Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Already... in Heaven! (You can just read the beginning and the end of this chapter without affecting the plot)
"But now that you mention it, time is running out,"
Jiang Lu calculated, "A favorability of fifty or above is already absolute authority. Regardless of how high mine is, I still need three days. Whether they are still alive after three days is another matter."
He scratched his hair irritably, "In that case, I have to take an unconventional approach."
Having made up his mind, Jiang Lu went to the unsortable area, found the file of the composite talent he had seen earlier, placed it on the stela, and activated it.
A flash of white light, and in an instant, he was transported to the interrogation room.
Like John, the target in front of him was also locked to a stone pillar.
But because his sins were deeper, his appearance was even more miserable than John's.
His skin was split, his flesh burst open, and no part of his body was intact. Even half of his facial skin had been peeled off and was dangling from his chin, shaking. These scars were both new and old; the fresh ones were still oozing blood, while the old ones had rotted and suppurated, even showing signs of necrosis.
Strangely, he maintained quite a bit of vitality at the moment; however, the undeniable expression of pain on his face led one to suspect that this was a little trick played by the Black Tower to make him feel the physical torture more acutely.
"Albert Heimer?"
Sitting in the chair, Jiang Lu looked at the file in front of him and called out the man's name.
"That's me." Heimer's face bore a hideous smile, "This is my first time seeing a supervisor, how novel."
"First time seeing a supervisor?" Jiang Lu smiled with interest, "Then how did you know about the existence of supervisors?"
Heimer's face was shadowed, and he smiled without speaking.
"Quite a tough nut, I like that." Jiang Lu nodded satisfactorily, "So, what are your thoughts on your past failed life?"
"I don't consider my life a failure, supervisor."
Rather than feeling guilty for his wrongdoings, Heimer actually seemed proud:
"I enjoyed it and found pleasure in it. Perhaps in several decades or centuries, when people recall my name, they will still feel dread. Do you call that a failure?
The only thing I regret is that I couldn't hunt down more prey before I died, which means I'm doomed not to compare with those legendary infamous serial killers."
"Personally, I don't agree."
Jiang Lu shrugged, "At least I've never heard your name, but I've heard of Robert Oppenheimer."
Heimer furrowed his brow, he had never heard of this person whose name sounded somewhat similar to his own, "Who is Oppenheimer? A legendary infamous serial killer?"
"Ah no, he's a Primordial God."
"Primordial God?" Heimer showed a look of confusion.
"It seems that your era is far removed from mine, or it's possible that we're not from the same world at all. Hmm... but that's of no consequence."
Jiang Lu didn't care.
Having had one redemption experience, he was well aware of what powers the supervisor's robes could grant him.
With a slight snap of his fingers, the chains on Heimer's body disappeared without a trace.
The next second, he fell to the ground, making a heavy sound.
Heimer, who was mentally spirited but physically weak, was suddenly dazed by the fall.
Jiang Lu stood up, walked over to Heimer, and stepped on the back of his head.
"I see in your file that you seem to have some special predilections."
He ground his heel on the top of Heimer's head, as if trying to crush the skull.
Heimer, dizzy from the immense pressure on his skull, felt fear for the first time.
"What are you doing?!" he growled.
"Don't hurry; I've come to play with you. We're just getting started,"
Jiang Lu folded his arms across his chest, looking down at Heimer with contempt in his eyes.
With a throbbing sensation, Heimer was shocked to find that all the injuries on his body had healed.
Logically speaking, a healthy body should have given him strength, but for some reason, he only felt a sharper pain in the back of his head.
"Just in case you are not clear about the situation, let me explain a bit," Jiang Lu said while slowly increasing the pressure and smiling scornfully, "Now, your body has healed and returned to the healthiest condition, maybe even surpassing its peak..."
"Why..."
"Be patient," Jiang Lu interrupted, "This isn't charity—it's to keep you functioning optimally. Your sensory perception is now thirty times normal, which is the limit of my control.
It's worth mentioning that it's not just your senses, including your reaction to language, your inner sensitivity, all of it, has increased thirty-fold."
With an excruciating headache, Haimer gritted his teeth and asked, "What does this mean?"
"Still don't understand, you stupid, xx son of a xx!" (Author's note: xx is a redacted curse word, fill in the blank as you wish, the same below.)
In an instant, Haimer felt as if his entire body was electrified.
He involuntarily arched his back, curling up like a shrimp.
"Looks like I've hit a trigger word, huh?" Jiang Lu lifted the corners of his mouth, satisfied with the other's reaction.
"Stop... stop it... don't say any more."
Haimer trembled as he spoke.
But Jiang Lu had no intention of letting him go; his purpose was to send Haimer to heaven after all.
This was just the beginning; he couldn't afford to give up halfway.
"That's not what your file says."
Jiang Lu smiled sinisterly, "Aren't you keen on this? I'm merely saving you in the way you love most. How merciful I am."
"But..."
"No buts!"
In Jiang Lu's hand appeared a nail-studded whip, which he snapped against Haimer's thigh.
Haimer winced in pain, trembling all over.
"Look at your xx excuse of an xx, it's xx to the point of breaking xx. I don't know what makes you think you have the right to become the so-called legendary murderer when everything you do is for satisfying your xx desires."
Snap!
"In the end, you're a brainless xx, no different from a scattered xx in any xx place."
Snap!
"I'm very curious about where your bottom line is. Is it in xx or xx? I guess you don't know, do you? No matter, at thirty times the perception, we'll find out."
Snap!
...
...
Under the dual torment of body and mind, Haimer gradually lost his clarity of consciousness.
Finally, after more than an hour of torture, he reached his limit and passed out.
And the next moment, a holy white light arrived as promised, flooding down from the top of the interrogation room, enveloping Haimer within it.
Jiang Lu stepped back and watched as Haimer began to fade: "He lasted quite a while."
Feeling the feedback from the monitor's robe, he finally heaved a sigh of relief, then revealed a confident smile of someone masterminding a strategy.
"As expected... as long as I can send the convict to heaven, any method is considered a success, huh? There's truly no bottom line, God of Redemption..."
...
In the monitor's hall, three people sat on the couch, motionless, yet their minds were full of anxiety.
"He's been gone for over two hours now, hasn't he?" Heavy Cannon calculated the time, as if in prayer, "He didn't mess up this time, did he?"
"Believe first, don't doubt," Willow Blade repeated the words Jiang Lu said before he left.
Ghostface Fox was about to speak, intending to say something when suddenly he sensed something.
It wasn't just him; the other two also became aware of the latest developments through the shared information channel of the monitor's robes.
Then there was a collective sharp intake of breath.
[Monitor 4 has successfully redeemed a lost soul, sending it smoothly into heaven.]