Chapter 325: Extra: If Ye Wang Captured Jiang Qi in the War

Chapter 325 Side Story: If Ye Wang Had Captured Jiang Qi in the War

"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may be used against you in court."

The sound of heeled boots clicked against the floor, echoing crisply down the corridor. The heavy door of the interrogation room swung open, and Jiang Qi lifted his gaze to the person who had spoken.

The man had a strikingly handsome face, his bone structure so sharp that the overhead light cast deep shadows across his brow and nose.

Ye Wang, a major general of the Federation.

They had clashed in battle numerous times—they were sworn enemies, deadly rivals.

Jiang Qi almost laughed.

He had imagined countless endings for himself—dying on an exam table, perishing in gunfire—but this scenario, dying in a Federation interrogation room, had never crossed his mind.

Ye Wang took a seat across from him. The major general was dressed in a formal dress uniform, a stark contrast to Jiang Qi, whose clothes were tattered from the battlefield. With slender fingers, Ye Wang flipped through the interrogation notes and spoke slowly, "Captain Jiang Qi, I must make it clear—holding out stubbornly will do you no good."

Jiang Qi glanced at him, then wearily lowered his eyes, his voice so cold it gave away nothing. "I’ve told you everything I know. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Ye Wang let out a low laugh. "Is that so? According to this statement, you’re saying you know nothing about the Empire’s weapons research or their military deployments. Is that correct?"

Jiang Qi replied stiffly, "Yes."

Ye Wang folded his hands beneath his chin. "Captain Jiang, I admire your loyalty and integrity. But from what I understand, your promotions in the Empire were far from smooth. Your achievements never matched your rank—your superiors stole credit for your victories, and you have no known relatives in the Empire. So why remain loyal to them?"

After capturing Jiang Qi, Ye Wang had weighed the pros and cons. His current strategy was simple: turn him to their side if possible.

Unfortunately, Jiang Qi had adopted an attitude of stonewalling.

Hearing Ye Wang’s words, Jiang Qi didn’t bother responding. Instead, the corner of his lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Loyalty and integrity?" Jiang Qi thought. "Bullshit."

He held no attachment to the Empire. If anything, he wished for its downfall even more fervently than Ye Wang did.

The problem was, he really didn’t know the answers to Ye Wang’s questions.

Jiang Qi closed his eyes. "I told you—I don’t know. If you don’t believe me, just get on with the torture."

Ye Wang: "..."

The commander thought, *Wait, even if you refuse to talk, I wouldn’t resort to torture right away, would I?*

Jiang Qi wasn’t exactly high-ranking in the Empire. Rather than prying intel from him, the commander was far more interested in recruiting him.

Besides, persuasion was a gradual process—it couldn’t be rushed.

Ye Wang planned to start by showing goodwill, then dangle promotions, luxury, the works, and other temptations to soften him up, balancing rewards with pressure until he finally won over his rival.

They were still at the goodwill phase—how had they suddenly skipped to torture?

Clearing his throat, Ye Wang said, "Let’s not rush into torture. Since you claim not to know..."

He wanted to say, *Since you don’t know, why not stay at our camp for now? Observe the Federation’s military life, officer benefits, and local customs. Once you get used to it, you’ll realize it’s far better than the Empire.*

But before he could finish, Jiang Qi let out a dry laugh. "What, gonna drug me first?"

"..."

The commander had only a superficial understanding of medical knowledge. To maintain his dignified demeanor in front of his longtime rival, he tapped the in-ear headset by his ear and quietly sought help from his deputy behind the surveillance camera: "What is this?"

"Dimetline," Wen Muyuan struggled to recall the textbook knowledge. "A powerful CNS stimulant used in interrogations to forcibly keep subjects awake, preventing them from passing out even under extreme pain. It was originally used by organized crime and drug traffickers. The Federation has long banned its use in interrogations."

Wen Muyuan chuckled. "Commander, it seems your longtime rival views us as barbaric bandits."

Ye Wang: "..."

—He wasn’t that brutal.

"My apologies, Captain Jiang," Ye Wang said after a brief silence. "We cannot use such banned substances on you. Since you are unwilling to speak, you can go rest now. If you recall anything, please contact me at any time."

He gathered the documents and stood to leave.

Several staff members stepped forward and unlocked the restraints on Jiang Qi’s wrists. "Please follow us to your quarters."

Jiang Qi almost sneered again.

Everyone knew "rest" was just a pretense. He would likely be locked in a cramped, suffocating space where he couldn’t even stretch his legs—monotonous and maddening enough to break him under mounting psychological pressure. Eventually, he might clutch at Ye Wang’s pants, pleading for mercy and divulging everything he wanted to know.

The irony was, even if Jiang Qi went insane, he still knew nothing.

Staff: "...Mr. Jiang? Please come with us."

Jiang Qi rose woodenly and followed them.

The path to the cell passed through a residential area, where, surprisingly, there was a small artificial lake. Reeds and unnamed wildflowers swayed by the water’s edge in the breeze.

The weather was perfect—the sky a vivid blue like paint, mirrored on the mirror-like lake surface, serene and boundless.

Jiang Qi couldn’t help but glance twice.

He thought this might be one of the few times left in his life to see the sky.

Finally, the staff stopped in front of a building in the residential area and slid open a door.

He handed Jiang Qi a keycard, saying, "Mr. Jiang, this is temporary quarters for rehabilitated individuals. Due to your security risk, we cannot remove your electronic handcuffs. You must wear them until Commander Ye makes further decisions."

Jiang Qi froze. "What?"

Assuming his displeasure was about the restraints, the staff explained, "Apologies, but this is Federation regulations. If you attempt to harm or assault anyone, the handcuffs will deliver an electric shock."

The device looked like a watch. Without a deactivation command, it could only be removed by cutting it off. When necessary, it could deliver a high-voltage shock to instantly incapacitate the wearer.

The staff continued robotically, "Now, let me outline the rules. You may move freely within the camp. The cafeteria is directly ahead. For the first month, your meals will be provided free of charge—just swipe your meal card. After that, you’ll need to earn your meals through labor."

"..."

Jiang Qi asked numbly, "What?"

"You’ll need to work for your meals," the staff repeated. "For example, you could participate in camp cleaning, be assigned a cleaning area, or if you like animals, help feed the koi carp in the lake. If you’re skilled in textiles, you can collect sewing supplies from the supply center and mend clothes for camp personnel."

"...Thanks, but I’m not skilled in that."

"Don't worry, there are other options," the staff reassured. "I think one role suits you well—you could apply to be a Teaching Assistant, demonstrating shooting for new recruits. Of course, the firearms you’d handle would be rubber bullets."

"..."

Jiang Qi felt lightheaded.

He understood every word the staff member said, yet when strung together, they sounded like nonsense. That commander named Ye Wang must have lost his mind or was playing some pointless game of "falling from heaven to hell." But whatever the case, it shouldn’t have been like this.

After finishing the instructions, the staff member left, leaving Jiang Qi alone in the room.

Only long after the staff member had left did Jiang Qi finally move at all.

Compared to officers' quarters, the conditions here were undoubtedly shabby—a simple one-room space with peeling bedroom walls, outdated floral tiles in the bathroom, and damp stains on the floor from rainy seasons.

Yet it was a world better than the lower districts of the Empire.

Jiang Qi lifted his gaze toward the balcony.

Endless sky stretched before him, and the artificial lake glistened right outside, its surface rippling with light.

Was this really a prisoner’s quarters?

Bracing himself for the moment this could vanish, Jiang Qi inched forward toward the balcony.

His back was tense, his body slightly turned, his peripheral vision fixed on the door as if expecting someone to burst in and pin him down.

But as he edged past the sofa, past the TV, and onto the balcony, no one came.

The sun overhead was blazing, a radiance Jiang Qi hadn’t seen in ages—not in the lower districts, not aboard warships. The light was so radiant, so fierce, that tears welled from the brightness, yet he refused to look away.

Finally, Jiang Qi opened his hand, as if trying to grasp the sunlight.

Many years ago, when he had scraped by in the slums, his greatest wish had been to live as an ordinary person in a home filled with sunlight.

Even after all these years, that wish had never changed.

Who could’ve guessed that on his very first day as a prisoner in the Federation, it would come true?

Jiang Qi thought, *Whatever scheme that commander’s running, I hope he drags it out for a long time.*

He loved—*loved*—this life far too much.

For two days, Jiang Qi stayed tense in that small room.

He scoured every corner of the space, confirming there were no hidden passages or doors—no way for that commander Ye Wang to suddenly appear and drag him from heaven back to hell.

And so, Jiang Qi began living a peaceful, mundane life in that simple little house.

He visited the cafeteria, trying local dishes he’d never encountered in the Empire. When his free month ended, after much deliberation, he landed a job feeding koi in the lake.

Oddly enough, though he was skilled with firearms—though the title "Imperial Star" had been forged for that very purpose—he no longer wanted to hold a gun.

Now, Jiang Qi loved feeding the koi.

He would circle the lake several times, scattering fish food evenly along the shore. The koi were fat and spirited, occasionally even getting extra treats like small bread pieces.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Qi secretly tried one of those bread bits.

Huh. Tasty.

Two months of this leisurely routine made him soft. He stopped thinking about war, about blood and fire. All he wanted was to stay here, idly tossing food to the koi.

Then, one night, everything changed.

Jiang Qi was by the lake, enjoying the breeze, when a drunkard stumbled over the railing and crashed into the reeds, seemingly desperate to relieve himself. Jiang Qi ignored him—until the man slipped and plunged into the water.

Then, he disappeared beneath the surface.

Jiang Qi sprang up. In three quick strides, he vaulted the railing, pushed through the waist-high reeds, and reached out to grab the flailing man—only for his monitor to suddenly blare a sharp alarm.

*Heart rate spiking. Adrenaline levels excessive. Physical altercation detected.*

In the monitor’s judgment, he was attempting to escape.