every single day of where I was and what I did? Not just last night's ambush?"
"Everything, including that. In chronological order."
"Hm."
Flying Tiger scanned the room with a defiant glare before lowering his eyes. It was an unspoken pressure—the gazes fixed on him were far from friendly.
A brief pause later.
Flying Tiger let out a short sigh and shrugged in a gesture of resignation, as if to say, What can I do in this situation?
Of course, these actions were all an act. He figured this level of resistance was the appropriate response at this juncture.
"Fine, whatever. I don't know why you're doing this, but I'll tell you as requested. For the first two days after departure, I was with Senior Ma."
"Hold on—Senior Ma?"
Vice Commander Jeong Sa-jeong interrupted with a question.
"Yes. We fought together in the same squad back then, and he took a liking to me. After the battle, he treated my wounds and gave me all sorts of advice about the jianghu."
"Hmm, so a personal bond formed from that fight. Understood. Continue."
Flying Tiger shrugged and went on. As he spoke, he guessed why they were prying so deeply into his movements.
It had to be because the place where he and Ma Yeop had stayed—High Stone Mountain Manor—had suffered a tragedy at the hands of someone presumed to be a Ghost Face. Naturally, they'd be curious about the whereabouts of the last confirmed witness: him.
"The first day, we camped near the Ye Ryeong Mountains. The second, we crossed them. That night at an inn, we shared a farewell drink, and we parted ways there the next morning. Senior Ma headed toward Sichuan Province, while I went back up into the mountains I'd come down from."
"Why did you go into the mountains, Flying Tiger warrior?"
"I wanted a spot to train for a few days and build up my stamina before returning. Isn't a clear stream and fine mountain terrain the perfect place for that?"
"Then why bother crossing the mountains at all?"
"I didn't want to send Senior Ma off just like that. Besides, mountain trekking is great exercise—nothing wasted there."
Gwak Nan-hoe continued her relentless questioning.
"How many days did you train?"
...
"Can you pinpoint the location?"
...
"Wandering the mountains makes it hard to describe? Then, do you remember the route back to Chang'an City and the places you stayed?"
...
"Understood. Did Ma Yeop mention his destination before you parted? Anything else he said?"
...
Flying Tiger answered diligently as per his prepared script. He even pretended to rack his brain at times, putting effort into making it look natural.
He had kept his movements hidden for the five days starting from the fight with the Orthodox Alliance cleaners, claiming he'd trained in the mountains during that period. Even if they investigated, there'd be no inconsistencies.
Confident in that, Flying Tiger subtly glanced around. Everyone was deep in thought.
Everyone except Jin Ga-yong, that is.
Was it his imagination?
Jin Ga-yong's face was expressionless, but something felt off—like a chill. If he had to compare, it was like bluffing with garbage cards at the gambling table, only for your opponent to see right through you.
A shiver ran down Flying Tiger's spine.
What is it? Was there a hole in my answer just now? Or if not, why is Squad Leader Jin so convinced I'm lying? When could that even happen... No, more importantly, is my gut feeling right?
At that moment, Gwak Nan-hoe spoke up.
"Understood. Now, finally, we come to last night—the masked intruders in the Red Lantern Monastery's grounds. What happened to you yesterday, Flying Tiger warrior?"
"One moment."
"...?"
Flying Tiger cut her off, his gaze passing over her to Jeong Sa-jeong, Wang Baek-gun, and finally settling on Jin Ga-yong.
Then, in a heavy voice, he asked,
"Senior Ma... did you kill him?"
"...!"
Flying Tiger had bluntly thrown out, "Did you kill him?"—turning the tables on his interrogators mid-questioning.
Reactions exploded across their faces.
Embarrassment, displeasure, incredulity, and more.
There were no dramatic outbursts, but Flying Tiger got what he wanted. From their surprised expressions, he distinguished those who already knew one 'fact' from those who didn't.
The first flicker on Jin Ga-yong's face was a questioning Huh? Why would you think we killed him?
The others, meanwhile, wore looks of What? That bastard knew Ma Yeop was dead? They found it absurd because Flying Tiger shouldn't have known about Ma Yeop's death. Hadn't he just calmly said they parted ways and he hadn't seen him since? So unlike Jin Ga-yong, they zeroed in on that point first.
The difference arose because "killed" and "died" sounded similar.
Whoosh.
Flying Tiger eyed Jin Ga-yong and asked with his gaze,
So you knew from the start I was lying. Isn't that right, Jin. Ga. Yong. Squad Leader?
Jin Ga-yong's face flushed slightly. He'd realized his slip too late.
Thump thump.
Flying Tiger covered his mouth with his hand, feigning a cough as he bowed his head, but his face was stiff and his eyes blazed.
How did he know? Brother Ma's the tight-lipped type—he wouldn't have shared his destination. But he did tell me he'd sent a messenger hawk from Zhao Family Manor ahead to High Stone Mountain Manor's gatekeeper. So if someone peeked at that hawk just before dispatch, they could've learned our plans.
That meant Jin Ga-yong had either sent someone there or gone himself.
In other words, on the day of the tragedy at High Stone Mountain Manor, Jin Ga-yong or his proxy had been present.
Why?
To kill someone, perhaps?
And succeeded?
As Flying Tiger's thoughts reached that point, Gwak Nan-hoe fixed him with a cold stare and demanded,
"Ma Yeop is dead? You knew that? And who killed whom?"
Flying Tiger calmed his racing heart and snapped his head up, his expression now completely different. Since he was the one under interrogation, he planned to let this slide for now.
"It's true, then!"
"Huh?"
"Those masked bastards who attacked me indiscriminately—they went after Senior Ma too?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Why else would Commander and everyone be grilling us about our movements in such a heavy atmosphere? I've been wondering myself what those masked attackers who came out of nowhere wanted with me. Now I think I have a rough idea."
"A rough idea?"
"Yes. Some group with a grudge against the Face Pursuit Squad must've launched a major counterattack. We've killed so many of them lately—they must be furious."
"Ah."
Gwak Nan-hoe deflated a bit as Flying Tiger ranted to his own conclusion. It sounded plausible, but he was off base.
If it was revenge against the squad, it'd make sense to hit Ma Yeop alone. But he'd been caught up in High Stone Mountain Manor's disaster. Moreover, they'd tentatively concluded the culprits were the Ghost Faces.
Still, Flying Tiger's misdirection convinced the Face Pursuit Squad's officers—Gwak Nan-hoe included—that he was uninvolved in the manor tragedy.
Everyone except Jin Ga-yong.
At Gwak Nan-hoe's nod, Vice Commander Jeong Sa-jeong cleared his throat and gave Flying Tiger a brief rundown of the High Stone Mountain Manor incident, pointing out his guess was wrong.
Flying Tiger blinked in confusion.
"What? Then why did those guys attack me out of the blue?"
"...".
They'd called him here to ask that, but now the subject was turning it back on them—who would give a straight answer?
After a moment of silence, Flying Tiger tilted his head and casually dropped,
"They were muttering something about Cheo-eo-jin among themselves."
"Cheo-eo-jin?"
"Yeah. So I figured it was some upstart faction thrown together by people opposed to the Face Pursuit Squad's operations. No idea?"
"Who knows."
Gwak Nan-hoe brushed it off vaguely, but Flying Tiger figured most in the room knew of this Cheo-eo-jin organization.
They looked uncomfortable, after all.
The questioning dragged on for about two ke (roughly an hour), but nothing notable happened after that. Perhaps the "Cheo-eo-jin" mention gave them food for thought—they skimmed through the rest rather perfunctorily.
And with that, the interrogation ended.
Whatever the squad's officers thought, Flying Tiger was plenty satisfied. He'd made introductions between the powers surrounding him, touted his own usefulness to each, and extracted some solid info in the process.
Now it was time to hit the ground running and investigate one piece at a time.