5 Chapter 5: Counter-Interrogation

In the brightly lit room, Bai Wu was eating his meal.

The food options in this world were so limited that there was almost no choice.

There was no soil suitable for growing crops within the High Tower, and the food people consumed was something called a nutrient meal.

The note about the nutrient meal read like this.

"The day it was born was the darkest day in culinary history, if you can eat this, perhaps you can consider becoming a bizarre food streamer."

This was extracted from the most common plant outside of the tower, the Blue Line Grass, capable of fully supplementing the various nutrients required by the human body.

It was hard to swallow.

But over seven hundred years, everyone had gradually become accustomed to it.

Most people at the bottom layer, in order to survive, would go to the white zone to collect this plant, or mine the ores needed for the High Tower's power generation.

Watching Bai Wu eat were Xue Ci and Yun Shu,

Both were members of the Investigation Corps, a man and a woman, the woman was adept at intimidation, while the man was good at offering incentives.

The notes about them were quite interesting:

"The woman does not like the man beside her, she likes his buddy."

"The man likes the woman, but he doesn't know, his buddy likes him."

Bai Wu noticed that the notes would reveal some secrets that others might not be aware of, but as to what secrets, it was entirely a matter of luck.

The Investigation Corps was not just responsible for interrogations, but on ordinary days, they also took on some of the investigations for cases on the lower and second levels.

Now, these two had become Bai Wu's ardent fans.

From the recent interrogation, Bai Wu had a general understanding of the world's history, culture, customs, and some matters inside and outside the tower.

Most content did not surprise Bai Wu.

Since childhood, his father had always advised him to have enough absurd imagination for the future.

This was also one of the few times his father... acted like a father.

So Bai Wu, in his previous life, had played too many games with interesting settings, so this time, it was just a matter of being in the thick of it.

He preferred the playability over the sense of reality.

However, there were aspects that Bai Wu found fascinating.

"So you think this world encourages us to leave the tower? But the survival rate outside the tower is very low... Everyone prefers to stay inside the tower," Yun Shu said.

"If no one leaves the tower, wouldn't they all starve to death? Besides, Innate Force, Spirit Possession, and the Talent Sequence can only be obtained by leaving the tower."

Bai Wu said slowly and methodically.

"If we consider the inside and outside of the tower as opposing players in a game, then as pawns, although moving forward may result in being captured by the adversary, both the chess player and the rules of the game encourage the pawns to move forward."

"The longer you stay outside the tower, the stronger the Innate Force becomes, and once the Talent Sequence awakens, the higher it ranks. The same goes for items with Spirit Possession, the longer the time, the more exaggerated the effect. All of this suggests that the rules encourage people to leave the tower."

Xue Ci and Yun Shu found this quite reasonable.

However, after exchanging a glance, they shook their heads. They still did not dare to leave the tower, and it was for this reason that they had joined the interrogation team.

Bai Wu did not mind their attitudes; he was already looking forward to the next expedition outside the tower.

There were many benefits to leaving the tower, such as acquiring Innate Force.

This power could significantly enhance strength, stamina, speed, and other basic combat abilities.

To raise the level of Innate Force was not through diligent training, but by leaving the tower.

The longer you stayed outside the tower, the higher the boost to Innate Force. In simple terms... hanging out outside the tower made you stronger.

As of now, the strongest warrior of the Investigation Corps, Wu Jiu, had survived alone in the blue zone outside the tower for twenty-four days.

His Innate Force had reached the terrifying eighth stage, making him one of the few who could directly confront the high aberration, Evil Fallen.

Even the haughty Garrison Corps had extended olive branches several times, hoping that Wu Jiu would join the Guard Army.

Bai Wu had also awakened his Innate Force, at the first tier and third level. This was also why he was able to easily tear off his handcuffs and hear the voice of the Evil Fallen from a great distance.

It is worth mentioning that the growth of Innate Force mainly depended on the continuous survival time outside the tower.

Simply put, surviving outside the tower for three hours in one go is definitely much more effective than entering the tower three times, each time for one hour. Additionally, the more dangerous the area, the higher the improvement rate.

Bai Wu was still carefully chewing his food; he hated distasteful things, but he hated being weak even more.

Liu Mu walked in.

"Eh? Captain Liu... why have you come?"

Yun Shu and Xue Ci immediately stood up. Bai Wu kept his head down and continued to eat.

"You two, step back. I have some things to discuss with this young man."

"Ah this... sure."

After Xue Ci and Yun Shu left, Liu Mu carelessly took a seat on a chair, scrutinizing Bai Wu.

Bai Wu chewed slowly and swallowed a meal that was only slightly better than canned sardines, perhaps akin to the taste of cooked durian. Despite the lamentable taste, his heart didn't feel any hint of irritation.

He seemed like an insulator to negative emotions.

"Have you ever left the Tower before?"

It took Bai Wu around half a minute to swallow his food before he said:

"I'm willing to join you. But since I'm already familiar with the people in this team, I won't go to your team; I would like to stay here."

Liu Mu was stunned for two seconds. The conversation had taken a leap he hadn't caught up with.

Bai Wu ate slowly and spoke slowly to Yun Shu and Xue Ci.

However, facing Liu Mu, he spoke very quickly, rattling off his words like bullets:

"The four people who just interrogated me, if their boss has a normal brain, they would definitely realize that such an interrogation was a waste of time, and the interrogation itself, it shows that you're unclear about my identity."

"You didn't dispose of me, which means you aren't in league with those who would throw me out of the Tower."

"If you're not an enemy, then after the recent interrogation, and considering my previous actions, it's reasonable for the Investigation Corps from outside the Tower to want to recruit me."

"But Yun Shu's reaction was very surprised by your arrival, indicating that your appearance is illogical, clearly, you are not the captain of their division."

Liu Mu was stunned again.

At that moment, Bai Wu glanced at Liu Mu's right wrist:

"So your shield is broken. Items from Spirit Possession can also be damaged; it seems that the Evil Fallen you fought with was stronger than the one I encountered."

Liu Mu suddenly couldn't remember what he had come to ask. How had the conversation so quickly shifted out of his control?

But he could only endure what he called an 'interrogation' and asked:

"How do you know I use a shield?"

"The Assassin I saw outside the Tower had its head pierced by claws. There's definitely more than one method the Evil Fallen employ, but it's deducible that they attack vital points, and there is a scar three centimeters down from your wrist bone."

"So?"

"Since you are a division captain from the Investigation Corps outside the Tower, your Innate Force is naturally not weak, and your recovery abilities are not comparable to ordinary people. Who within the Tower could have left a scar on you? And they have no stance to do so.

Normal people's wrist joints are protruding, yours are indented, the stress point for someone using a shield is the wrist joint. Constant use of a shield to withstand huge forces would result in such a feature.

Having a shield and still getting a scar means the shield broke. For Spirit Possessed items to be destroyed, it could not have been just any common Evil Fallen. Besides, when you raise your shield to protect your face, the Evil Fallen's claws will exactly hit three centimeters down from the wrist."

Spirit Possession of objects was another thing Bai Wu found interesting.

Humans surviving outside the Tower could obtain Talent Sequences and Innate Force, and items worn close to the body could also undergo strange mutations.

Years ago, a great poet on the third floor of the High Tower wanted to commit suicide because a rich woman disparaged his size. He ran outside the Tower wearing flowery underwear. When the Investigation Corps rescued him, he was still alive.

Not only was he alive... but that pair of flowery underwear also gained the function of enhancing virility, said to increase a certain length when worn, that it was once traded at astronomical prices.

That's what Spirit Possession is, but only items worn close to the body can have it, and the rules of Spirit Possession depend entirely on luck.

Bai Wu didn't bother Liu Mu anymore, he was already planning what to bring next time he left the Tower.

Now, Liu Mu only cared about two things.

How could such a talent exist at the bottom of the Tower? Moreover, how to get him to join Team Thirteen?

"Right, I need the complete Talent Sequence cycle chart. If you can get that for me, perhaps I will..."

I will still refuse you. He didn't say this aloud.

In fact, from the beginning, Bai Wu had already known some of these people's secrets.

Because he could see the cheeky chat box.

And the Talent Sequence cycle chart given to him by Yun Shu earlier was not complete.

If Innate Force is about basic combat abilities like strength and speed, then Talent Sequences are powerful supernatural abilities.

Bai Wu suspected that the notes he could see were not some kind of beginner's gift pack or system thing but a kind of Talent Sequence. This premonition was very strong.

"The complete list of Sequences? What do you want with that?"

Liu Mu didn't know what Bai Wu was planning.

There are a total of one thousand and twenty-four Talent Sequences.

The closer to the front, the rarer and more powerful the Sequence. Most people fall within the ranks of one thousand to seven hundred.

A few geniuses are in the category of five hundred to six hundred Sequences; these individuals are elites within the Investigation Corps.

As for those above five hundred, like Wu Jiu and Liu Mu, they are the ace members of the entire Corps. Of course, there are also those like the captain of Team One who relies purely on strong Innate Force and doesn't need Talent Sequences to be powerful.

In any case, in order to facilitate consultation, most of the Talent Sequence cycle charts will hide some of the foremost parts, after all... no one has awakened them.

Bai Wu had scanned through and hadn't found a Sequence that matched his abilities, so he was guessing, could his be one of those at the very front?

Whether in life or in a game, one must understand their own advantages.

"Okay, I'll go get it for you, just wait."