Big Pot! Don't move it around blindly!

As Tian Maocai gave his account earlier, Wang Chen had already noticed Sheng Qingru’s body trembling slightly. The young woman had not kept the miserable ordeal she suffered from him; although she spoke little of it, the dark red, freshly healed scars on her body and the medical devices she had to wear internally to prevent raw wounds from adhering, which were visible when they were intimate, had already told the story.

Therefore, Wang Chen had placed Tian Maocai’s life and death in Sheng Qingru’s hands. Whether it was to vent her deep-seated resentment or to test how much her past trauma still affected her, the man’s life was worthless, and his fate was of no consequence.

As for human rights, could one eat human rights? In these chaotic times, human life was cheap, and if this served as a form of psychological therapy for Sheng Qingru, then so be it.

Leaving Sheng Qingru with the trussed-up Tian Maocai inside the room, the others stood outside catching the breeze. Someone pulled out a pack of cigarettes and passed them around. Wang Chen took a few puffs, his mind forming several lines of thought, before he pressed his headset and whispered, "Did you all hear that?"

He was speaking to Ren Wanrong, Shen Dongyun, and the others who had been on duty and unable to attend the interrogation. After receiving affirmative responses, Ren Wanrong spoke first: "This is a serious matter. We have to let everyone know. We won't be able to keep it hidden, and the previous attack could be seen as either a probe or a show of force. The civilians are still whispering about those wrecked cars."

"Indeed. We are in the light, and they are in the dark. Making this public will certainly cause unrest, but if handled correctly, it can also consolidate support. Taking a step back, it is still better than being caught off guard by a surprise attack from this 'Boss Tian'." Fang Qiang added, building on Ren Wanrong’s point.

Wang Chen nodded noncommittally, automatically tuning out the faint screams emanating from the house. "Any suggestions for a solution?"

"I recall that Team Zero-Eight has the authority to request surface-to-ground strikes, right?" Ren Wanrong replied concisely.

The group fell silent. In truth, this was a solution everyone in the know had considered. Its advantage was that once Boss Tian’s location was confirmed, a single missile would settle everything once and for all. Given how cautious the man was—sending his underlings to drive out civilians to scavenge for supplies while he remained hunkered down in his lair—collateral damage would be minimized, likely costing perhaps a hundred lives. The second advantage was that a snake cannot function without a head; once such a massive explosion occurred, his subordinates would never be able to hold together again. They could then be mopped up individually or left to scatter, posing no further threat to the Peninsula Base. The third advantage was that it would demonstrate the government’s power, letting every civilian who saw or heard the blast know that the state’s deterrent capability still existed. This would effectively intimidate any civilians or criminals harboring ill intentions and reduce violence among the populace. The most important benefit was that the Peninsula Base would not have to spend a single bullet or lose a single life, facing zero risk while watching the storm pass.

The only cost was those hundred or so lives.

To use a cliché, two tiny figures were arguing incessantly in Wang Chen’s mind. A little devil on one shoulder whispered that a hundred lives were nothing—people were dying every second in this day and age. Besides, those staying near Boss Tian, aside from his inner circle, were likely just civilians acting as his puppets and women being brutalized. The sooner the government’s deterrent was displayed, the fewer people would die in the long run. Moreover, the first two groups were not worth saving, and for those women, death might even be a form of release; perhaps they would even thank Wang Chen for making a choice they were too afraid to make themselves. The little angel on the other side started to chime in, "Yeah, yeah..."

Yeah, yeah, my foot!

Wang Chen looked down at his own hands, lost in thought. If he became so accustomed to hacking at zombies that he began to treat killing humans as casually as drinking water, what would he eventually become? Could he even be considered human? Yet, was it worth risking the lives of those around him for the sake of a group of strangers, especially when a simple solution was already available?

The sound of the door opening startled Wang Chen. He instinctively looked back to see Sheng Qingru humming a light tune, walking out of the room looking refreshed. Behind her followed a tear-streaked and snot-nosed Tian Maocai. Clearly, Sheng Qingru had not taken his life, but had taught him a profound lesson. Walking to Wang Chen’s side, she reverted to her submissive, bird-like demeanor. A mischievous smile appeared on her sharp-featured face. "Do you know what to do from now on?"

Tian Maocai was trembling all over as he nodded. "I know."

"Know what? Say it again."

"Follow the government's arrangements, behave properly, obey the team's commands, and do my job well."

"If you feel resentful because you were tortured by a woman, I don't care. You can come find me for revenge anytime."

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"

"Hmph, that remains to be seen. If anyone asks when you go back, do you know what to say?"

"I hurt my toe helping out this morning, and I'm grateful to Dr. Sheng for bandaging it."

"Good. Go back now. Wait for instructions, and do whatever you are told."

"Yes! I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Watching Tian Maocai limp away with a wooden stick as a crutch, even Fang Qiang, a veteran of the streets, was stunned. They were experts at handling people like Tian Maocai, but to make him so submissive—tame as a dog—in such a short time was something he admitted he couldn't do. After stuttering for a moment, Fang Qiang finally couldn't help but ask the question Wang Chen had been dying to know.

"Qingru, what exactly did you do before all this?"

"I suppose you could call it a veterinarian. Didn't I say I helped out at a pet hospital?"

"But... the state Tian Maocai was in..."

"To be precise, I was in the internship stage of my veterinary degree, but anatomy is a basic discipline, so I have some knowledge of human nerve plexuses. Inducing some harmless but excruciating pain is quite easy."

"Nerve plexuses? Excruciating pain?" Fang Qiang signaled that he was completely out of his depth.

"It's too complicated to explain. In short, stimulating nerve plexuses can cause a person to lose control of their bowels. I just tested it on Tian Maocai, and it was quite effective. He nearly soiled his pants. Fortunately, I stopped in time, or he might have truly had a breakdown."

Well, this woman was as sweet as a flower but as ruthless as a viper. Silently mourning for Wang Chen’s future for three seconds, Fang Qiang decided not to pursue the matter further. As it happened, Wang Chen had also reached a decision. "Everyone, work hard over the next few days. Tighten the base’s defenses. We must at least ensure we are in an impregnable position before we deal with Boss Tian."

He paused, then pressed his headset to say in detail on the channel: "Xiao Hua, report the situation to the superiors. Request satellite remote sensing of areas with high heat concentrations around the base. Hurry up and calculate the precise coordinates of the Peninsula Base’s entrances, the power station, and the surrounding traffic arteries. Also, clarify the response time and coverage area of the surface-to-ground missiles..."