Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Human Wax
The wounded need treatment, the fallen need burial. Shen Hao politely refused Border Army Deputy General Wu Kai’s banquet invitation, and personally escorted several criminals back to Fengri City that very day.
When they entered the Thousand Households Station, they used the back door, and every prisoner had a black cloth draped over them from head to toe, rendering them completely unrecognizable, and were taken straight to the independent dungeon of the Black Banner Battalion.
This mission cost twelve lives. Although they belonged to the Black Banner Battalion, bureaucratic protocol required written documentation to be submitted for the Households Officer’s review. Even the compensation needed to be further reported to the Governor’s Office. So the first thing Shen Hao did upon returning was to submit the report to Wu Changhe’s desk.
With staff loss involved, Wu Changhe also got some advance knowledge of the "Jingxi Purge" operation’s secrets from Shen Hao’s report. When he learned Shen Hao’s cross-regional raid target had actually been someone still smuggling goods, and the recipient was the southern Barbarian Race,
Wu Changhe was shocked, and also felt somewhat uneasy. Such an important piece of intelligence and a major operation—he, as Shen Hao’s superior, hadn’t had a hand in it at all.
After the routine procedures, Shen Hao left Wu Changhe’s Public Office. The same death report and compensation application were also sent to the Black Banner Battalion under Jingxi Governor’s Office.
After considering, Shen Hao took another allocation from the "Black Water" Plan’s funds and added it separately into Fengri City’s Black Banner Battalion compensation. The Black Water Plan was already self-sustaining and, together with the Governor’s Office’s subsidies, there was quite a surplus left in the accounts, so paying out compensation for twelve people was nothing of consequence.
This was just personal habit. In these years without war, the official job with the highest mortality rate in the Jingjiu Dynasty was the Xuanqing Guard. The fixed compensation for deaths, Shen Hao always felt was a bit meager. The extra subsidies—this was something he’d already done while he was a Small Banner Officer in Li City; most of those embezzled private funds had been used for this.
This was also the main reason why the old hands like Wang Jian from the Li City Guard Station always deeply respected Shen Hao.
Perhaps not expecting Shen Hao to pony up more for the fallen brothers’ compensation, Wang Yiming was stunned when he received the silver notes, then nodded heavily, solemn as if taking a military oath to ensure the money went to the right hands. He never asked whether Shen Hao paid out of his own pocket or siphoned it from somewhere else.
Settling the fallen brothers’ compensation, he next went to the medical clinic to check on the seriously wounded, offering them a few words of comfort, guaranteeing that even if they were disabled, the Black Banner Battalion would not cast them out.
Only after handling these urgent matters did Shen Hao, cold and gloomy, make his way to the dungeon.
Because of the earlier "Jingxi Purge" operation, the entire dungeon in the Thousand Households Station was packed—these were just a few rooms hastily cleared out. For secrecy, they had to use a Sound Insulation Array to keep these newly arrived prisoners isolated.
Shen Hao had already instructed his men before: no torture yet for the prisoners brought back from Xiaochuan. Let them stew for a while.
Once inside, the stench of the dungeon hit hard, stinging the eyes. But that’s what a dungeon should smell like, after all. If it was comfortable, could it even be called a dungeon?
"Sir!"
"Mm. Begin. The seriously wounded ones—let them recover for a few days. Start the torture with the lightly wounded." Shen Hao was preparing to personally take part in the interrogation.
The seriously wounded were three Snake Race members plus two whose Cultivation was comparatively low. The medical clinic staff had already brought medicine, tending their external injuries as well. They were fitted with board locks, lying like stakes on the ground, waiting quietly to heal.
The other four were only exhausted with minor injuries. Now, they would be the first batch for interrogation.
Shen Hao sat in a shadowy corner, while three mutually soundproof cells began to administer torture simultaneously. The prisoners’ mouths were also stuffed with iron walnuts, clearly not to let them speak just yet, merely to get their bodies warmed up.
Every single "side dish" of torture was served to these four, no details skipped. Only after that were the iron walnuts removed from their mouths. Then Shen Hao finally spoke from the shadows.
"You’d best start by introducing yourselves. What’s your name? What’s your Cultivation? What do you cultivate? Who do you belong to? Why were you smuggling all sorts of supplies for the Barbarian Race?"
Shen Hao’s voice was icy to the core. Sitting in the darkness, his expression unseen, but the invisible pressure was utterly impossible to ignore.
Silence. Though the iron walnuts were removed, the four still stared at the gloom-shrouded corner, each with a different expression, but none said a word.
Silent contempt? Not bad.
At least the torturer–killers handling the interrogation cracked grins in private, delighted. It was rare for them to show off in front of their Hundred Households superior. Naturally, they relished any chance to use their full array of skills—so meeting tough bones was all the better.
In the darkness, a rare glint of brutality flashed through Shen Hao’s eyes.
"Back in Li City, I once heard an old colleague say that there was a hardcore technique in interrogation called Human Wax. Not something your average person could pull off—takes real skill. Any of you know it?"
This question, Shen Hao directed at the torturer–killers in the neighboring cells.
Several of them were momentarily stunned, then grinned. Only one of the older ones bowed and replied, "Sir, the trick with Human Wax is making sure the person isn’t killed by the heat before the wax sets—it’s all in the subtleties and routine practice, so not many can master it. As for me, your subordinate is barely competent but can manage it."
"Very good. Pick someone that looks suitable. I’d like to witness this rare craft myself."
"Yes sir, you just watch!"
Shen Hao had never cared for such cruelty before, but this time he didn’t shy away. In fact, the more miserable these killers of his comrades became, the happier he felt.
Soon, the torturer with the nickname Old Dog chose a skinny man, stripped off his clothes, and began preparations.
"Sir, the key to Human Wax is the wax oil—not too thick or it solidifies too fast to flow properly, missing some areas. There’s a secret recipe for this."
"You see, this man is all skin and bone, but generally skinny types have wider esophagus and intestines. When pouring in the wax, the effect will be even better."
"Also, look—after wax is poured top and bottom, he won’t die right away. Then just make a small hole for each organ, fill them in bit by bit, and once they’re packed, he’s almost done for. At the end, set the wick and light it up—his ’spirit’ will only extinguish then. That’s when the craft is truly complete."
Old Dog explained the process to Shen Hao while preparing the tools.
Even with just such a simple explanation, there was too much horror and cruelty packed within. Anyone outside their circle could hardly imagine using these methods on living people, all the while making it an almost refined craft.
Shen Hao’s face showed no emotion, saying nothing. He simply watched Old Dog, step by step, process the scrawny prisoner into a complete piece of Human Wax according to the earlier outline.
"Sir, would you like to light the fire?"
