Chapter 57 – At Least It Has the Right Feel Now

“Thud!”

“Thud!”

“Thud!”

With three dull thuds, three suspicious individuals were thrown harshly by Su Ming and Xu Qianqian into a secluded corner behind a shipping container, leaving them in a tangled heap.

“Mmmpgh…!”

The two figures bound by 【Grey Binding】 were still writhing and struggling. Though much of the black-grey substance blocking their mouths and noses had dissipated, enough remained to obstruct their breathing, causing them to gasp for air with eyes rolling back, teetering on the edge of suffocation.

“W-who are you…!?”

The thug clutched his painfully throbbing abdomen, staring at the two figures dressed similarly to his group with a face full of terror.

They weren’t foolish enough to think these two were their comrades.

So, the current situation was painfully clear.

Enemy attack.

At the very least, someone had infiltrated their group and taken action against them.

Realizing this, the thug instinctively prepared to shout.

But his intention was easily detected by Su Ming.

“If you don’t want to end up like your two foot-massage buddies over there, nearly suffocated by grey matter, feel free to try shouting.”

Su Ming’s voice was low yet carried a darkly humorous tone, instantly silencing the thug.

He glanced at his two companions nearby, watching them struggle desperately for breath with eyes rolled back white, and his fear intensified.

Though he was just a low-tier One-Star Hunter, he was still a Professional-level combatant who had been in this circle for years, yet he had never seen anyone use 【Grey Binding】 in such a way.

Even Xu Qianqian, who had been silently observing, gave Su Ming a strange look, inwardly marveling.

“What kind of twisted imagination does it take to repurpose a binding technique like 【Grey Binding】 for this use?”

Xu Qianqian felt like she was witnessing something truly novel, even thinking that the high-star Sorcerers she’d encountered before weren’t as… creatively unorthodox as Su Ming.

But she remained silent, leaving everything to Su Ming.

After all, interrogation wasn’t her forte, and speaking might reveal her distinctive voice, potentially exposing her identity. It was wiser to let Su Ming handle this.

She trusted that given Su Ming’s talent for unconventional methods, he wouldn’t disappoint.

Sure enough…

“From now on, I ask, you answer.”Su Ming crouched before the thug, his tone both deep and darkly humorous.” “You can choose to resist or refuse to cooperate, but if you do… what blocks your breathing might not be grey matter, but something far more interesting.”

As he spoke, Su Ming emitted a series of “hee hee hee” sinister chuckles, sounding every bit like a gleeful villain or outright psychopath.

This performance, this tone, these words, only deepened the thug’s terror.

“D-don’t you dare!” the thug blustered weakly. “This place is full of our people! Our boss is here too – he’s a Three-Star Hunter! There are many Two-Star Professionals and countless One-Star Professionals here! If you touch us, you’ll never escape!””Huh?” Su Ming raised an eyebrow and said, “Seems you’re not stupid after all, knowing how to bluff. ‘Many two-star Professionals and countless one-star Professionals’—do you really think I don’t know your actual combat strength?”

The thug’s cold sweat instantly dripped down.

“Judging by your expression, it seems you’re not planning to cooperate with us properly.” Su Ming spoke with feigned regret. “What a pity. Fortunately, there are two others here. Losing you doesn’t matter much.”

As he spoke, Su Ming flipped his hand, and a large scorpion with a terrifying coloration appeared on his palm.

“Let my pet keep you company for a while.” Su Ming let out a sinister chuckle. “I hope you last long—this little one hasn’t had a taste of fresh meat in quite some time.”

With those words, Su Ming prepared to place the scorpion on the thug’s leg.

The thug’s fear finally erupted.

“Don’t!” The thug shrieked like a woman, shouting, “I’ll cooperate! I’ll cooperate with you! Don’t do this to me!”

His demeanor was exactly like that of a virtuous woman being forced into prostitution.

At the very least, it had that vibe.

Not only the thug, but the other two also stared at Su Ming with terrified expressions, as if they were looking at a demon, their eyes filled with fear.

With their psychological defenses completely shattered, Su Ming’s subsequent interrogation and torture could almost be declared a success.

“What a shame.”

Su Ming even pretended to look regretful, making Xu Qianqian beside him almost believe she had misjudged him and wonder if this was Su Ming’s true nature.

Unaware that his overly convincing performance had already made Xu Qianqian view him in a new light, Su Ming simply stared eerily at the thug before him, putting immense psychological pressure on him.

Fortunately, Su Ming didn’t get carried away and still remembered his objective.

“Then let me ask you first.” Su Ming spoke as if testing something. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The answers to these two questions were already known.

Su Ming just wanted to see if this thug had any intention of deceit.

But it turned out the other party was already terrified out of his wits, with no thoughts of deception whatsoever.

“I… we’re a group of unregistered Professionals not on the Base City records!” The thug, thoroughly frightened, stammered. “We came here to carry out a mission! This is just the hiding spot we chose!”

The thug answered honestly, demonstrating how successful Su Ming’s intimidation had been.

“Unregistered Professionals, huh?” Su Ming chuckled softly. “Since you say you’re here on a mission, could you please explain the details of this task to me?”

Hearing this, the thug instinctively hesitated, but the next second, he saw Su Ming eagerly raising the scorpion in his hand, causing his psychological defenses to crumble once again.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” The thug hurriedly said. “Our boss took this mission from a high-ranking official in the Base City! The task is to capture a mysterious Phantom Demon and deliver it to that official!””Oh?” Su Ming’s heart stirred as he said, “You’re saying this is a task your boss received from a high-ranking official in the Base City? Don’t you know who that Base City official is?”

“Y-yes.” The thug swallowed hard and said, “The boss just told us there was work. He never explained who the client was, so we only know it’s a high-ranking official from the Base City.”

Su Ming and Xu Qianqian immediately exchanged glances.

They understood the implication behind these words.

“So you’re just hired hands, not private soldiers of that Base City official?” Su Ming asked.

If they were private soldiers of some Base City official, even if they didn’t know the official’s identity, they wouldn’t be talking about it as “work” and claiming it was a received task rather than an order.

And indeed, that proved to be the case.

“We’re nobody’s private soldiers!” The thug revealed their suspicious group’s true identity. “We’re Underground Professionals, members of the mercenary organization 『Sin』!”

Underground Professionals.

This term generally referred to Professionals who weren’t recorded in the Base City’s archives – those with unknown names, origins, or backgrounds.

Some were criminals with bounties on their heads, some were problem children with severe behavioral issues who had been rejected or even imprisoned by Base City authorities before escaping, and some had pursued power excessively, ultimately gaining overwhelming strength through unorthodox methods that forced them to remain in the shadows.

These deeply problematic Professionals, either unaccepted by humanity’s Major Base Cities or actively hunted by them, were what people called Underground Professionals.

Many among them would take on shady tasks in the shadows to survive, earning illicit rewards.

As long as the payment was sufficient and the benefits substantial, they were willing to do even the dirtiest and most chaotic work.

Among these Underground Professionals, there even existed various organizations.

Some were pure mercenary groups, while others were underground evil organizations gathering terrorists – all entities that operated in the shadows.

The suspicious group appearing here seemed to be a mercenary band originating from such an underground mercenary organization.

“『Sin』…”

Su Ming muttered the name twice before turning to look at Xu Qianqian.

He didn’t recognize this underground mercenary organization called 『Sin』.

Noticing Su Ming’s gaze, Xu Qianqian hesitated for a moment before leaning close to his ear.

“That’s one of the largest mercenary organizations in the underground world, with an enormous network. They have influence and territories not only in the coastal Four Base Cities but also in many Base Cities inland.”

“I’ve heard from my father that the organization’s leader is a Seven-Star Hunter, and even the deputy leader is a Seven-Star Hunter. Together they organized this 『Sin』 mercenary corps and established a dark web. Anyone within their sphere of influence can post tasks through this dark web – as long as the reward is attractive enough, there are plenty of people willing to do the work.””If these people from the Suspicious Group are truly mercenaries from 『Sin』, then all our previous assumptions have been completely wrong.”

Xu Qianqian lowered her voice, her breath carrying a faint orchid-like fragrance as she spoke words only Su Ming could hear.

But Su Ming was in no mood to appreciate the underlying intimacy, his brows tightly furrowed.

He hadn’t expected these individuals to be not private soldiers of the Base City’s higher-ups, but rather hired Underground Professionals with an intimidating background.

Of course, Su Ming didn’t stop his interrogation.

“What is the mysterious Phantom Demon your mission requires you to capture?” Su Ming asked gravely. “Is it the offspring of a superior Phantom Demon? Or a mutant?”

Upon hearing Su Ming’s words, the thug showed a flicker of astonishment.

Just as Su Ming thought he had guessed correctly and that was why the other appeared startled, the thug uttered words that left both him and Xu Qianqian utterly stunned.

“Both!”

“That mysterious Phantom Demon is indeed the offspring of a superior Phantom Demon!”

“Moreover, that superior Phantom Demon itself is also a mutant!”

(End of Chapter)