Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 232 My loyalty is as clear as day! The dwarf's defenses are breached! (Please subscribe)
Inside the interrogation room, Gong Pengfei's eyelids twitched several times!
In fact, he was receiving real-time information guidance from another room through a small device hidden in his ear.

"Attila is panicking! He's using anger to mask his guilty conscience! His heart rate is over 110, and his brainwaves are as active as boiling water..."

Yu Qiwen's calm voice rang out in the earpiece, like the most precise scalpel, dissecting every trace of the dwarf's emotional disguise.

Gong Pengfei listened to the analysis in his earphones, looked at the dwarf opposite him who was still putting on a brave face, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Centurion Attila...you...talk too much! Don't you think you're being ridiculous? Like a clown?"

Seeing Attila's continued anger, Gong Pengfei gave a thumbs up, grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, his smile so bright it was almost blinding.

"Alright, I'll go along with your pace! Hmm... yes, we humans are cunning and untrustworthy! But compared to your allies, aren't we just innocent little flowers?"

He leaned forward abruptly, his hands outstretched and pressed against the cold metal tabletop, his entire being like a beast about to pounce on its prey, his gaze fixed on the dwarf's face.

"Your ally, that long-eared fellow you mentioned, really sold you out for a good price! Why was your hundred-man squad wiped out? You should really thank the elves for their generous donation of equipment!"

"It's those things that allowed us to pinpoint the exact location of each and every one of you, like having a map."

Attila, who had been looking down at his wine glass, concealing his emotions as if a peerless beauty resided there, suddenly stiffened upon hearing the words "elf" and "equipment."

Did they really team up with Long Ears?
That's not right, those guys couldn't possibly cooperate with these humans!

but……

He looked up, and his eyes, which were deep beneath his thick eyebrows, now flashed with a terrifyingly fierce light.

"I knew it! I knew the problem with this operation was with Long Ears!" Attila's teeth were grinding, and the veins on his neck were bulging. "They really leaked the information! Those damned idiots! How could they believe you! Damn it, their heads will all be chopped off! All of them will be dead!"

Looking at Attila's genuinely furious expression and listening to Yu Qiwen's notification in his earpiece that "heart rate is fluctuating wildly and emotions are judged to be genuine anger," Gong Pengfei stroked his chin with interest.

"Attila, your performance of ferocity was superb; you deserve an Oscar!"

"Thank you for the compliment. We half-humans are world-renowned for our straightforwardness!" Attila said, panting, not forgetting to boast.

Gong Pengfei, however, seemed not to hear him and waved his hand, interrupting him.

"By the way, when we were controlling you before, we collected some of your personal belongings. This time, you've behaved quite well, at least you didn't attack us, so we'll provide you with some things."

Gong Pengfei then took some things out of the box he had just placed there.

These are Attila's personal belongings.

It wasn't anything valuable; it was just a pendant containing mithril with a few rather abstract drawings on it.

These items are clearly the work of a beginner.

Before capturing Attila, the humans analyzed and confirmed that the object was likely a poorly made work by a dwarf child, so they collected it to use as a tool to break through the dwarf captives' mental defenses.

Sure enough, when Gong Pengfei pushed the pendant to the other party, Attila fell into a daze.

He stroked it carefully for a long time before putting it back around his neck.

Professor Yu Qiwen's voice came through the earpiece: "Attila's brainwaves were extremely active just now, but her heartbeat didn't change much. Also, the look she gave the pendant was full of tenderness, which basically confirms that the pendant is an extremely important item to Attila!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Pengfei breathed a sigh of relief. He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, and the Morse code signal had been transmitted back to the rear.

After calming himself down, Gong Pengfei continued, "Those long-eared guys betrayed you teammates, they betrayed you so thoroughly."

His tone became light and casual, as if he were chatting about everyday things.

“They not only leaked your attack route and timing, but also told us your celebration plans after the success.”

Gong Pengfei extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table, making a "tap, tap" sound.

"The first step of the plan is to launch an attack, use our superior close-combat skills to take over our base, and then burn it down."

Attila looked up at Gong Pengfei without saying a word.

Because the pendant Gong Pengfei gave him was carved by his illegitimate son.

Although illegitimate children are not favored by a clan that values ​​honor, he was his son. His favorite son!
This caused Attila the dwarf to lose his composure.

Gong Pengfei on the other side then extended his second finger.

"The second step is to cut off all our heads, find some sturdy wood, and stick the skulls into the ground one by one to create eight mounds!"

"Hmm, why are you setting up eight piles of decorations?"

"Also, why do you always have to arrange them in rows of eight, and then form such a strange shape?"

Attila's breathing suddenly stopped, and the frequency of his blinking doubled instantly.

Gong Pengfei's lips curled into a wicked smile as he extended his third finger, his voice lowered, filled with a mysterious air of wicked amusement.

"As for our commander's head... they say you plan to make it into a fine wine vessel and present it to your Mithril clan chief as a trophy."

boom!
Attila had been pulled back to reality from his brief memories of family affection. It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, and a tidal wave of emotions surged within him.

These...these words...

That was the bragging he made that night when he was resting with his brothers in the underground base, just to boost morale!
These words are all his, exactly the same!
How did these humans know this?
How come they said it exactly as it was, without missing a single word!
Were all our previous communications and actions under their watchful eyes?
What kind of evil magic did they use to block our senses?

Impossible, magic usage always involves fluctuations...

We used the magic stone to detect that the area around the camp is very clean and there is no magical fluctuation!
Are they the beasts controlled by the long-eared ones?
Is it a raven?
its not right.

There wasn't a soul in that area!

The ground-penetrating rats they used didn't smell any live animals, and the magic detector couldn't detect any magical fluctuations at all!
Just as Attila was reeling and his expression was shifting, Gong Pengfei slowly spoke, delivering the final word.

"Too bad, the elves revealed your entire plan, which is why we wiped you all out in one fell swoop~"

He looked at the dwarf's face, which had turned ashen and then purple, and leaned back in his chair, calmly delivering the final blow.

"Oh, and they also told us that you were the one who came up with the brilliant idea of ​​making wine glasses out of human heads!"

After Gong Pengfei finished speaking, the interrogation room fell into a deathly silence.

Attila's face, which had been ashen and flushed, was now completely drained of color. He stared intently at Gong Pengfei, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

That idea of ​​making wine glasses out of human heads...

It's him!

It was his idea!

While his brothers were eating underground, he was filled with boundless pride. He patted his chest and boasted, making everyone laugh and shout. They imagined the glorious pleasure of victory and the exciting scene of slaughtering those cowardly humans who knelt and begged for mercy.

This was supposed to be a private joke only among their hundred-man team!

But how did the enemy find out about this?

Their companions had only been captured for such a short time, and their elite hundred-man squad had such strong magic resistance; it was impossible for them to be affected by magic.

Their companions would not betray the dwarf race.

what happened?

Are we all operating right under each other's noses?
Are these humans really that terrifying?
"Gudong."

Attila grabbed the wine glass and gulped down the wine. The icy liquid burned down his esophagus, and a chill seemed to freeze his heart.

Damn, how embarrassing!
This is just as embarrassing as having a relationship with a female Grumon that goes beyond friendship, being discovered by your own kind, and then being publicly exposed by your clan through the loudspeaker!
Taishe is dead!

He and his hundred-odd brothers were like a bunch of clowns from beginning to end, performing a clumsy farce on the human stage.

Attila's mind was in turmoil; his hand touched the pendant, and his resolve grew even stronger.

"No...it's them! It's those long-eared ones!"

Attila slammed his hand on the table, splashing wine from his glass. His eyes were bloodshot, like a cornered beast.

"It was them, it was Long Ears who betrayed us. It must be... no, it was them... those damned traitors! We dwarves treated them as allies, and they sold out all our intelligence!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and the veins on his neck were bulging.

The dwarf had a thick beard and often roared and cursed, with expressive features that almost concealed his deepest embarrassment and some secrets.

But what he didn't know was that human technology had long ago used infrared, high-definition camera slow motion, micro-expression management and other technologies to record and compare the other party's various behavioral patterns.

While Attila was speaking, various analyses were compiled and summarized, and then transmitted to Gong Pengfei.

Suddenly, Attila cried out.

"Humans, I refuse to accept this! My brothers in arms refuse to accept this! Let's fight fair and square! Without that despicable intelligence, your heads would have been chopped off by me long ago!"

Gong Pengfei looked at him, and then listened to the information Yu Qiwen was saying through his earpiece. He suddenly smiled.

He shook his head and clicked his tongue: "Centurion Attila, I'm really curious, how did you become a centurion? Just because of your skill in chopping off heads?"

Attila was like a Grumon whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with fur.

He suddenly stood up from the chair, the shackles creaking as they were pulled, and the iron chair scraped against the ground with a piercing shriek.

"How do you know I'm really good at chopping off heads?" He stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief. "Holy crap! Long ears again! These bastards even sold my special skill? Damn it! Damn it!"

"..."

Gong Pengfei's smile froze for a moment.

He opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless.

Yu Qiwen's dry cough, barely suppressing a laugh, came through the earpiece: "Xiao Gong, the target's heart rate has started to stabilize. His brainwaves are active, though; he seems to have completed his mental preparation. I suggest we abandon the conversational rhetoric and get straight to the point!"

Gong Pengfei took a deep breath and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Trying to argue with this dwarf is an insult to one's intelligence.

These dwarves are adept at concealing their true intentions and are not quick to reveal further details about their tribe.

Perhaps they used all their cleverness in this area.

He was too lazy to act anymore. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and his expression returned to its initial indifference.

"Attila, stop acting, and stop blaming everything on the elves." Gong Pengfei's voice turned cold.

"You're clever; you know how to divert hatred by shouting and acting, and you know how to play dumb to lower our guard! Unfortunately, your acting skills are useless against me."

"The reason for your defeat is simple: you and your brothers in arms were blindly arrogant, and you disobeyed your master's orders. Your master clearly told you to wait, but you insisted on launching a sneak attack on us!"

Attila's roar abruptly stopped, and the anger on his face froze instantly.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

"No, if it weren't for the leaked information, if you hadn't cooperated with Long Ears, I wouldn't have lost! It was all your conspiracy! You are the devils! Bastards, damned scum..."

He became agitated and grabbed a wine glass, smashing it in front of Gong Pengfei.

However, the soft plastic glass was almost empty, so he couldn't throw the object very far.

Upon seeing the attack, Gong Pengfei pressed a button in accordance with prison management rules.

The shackles around Attila's neck emitted a slight electric current.

The electric current did not cause the body to lose control, but the tingling sensation immediately extinguished Attila's anger.

"Attila, this was the first time you attacked us during our exchange. Since this attack did not cause us any harm, I will punish you slightly!"

Attila glanced warily at the remote control in Gong Pengfei's hand, then his expression returned to calm.

“Attila, we have captured the Belergas who attacked us at night. We release them and hope they will convey goodwill to your king.”

Gong Pengfei picked up the beer on the table and poured himself a full glass; the golden liquid was frothy.

Then he took out another wine glass and poured the other person a drink.

"We thought we were being treated with goodwill, but you deliberately attacked us!"

"Now, your kingdom's envoys have arrived at our camp. Tell me, if they find out that you orchestrated the attack, resulting in the capture of your entire army and exposing your strength, do you think your envoys will go berserk? Tsk tsk... the responsibility for the defeat lies entirely with you!"

He picked up his glass, but didn't drink; he just stared at the bubbles rising and falling in the glass.

"Attila, do you have children? Tsk tsk... I wonder if your children would be so ashamed that they couldn't lift their heads if they knew their father was a fool, a piece of trash who caused a war between our two races!"

Attila closed his eyes and remained silent!

Gong Pengfei looked at Attila with a gaze as sharp as a knife, piercing into Attila's turbulent heart.

Attila felt he shouldn't be cowardly. He closed his eyes and then suddenly opened them again, his short, thick neck stiff and rigid, his gaze fixed on Gong Pengfei.

But deep inside him, a storm was brewing.

It’s over.

Humans now know what he's thinking, so the reverse psychology tactic seems to be losing its effectiveness!

Lao Tzu did indeed want to get ahead of the envoys and reap a huge reward in advance.

Who knew you humans were so well hidden and so capable in combat?

Unfortunately, he couldn't say these words aloud. Otherwise, forget about any credit; he might not even be able to save his own life. His illegitimate son, who had just been born and hadn't even donned his armor yet, would probably be fatherless.

He's keeping some concubines who will probably try to divide up his assets and then run away!

Most importantly, he brought shame to the Mithril Clan.

Given the current clan leader's personality, he and his entire family would surely be beheaded and thrown into a latrine.

He was not only going to have his head chopped off, but his wife, his concubine, and his illegitimate children were also going to have their heads chopped off.

This is very uncomfortable!

The more Attila thought, the more his heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand, making it hard to breathe.

"It seems you are aware of the consequences of your unauthorized military expedition failing!"

"Attila, we humans value integrity and are not interested in what's going on behind your backs. Mr. Attila, if you don't want our story to be discovered and known to your rear, please answer some of our questions!"

Gong Pengfei's voice broke the silence. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, as if he were chatting casually.

"Please rest assured, this is not a matter of violating principles!"

"It's very simple. What is your impression of us humans? We've shown you some of our things: cities, industry, and manufacturing capabilities!"

Attila remained silent.

"Do you really think we're the same kind of people as those in the kingdoms to the south? A bunch of untrustworthy bastards?"

This question was like a needle, precisely piercing Attila's taut nerves.

"If I get out, I'll slaughter you all!" Attila roared, spitting as he spoke. "You fickle humans! You're a bunch of treacherous fools! We'll cut your heads off sooner or later!"

"Haha, you have great hands, I'm going to turn them into toys..."

Gong Pengfei was picking up the thick plastic cup on the table, preparing to take a sip of wine to moisten his throat.

Upon hearing that his hands would be turned into toys, he paused in his movements.

"Crack!"

The plastic cup was crushed into a ball in his palm, and the liquid gushed out between his fingers, dripping onto the table with a soft, pattering sound.

He looked at the dwarf in front of him, whose face was contorted with rage and who was still spouting threats, and suddenly laughed in anger.

"I've seen reckless commanders, and I've seen cunning ones, and many who are both cruel and cunning."

Gong Pengfei shook his head, intending to throw the broken cup onto the table, but then he heard Yu Qiwen's voice.

"Xiao Gong, the other party is trying to provoke you. Be mindful of your manners."

Gong Pengfei exhaled, his stern face returning to its usual calm. He glanced at the trash can in the distance and threw it there.

He casually tossed the glass of liquor into the trash can.

Then, he took out some tissues and wiped the mess on the table clean.

After finishing these tasks, he regained his composure.

"Attila, this is the first time I've seen someone like you who knows that angering me might lead to your death! Hah... I'll do the opposite of what you want!"

He looked Attila up and down, his eyes filled with the strange look one might have for a rare species.

"You've got a whole bunch of clever tricks up your sleeve, but you've only used them to push yourself into a pit. Attila, to be honest... you're kind of funny. Don't worry, if you commit suicide, I'll print some paper and send your heroic deeds to all the dwarves, and... also to the long-eared elves."

Fearing that Attila might not know what printed advertisements were, he even took out some old photos.

"These are the ones I can print hundreds of thousands of copies of at any time and scatter them in your dwarf kingdom and the densely populated enemy territory of the elven kingdom!"

Attila gritted his teeth.

Yu Qiwen's muffled laughter could be clearly heard through the headset.

Gong Pengfei blinked, imagining in his mind what kind of looks Su and his colleagues were giving him in the monitoring room.

Seeing Attila's expression change again, he gave a cold, forced smile.

"Attila, you are reckless and do not represent the dwarves."

At this moment, Gong Pengfei's voice was like a small hammer, striking Attila's pride.

"You're nothing but a fool who disobeyed orders and acted recklessly for personal gain! Your mind is full of war and honor, and your arrogance and conceit have made the Mithril Clan look bad!"

Attila glared fiercely at Gong Pengfei, letting out a beast-like growl.

He subconsciously touched the cold metal shackles around his neck, gritted his teeth, and finally forced back the urge to jump up and fight desperately.

Because every word Gong Pengfei said was correct.

He's an idiot.

in case……

If only I hadn't been so greedy for credit back then...

“Where there’s a wall, you can smash your head against it and die. Then we’ll pass all this on to the dwarves, and you might even get the title of a warrior,” Gong Pengfei said calmly, pointing behind the other person.

"Attila, our patience with you is almost gone."

Attila's small, short hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

He suddenly raised his head, grinned, and revealed an ugly smile: "My loyalty to my people is as firm as a rock!"

"Then just kill yourself~" He pointed to the wall in the distance: "Just smash your head against it. Don't worry, if you scream, we'll tell the Mithril Clan that you committed suicide out of guilt. Then, your wife, children... tsk tsk! By the way, do you have a wife and children?"

The dwarf centurion, who had previously been playing clever tricks and feigning ignorance, was now completely unwilling to answer.

The interrogation room was filled with heated exchanges, while the monitoring center was surprisingly relaxed.

Watching the dwarf on the screen, who was completely unpredictable, being brought to his knees by Gong Pengfei, Su Mingjin turned her gaze to Yu Qiwen beside her.

He was leaning close to the microphone, lowering his voice and quickly transmitting information to Gong Pengfei.

"Old Gong, his heart is racing again... his pupils are constricted very much, this is a reaction to guilt and fear, keep pressing...!"

Su Mingjin looked back at Gong Pengfei, who was sitting upright on the screen, and recalled the elves' evaluation of the dwarves as "always clever but single-minded." The corners of her mouth lifted imperceptibly.

She remained silent, simply observing the confrontation.

The interrogation did not last long.

After Gong Pengfei had said everything he should and shouldn't have said, he threw all the sarcastic remarks at Attila's face, Attila got up and left.

The door closed behind him, leaving Attila alone in the interrogation room.

He was escorted back to his solitary cell by two guards armed with stun batons.

The monitor screen switched images. After Attila returned to his room, he didn't make a fuss or yell. He just sat blankly on the edge of the bed, staring motionlessly at the soft LED light on the ceiling.

His eyes were vacant, as if he were caught in some kind of emotional struggle.

…………

The heavy metal door of the interrogation room closed behind me, completely shutting out the oppressive silence.

Gong Pengfei exhaled a long breath, feeling as if he had just surfaced from deep water. He raised his hand and rubbed his stiff neck, his joints making a series of soft cracking sounds.

The mental struggle is far more exhausting than the physical exertion.

"Team Leader Gong!"

A crisp voice interrupted his thoughts. Tang Huanzhu quickly came forward, holding his phone in her hand, her face showing some urgency.

"I called Mr. Su once before, but I didn't notify you because you were preparing."

Gong Pengfei nodded, took the phone, but did not call back immediately.

His gaze fell on another document that Tang Huanzhu handed him, a stack of charts that had just been printed and were still warm.

The above are the physiological data curves of Attila during his interrogation—for example, when Gong Pengfei launched his taunts, his heart rate soared to 130 when mocking his honors. There were also significant fluctuations when his family was mentioned.

In addition to this, even the changes in the other person's pupil dilation and contraction were clearly marked.

Every peak and every trough precisely confirmed his every action.

Although the dwarf did not have an emotional breakdown, he may have already begun to doubt himself.

And this was the beginning of their successful breakthrough.

Only after confirming this was Gong Pengfei extremely satisfied with the interrogation.

He then pressed the redial button.

The call was quickly answered.

"Team Leader Gong, I watched the entire interrogation remotely," Su Mingjin's voice came through, devoid of much emotion yet possessing a penetrating power. "Very impressive."

"President Su, we just happened to hit his sore spot." Gong Pengfei's tone was very calm, without the slightest hint of arrogance.

“This is no fluke.” Su Mingjin directly refuted his modesty. “Dwarves have strange tempers, yet you were able to analyze their family in such a short time, and even peeled away their pride and self-esteem layer by layer, and then trampled them underfoot.”

Gong Pengfei laughed happily, and after hearing Su Mingjin's praise, he replied, "It's all thanks to the leaders' excellent command and coordination!"

Su Mingjin smiled, then asked directly, "Team Leader Gong, the wall in Attila's heart has already cracked. Are you confident you can get more out of him?"

Gong Pengfei remained silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

“Mr. Su, it’s difficult.” He gave an unexpected answer. “Attila is a centurion of the Mithril clan, an elite among the dwarves. We’ve only made him doubt himself and caused his mentality to collapse, but this rift is far from enough.”

"Should we continue to apply pressure?"

“Too much of a good thing is bad,” Gong Pengfei explained. “For this kind of battle-hardened veteran, his pride is his last line of defense. The other side is used to life and death. We’ve created a crack in it now, but if we push too hard, he might defend that line with his life, and then we’ll really gain nothing. We’ll end up losing more than we gain.”

The other end of the phone went silent.

“President Su, the dwarves’ way of thinking is very different from ours,” Gong Pengfei continued. “Our excessive goodwill may be seen by them as weakness and surrender. They might even dare to ask us for wine tomorrow, and it has to be the kind they brew themselves.”

These slightly teasing words elicited a soft chuckle from Su Mingjin on the other end of the phone, instantly lightening the atmosphere considerably.

"So, that's why you applied earlier to have the dwarf prisoners and elven prisoners participate in the labor reform together?"

"Yes, that's only one of the reasons."

Gong Pengfei walked to the window in the corridor, looked at the night view of the base outside, and his voice became deep.

"More importantly, we need to let the dwarves see the condition of those elven captives as soon as possible."

He paused, then threw out a startling deduction.

“President Su, I strongly suspect that the memories of us in the minds of the elven prisoners we released earlier have likely been wiped clean by their own people using some kind of mind magic.”

"What mind magic? I know that!"

"Yes, it's mind magic! I think that not a single word of the goodwill we showed to the elves reached back to the elven kingdom and was heard by more elves in the kingdom. Perhaps their higher-ups heard it, but the elven kingdom's higher-ups chose to downplay the impact, perhaps secretly accumulating power, or perhaps they retreated into hiding."

"However, since the other side has a network of sacred trees that are similar to gods, I think it's more likely that they are preparing a shocking counterattack."

This possibility made the person on the other end of the phone pause for a moment.

If this is true, then all their previous appeasement strategies have become empty talk.

At that time, humans will have no choice but to plant them in fields as fertilizer.
"What's your basis?" Su Mingjin's voice turned serious.

“There is no basis, only inference,” Gong Pengfei answered crisply. “We encountered the two races almost simultaneously, and the elves attacked us repeatedly! In the end, only the dwarves sent envoys to talk to us. Although the dwarves’ attitude was very bad, at least they were willing to talk.”

"As for the Elf Kingdom, no high-ranking officials have come to communicate with us so far. Their lack of contact is itself abnormal."

"President Su, either they're faking it or they're planning something big."

Su Mingjin sighed and said, "Your deduction is giving us a real headache!"

“President Li Weiguo had some unfavorable speculations before, but because there was no evidence, he didn’t draw a conclusion about whether the Elf race was friend or foe!” Gong Pengfei continued in his reply.

"I will continue to monitor the combat readiness situation here."

Gong Pengfei nodded: "President Su, if we can break through the dwarves' psychological defenses and obtain more clues about the elves, we might be able to find a solution."

The elves and dwarves are two races that are at odds with each other.

However, when the two groups talk about each other, they all talk about the other's bad character, mocking some customs, and ridiculing physical characteristics.

The two groups of prisoners, one having lost the sacred tree network and having few clues in his mind, the other cursing the elves in the most vulgar ways.

This may also be a testament to the dwarves' wisdom in keeping secrets.

In summary, intelligence gathering on both races remains at a rather one-sided level.

(End of this chapter)