Chapter 374: Captives

Chapter 374: Captives

Although Dong Hu suspected something fishy was going on here, since he had come this far, the first priority was to locate Gao Yuan’s satellite phone and capture everyone here for interrogation.

"Move!"

With his order, the investigation team sprang into action, quickly moving to subdue the sleeping students.

Ye Xiaotian, who had the sharpest senses, was the first to notice the intruders. He abruptly opened his eyes and found himself facing a group of strangers in the snow house. Instantly on alert, he shouted, “Who are you? Get out of here!”

One of the investigators didn’t bother with words. His massive hand clamped down on Ye Xiaotian’s neck like a steel vise and slammed him against the wall.

“If you dare say another word, I’ll snap your neck!” he growled coldly.

Ye Xiaotian was stunned.

Although he was a cyborg and far stronger than ordinary people, it was clear that these intruders were seasoned fighters.

Clenching his teeth, Ye Xiaotian let out an angry roar and suddenly mustered all his strength, prying the man’s hand off and kicking him three meters away.

“Hm? A Superhuman!” Dong Hu’s eyes glinted coldly.

Realizing he couldn’t take on so many people at once, Ye Xiaotian decided to make a break for it. However, Dong Hu’s towering figure blocked his path.

“Move!” Ye Xiaotian gathered all his strength and swung a punch at Dong Hu’s face.

The next moment, a scorching red light flashed before his eyes, his vision blurred, and an unbearable pain exploded in his abdomen.

Dong Hu’s fist, engulfed in flames, struck Ye Xiaotian’s stomach. His clothes caught fire instantly, burning fiercely.

“Cough...” Ye Xiaotian spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious in the snow.

The flames burned through his cotton jacket, revealing the combat uniform of West Hill Base underneath.

Dong Hu’s expression grew serious. “Could these people be the remnants of West Hill Base?”

“Move quickly! Don’t delay! If they wake up, it’ll be trouble!”

Wu Chengyu and the others were still sound asleep when Dong Hu’s men restrained them.

“Don’t move! Try anything, and I’ll kill you!”

“Make a sound, and you’re dead!”

The investigation team acted cautiously. Having detected Gao Yuan’s satellite phone signal here, they assumed these young people were no ordinary group. As a result, they didn’t hold back, pinning them to the ground and pressing their heads deep into their bedding.

The students, abruptly woken by the pain of their arms being twisted behind them, let out muffled cries and struggled desperately. However, after the investigators’ brutal threats, they froze in fear, trembling like leaves.

Dong Hu and his team quickly realized that most of the group were mere mortals. Only Ye Xiaotian exhibited some unusual strength, though it wasn’t particularly impressive.

The students were terrified, tied up tightly, and forced to kneel on the freezing snow. Their trembling bodies resembled sieves, their faces pale with fear of these strangers. R̃

The investigators dug out the satellite phone from beneath a bed board and handed it to Dong Hu.

Dong Hu inspected it and confirmed it was indeed Gao Yuan’s satellite phone. Holding it aloft, his icy gaze swept over the captured students.

“Where did you get this?”

The students, having never seen such a device before, could only stare dumbfounded, unable to give a coherent answer.

Dong Hu’s face darkened. “This was found in your house, and you’re saying you don’t know about it?”

He approached one of the students, grabbed his neck, and hoisted him into the air.

The student’s face turned red as he stammered, “Don’t kill me! Please, I swear I don’t know anything!”

“You’re really not afraid to die, huh?”

Glancing at the others, Dong Hu tightened his grip.

A sickening “crack” echoed as the student’s neck was snapped.

The other students turned even paler, and several girls fainted from sheer terror.

“If you don’t talk, you’ll end up like him!”

Dong Hu’s cold gaze scanned the group, searching for clues. His sharp eyes landed on Wu Chengyu, who seemed shrewder than the rest.

Unlike the others, who were frozen in despair, Wu Chengyu’s eyes darted nervously, clearly scheming to find a way to survive.

A veteran like Dong Hu wouldn’t miss such behavior.

He strode over, grabbed Wu Chengyu, and lifted him effortlessly.

“Your turn! Speak, or don’t?”

Faced with Dong Hu’s lethal threat, Wu Chengyu’s mind raced before finally landing on a survival strategy.

“I know who brought it! It was Zhang Yi! It must have been Zhang Yi!” he blurted.

Hearing the name “Zhang Yi,” Dong Hu’s expression turned grave.

Before setting out, Xiao Honglian and Zhuge Qingtian had warned him to avoid a man named Zhang Yi at all costs. It was highly likely that West Hill Base had fallen because of him.

“What’s your connection to Zhang Yi?” Dong Hu asked in a low voice.

Knowing his only chance at survival was to prove his worth, Wu Chengyu replied, “There’s a woman with Zhang Yi named Liang Yue. We’re her students. She takes special care of us. Please, don’t kill me. I’m useful to you!”

“If you’re enemies of Zhang Yi, you can use us as leverage. Liang Yue loves us and wouldn’t just watch us die!”

Dong Hu frowned. Wu Chengyu’s words were dubious.

“If your teacher cares about you so much, why would she leave you here instead of taking you to Zhang Yi’s residence?”

Wu Chengyu stammered nervously, “We didn’t want to burden Teacher Liang!”

“We’re adults and need to survive on our own. But Teacher Liang still brings us food every day. Look at the lunchboxes over there if you don’t believe me!”

He pointed to some lunchboxes on a table.

Dong Hu glanced at them and found himself slightly convinced by Wu Chengyu’s explanation.

After a moment of hesitation, he made a decision.

The mission was to retrieve Gao Yuan’s satellite phone and gather intel on Zhang Yi. Capturing people connected to Zhang Yi meant they could interrogate them later.

Dong Hu ordered his men to bind all the students and take them back to their leader, Xiao Honglian, for further questioning.

As for the towering ice wall behind them, Dong Hu dared not investigate. Perhaps his cautious instincts had already sensed the lurking danger.

Author's Note