I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 319 The Wolf King of Purgatory, Silent Torture

"..."

In the pitch-black private room, a faint light seeped in through the gaps in the heavy curtains. Mark Johnson, whose hands and feet were bound and whose chest was pierced with two anti-magic nails, was completely unable to use magic and was in an unprecedentedly weak state. His heart was filled with despair and bitterness.

He never expected that last night, while assassinating his target, he would be interrupted by a white-bearded old man who appeared out of nowhere and was surrounded by countless terrifying demonic runes. Without the other party making any move, he fell into a coma and became the other party's prisoner. This morning, he was taken to a church by a group of members of the Holy Light Church of the Empire and kept under guard.

Before the expected horrific interrogation could even begin, he and his other captured companions were released by those damned fanatics, like a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

At first, he thought the cult members were planning to torture them to extract a confession.

But after his vision returned to normal after the magic-suppressing suit was removed, he saw a terrifying figure that he absolutely did not want to see during this infiltration mission.

John Maslow, the infernal wolf king of the empire!

In fact, this name for the other side only recently came out of the Allied forces.

The earliest origin of this term is impossible to verify, but it is widely accepted by the Allied high command, mid-level officers, and even members who consider themselves "cleaners."

After all, before this, there were the Imperial Fox, the Imperial Demon General, the Imperial Mad Tiger, and the Imperial Sea Dragon who was about to die.

These were the terrifying commanders who, in the previous era, led the Imperial forces to achieve victories of one against two, or even one against three, thanks to their strategic command capabilities. Countless senior Allied commanders lamented after the war that they never wanted to encounter them again.

But even these terrifying beings could not achieve the miraculous victory that even the god of war would marvel at, as this newly appointed commander of the empire did!

Despite being nearly three times weaker than their opponent, struggling to replenish resources, and being far inferior in combat strength and equipment, the enemy not only thwarted the Assassin Star's attack through their command abilities but also annihilated the Centaur Clan's division. Furthermore, they killed their own General Fengliu with a force five times stronger.

It caused floods in foreign lands, killing 30,000 people in one fell swoop. According to reports from scouts, the enemy burned the corpses for a full seventeen days after the battle. The Starry Coast, which was originally a scenic tourist area and was designated as the battlefield of the final battle, has now become a huge mass grave!

Subsequently, despite having a nearly four-fold numerical advantage, the enemy repeatedly defeated the strongest young commander of our side, Morning Star, three times in a row, slaughtered two orc divisions, and annihilated the entire Seventh Legion.

Even after enduring such a terrifying war of attrition, the opponent still managed to outmaneuver the two legions of the allied orc clans through strategy and successfully annihilate the Bloodhowl Legion!
Furthermore, news of John Maslow's terrifying achievements was relayed back to the Allies.

It is said that on the day the Allied high command held an internal meeting to discuss the defeat of Faoken, all the Allied high command who knew about it fell into a deathly silence. The battle analysis that should have been carried out had to be hastily ended under that oppressive atmosphere.

It was from that time onward that John Maslona's nickname, "The Wolf King of the Empire," spread rapidly within the Allied forces.

Rumor has it that the Allies prefixed its name with "Purgatory" because Assassin Star had detailed the enemy's chilling psychological tactics during that high-level meeting.

Even those who didn't experience it firsthand, but merely listened in, couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

Even just by listening, they realized that with this monstrous commander's meticulously planned schemes targeting the enemy general's personality, once the general engaged this monster in battle, it would be almost no different from falling into hell.

The reason they called the opponent the Wolf King was not only because of his command and combat style and the cunning of a wolf pack, but also because it was related to the destruction of the Blood Wolf Legion.

Despite being the strongest werewolf clan in the world, the Bloodhowl Legion was completely devoured by John Maslow, who led human soldiers, in a manner reminiscent of a ferocious wolf pack hunting.

This result is tantamount to proof that John Maslow himself was far more ferocious and cunning than the Bloodwolf Clan.

Even the weakest soldiers of the Imperial Army's Second Army Group, once under enemy command, can transform from the weak into the most ferocious hellish wolves, tearing apart anything that dares to oppose them.

As the one who created all of this, John Maslow himself naturally deserves the title of Wolf King.

Therefore, Mark Johnson, the third heir of the Johnson family, which made its fortune through intelligence and now holds the title of Earl in the Kingdom of France, learned through internal family intelligence just how terrifying John Maslow really was.

He would rather face the legendary Demon King than encounter such a terrifying being.

If facing the Demon King, perhaps he could reveal his noble lineage in time and use noble laws to secure a way out.

But if he fell into the hands of John Maslow, the Infernal Wolf King, who was regarded as a monster by countless high-ranking commanders, then he probably wouldn't even be able to keep his whole body!

"So, why, why did I run into this monster? Am I doomed?"

Looking at the dark room in front of him, Mark's expression suddenly became more bitter than ever before.

Unlike his companion who was constantly trying to untie the ropes and escape, Mark, who knew that John had once tried the local lord in Longeye Territory, was very clear about the situation.

Before this being, who never regarded nobles as superior beings, and whose wisdom and methods far surpassed those of the empire's white-haired demon general Dormammu Philot, known for his cruelty and ruthlessness.

Rather than trying to escape from the other party, it would be more practical to think about how to commit suicide during the interrogation to end that hellish interrogation.

Honestly, he was starting to regret listening to his father's nonsense and being tricked into joining this damned Special Operations Department.

What glory for one's ancestors? This time, won't he just die on the battlefield?
No, perhaps, I won't even be able to preserve my own body.

After all, it was John Maslow who was interrogating him...

"Squeak!"

Just as Mark was filled with despair, the sound of a door being pushed open rang out. Then, the light from the corridor shone through the door into the room, and a burly man with a thick beard, dressed in a military police uniform, walked in.

The man surveyed the crowd expressionlessly. After a quick glance around, his gaze settled on an assassin glaring at him coldly from a corner. Under the angry, fearful, or desperate stares of the crowd, he pointed at the assassin and spoke in a chilling voice:

"He's the one. Take him out!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, several members of the surveillance team immediately stepped forward. Without saying a word, they forcefully pried open the other person's mouth, stuffed a pre-prepared towel into it, and covered the other person's eyes with a thick black cloth, completely blocking their vision.

Then, just like treating livestock to be slaughtered, they grabbed the person under the armpits and dragged them away, no matter how much the chosen member struggled, they did not waver in the slightest.

Like an extremely cold steel machine!

"Oh!"

The sound of the door being slammed shut rang out, followed by the faint dragging sound that gradually faded into the distance, and then bursts of angry curses.

In the darkness, fear spread silently and coldly, gripping everyone's nerves.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

After an unknown amount of time, in this atmosphere of panic, the closed door opened again, and the same inspector general, who was expressionless like a fake, walked in with his machine-like subordinates.

But what chilled everyone was that the member who had been dragged away was not released.

Murdered?
Or did they choose to surrender?
Two thoughts filled the minds of the rest of everyone.

But despite the unease in everyone's hearts, the face of the executioner-like leader of the Imperial Surveillance Force remained completely expressionless. His indifference was as cold as if he were choosing lambs, and his dragging was as succinct and brutal as ever.

However, compared to the angry roars and curses last time, this time there was an unconcealable panic in the voices of their companions.

again and again.

As the number of people in the room gradually decreased, the sense of panic began to intensify and spread uncontrollably. Mark even saw that his companion, who had been the loudest in cursing, began to tremble uncontrollably after witnessing his companions disappear 'silently'.

When it was his turn to be chosen, he was so scared that he wet his pants on the spot. His original angry curses turned into pleas and sobs as he was dragged along, and he even said he was willing to reveal all the information he knew.

Unfortunately, the two imperial soldiers never stopped dragging him from beginning to end.

As the number of personnel dwindled further, another female companion, whose psychological defenses had crumbled under the weight of darkness and fear and who had completely lost consciousness, was dragged out of the room by the soldiers once more.

Mark was the only one left in the dark room.

At this moment, apart from his body trembling uncontrollably from fear and the heavy breathing coming from his mouth, he could feel nothing else.

Before this, he had never imagined that he would one day so desperately long for the death penalty.

Because in this silent purgatory, even just hearing his own breathing felt like torture.

As if he had heard his call, the door, which had been closed for a long time, was opened again in his trembling pupils.

This time, the bearded leader of the Imperial Surveillance Force, whom he identified as the 'executioner,' didn't waste any words. Instead, he simply followed the previous procedure, obscuring Mark's vision before dragging him out.

Due to being bound for a long time, Mark's legs had become numb without him realizing it. With his vision obstructed, he could only vaguely sense that he was being dragged on the wooden floor from the friction against his knees.

After a moment of suspended motion, like an elevator ascending, followed by a brief dragging motion, the sound of the door opening reached Mark's ears.

"Squeak!"

However, contrary to Mark's expectations of a bloody stench and the burning smell of gunpowder left from the execution, what entered his nostrils as the door opened was a smell that felt extremely familiar.

That was the scent of lavender, unique to the Kingdom of Loran.

What is this...

A strong sense of confusion and unease filled Mark's mind, but soon he was astonished to find that, as the dragging stopped, his body, which had been half-suspended in mid-air, was now back on the object.

Immediately afterwards, hard handcuffs and chains replaced the original ropes, firmly fixing his body in one position.

Then, the towel in her mouth was removed, and the black cloth in front of her eyes was completely removed, allowing light to re-enter her retina.

"!"

The glaring light hit Mark's eyes, and his discomfort made him squint involuntarily, tears streaming down his face. It took him a long time to readjust to the light.

Even with blurred vision, he was able to recognize his current situation.

Contrary to his expectations of a cold interrogation room filled with the corpses of his companions and various interrogation instruments, this room was clean and bright, and even seemed to have been specially arranged. The whole room gave people an eerie warmth, and with the warm lighting, it made people feel at ease.

It doesn't look like an interrogation room; it's more like a tea room for chatting with friends.

However, once Mark's gaze clearly identified the figure of the black-haired man sitting across the square table, fiddling with the lavender in the vase, with a harmless smile on his face...

He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

At the same time, I realized that this so-called warmth was nothing but an illusion.

This place, this location, this fucking damn room.

It is absolutely a ten thousand times more terrifying than the legendary purgatory!

At that moment, all of Mark's lingering hope vanished, replaced by an unprecedented fear and chill.

Beads of sweat began to pour uncontrollably from his forehead, and under the influence of gravity, they gathered towards his chin until they fell to the ground.

The sound of sweat bursting reflected his pale face.

"Clap!"

"You seem to know me? Hmm, I must say, that's quite a surprise."

John couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he watched Mark, who, after recognizing him, began to tremble uncontrollably as if he had an epileptic seizure.

But he wasn't surprised by this.

After all, in his memory, Mark Johnson, as one of the original members of the game, came from a family that made its fortune through intelligence gathering.

Although the other party, as the third heir of the Johnson family, is not qualified to inherit the title of Earl, in the background of the story, the current Earl of the Johnson family seems to have a great fondness for his youngest son, Mark. Otherwise, he would not have given him the opportunity to join the Allied Special Operations Department, an opportunity that many people would kill for.

Therefore, it is reasonable that the other party would know more about him than ordinary members of the Special Operations Department.

Of course, it was precisely for this reason that John specifically chose the other party as the highlight of this interrogation.

They even went so far as to spend a huge sum of money to rent an entire floor of rooms, just to perfectly create a prisoner's dilemma to interrogate Mark.

John knew perfectly well that he wanted to find out the true purpose and motives behind the Allied operation, as well as the true whereabouts of Anna and Royce.

The only way to get to the bottom of this is to start with Mark, who comes from an intelligence family, rather than focusing on the other six members of the Special Operations Department who have less access to information.

So, how much do you really know, and will you disappoint me, Mark Johnson?
Looking at Mark, whose pupils were trembling, John's smile did not diminish; on the contrary, it became even more intense.

He slowly pushed the vase of lavender in his hand aside, then interlaced his fingers, rested his elbows on the table, and gently supported his chin with his two thumbs.

His eyes, shining like obsidian, calmly gazed at Mark. Though his voice was devoid of emotion, it whispered in Mark's ear like the murmur of a demon from hell, freezing Mark's soul the instant he heard it.
"Since you recognize me, let's skip the boring self-introduction and talk about something interesting."

"For example, what do you think of your half-sister, Sally Cocolia, dear Mr. Mark Johnson?"

"!"

……

(End of this chapter)