The room was cloaked in shadows, lit only by the dim glow of a single overhead light. The luxury of the Star Constellation Hotel’s presidential suite was stripped away in this one corner, replaced by an air of raw menace. The pristine white walls seemed to absorb the tension, and the faint hum of the air conditioning was the only sound accompanying the ragged breathing of the man bound to the chair in the center.
Vile, the demonic path cultivator, was barely recognizable. His dark hair hung in matted strands, slick with sweat, while his face bore the fresh marks of Hutton’s relentless interrogation. Blood seeped from cuts across his arms and face, dripping onto the carpeted floor, staining the elegance of the room with grim reality.
Hutton stood before him, his light brown eyes cold and unyielding. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing forearms tensed with a barely restrained fury. His hands were steady, his movements deliberate, as he adjusted the glowing chains binding Vile to the chair. They weren’t ordinary restraints—they pulsed with a faint golden light, suppressing the demonic cultivator’s energy and leaving him utterly powerless.
Any ordinary person couldn’t imagine such a plain looking businessman is capable of doing this much to a fellow human.
"You’re going to talk," Hutton said, his voice calm but laced with a terrifying edge. He crouched down to meet Vile’s gaze, his tone like ice. "The Harbingers’ plans. Their schemes to target me and Bob or anyone else that is in the Keepers of Harmony. Everything. Start talking, and maybe I’ll let you walk out of here with most of your limbs intact."
Vile spat a glob of blood onto the floor, defiance still flickering in his bloodshot eyes. "You think this scares me? You’re nothing, Hutton Maxwell. Nothing!"
Hutton sighed, shaking his head. "Wrong answer."
He straightened and moved toward the table at the side of the room, where an array of tools gleamed under the light. He picked up a thin, glowing needle—an artifact designed to inflict excruciating pain by targeting spiritual meridians. With precision, he pressed it against Vile’s forearm, and the demonic cultivator’s body convulsed as an agonizing scream tore from his throat.
"That’s just the beginning," Hutton said, his voice emotionless as he leaned closer. "The next one targets your dantian. If you’re hiding anything, now would be the time to share it."
Minutes turned into an eternity of suffering for Vile. Hutton’s techniques were methodical, each one designed to push the cultivator closer to the brink. But no matter how much pain he endured, Vile’s answers remained the same—broken cries of denial, curses, and pleas for mercy.
Finally, Hutton stepped back, his fists clenched at his sides. His breath was steady, but there was a flicker of frustration in his eyes. He had hoped for something—anything—to justify the torment he had inflicted. But it was becoming clear that Vile knew nothing.
"You really don’t know," Hutton muttered, his voice low, more to himself than to Vile. "Either you’re a damn good liar, or they didn’t trust you with their plans."
Vile laughed weakly, his voice hoarse and bitter. "You’re wasting your time... Maxwell. The Harbingers... they’re always a step ahead. You can’t stop them."
Hutton’s expression hardened. He approached the chair one final time, leaning in close enough for Vile to see the cold resolve in his eyes. "Maybe so. But you won’t live to see it."
With a swift motion, Hutton placed his hand over Vile’s chest. A faint golden glow emanated from his palm as he activated his Heavenly Palm Technique. The energy surged into Vile’s body, silencing him instantly. His lifeless form slumped in the chair, the oppressive aura of his demonic cultivation dissipating into nothingness.
Hutton stepped back, his expression unreadable as he stared at the body. For a moment, the weight of what he had done seemed to linger in the air, but it quickly passed. He turned toward the window, the city lights of Washington, D.C., twinkling beyond the glass.
Wiping his hands clean, Hutton muttered under his breath, "One less problem to deal with."
And then, after putting his array of tools back into his storage ring, He left the room without looking back, closing the door softly behind him. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning and the distant sound of the city beyond.
"Any luck?" As soon as he came out of the room, Bob who was standing beside the door calmly asked while his eyes still remained shut as he rested on the wall. "No, he didn’t have any information on the Harbingers that we could use" Hutton replied with an helpless look on his face.
"Oh well, seems like we will still be kept in the dark. But Hutton, I never imagined you will have such interrogation tools with you" Bob said right after he opened his eyes and stood upright as he kept a small smirk on his face. But Hutton was still calm as he began to walk down the hallway while he replied.
"I always carry such important things in case the need of it arises, I hate being unprepared for the unexpected. But that’s by the way, where’s Ling Fei?"
"She is in sound asleep in one if the bedrooms" Bob replied as he followed Hutton down the hallway. "That’s good, she will need it since our night will be cut out for us–" Hutton said as he arrived at the living room with Bob.
Right before any of them could speak further though, Hutton’s phone suddenly rang which quickly caught his attention. "Have you rescued your father?" After confirming that it is Vivian whom is calling him, he quickly picked the call and asked. "Yes I have, thank you sooo much for the help!?" Vivian replied back with a tone filled with gratitude.
"Don’t mention, you should also thank Mr. Kenneth for going out of his way to help you" But Hutton was calm about it as he replied while he relaxed in one of the couches. "Don’t worry, I have already done that. But Hutton, where are you guys? I would like to tag along with the award ceremony"
"No can do Vivian, you have to tend to your father first. Am sure he is not in his best condition" Hutton replied with a serious tone. "Oh you don’t have to worry about him, my brothers are already doing that part. Besides, he also agreed for me to tag along with you for the ceremony so there is no way am going to listen to you if you say no" Vivian said back with an unwilling tone laced in her voice.
Visit fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce.
’This girl....’ Hutton thought with an annoyed look on his face as he stared at his phone for a brief moment before putting it back on his ear. Apparently the real reason he doesn’t want Vivian to tag along is because he is obviously being targeted by the Harbingers who are an organization of the unknown and he doesn’t want to put her in danger.
"Oh is that how you wanna be huh? Then I would like to see how you will find out where I am currently, and don’t even bother to ask me because there is no way in hell am telling–"
"Oh you don’t have to worry, you are in a presidential suite in Star Constellation hotel right? You will see me there soon enough" right before Hutton could entirely speak back dominantly, Vivian suddenly interjected with a tone that hinted that she was holding back her laughter.
"Ho-How did you know!?" Hutton exclaimed with a look of disbelief on his face. "I have my ways but don’t bother on asking me what are these ways because like they said, a magician will never show you the secret behind his magic trick. So see you later, hehe" Vivian replied with a victorious tone before she suddenly ended the call.
Right after that, Hutton just blankly stared on his phone as many thoughts began to run through his mind all at once. "Don’t bother Hutton, you will never be able to figure out how she discovered where we live" Bob suddenly spoke up as he shaked his head while he kept a light smile on his face.
"But isn’t this shocking!? Am sure I never told her that we will be in a hotel in the first place, we could have gone to Ling Fei’s house or somewhere else!" Hutton exclaimed with the same incredulous look still on his face. But Bob just shook his head as he gave a response. "There is something you should always know and never forget, a woman always has her secret concerning everything"
"Huh? Concerning everything? Isn’t that a bit far fetched?" Hutton asked with a skeptical look now on his face. But Bob still kept his light smile as he replied.
"It might sound far fetched, but when the situation arises, you will discover that what I said is even an understatement"