parentshiftbook Chapter 688 Interrogation
Chapter 688 Interrogation
Jemin stood in the gray-yellow sky of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane.
A sulfur storm swept across the land, carrying the smell of burning ash and molten metal.
Beneath my feet lies a steel graveyard being dismantled.
Countless black giants shuttled back and forth like a swarm of efficient worker ants, dismantling the warships frozen in time bit by bit under the command of the black giant priests.
The massive hull was cut into several sections, and the armor plates, having lost their energy core, slowly fell from mid-air, making no sound when they hit the ground due to the freezing effect of time.
Jemin watched all of this quietly.
Looking at the results of his own actions, Jemin, who was leading what could be considered his first time in a dimensional war, suddenly muttered to himself:
"I see………"
He finally understood something.
Why can the wizard civilization roam freely in the endless chaotic void?
Today's war has presented him with the answer.
Wizards are able to roam freely in the endless chaotic void, which is indeed supported by powerful forces.
However, if we really talk about strength, without considering the excessively powerful combat strength of level nine wizards, in many instances of interdimensional wars encountered by wizards, the difference in combat strength between the two sides is not overwhelming.
The reason why the wizards were still able to gain an overwhelming advantage under these circumstances is because...
Each individual wizard is a civilization in itself.
Jemin slowly raised his hand, watching the power flowing in his palm.
The knowledge of ordinary civilization is scattered among hundreds of millions of individuals.
When problems arise, meetings are needed.
It needs to be demonstrated.
It needs to be studied.
Approval is required...
It often takes several years, or even more than a decade, for a technology to go from being proposed to being used in war, even in a war that is touted as a technological catalyst. But wizards are different.
A high-level wizard is a complete scientific research system in itself.
However, this high-ranking wizard is also a strategic strike force.
On the dimensional battlefield, what wizards do most often is find the enemy's blind spots in knowledge, dragging the battlefield into a realm they cannot comprehend. And then...
End the war.
Simple, direct, and effective.
Jemin paused for a moment, then suddenly his lips twitched.
"Simple my ass."
Because this thing sounds easy, but it's actually ridiculously absurd.
One person, with their own knowledge reserves, can overwhelm the accumulated knowledge of countless generations of a civilization.
What normal person could do that?
The seemingly simple and brutal fighting style contains requirements that are utterly absurd.
Only wizards are such special beings.
Only a group of old monsters who eat knowledge like food, play with laws like toys, and have lived for thousands of years without dying would use such an extravagant and perverse method of warfare.
But...
Once this strategy takes hold, it becomes truly unsolvable.
Jemin instinctively looked down at the frozen warships.
From the start of the war to the defeat.
These tentacle tree civilizations didn't even understand where they went wrong.
Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled.
"No wonder wizarding civilizations like to fight people who are much stronger than themselves."
"When the knowledge you possess is not on the same level, quantity is meaningless."
A gust of wind swept across the sky, ruffling the edges of his black robe.
Jemin gathered his thoughts, looked down, and then gently waved his hand.
The altars below lit up simultaneously, and large teleportation arrays began to operate with a roar.
More legions of black giants emerged from the pillar of light.
They split into hundreds of small teams and entered the time-stagnant zone under the command of the priests.
The frozen fleet hovered in the sky.
Their postures were so bizarre, like pieces of frozen art.
Some of the main guns had only charged to half their maximum power, and the blazing white ball of light at the muzzle was still expanding.
Some warships are turning.
The ship was tilted and suspended in mid-air, defying the laws of gravity, yet it seemed as if it were nailed down by invisible nails.
The black giants clung to the surface of the ship.
Following the structural diagrams shared by Jemin in real time, they accurately located the weak points in the armor.
Then, with practiced ease, they peeled off the warship's armor.
With the sharing of information through incense and deity worship, even though these black giants were new to the craft, they became almost mechanically proficient.
at the same time.
Suddenly, Jemin raised his hand and gently pointed towards the outside of the plane.
next second.
In the void, a circle of eerie blue light simultaneously illuminated the area around the remaining fleet that had been frozen in time.
The arc light spreads extremely quickly.
Almost in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive, gelatinous shadow that covered the entire fleet.
That's... a nest.
As it revealed itself, the nest's overwhelming blue gelatinous body slowly closed its boundaries.
It floats near the dimensional rift, like a deep sea covering the sky.
Countless translucent tentacles swayed slightly in the void, and each tremor caused pale blue ripples to spread across the surrounding space.
At Jemin's command, the massive blue body that had been hidden slowly emerged from the gaps in the rules.
It was as if some enormous object had emerged from the deep sea and pierced through the surface.
With such a good opportunity, Jemin naturally couldn't forget to conduct a practical test of the nest, so he sent the nest out while these warships were trying to break through the dimensional barrier.
The commands that Jemin had given it before were very simple.
Hide it.
Let's wait for him to make a move.
Then, they simultaneously take over the remaining fleet outside the plane.
Thanks to the newly added ability to integrate with the laws, even sixth-tier wizards are not many who can detect the existence of the nest.
The nest itself is not adept at the realm of time.
However, after multiple rounds of modifications, its current biological nature is that of an information organism.
The freezing of time is essentially the freezing of the information flow.
For a nest that can manipulate its own information structure at will, seeing this once is enough.
Jemin recalled that when he activated Time Stop, the translucent tentacles of the nest clearly vibrated in sync.
It is "learning".
Or more accurately... copy.
Although the time freeze accuracy of the replica of the Nest is far inferior to that of the original.
But it's more than enough to deal with a fleet that's not even level six.
In the void.
The nest split off and produced hundreds of giant tentacles.
Each one precisely wraps around a frozen warship.
Then it is dragged and transported downwards.
One after another.
Following the still-open dimensional rift, the warship was dragged into the interior of the Purgatory Sulfur Dimension.
Below them are the corresponding Black Giant support teams. Upon receiving each warship, they immediately and skillfully break down doors, search, seal, and then disassemble and contain it.
The entire battlefield has rapidly transformed from a state of war into a large-scale demolition site.
Jemin hovered in mid-air, his mental energy covering the entire battlefield like a spider web.
While rapidly copying the internal information of each warship, each Black Giant squad could directly receive his real-time commands. "The main entrance is below the third armor layer on the port side."
"Don't tear it completely; the underlying structure here is unstable."
"That's a supply ship. The internal energy storage units haven't been removed yet, so elemental impact is prohibited."
"Save the database completely."
"Don't touch that silver core, it'll self-destruct."
Countless commands flowed rapidly through the mental network.
Meanwhile, Jemin himself began to silently review the entire war in his mental sea.
Based on the information available at this stage, we can only conclude that his caution was justified.
He pulled up the tech tree copied from the flagship database.
A series of light screens unfolded in the mental sea.
Communications, weapons, engines, shields, energy...
He quickly browsed through it.
The Tentacle Tree Civilization is not particularly special in conventional areas; it is at the lower-than-average level of a Level 6 civilization.
Not weak, but not particularly strong either.
But even such a civilization has technology that can catch Jemin's attention.
Jemin's gaze paused for a moment.
"Quantum entangled communication..."
He squinted slightly.
This civilization even surpasses many civilizations with level seven combat power in terms of ultra-long-distance communication technology.
Quantum entanglement is a complicated thing; it transmits information directly through the collapse of quantum states.
in other words.
Information does not "pass through" space.
Instead, it will appear directly on the receiving end.
It cannot be intercepted like electromagnetic waves or energy signals.
If the other party had successfully sent the message back to the initial plane... the consequences would have been much more troublesome.
Thinking about this...
A sense of relief rose in Jemin's heart once again.
He then turned to another series of technologies: self-destruct systems.
"This is ridiculous! Just how worried are these guys about their warship being captured...?"
Physical explosion, energy overload, database wiped, memory destroyed...
They even possessed an "anti-information state dissolution system" capable of reducing an entire warship to disordered particles in an extremely short time. It's fair to say that the Tentacle Tree civilization was incredibly ruthless when it came to self-destruction.
Jemin was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"The tentacled trees' worries weren't unfounded, but unfortunately, they were still one step behind."
If he had been a little slower just now.
What's left now is probably just a pile of metal scraps being formatted.
But there are no "what ifs" in the world.
Jemin sat cross-legged in the void for a moment, officially filing this memory into his mental sea memo.
This is his habit.
In the post-battle review, every mistake and every lucky escape is recorded.
One of the things wizards fear most is mistaking luck for strength.
After a while.
Jemin opened his eyes again.
The containment work below is nearing completion.
All the warships had their weapon systems removed.
The energy core was removed, and all external interfaces were engraved with sealing runes. They were then all towed to a temporary containment zone in the Northern Hemisphere.
As for the prisoners, they remained in a state of time stagnation.
The prisoners were carried out of the ship in batches, categorized, and numbered.
Then we waited for Jemin to handle it.
Jemin lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds.
He then said, "I'm going back to the lab. I'll bring their commander-in-chief here."
"yes!"
Inside the laboratory.
The lighting was still that same cold, pale blue.
The air was filled with the smell of metal, medicine, and energy crystals mixed together.
Jemin walked to the main experiment, studying the data he had just copied while waiting quietly.
Heavy footsteps soon followed.
The black giant escorted several tentacle tree officers, whose time had been frozen, into the laboratory.
The tree with the densest canopy and silvery-gray tentacles at the head of the group is none other than the fleet commander-in-chief.
Because time had stopped, his expression still retained the shock of the moment of defeat.
Several tentacles hung in mid-air, as if they wanted to give one last command.
The officers behind them were in an even more disheveled state.
Some tree crowns burst open, while others had their tentacles curled up.
There was also a young officer who even curled himself up into a ball.
The black giant priest bowed his head slightly.
"Master, the person has been brought."
Jemin nodded, and with a surge of mental energy, the time freeze was lifted.
哢。
It looked like some kind of invisible amber shattering.
next moment.
All prisoners regained consciousness simultaneously.
The commander-in-chief suddenly looked up.
In his crystalline eyes, the last images before he was frozen still remained.
The fallen flagship.
Interrupted communication.
A piercing alarm.
then……
He saw Jemin.
An entity that is completely inconsistent with their cognitive system.
Two legs.
ape-like biological structures.
Even though Jay appeared calm and didn't display any imposing aura, the Commander-in-Chief's bark still cracked open with fine lines the moment he saw him. Several tentacles instinctively rose in front of him.
He staggered backward, while the two officers beside him collapsed to the ground, their crystalline eyes flashing wildly.
The entire laboratory was deathly silent.
But not all officers were so cowardly.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
An old military officer, his entire body a deep brown, suddenly sprang to his feet!
Jemin could clearly sense that in his mental fluctuations, fear was instantly replaced by madness.
boom!
A burst of violent energy erupted from the auxiliary machinery hidden inside his torso.
More than two hundred tentacles simultaneously donned mechanical spikes, barbs popped out, and dark green venom quickly covered the tips.
Then.
Flames erupted from the hidden thrusters on his back, propelling him toward Jemin like a runaway heavy tank!
But Jemin only glanced at him indifferently.
time.
It came to a standstill again.
The officer remained frozen in mid-air, maintaining his lunging stance.
The flames spewing from the thrusters formed shapes that resembled works of art.
The black giant priest calmly waved his hand, and two black giants stepped forward and lifted the "sculpture" directly out.
The laboratory returned to its deathly silence.
This time.
No "tree" dared to move anymore.
Jemin nonchalantly raised his chin at the tentacle trees before him, his expression calm, showing no sign of having just been subjected to a suicide attack. He spoke in perfectly standard tentacle tree language:
Tell me your choices.
The officers all stared at Jemin in disbelief.
They simply cannot understand it.
Why does this monster... even know their language?
As for Jemin, he was indifferent to the tentacles' reaction.
Ultimately, for an individual, determining whether they have been attacked hinges on whether the attacker can actually cause them harm. In Jemin's view, the sudden attack from the tentacle tree was no different from an ant charging at an armored vehicle while waving sand. Therefore, not only Jemin, but even the giant black men nearby were unconcerned about the attack.
At most, a few black giant priests felt that these creatures were being too disrespectful to their master.
However, they naturally wouldn't take matters into their own hands until Jemin gave the order.
As for why he wanted to interrogate these trees... it was just a whim of Jemins's.
Jemin has extracted all the information about the opponent's starting plane. Even if the opponent doesn't cooperate, he can find the specific coordinates with a little research.
The reason for the interrogation now is simply to find out the other party's attitude.
Putting everything else aside, if the other side is willing to surrender, then Jemin wouldn't mind having another race in his plane.
Although the Tentacle Tree is not humanoid, it is, after all, a purely technological civilization.
The most notable characteristic of technologically advanced civilizations is their solid foundation in basic education, which is more than sufficient to support a large number of worshippers. Coincidentally, since the Purgatory Sulfur Plane absorbed ten other planes to become a medium-sized plane, Jemin's plane has become much more spacious. Even with vigorous expansion, less than half of the area is suitable for the black giants to live in.
The remaining area needs more normal creatures like the tentacle tree.
The commander-in-chief's crystalline eyes quickly swept over Jemin, then towards the doorway.
Having experienced countless battles, he quickly analyzed the current situation and predicament.
Even though they were completely different races, he could still tell from Jemin's demeanor and posture that the other party didn't care. His mind raced, and finally, he slowly retracted all his tentacles, letting them hang neatly at his sides.
Then, he bent down, pressing the canopy almost to the ground, causing all the ends of his tentacles to lie flat on the ground at the same time.
In the civilization of the Tentacle Tree, this is the highest level of submission ceremony.
"I."
"Commander-in-Chief of the Deep Root Fleet".
"First-class expeditionary commander".
"Hallowan Parliament nominee".
"I am willing to surrender unconditionally."
His voice was deep and steady.
Jemin looked down at him.
After a while.
He suddenly spoke:
"name."
The commander-in-chief visibly shuddered, then replied in a low voice:
"Valak".
The laboratory lights flickered slightly, but Jemin had already turned around: "Take him to complete the acceptance procedures."
"All prisoners were held in tiers. Technical officers were separated from combat officers."
"The personnel responsible for the database and communication systems will be screened separately. I need their assistance in organizing the data."
The black giant priest bowed his head.
"Will prisoners be treated according to the standard procedure?"
"Um."
Jemin nodded.
"Provide them with complete living space and basic supplies. Those who are willing to cooperate can move freely within the designated area."
"As for those who are unwilling to cooperate..."
He spoke calmly.
"That was their own choice."
Valak lay prone on the ground.
Upon hearing the word "freedom to move around," the tip of the tentacle visibly trembled slightly.
The fear in the eyes of the other officers finally began to fade away.
At least... they won't die for now.
Jemin ignored them.
He turned around, walked back to the lab, sat down, and activated the analysis array.
hum...
A series of dark blue runes slowly rose up, illuminating his profile.
His gaze, however, had already returned to the database of civilization data.
just now.
That's when we truly begin to dissect this civilization.
(I'm feeling a bit unwell today, so this is the last chapter. Everyone, please take care of yourselves!)