Dong—dong—

The Puppet Ghost, under the escort of Passerby A, slowly walked toward the dark door. As they descended further and further, the sight was essentially void of any visible object, with only the sound of footsteps echoing in the narrow stairway.

Unexpectedly, beneath this inconspicuous dark door, there hid such an unfathomably deep space.

This unfamiliar sensation gave it a sense of déjà vu.

"Hiss... It seems quite similar to that cave at Bogda Peak; the space here must have been artificially altered," the Puppet Ghost pondered.

The distance it had walked downward had far exceeded the normal depth of an underground structure.

"Stop, stand still."

Suddenly, Passerby A's voice commanded from behind, stopping the Puppet Ghost in its tracks.

It couldn't help but glance downward; the depth of the stairs was still indiscernible and might extend a few hundred meters more.

But Passerby A took a step forward, lightly placed a hand on the adjacent wall, and then pressed inward with force.

Ka-chi—

A sound like some kind of pneumatic device being activated echoed, as the seemingly unremarkable wall split open into a two-meter-wide gap.

What they saw beyond was a flat passage.

"No wonder the authorities couldn't find the hideout of the 'Promised Land'. Now it all makes sense... Not only has the space structure been artificially altered, but the real entrance to the hiding place is set halfway down the stairs. How overly cautious is that!"

Despite the envious thought, the Puppet Ghost obediently disguised itself as Luo Fei, posing as a hostage, and walked inside.

After all, it had to wait for the 'Pioneer' to appear before it could notify Wu Liang to switch places.

Otherwise, merely destroying one 'Promised Land' hiding spot would be meaningless, as long as the 'Pioneer' was still alive, there would be countless such places!

"Back? Hmm? This person is..."

After walking through the passage, two people sitting in chairs chatting greeted Passerby A upon seeing him.

"She is the Black Swan taken by the Zodiac Monkey," Passerby A said indifferently.

As soon as those words were said, the two immediately stood up from their chairs, exclaiming, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, impressive, you guys really managed to bring her back. Where are the rest of the Thorns team?"

Upon hearing this, a look of grief inevitably crossed Passerby A's face as he gritted his teeth, "Only I came back."

"Ah, this..."

The two exchanged glances, noticing a horrified expression in each other's eyes.

They hadn't expected the mission to have been so difficult, especially since the over-ten-member task force had each been equipped with their own powerful survival skills!

The key was that they had applied for nearly a dozen 'Unlimited Transmission Chips'.

Even so, only Passerby A returned alive?

"Open the door, let the Locksmith interrogate her," Passerby A said after taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

The time for grieving was brief but sufficient.

Ever since he recognized the path of the 'Promised Land' and understood the greatness of the human Fierce Ghost transformation era, he had known that the path to this grand revolution was destined to be paved with sacrifice and bloodshed.

It's a road against the world.

But he would persist.

Passerby A firmly believed that humanity would ultimately reach their promised land!

The two guarding the door said nothing after seeing his determination, merely stepped aside to let Passerby A and the Puppet Ghost pass.

Whew—

Finally exiting that dim passage, as a dazzling light shone down, the Puppet Ghost couldn't help squinting and raised its hand slightly to shield the glare.

What lay before them was neither a bunker-like underground hideout nor a facility resembling an air raid shelter to accommodate numerous 'Promised Land' members.

Instead, the place was immaculate, loaded with machines with wires and various transparent tubes inserted everywhere.

Dozens of 'Promised Land' members were busy with their affairs, either seated at the machines operating them or running back and forth delivering documents.

This scene promptly evoked a slightly familiar recollection in the Puppet Ghost.

Wasn't this similar to the secret base the 'Ghost Valley' once built beneath the Chengyang City reservoir!

Furthermore, it seemed not only to provide a hiding refuge for 'Promised Land' members but also to be tasked with researching and manufacturing some Supernatural Objects!

Damn it! I've come to the right place!

The Puppet Ghost couldn't resist grinning widely.

This kind of place, equipped with research facilities, was all the more likely to be a location the 'Pioneer' would visit!

But before it could closely inspect these instruments and members, it was led by Passerby A to a barren interrogation room with only tables, chairs, handcuffs, and leg irons.

After cuffing the Puppet Ghost, Passerby A left and soon returned with a scraggly-bearded fat man.

The fat man gave the Puppet Ghost's youthful face a disdainful look and ominously said, "Rest assured, brother, there's a reason they call me the Locksmith."

"Because there's no lock I can't open, no mouth I can't pry open..."

With those words, he pulled out a box roughly the size of a regular briefcase from behind him.

When placed on the table, it produced a deep, heavy thud, implying the extraordinary weight of its contents.

Yet despite this, the Puppet Ghost showed no sign of fear but leaned forward, curiosity brimming in its eyes, eager to see what was inside the box.

Seeing this behavior, the Locksmith chuckled, "This girl really is dim-witted, getting curious about instruments of torture. Don't worry. Soon enough you'll regret it!"

With that, he turned to Passerby A and said:

"Brother, you say she's so addled she can't autonomously respond regarding her Awakened Ability?"

"Watch closely. Next, I'll first break her will, and while her mind's unsettled, I'll use Meng Die to directly scan her brain's memories. There's no longer a need for her to answer. We'll get the answers instantly!"

Hearing the Locksmith's words, Passerby A nodded with satisfaction.

He was assured of this, as in every previous mission, whenever intelligence needed extraction from a captive, it was always the Locksmith at work.

No one's lasted half a day in his hands until now!

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'm going to rest a bit and await your good news!"

After expressing his thanks, Passerby A turned and left the room.

With only the Locksmith and Puppet Ghost in the interrogation room, the Locksmith plucked a feather-like object from the box and spoke: "Little girl, this is 'Itch Torture', which will make every part of your body unbearably itchy, as if eaten by thousands of ants. Let's use this as the start of our interrogation..."

"Wait a minute!" The Puppet Ghost shouted, eyeing the feather in his hand.

The Locksmith asked in confusion: "What? Surrendering before we've even begun?"

But the Puppet Ghost shook its head and answered curiously, "No, I just wanted to ask, is this what they call the 'Seven-Year Itch'?"

The Locksmith: "..."

Damn it! This girl's really got something wrong in her head!

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