For Duanmu Huai, destroying a facility like this was not difficult at all. But for him, the problem was clearly not limited to just this facility.
"Tell me, who is the mastermind behind you."
Duanmu Huai stared coldly at the old woman in front of him and spoke. Standing before him now was a withered old woman in her sixties or seventies, thin and frail in appearance. Although she looked pitiful, in reality, this old crone was precisely the manager of this facility—the so-called orphanage director.
"Ah… ah..."
Whether from terror or some other reason, the old woman did not answer Duanmu Huai's question. She merely trembled as she looked at him. Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow, then reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing hard.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
In the next instant, the old woman's shriveled palm and fingers were crushed in Duanmu Huai's grip as if they had been run through an industrial press, flattened and pulverized, instantly evolving toward the two-dimensional. The old woman let out agonized screams, desperately struggling and twisting her body in an attempt to break free. Duanmu Huai simply kicked her in the waist, and in the next moment, her body went limp and collapsed to the ground.
"Speak."
"I-it… it was Lady Papaya!"
"Who?"
"One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Seth—Lady Papaya Saba! She ordered us to do this! In fact, this was only a small part of the business I was responsible for. Lady Papaya ordered us to buy second-tier citizens from all over and send them to the Ammunition Tower she oversees..."
"What does she want these people for?"
"T-that… I don't know..."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, then stomped down hard. Amid the shrill screams, the old woman wailed even more desperately.
"So this is all bullshit you made up? You really think you can just casually name someone and get away with it? Why not just say it was King Gandhi who ordered you?"
"I-I'm telling the truth, AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The old woman's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets. With her other hand, she desperately fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a letter.
"T-this is Lady Papaya's written order! I didn't lie!!"
"...…"
Duanmu Huai took the letter, opened it, and glanced over it. Sure enough, just as the old woman said, the contents ordered them to collect and purchase second-tier citizens and deliver them to the Ammunition Tower. The letter listed extremely detailed requirements, including gender, age, height, appearance, medical history, and more.
Although it bore a signature and seal, Duanmu Huai was not from Seth and naturally had no way of knowing whether it was genuine.
But whether it was real or fake did not matter to him. All he needed to do was go and confirm it personally.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
While Duanmu Huai was reading the letter, the old woman continued screaming beneath his foot. This made Duanmu Huai frown slightly. He pressed his foot down harder, grinding and twisting.
Mm. The world became quiet.
Duanmu Huai raised his head and looked toward the maid behind him.
"You take these children back."
"Yes, Master. And you?"
"I'm going to have a proper talk with that Heavenly King."
Duanmu Huai did not care about the other party's status at all. To the Inquisition, suspicion alone was enough to justify investigation. As for identity? Who cared? Anyone suspected of corruption and degeneration became a target of the Inquisition's scrutiny. What country they were in, what faction they belonged to, or what status they held—none of that mattered to an Inquisitor.
As long as you were human, you fell under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition.
And if you weren't human… well, that was even easier to deal with (rack the bolt).
After having his familiars take the children away, Duanmu Huai turned and headed toward the Ammunition Tower.
As a strategic stronghold guarding the royal capital of Seth, the Ammunition Tower was obviously not a place just anyone could enter. In the past, Duanmu Huai would have had only one option—kill his way in. But now, with the Dark Crow Guard ability, he could pass through the defenses without anyone noticing. He avoided the outer guards with ease and entered the Ammunition Tower effortlessly.
"Alright, next is to find that woman called Papaya and interrogate her."
Duanmu Huai muttered to himself as he walked forward.
However, just as he was about to head upstairs, Duanmu Huai suddenly caught a faint sound coming from the other side of the wall.
"…so… hungry… ah..."
"Hm? What was that sound?"
Hearing the noise from behind the wall, Duanmu Huai frowned. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary wall, but clearly there was a hidden chamber inside.
At this point, one should look for a mechanism and open a secret door… forget it. Why bother with all that trouble?
"Ha!"
Facing the solid, sturdy wall, Duanmu Huai let out a shout, clenched both fists, and smashed forward. In the next instant, the wall shattered, revealing a massive hole, and Duanmu Huai walked straight inside.
"Let me see what this is... damn it!"
When Duanmu Huai entered the chamber, he originally thought he might see something fragrant and indulgent. But when he clearly saw the scene inside, he was startled and couldn't help but curse aloud.
The entire room was filled with human organs, skeletons, and corpses. And on the table in the center sat the severed head of a young girl.
Even more horrifying was the fact that this girl was still alive!
"Holy shit, this is like a childhood trauma reenactment!"
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai felt his hair stand on end. He remembered watching a sci-fi movie when he was young about a mad scientist. The most unforgettable scene was a living human head placed on a pedestal, with spider-like legs growing from beneath the base and scuttling around…
He never expected to see a real-life version of it here!
"I'm so hungry… it hurts so much… I'm so hungry… please save me..."
However, this human head seemed to lack clear consciousness, merely repeating these few phrases. Even when Duanmu Huai broke in, she showed no reaction.
"What the hell is this supposed to be..."
Duanmu Huai frowned and walked over to the head, then noticed a sign standing nearby.
[Feed: Carrot, once per day]
Carrots, huh...
Duanmu Huai thought for a moment, then touched his ring. In the next instant, Bunny appeared beside him.
"Bunny's here, Master! What did you call Bunny for—WAAAHHH WHAT IS THAT?!"
The moment Bunny popped out of the ring, she immediately moved close to Duanmu Huai for hugs and cuddles. But when she saw the human head, she screamed and hurriedly hid behind him.
"Probably… a person..."
Duanmu Huai's answer was half-hearted. He then extended a hand toward Bunny.
"Bunny, do you have a carrot? Can you give me one?"
"Huh? O-okay..."
Although she didn't know what Duanmu Huai planned to do, Bunny obediently nodded and took out a carrot. Duanmu Huai then handed it to the head, which immediately opened its mouth and crunched it down eagerly.
As for where it went after being eaten… that was probably best left unconsidered.
"Huu..."
After finishing the carrot, the girl's head—previously like a resentful spirit—seemed to regain consciousness. She blinked and looked at Duanmu Huai.
"Ah, excuse me… are you Lady Papaya's subordinate?"
"At the moment, I'd say I'm more like her enemy."
"I-is that so..."
Hearing Duanmu Huai's reply, the girl's head fell silent for a moment, then sighed. Duanmu Huai stared at her and asked.
"I came here to investigate Lady Papaya Saba's secret purchase of second-tier citizens. Do you know anything about this?"
"This..."
The girl's head was silent again, then lowered her eyes.
"Lady Papaya wasn't like this before. She used to be a good person and very considerate toward her subordinates. But after obtaining a grimoire, Lady Papaya seemed to become a completely different person. She became obsessed with researching forbidden magic and even carried out human experiments for it."
"And you...?"
"I used to be Lady Papaya's assistant, and I tried to dissuade her. But she didn't listen. Instead, she knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I had become like this."
Saying that, the girl's head looked at Duanmu Huai once more.
"…Could I ask you for a favor? I can no longer endure living like this. Please… release me from my suffering..."
"...…Alright."
Hearing her request, Duanmu Huai nodded. He reached out, grabbed the nearby switch, and looked at her. The girl's head gave him a faint smile.
"Lady Papaya… I'll leave her to you, kind sir."
"Leave it to me. That is also my duty."
Duanmu Huai said as he looked at her, then pulled the switch down.
In the next moment, the girl's head slowly closed her eyes, as if falling asleep, and became completely still.
"Alright, now the situation is very clear."
Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze and clenched his fists.
Clearly, one of Seth's Four Heavenly Kings—Papaya—had fallen into corruption and degeneration and must be purged!
And as an Inquisitor, there was only one thing left for him to do!
With that thought, Duanmu Huai let out a roar and leapt upward like a cannonball, smashing through the ceiling and charging toward the highest level of the Ammunition Tower!
"In the name of the Inquisition, come out and face death, heretic!!"
(End of Chapter)