He knew all too well just how absurd and shameless some missions could be.
Besides, his superiors didnât care about the process, only whether the outcome met the missionâs requirements.
Jit Tianlin glanced at Zhai Shijiang, finished drawing the fluid into the syringe, and started toward Lingâer. "Hurry up and do it," he said.
Hearing this, Zhai Shijiang had no choice but to follow, heading for Zhang Deming nearby.
Zhang Deming kept his eyes slightly narrowed, listening to their conversation.
Seeing he couldnât play dead any longer, the instant the two men knelt to inject him, the surrounding vines shot out like lightning and rapidly ensnared them.
The moment they made contact, Zhang Deming let out a sigh of relief.
âThankfully, theyâre only semi-ordinary. Their physical conditioning isnât too absurd. In terms of pure physical strength, dealing with them wonât be difficult.â
The reason he called them "semi-ordinary" was that they were far stronger than the average person from his previous life.
They were very much like legendary figures who had undergone genetic enhancement or some other initial super-soldier program.
After swiftly subduing the two men, and having lived a past life where heâd seen countless secret agent and spy dramas...
...Zhang Deming knew that people like this had countless ways to signal for help, making them impossible to guard against.
Therefore, the instant he made his move, Zhang Deming directed the vines to swiftly bind them, hog-tying their limbs behind their backs like suckling pigs ready for the spit.
He then separated out smaller vines, immobilizing each of their fingers, and even sent them slithering into their combat boots to pin down every single toe.
At the same time, a vine was shoved into each manâs mouth. It expanded continuously until it filled the entire oral cavity, with one end plugging the top of their throats.
He had truly and thoroughly trussed them up, achieving a state of genuine, total immobility.
As an ordinary person from a past life, he had never truly encountered people like secret agents, having only seen their legends on the big screen.
âWith all their high-tech gadgets, itâs impossible to be too careful,â Zhang Deming thought.
With another command from his Heart Spirit, two vines sharpened into needle points, threatening both menâs eyes.
The two were subdued in an instant. Then, over a short five or six seconds, they experienced this absurdly terrifying binding, their shock slowly turning to fear.
This was especially true for Zhai Shijiang. As the vine expanded in his mouth, his eyes showed intense fearâa terror that came from the depths of his soul.
His emotional reaction had already exceeded the normal range for a secret agent, or whatever his profession was.
In other words, his mental-resistance and anti-interrogation training were rapidly being shattered.
By the time the two needle-tipped vines were threatening their eyes, the surroundings were still completely silent.
The two didnât even know where the threat came from. They didnât know if it was a person, or if they had just been unlucky enough to run into a Tree Demon.
This eerie silence lasted for about three minutes, and a fine sheen of sweat appeared all over both menâs bodies.
Then, the vines they so feared began to slither once more.
This time, it was even worse. The vines began to move directly all over their bodies, caressing... er... searching.
The vines continuously ferreted out the various pieces of equipment hidden on their bodies, one by one, and carefully placed them to the side.
The kind of search that truly didnât even spare their crotches!
As a man, can you imagine the feeling of being completely immobilized while a vine roams around in your crotch, looking for things?
After all their equipment had been found and neatly arranged.
The vines still didnât stop, and began to strip off their shirts and pants.
As the vines slithered, they removed all their clothing piece by piece without tearing the fabric or changing their positions.
They were truly stripped bare; not even their underwear remained.
Zhang Deming, still not satisfied, even had a vine make a full circle around their buttocks.
This caused Zhai Shijiangâs pupils to constrict again.
Once the search was complete and he had confirmed that the two were thoroughly subdued, he waited quietly for another minute.
Seeing no sudden changes and with no one bursting out to kill him, Zhang Deming finally stirred and slowly got to his feet.
As the vines searched for their equipment, both men knew they had been ambushed, but they couldnât see anyone.
It wasnât until Zhang Deming sat up from the ground that they discovered with horror that their captor was right before their eyes.
The sight of the two naked, burly men, elaborately bound by Zhang Deming, was a bit hard on the eyes.
As the two menâs pupils contracted violently, Zhang Deming had the vines move to cover their private parts.
Then, Zhang Deming looked at the various pieces of equipment in front of him and said to the two men, "This must be a communicator headset, right? So youâre still in contact with people?
Looks like we need to wrap this up quickly, donât we, gentlemen?
I think you two will be cooperative, wonât you?"
As Zhang Deming spoke, the vines around their bodies writhed for a moment. The one in their mouths swelled slightly and pushed a little deeper into their throats.
"Mmmph..."
Both men made muffled gagging sounds. As Zhai Shijiang looked at Zhang Deming, his eyes were filled with absolute terror.
Seeing this, Zhang Deming smiled. "Me? Iâm just an ordinary, uncultured, ignorant, and unperceptive native.
Mm, you understand what a ânativeâ is, donât you?
So, when it comes to legendary figures like youâsecret agents, spies, assassins, or whatever the hell you areâwell, you get the idea.
Iâm very wary of agents like you, so when I let you speak, youâd best be honest.
Donât make any move that I might misunderstand. Otherwise, I canât guarantee what I might do if Iâm provoked.
At the same time, I hope youâll cooperate by answering a few of my questions.
You can understand all that, canât you?"
"Mmmph..."
The two immobilized men once again let out muffled sounds.
Zhang Deming hesitated for a moment before releasing the vine from Jit Tianlinâs mouth first. After all, from what heâd overheard earlier, this one was clearly the leader.
The man still couldnât move a muscle; only his mouth had been freed by Zhang Deming. He didnât even retract the needle-pointed vines before the manâs eyes.
"First, who are you?" Zhang Deming asked.
Jit Tianlin didnât answer, merely staring coldly at Zhang Deming.
"Such a headache. Iâve heard that for people like you, the final lesson before graduation is a brutal course on resisting interrogation.
Since youâre so uncooperative, it seems I donât stand much of a chance.
After all, Iâm just a native. My repertoire of techniques surely canât compare to your instructorsâ. Theyâre the professionals, always researching how to torture their own people... well, people like you.
So I wonât embarrass myself with any warm-ups."
As Zhang Deming finished speaking, the vines covering Jit Tianlinâs body suddenly slithered, once again forcing their way into his mouth. This time, they didnât stop.
A moment later, vines emerged from the manâs ears, nostrils, and even his anusâfrom every orifice on his body.
The restrained Jit Tianlin trembled all over. He could clearly feel the vines moving inside his body, slick with the slimy sensation of his own fluids.
The combination of extreme physical pain and supreme mental torment instantly shattered his endurance, plunging him into extreme fear.
He trembled uncontrollably, but because Zhang Deming had him so thoroughly immobilized, he was unable to shake violently.
To an onlooker, it appeared as if every muscle in his body was vibrating. The once-cool manâs entire spirit seemed to be collapsing.
Zhang Deming had deliberately adjusted Zhai Shijiangâs position so that he had a clear, unobstructed view of everything.
Zhai Shijiangâs Heart Spirit completely shattered. He looked at Zhang Deming with intense fear, as if he were a little girl staring at a tentacle monster.
"Iâll say it again: Iâm just a native. I admit Iâm no match for your professional anti-interrogation instructors.
When it comes to variety and methods, I canât compete with the professionals. After all, thatâs all they think about all day.
So I wonât bother with petty tricks. I can only use what I consider to be an acceptable method.
So when I ask you questions in a moment, youâd best think carefully. And at the same time, take a look at the man before you.
Oh, right, I forgot to mention.
I donât know what your medical capabilities are like, but I can guarantee you that as long as no one interferes, he wonât die for a good year or so. My vines can sustain him.
It may look exaggerated, but I was actually very careful. He hasnât suffered any serious injuries," Zhang Deming said to Zhai Shijiang with a smile.