Chapter 30

Fear filled Chen Ming’s eyes in an instant. He wanted to flee, but the key had already been destroyed by Chu Tianhe. The interrogation chamber was so small that escape was impossible.

“This branding iron was your choice, so let’s start with it,” Chu Tianhe remarked, glancing at the iron in his hand. With a swift step forward, he pressed the heated iron mercilessly against Chen Ming’s body.

A scream tore from Chen Ming’s throat, echoing throughout the entire Security Bureau.

“Damn, that voice… why does it sound like Captain Chen?” The two officers who had just walked out hadn’t gone far when the cry stopped them in their tracks. They hurriedly turned back, only to find that it was not Chu Tianhe being tortured, but Chen Ming!

“Stop it! Damn it, stop right now!” Both men shouted in alarm, their faces pale. Members of the Security Bureau rushed over, and when they saw Chu Tianhe repeatedly pressing the branding iron into Chen Ming’s flesh, their faces turned ashen with terror.

“What are you all staring at? Open the door! Hurry—open it!” someone cried.

“The key… Captain Chen took the key inside. We… we can’t open the interrogation chamber door!” another replied shakily.

Through the dense layers of metal bars, the crowd could only watch helplessly as Chen Ming screamed in agony, powerless to intervene.

“Hurry… notify… notify the Military Department, ah… ah…” At this moment, Chen Ming was a pitiful, broken figure, cowering like a beaten dog. He had already wet himself in terror, clutching the bars with both hands and crying out for help.

Now he remembered to call for the Military Department, for only their people could possibly save him.

But it would take at least twenty minutes for the Military Department to arrive. In those twenty minutes, Chen Ming would have to grit his teeth and endure.

His screams came in waves. It had originally been Chen Ming who intended to torture Chu Tianhe, but now the roles were reversed—Chu Tianhe was torturing Chen Ming, and it was happening right in front of everyone. The officers outside were utterly stunned.

“Chu Tianhe, stop this instant!”

“Torturing an officer is a serious crime!”

“Chu Tianhe, I warn you, the Military Department will be here soon. If you don’t stop, you’ll face dire consequences!”

“Stop! Chu Tianhe, stop now!”

Outside the chamber, the officers shouted warnings, but Chu Tianhe showed no sign of stopping. He didn’t know how many times he had pressed the branding iron into Chen Ming’s body. Only when the iron cooled and was no longer hot enough to burn skin did Chu Tianhe return it to the brazier. He casually picked up a pair of pliers from the array of torture instruments and said, “Next, let’s try this.”

“Chu Tianhe, you… I’ll kill your whole family, you… dare—ah… ah… ah…” Chen Ming cursed in rage and terror, but his shouts quickly dissolved into fresh screams as Chu Tianhe seized the pliers and, without hesitation, tore out all ten of Chen Ming’s fingernails.

“Next, let’s try this!” Chu Tianhe said again, picking up a crescent-shaped knife and walking slowly toward Chen Ming.

“Ah… ah… don’t come closer! You… stay away, ah…”