CHAPTER 50: INTERROGATION - BLACK OPERATIONS

XENON WINGATE

PRESENT DAY - INTERROGATION

My hand trembles. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t mutter any word. Even with the help of the Memory Reading Device in this interrogation, I could not recall some parts of that event. The device is also giving off error warnings that tell that it can’t read such kind of memories that were corrupted in my brain.

My head. It hurts. It feels like my brain is now a corrupted hard disk that has been infiltrated by deadly viruses. Necross Ascension. Necross Messiah. I know them, but I could not recall them. Every time I try to remember, there is this long imaginary screeching sound coming from my ears.

[During the Alterran-Elysian Conference Ball, you met Necross Messiah. Did you take the contract he offered?] The interrogator asked.

“I did not,” I said. “Serena saved me from taking his hand.”

[Don’t fuck with me, Xenon! I was there! I saw the whole thing! Even if we can’t read some parts of your memories, I know you’re lying.]

“I did not!” I cried out loud. “Why won’t you ask Serena!? I wish that I should have taken the Necross Messiah’s contract sooner. I tried to. I wanted to. That desire for revenge, to kill Eldritch, Cheng, and Trystgade, is an emotion I could not fight back. Only Serena has the power to wake me up from my madness. And I’m glad that I never agreed on the contract.”

[You did. Xenon Wingate, you accepted the contract Necross Messiah offered to you. You may be able to fool Serena, you may be able to fool your friends, you may be able to fool the country, you may be able to fool Trystgade and Eldritch. But you can never fool me. I saw the whole thing.]

This interrogator is driving me nuts. I’ve been trying to tell him the truth, and yet, here he is, forcing me to admit a thing I didn’t even commit. This guy just wants to hear the answers he wanted to hear. So I kept my mouth shut. He can do whatever he wants, and he can believe whatever lies he wants.

After a few moments, the interrogator asked a different set of questions.

[After the conference between the countries, what happened?]

“Alterra and Elysia failed to sign a new peace treaty, but no declaration of war happened. However, the tension between the empire rocketed and it put both sides on alert. It became a silent arms race, a cold war as if both countries are trying to save all the supplies before the incoming storm. The Dragon Knight Academy became very strict at that point of time, as they try to do everything to sharpen the abilities of the dragon knights.”

[After the conference, there was a specific event that ignited the cold war. Do you remember what it is?]

“Yes, I remember,” I said. “Two months after the conference, all the confidential data regarding the terrorist group Arcadia, Vanilla City, and the Crimson Dragonfly were deleted from the records. Everything, even files from the network or hard copy logs have been mysteriously destroyed. Emperor Elkyria hypothesized that the destruction of all the information is part of Eldritch’s schemes. But nobody had proof to support his contentions.”

[But the Emperor of Alterra did not turn a blind eye.]

“Yes.” I nodded. “Emperor Sirius Elkyria created a Task Force that will conduct all the necessary investigations for Eldritch’s schemes.”

Suddenly, the hologram globe in front of me popped up familiar faces, including myself, Serena, Alphonse, Z, Danielle, Nathaniel, Major General Valesmith, and his dragonoid Rius. At the background of all those profile pictures is a logo of a dragon and a sword in a pure black font.

[Alterran Black Ops. A task force whose objective is to become the Emperor’s private eyes and ears, and sometimes, his iron fist. Unlike any other task force, Alterran Black Ops receive orders directly from the Emperor himself. These orders are only given personally, on word of mouth, and you do not keep any recordings or documents on any operations you conducted. All that means is necessary to avoid the war between the nations. You dragon knights in the Black Ops have committed serious war crimes that nobody would ever ignore, so the Emperor resorted to a private force that will never leave any evidence behind.]

“What the…” I muttered. I’m surprised that the interrogator knows this much. He may have read it from my memories, but his description of the Alterran Black Ops is way too perfect. Now I feel like this guy has been watching me all over the past three years, and there is nothing left for me to keep a secret from him. 

[The Emperor himself assigned Lady Danielle Keine to become the leader of the Black Operations, and Major General Kevin Valesmith as a second in command. The change of leadership has been done so that Major General Valesmith will be the decoy in case everything goes south. It is a simple precautionary measure to retain the secrecy of the Black Ops.]

“Who the hell are you!? How do you know all this!?” I asked. 

However, the interrogator ignored my question as he asked another question.

[The Alterran Black Ops was issued its first mission six months after the conference. Xenon Wingate, do you remember what it is?]

“No! You answer my question first!” I cried. “Who the hell are you!?”

Suddenly, a powerful electric shock entered my bloodstream. My skin smoked due to the sweat evaporating which was caused by my electrocution. I don’t know, but as moments pass by, I’m becoming more immune to the pain of having zapped. It’s not because it’s no longer painful, but my nerves are getting numb.

[Answer the question, Xenon! Do you remember the first mission ordered by the Emperor of Alterra!?]

“Yes.” I sighed. “Alterran Black Ops' first mission is to investigate the whereabouts of the traitorous duke and scientist, Doctor Cheng Du. We are also tasked to retrieve information about the superweapon he’s developing, which is the Prototype Psychic Amplifier. At first, we didn’t know where to start. My informant, Lothar Pendragon didn’t contact me for a year after giving me a warning about Cheng’s plans.”

[Alterran Black Ops’ investigations were driven to a dead end, but there is one thing that gave you a lead to Cheng Du’s whereabouts.]

“It’s a letter of invitation to a fund-raising concert.” I scoffed. “That bastard is so obsessed with capturing Serena, so I took this opportunity to track him. And I found him.”

There was a grim smile that can be seen on my face. Even the interrogator was pressed to pause from talking. After a while, the interrogator accused me of some of the worst allegations.

[The letter of invitation was meant to capture Serena Maizono. Doctor Cheng Du wants to have his hands on her and make her a breeding machine for his future army of dragonoids. You knew that Cheng Du was coming for her. You knew that the invitation for Serena to guests at a concert is a trap. You are the only one who knew all about this. You never told Serena, even though you knew all the time that her life is in peril.]

“I told you before, didn’t I?” I said. “I don’t want Serena to worry. I have to keep it a secret so that she can continue to live a happy life without fear in her heart.”

[Yet you presented her on a silver platter. You used him as bait to lure Doctor Cheng Du out. Wrath has consumed your mind that you no longer care whatever things you may lose.]

The interrogator’s words broke my heart. It is true that I made Serena my bait in order to execute my revenge. It’s true that during that point in time, I treated Serena as an object for my vengeance. Even right now, it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth. 

If I ever get the chance to meet her again, I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart. But for now, I have to get away from this interrogation room. I need to find a way for me to escape this place, then rescue Serena. The only question is how can I escape the predicament I’m currently in?

[When did you receive the letter of invitation from Doctor Cheng Du?] The interrogator asked.

“Six months after the conference,” I said. “The same moment right when I challenged my third Pentagram Knight.”

Suddenly, the hologram globe popped up a picture of a chubby brown man with curly black hair and a short mustache. This man has a pouty cheek that makes him look like a man-baby.

[The third Pentagram Knight. Marlon Trystgade. He is said to have the most powerful magical properties of all the Pentagram Knights, and his ability to control his Mystic Flame Dragon’s power is beyond superior. He is the first Pentagram Knight you fought that never held back, and you actually had a hard time defeating him.]

Suddenly, the hologram globe whirled so fast and hard, making bluish-white sparks scatter around the place. Then, there was a blinding flash of light.

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