Chapter 49: Memory Extraction

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Memory Extraction

Chen Shang was utterly speechless at this timid Dream Crow. He grabbed it and tossed it onto the War Elephant, then hopped down to place the amber into his Space Book before turning to Ailarya.

"The plague brought by the demon needs to be eradicated," he said. "I will stay here until it’s completely gone before leaving. If there are any further issues, you can find me at the High Tower."

The demon he had captured this time held considerable value, but the Wizard Alliance’s mission was not yet over. After all, there was a reward of ten thousand Wizard Coins on the line.

Ailarya offered an elegant Elven bow. "Thank you, Lord Emissary."

After clearing the battlefield, Chen Shang led his followers and troops back to the High Tower. The Warriors began resting and recovering, while he personally requested an interrogation room.

It was a windowless room with silver-white metallic walls. The floor and ceiling were carved with densely packed runes.

Finally, it was time for the main event of the day: a demon who had smuggled himself in from an unknown plane!

Chen Shang tossed out the amber. The demon was still curled up inside, maintaining the exact same posture as when he had been thrown in, looking much like a frozen insect.

The runes in the room began to glow. Cracks appeared on the amber, spreading like a spiderweb until tiny fragments began to crumble and fall.

The demon was free.

The moment his body hit the ground, he sprang up violently, his sharp claws thrusting straight toward Chen Shang’s throat.

Chen Shang merely watched him with a cold gaze. In the very next second, the demon crashed back onto the floor, his face filled with terror.

"What did you do?! Where is my power... Where did my Soul Power go?!"

Chen Shang sat down in a chair, his voice calm. "Because of your foolish actions, you have been stripped of your rights as a captive.

"So, I suggest you behave. To be honest, I’ve always been a law-abiding Wizard Apprentice, and I haven’t even used this contraption yet."

The dense runes on the walls began to flicker in time with his thoughts.

"But I wouldn’t mind being like the Ancient Wizards of the past, studying you... bit by bit."

The demon didn’t quite understand the word "studying." However, he instinctively felt a deep sense of dread.

This fear had nothing to do with the disparity in their power. He felt like a fish on a chopping block, being scrutinized from head to toe, inside and out, by a pair of piercing eyes.

He simply couldn’t endure Chen Shang’s gaze, which brimmed with a ravenous desire for exploration.

"What did you do to me?" the demon asked, his voice trembling in a way he hadn’t even noticed himself.

Chen Shang ignored him. Rooms like this were specifically designed for prisoners. Forget a demon who had fallen from Tier Four—even a True God wouldn’t be able to escape.

The runes on the walls weren’t just for show. They severed all of the demon’s connections to external energy.

In much older times, Ancient Wizards typically used rooms like this to experiment on valuable creatures. The experimental processes were, of course, beyond description.

In short, those predecessors would exhaust every method at their disposal to squeeze every last secret out of their test subjects. Throughout that process, the victims truly wished for death but could not die.

Everything from mutated cockroaches to terrifying Star Beasts that inhaled and exhaled nebulas had once wailed endlessly within these laboratories.

But the Ancient Wizards showed them no mercy. The flesh and blood of billions of species forged that magnificent era.

The glorious history of those predecessors flashed through Chen Shang’s mind. He let out a soft chuckle. "We’re much more civilized now. So, I hope you will cooperate honestly."

He leaned forward slightly, exuding an oppressive aura. "First of all, how did you travel through planes and come to this world?"

The demon remained silent, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

Chen Shang waited for a few breaths before shaking his head. "It seems you’re forcing my hand."

With a single thought, streaks of iridescent light surged from the runes on the walls. They coiled upward, pinning the demon’s body firmly in place.

Immediately after, a tube made entirely of light viciously stabbed into the demon’s head.

This was a rather crude method of memory extraction. It didn’t require the target to speak, yet it was highly effective.

However, Chen Shang was obviously inexperienced with this operation. The demon let out a sharp, shrill shriek. He thrashed about desperately, like a fish tossed into a vat of boiling oil, but the power of the runes held him completely immobile.

The Golden Crow was perched in the corner of the laboratory. At first, it tilted its head, watching the spectacle with interest. But as the demon’s screams grew louder, it leaped up, flew to the door, and fled without looking back.

Luna Xiya soon found it unbearable as well. Only now did she realize how dignified Chen Shang’s previous research on her had been.

Chen Shang sighed as he watched his two followers leave. His technique was indeed a bit rough; he really needed to practice more.

The methods of his Wizard predecessors were practically art.

They were precise, efficient, and quiet. Their test subjects wouldn’t make such a ruckus at all. The entire process was meant to be as smooth as flowing water, unlike this demon, who was howling like a slaughtered pig.

Of course, there were also a few ancient monsters who harbored a rather twisted sense of humor. They simply enjoyed watching their subjects struggle... even though it was entirely unnecessary for collecting precise data.

"Hmm, let’s take a look at your memories.

"A seventy-two-layered Nether Realm? And a Human Realm and Divine Realm too... What an interesting world structure.

"Marcus, a minor Lord of the third layer of the Nether Realm? You were actually betrayed by your subordinates. You foolish, unlucky bastard!

"A pearl in Chaos? Ah, so this is the treasure you used to travel through planes. Hand it over!"

Chen Shang finally reached the crucial part. He looked at the demon, Marcus.

By now, Marcus didn’t even dare to meet his gaze. He stammered out his conditions, trembling, "I can give you the treasure, but you have to let me go! Otherwise, even if I die, I’ll—"

Chen Shang decisively cut him off. "Marcus, save your breath. Don’t say anything stupid like ’I won’t hand over the pearl even if I die.’ You are my spoil of war!

"Therefore, you have neither the right to die nor the right to refuse. I was merely asking out of habit. Do you want me to do it myself so you can taste that pain all over again?"

Marcus finally succumbed to despair. "That pearl is in my core," he said shakily. "But my power is sealed right now..."

With a flick of Chen Shang’s mind, another beam of light pierced straight through Marcus’s heart, plucking the object out without causing the demon any physical harm.

"What... what kind of trick is this?" the demon asked, looking down at his unblemished chest scales in sheer disbelief.

Chen Shang didn’t answer. This guy was his spoil of war, after all. He was still hoping to extract a few attributes from him or use him as a medium for certain Mechanical Armor. Naturally, he couldn’t just damage him carelessly.

Even if he decided to sell him on the market, an intact demon would be worth far more than a battered, ragged one, wouldn’t it?

"Just stay here and relax. I’ll deal with you once I’m done studying this Treasure Pearl!"

Taking the Treasure Pearl with him, Chen Shang left the room that had filled Marcus with utter despair.