Strongest Soldier King

The cold moonlight draped the earth like a gossamer veil, casting its pallor over the desolate outskirts of the town, and the secret grasses where two figures faced each other in the dark. Luo Zheng's chilling M9 military knife emitted the aura of the Death God, penetrating three inches into flesh, slowly a bead of fresh blood oozed from the skin, trickling down along the blade. Luo Zheng watched the man coldly and asked the burning question within his heart, only to find the man's face set in a fatalistic resolve, indifferent and mute.

"Not afraid of death? Professionally trained?" Luo Zheng said coldly, and seeing the man's continued silence, his deep blue eyes filled with scorn, as if mocking Luo Zheng for resorting to such a method of forcing a confession, too lowly, utterly unphased by the frigid killing intent Luo Zheng radiated.

"Very well, it seems you have undergone quite the professional interrogation resistance training, preferring death to confession. No matter, I will grant your wish. The night is long, we have plenty of time to play. If you can't bear it later and want to speak, just nod your head. Of course, I may not see it, but if you can endure my interrogation all night without dying, I might spare you," Luo Zheng reined in his impatient emotions and said coldly.

The man's expression remained impassive, but the corner of his mouth curled up into a sneer. Luo Zheng didn't mind, and instead spoke with a sort of admiration: "Good, I like people who aren't afraid of death. But since our loyalties lie elsewhere, I must offend." With that, Luo Zheng ripped off the man's stuffed sock, wadded it up, and jammed it mercilessly into the man's mouth.

"Last question, are you...? Never mind, asking again would be an insult to your capabilities. Let's begin. I hope you can last through the night." Luo Zheng slowly rolled up the man's pant leg, brandishing his military knife and speaking slowly, "There's a torture method that involves tearing out fingernails and toenails. The fingers are connected to the heart, the pain is incomparable. But, I know you're not afraid. I plan to start by peeling the skin off this leg of yours, yes, starting from the knee.

The beggar's expression subtly changed, but he remained still as Luo Zheng continued, "First, I'll cut a circle around the knee, being careful not to go too deep, just slicing through the epidermis. Then I'll pull it down. It will surely hurt a lot, but don't worry, I believe you can handle it. There are several hours until dawn, plenty of time for me to slowly strip the segmented skin off your body. First the feet, then the hands, then the torso, and finally the face. By then, no one will recognize you."

The faint words were laced with a bone-chilling coldness that made the beggar shudder, his eyes now filled with panic. Murder stops when life is taken, interrogation stops with burning and drowning, but this kind of skin-flaying is taboo, something ordinary people wouldn't use, and even less likely by law enforcement agencies, unless by underground violent criminal organizations.

Then, the same cold voice tinged with the chill of the Death God continued, "Oh, it looks like there's an anthill here. Nice. After I've peeled your skin off, I'll let the ants have a share too. We've used their home for torture after all; can't carry on without giving them a little benefit. And then, I'll move on to removing tendons, stripping bones. A whole night's time is more than enough."

"You bastard, you are a demon, just kill me quickly!" the beggar screamed in panic. Unfortunately, his voice was muffled by the stinking sock, producing only a muffled whimper. Luo Zheng didn't even glance at him, his military knife tracing a line over the beggar's kneecap, the icy blade piercing into the flesh. The beggar seemed to witness his blood-soaked self and was utterly horrified. His last line of defense crumbled, and he nodded frantically.

Luo Zheng caught the nod from the corner of his eye but pretended not to see, his hand continuing to cut into the man's flesh. The pain was too much for the beggar, who writhed in panic, his eyes brimming with terror as if he were staring at a demon. This time, Luo Zheng slowly raised his head and coldly looked at the man, "No worries, we have plenty of time. Don't confess too soon."

"I confess, I confess," the beggar shouted. Unfortunately, not a single sound came out intact.

"Want to confess?" Luo Zheng asked indifferently, noting the man's desperate nods. With a disinterested face, he said, "That's disappointing. I thought you could hold out. I was prepared to let you go. Didn't expect you to break so soon. Now what? There's no fun left for me. Well, let's hope you don't make me want to play again." With that, he pulled out the foul sock, and the chilling military knife once again rested on the man's neck.

"Demon, Satan, you are not human," the beggar shouted in panic, losing his composure.

"Wrong answer. I'll give you another chance," Luo Zheng said coldly, exerting pressure on the military knife in his hand, slicing three parts deep into flesh, and a streak of fresh blood ran down the blade.

"What do you want to know?" The panicked beggar regained some sense and hurriedly asked.

"What do you think?" Luo Zheng responded ambiguously.

"Fine, your accent has an Eastern tinge, so I guess you must be Luo Zheng?" The beggar asked in a frightened tone, looking at Luo Zheng. Seeing Luo Zheng's face turn icy, he quickly added, "I am a member of the Reincarnation Killer Organization. We were hired to come here and assassinate you. You and I have no grudge. Please, give me a quick death." With that, he closed his eyes, his face showing a look of relief.

"The Reincarnation Killer Organization?" Luo Zheng was shocked, not expecting the matter to involve an assassin organization. His tiger-like eyes hardened as he demanded coldly, "Who hired you?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question," the beggar said, opening his eyes just in time to see a terrifying murderous intent shattering in Luo Zheng's eyes. His entire body shivered, his breathing became difficult, and he was extremely alarmed by the intense aura of death. 'How many people must be killed to create such a murderous presence? Who is the real assassin?' He hurriedly explained, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I genuinely don't know. I'm just a nobody, and only the high-ups in headquarters would know who hired us."

"Where are your higher-ups? Where is the person I am looking for?" Luo Zheng asked coldly.

A look of despair flashed in the beggar's eyes and he twisted his neck violently. Under the moonlight, a spray of blood shot out, strikingly eerie in the void. Luo Zheng hadn't expected the man to choose suicide and yelled out in frustration, lamenting the loss of a live captive. 'It's still a lack of experience. If I hadn't used the knife to intimidate him, he wouldn't have had the chance to kill himself,' Luo Zheng thought. Watching the life fade from the beggar, a flicker of respect passed through his eyes but was quickly filled with rage. The matter involving Lan Xue had now become entangled with the Reincarnation Killer Organization, complicating things further.

Under the moonlight, Luo Zheng looked determinedly in the direction of the small town. His gaze became resolute, ready to face whatever was coming. If one came, he would kill one, if two came, he would kill them both. He would paint a river of blood if necessary to rescue Lan Xue. A look of utter determination burst from his eyes as he strode toward the direction of the town.

The small town, flickering with lights, was deep and sinister under the moon, as if concealing countless acts of violence and filth. With a steely gaze, Luo Zheng pulled out his SIG P220. As he walked, he loaded bullets into two spare magazines. His murderous aura skyrocketed, piercing the filthy night sky as if to rip apart the sordid veil of darkness.