Chapter 320: The Interrogation Begins

Inside the chamber, the lead interrogator knocked his knuckles sharply against the metal table to wake Solomon up. But the boy didn’t even flinch, and continued snoring softly.

Annoyed by the lack of response, another interrogator pulled a high-voltage stun baton from his belt. He jammed the sparking prongs directly into the side of Solomon’s neck, delivering a sharp shock.

The jolt finally woke him up. Solomon blinked, slowly lifting his head. He glanced around the sterile, brightly lit chamber, taking in the four armed guards and the heavy titanium restraints locking his wrists and ankles to the chair.

He looked up at the lead interrogator and offered a polite, sleepy smile. "Good morning. Is it already morning outside?"

The interrogator ignored the pleasantry. He leaned over the table, placing both hands flat on the metal surface. "Do you know why you were arrested and brought down here today?"

Solomon shrugged his shoulders as best as he could while restrained. "I have absolutely no idea. Did you guys just arrest me without actually knowing why?"

While it was true that the authorities currently possessed absolutely zero concrete proof that Solomon was the one who orchestrated the corporate massacre, he was still considered their primary suspect. The police had also arrested a few other suspicious individuals lurking near the perimeter of the crime scene, and those suspects were currently being interrogated in separate facilities across the precinct.

"What were you doing in District Seven, right at the scene of the massacre?" the interrogator demanded.

"I recently bought a brand new electric scooter," Solomon responded casually. "I was just driving it around the empty streets, trying to learn how to drive it properly."

Another interrogator scoffed and stepped forward. "You live all the way over in District Six. You could have easily practiced riding your scooter in your own neighborhood. Why were you driving around in District Seven in the middle of the night?"

Solomon raised an eyebrow, perfectly playing the role of a dumb, innocent teenager. "Is there some kind of local law that states I am only allowed to drive a scooter inside the exact district I live in?"

The lead interrogator slammed his hand on the table, forcefully silencing the boy’s sarcastic deflections.

"Do not try to be smart with us, kid!" the interrogator warned, his voice dropping to a harsh, threatening growl. "You need to answer our questions honestly. If you cooperate with us, everything will go smoothly, and your family will not have to suffer the consequences of your stubbornness."

Solomon stopped smiling. The casual, sleepy demeanor vanished instantly. His silver eyes locked directly onto the interrogator who had just issued the veiled threat.

"As long as you ask me nicely," Solomon responded, his tone turning deadly cold, "I have no reason not to cooperate."

The lead interrogator leaned closer, refusing to back down. "I will ask you again. What were you doing at the site of the explosion?"

"As I already told you," Solomon responded, his voice perfectly even, "I was driving my new scooter. The streets were completely empty, so I never even realized when I crossed the district border. Then, there was this loud explosion coming from the guild avenue. I just assumed it was some kind of late-night tactical training or whatever. I was listening to pop songs and singing along, focusing entirely on the road because I do not know how to drive very well. I did not even know there was an attack until your vans surrounded me."

Another interrogator slammed a file onto the table. "Even if we actually believe that ridiculous story, is there anything you can provide to prove that you were not the one behind the attack?"

Solomon looked at the man as if he were an idiot. "Is there anything you can provide to prove that I was the one who did it?"

The entire chamber fell dead silent. Up in the observation deck, Commissioner Vane and Deputy Chief Valerina exchanged a tense look.

Solomon leaned back in the steel chair, rattling his chains slightly. "Look at me. I am perfectly fine. There are no burn marks on my skin from the explosion, and my clothes are completely clean. So how exactly are you suspecting me of blowing up a skyscraper?"

"You could have easily changed your clothes and cleaned yourself up before we caught you," the second interrogator argued.

Solomon scoffed. "Are you seriously suggesting that a single, eighteen-year-old kid walked into a mid-tier corporate guild, slaughtered hundreds of veteran adventurers entirely by myself, and then blew the entire skyscraper up without a single scratch?"

"You could have had accomplices," the lead interrogator countered. "We will find out who they are through you."

Solomon let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "If you guys have already firmly decided that I am the culprit, then why are you even bothering to ask me questions? You are clearly not listening to a single answer I give you. Maybe you should just lock me up in a dark cell, or execute me right now, and be done with it."

He paused for a brief second to gauge their reactions, offering a mocking smile. "Actually, that would be significantly easier for you, wouldn’t it? You wouldn’t have to bother doing actual police work or investigating the real criminals. You can just slap my name on the file and close the case."

The blatant insult pissed all four interrogators off, but they didn’t physically retaliate. Getting provoked by a teenager’s taunts would essentially mean he was telling the truth about their incompetence.

"I am simply not strong enough to take down an entire corporate guild," Solomon stated flatly.

The third interrogator stepped forward, holding a glowing digital tablet. He tapped the screen, projecting several high-definition video feeds directly onto the metal wall of the chamber.

The clips showcased Solomon’s live streams from the Eastern Realms: his fight against the cultists, his mountain-shattering duel with Pavilion Leader Jin, and the final fight against the Winter Snow Serpent.

"You possess an SSS-rank talent," the interrogator stated, pointing at the footage. "You are clearly more than capable of causing an incident of this magnitude."

Solomon chuckled at the footage. "My SSS-rank talent just heals my minor injuries. It does nothing else. All those flashy, mountain-destroying attacks you are watching? That is the sword’s doing, not mine."

He pointed a cuffed finger toward the screen. "That weapon is an S-rank holy relic. It possesses its own divine abilities and damage multipliers. I am practically nothing without that sword. Furthermore, that sword is the official property of the Live Streaming Academy. And as you can clearly see by looking at me, I do not have a giant sword strapped to my back right now."

That was the reason why Solomon had intentionally left Eden’s Penance back at the academy under the Grandmaster’s care. He knew the authorities would trace the destruction back to his combat profile, and removing the primary source of that destruction provided the perfect alibi.

"We will investigate that claim ourselves and confirm it with the academy," the lead interrogator noted, jotting down a note.

’How long do I have to stretch this out until those bastards show themselves? I am here for revenge!’