Xu Lian was forcibly restrained with binding straps.
Song Jinze did it himself.
He said nothing the entire time, ignoring all her struggles and screams.
Then he carried Xu Lian to the Interrogation Room.
A harsh light shone down, illuminating her pale face. In the room, there was a black table with a vial of serum placed on it.
His breath was cold as he approached her with disinfectant, first slowly wiping her arm with a cotton ball.
“Stop, stop!” Xu Lian struggled violently. “You can’t use the truth serum on me!”
Song Jinze ignored her entirely and continued.
Smelling the sharp disinfectant, she clenched her teeth, trembling all over. “Song… Song Jinze, stop!! You really… you can’t inject me with this! I… I will die!”
“Die?” His eyes didn’t blink. “Whether you die or not has nothing to do with me.”
Xu Lian tilted her head back and swung violently to avoid the needle. “No, no, no, Song Jinze! I beg you! Please! Move it away! Move it away!”
Song Jinze showed no intention of stopping, pushing the syringe slowly forward; the needle tip glinted with liquid.
In her mind, Xu Lian had already mentally ripped him apart, but the situation was urgent—she had to refuse this injection.
If Song Jinze successfully used the truth serum, she was done: her identity would be exposed, the codes on her bracelet would be compromised, and even Lin Zhaocai could be exposed.
Knowing Song Jinze’s methods, he would stop at nothing.
Tears of panic welled in her eyes. She struggled to keep her reason, her nose stinging as she explained:
“Commander Song, I’m allergic to enhancers! Really, allergic—Type I, very severe! Just a little could cause anaphylactic shock! I’m still running a fever! If you use this on me, I… I will die! I… I beg you, ahhh—”
Without hesitation, Song Jinze pushed the serum into her body.
The moment she felt the prick and sting of the needle, Xu Lian completely broke down.
Her eyes red with despair, she slammed her head down and bit Song Jinze’s arm.
She bit with all her strength, as if trying to tear the flesh from his body.
Song Jinze tensed instantly, pain shooting through his nerves, forcibly straightening her shoulders with immense strength. “Mad dog! Let go!”
Tears streamed down Xu Lian’s face, her facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
But Song Jinze’s thick uniform and the slippery fabric prevented her from maintaining her bite—she was pulled away.
Her funeral bell had been rung; she raged hysterically in the seat:
“You #%＊￥＆＊＃＆ Song Jinze, you bastard! You’re untrustworthy, just wait to die!! Those files and private photos? Forget protecting them—tonight, the whole galaxy will see your Commander Song glory!! You filthy rat, you won’t die a good death!! #%＆＊＆! Idiot! Scoundrel! Go to hell, #%＊＆￥# you will never live peacefully, you’re a killer, I… even as a ghost I won’t let you go!”
Song Jinze’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. Slowly, he drew a gun from his waist and fired at the floor near her feet amid her rage.
The deafening blast echoed, and he spoke coldly: “Quiet.”
Xu Lian paused for a moment, then cursed even louder.
Song Jinze watched her calmly, saying nothing.
Xu Lian went from furious to exhausted, gasping, finally collapsing into uncontrollable sobs:
“I just wanted to see you operate the starship and fire a shot! I… I’ve never even been in a cockpit… You misinterpreted it yourself, why can you blame me… I don’t understand cockpit operations… What could I have done… hic…”
Song Jinze: “…”
He listened to her words, silent for a long while, lowering his gaze as if lost in thought.
After some time, he asked: “When did I ever blame you?”
Xu Lian’s tear-streaked face froze. “How can you even say something like that…”
Song Jinze stared at her expressionlessly. “Weren’t you the one provoking me all along?”
Xu Lian, feeling like she was at death’s door, suddenly felt fearless: “Because you’re a jerk, you deserved it.”
“…”
Song Jinze was silent for a moment, then finally spoke: “I didn’t inject you with the truth serum. That was just a fever-reducing shot, with no ingredients that could cause an allergic reaction.”
“Ah…?”
Xu Lian’s mind went blank, her CPU almost overheating.
Song Jinze walked to one side of the Interrogation Room, retrieved a box from a drawer, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward her: “This is the truth serum.”
“…”
Xu Lian’s mouth twitched. “Are you insane…?”
Song Jinze didn’t deny it. He grabbed a few pieces of tissue, wiped the saliva she had left on his clothes, then returned to her, holding the back of her head with one hand, wiping the tears and snot from her face with a look of disdain.
The motion was crude and simple, and Xu Lian even gagged on several pieces of tissue.
“Peh, peh, peh, peh—!” She spat and tapped the tissues with her mouth.
Song Jinze’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He disinfected his hands and returned to his seat, composed. “Let’s talk, Miss.”
Xu Lian, still stunned, asked blankly: “Wait, if it was just a fever-reducing shot, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Song Jinze smiled, teasing and mocking. “To watch you break down. Will you still laugh at me next time?”
Xu Lian suppressed the urge to strangle him and caught a key word: “Next time? You mean you want a next time?”
He stiffened slightly.
Xu Lian grew bold again: “Oh? You don’t want to kill me anymore? Could it be… you actually enjoyed it just now? Or didn’t want me to die?”
Song Jinze laughed in anger. “Miss, how have you survived this long? Speaking rudely, weak, with no self-awareness… an F-class without even awakened mental power… it’s impressive you’ve lasted this long.”
Xu Lian’s expression shifted. She stared at him like a defeated dog, fierce and jealous, voice cold: “F-class, so what?”
Song Jinze remained unmoved. “Instead of dwelling on an unchangeable fact, why don’t we talk about what happened these past few days?”
An unchangeable fact… Xu Lian snorted.
She didn’t want to argue with someone so arrogantly superior. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”
Song Jinze ordered his subordinate: “Equip her with the lie detector.”
Xu Lian’s eyes went dark. She couldn’t resist replying with his own words:
“Song Jinze, how have you survived until now? Ruthless, despicable, without a shred of remorse—filthy, rotten inside. You deserve to be condemned by everyone. Sooner or later, you’ll pay!”
Song Jinze remained calm, unaffected by her verbal barrage. “Finished?”
Xu Lian continued her tirade as the lie detector was forcibly fitted: “You #%＊％￥＃＊＆＃…”
Song Jinze raised an eyebrow, feeling that her style of cursing sounded oddly familiar… like…
That woman with the surname Pei.
He was speechless, but just as he was about to comment, suddenly—
He noticed a faint, eerie red glow reflected on the metallic wall behind Xu Lian’s neck.
He stood up abruptly, strode behind her, and lifted her hair…
Her locator showed an explosive countdown.
—Only 9 minutes and 6 seconds remaining.
Song Jinze’s heart skipped a beat.