Chapter 110: Crisis of Trust

Chapter 110: Crisis of Trust

As Xia Zheng arrived at the entrance of the police station, white, translucent text appeared before his eyes once again:

"You are the sole survivor of the Special Operations Unit, holding intelligence and evidence regarding Pejer, but this will not go smoothly..."

"What does that mean?" Xia Zheng frowned before stepping inside the station.

"Benson... My god... You're alive..." Upon seeing him, his colleagues immediately swarmed around, firing questions at him. They were primarily asking what had happened to the two teams, why they had lost contact, and if there had been some kind of accident.

Xia Zheng remained silent for the time being, as he needed to see his superior to report the full situation truthfully.

Soon, Police Chief Hansen—a somewhat pot-bellied man—approached, accompanied by seven or eight rugged SWAT officers whom Xia Zheng did not recognize. Their demeanor did not suggest a warm welcome.

"Wood, come with me," Hansen said, his tone clinical. He turned and walked toward the interrogation rooms, not the conference room.

Xia Zheng’s expression darkened. He was quickly surrounded by the SWAT officers, and the surrounding colleagues fell silent, seemingly realizing what this meant. Not wanting to spark a conflict with Hansen, Xia Zheng chose to endure it and followed them into the interrogation room.

Inside, the heavy iron door slammed shut. Aside from Hansen, who sat to one side smoking, two people were tasked with the interrogation: a man and a woman, both around thirty, their eyes sharp and appearing somewhat excited. Xia Zheng did not recognize them; they were absent from Benson’s memories. In the corners to his left and right stood two burly, powerful SWAT officers—or rather, they appeared more like soldiers.

"Benson Wood, please give an honest account. What happened while you were investigating Pejer, and what is the status of your colleagues from Alpha and Beta teams?" The man interrogating him spoke first. He was a quintessential blonde-haired, blue-eyed handsome man with a rigid posture, his hair slicked back perfectly even while seated.

Xia Zheng did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Hansen, who was smoking nearby, and asked, "Chief Hansen, what is the meaning of this? Have I become a suspect?"

The man ignored by Xia Zheng turned sour, about to scold him, but the woman beside him blocked him, shaking her head to signal restraint.

Hansen looked at Xia Zheng and said, "It is standard procedure. With the teams losing contact one after another, you are the only one who has returned. Both I and the high-ranking officials at headquarters are treating this matter with grave concern. I hope you will remain calm, Wood."

"Heh... 'Remain calm.' Fine. Then I will tell the Chief the general situation while remaining calm. The day before, en route to Pejer, Alpha and Beta teams were attacked by an unknown giant monster. Beta team—my team—managed an emergency landing in Pejer, while Chen Hui was killed by the monster." He paused; everyone's expression shifted.

Xia Zheng continued, "On the other side, Alpha team’s aircraft was damaged and the landing failed. Only Deroit, Aerolin, and Jeremy survived, but upon entering Pejer, they were attacked by unknown monsters in the thick fog and were all killed. My team, Beta, successfully reached the local police station, only to find that all the officers there had turned into walking-dead monsters."

"Nonsense!" the interrogating man shouted. But Chief Hansen cut him off: "Adam, let him finish." Hearing his boss speak, Adam shut his mouth, though his expression grew even grimmer.

Xia Zheng looked at Adam, flashed a harmless smile, and continued: "To obtain intelligence and evidence, Beta team launched an assault on the local station’s activity zone. It was crawling with nearly all the infected officers, including two mutated monsters that were incredibly terrifying. In the end, Captain Carol, Jim, and Mario all sacrificed themselves. Carol held back the monsters to ensure I could escape with this intel and evidence."

He did not mention that he had personally slain the giant monster. After all, what he had already said was hard for them to believe; adding that would make it impossible. In the simulation, the character he was playing, Benson, was the weakest, and it would be inexplicable for him to be the only survivor if he were capable of killing such a monster alone.

"So... two teams, ten people in total. Aside from you, Benson, all other teammates died in Pejer. Is that correct?" Hansen asked.

"Yes, Chief Hansen. That is the general situation. Do you need me to repeat it while 'remaining calm' again?" Xia Zheng asked with a mocking tone. A cold glint flashed across Hansen’s face.

These bureaucrats, interrogating him as a suspect without asking for the truth—Xia Zheng suddenly realized that the fall of Night City was not just due to the Vampires. A greater cause was the deep internal issues, or simply put, a "crisis of trust." When allies fighting within the city no longer trusted one another, how could they resist such powerful enemies? They would collapse from within before the enemy even needed to break through.

"This is all the intelligence and evidence. I compiled the paper documents myself, including some photos. The memory card is a relic my uncle, Deroit, left behind at the cost of his life. I hope you do not waste what the Alpha and Beta teams exchanged their lives for, or their souls will never find peace." Xia Zheng stood up and walked to the door, only to be blocked by the two SWAT officers.

Xia Zheng turned back to Hansen and asked, "Are you imprisoning me, Chief?"

"Wood, you are free to leave, but you are suspended from duty for the time being. Hand over your uniform and sidearm. You are not permitted to leave Night City, but otherwise, you are unrestricted." Hansen stepped forward to collect the documents and the memory card, speaking with cold indifference.

Xia Zheng nodded. He could not escape suspicion unless this evidence proved its worth.

The interrogation ended inconclusively. Adam and the woman felt humiliated; they had only managed one question before Xia Zheng disrupted their rhythm.

"Chief, this Wood is too arrogant. Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because his uncle was a team captain?" Adam stood up, furious.

The policewoman beside him also stood up. "Chief, his testimony is ridiculous. 'Unknown giant monsters,' 'walking dead,' 'mutated monsters'—we aren't watching a sci-fi movie. I strongly request a psychiatric evaluation to see if he's a madman."

Hansen pacified them, waving the documents and memory card. "Whether he is a madman or not, let the intelligence and evidence speak for itself. Pejer has completely lost contact, and several other satellite cities, like Ningyuan and Xinglan, are showing similar signs. Headquarters has already contacted the military, and they will dispatch joint forces to thoroughly investigate these cities in the short term."

"But, Chief..." the policewoman pouted.

Hansen patted her shoulder and smiled. "Hannah, I know you are eager to earn merit. Your father and I were old comrades; I will give you a chance. If Wood is found to be lying, you and Adam will be the primary leads for the investigation team."

"Thank you, Uncle," Hannah said, clinging to Hansen’s arm with a sycophantic tone. Adam forced a smile, though he felt resentful. He didn't have the same connections, so he could only trail behind Hannah to build his reputation.

Xia Zheng walked out of the interrogation room, feeling a sense of irritation. At the same time, he felt genuine admiration for the military’s ability to create such a realistic simulation. The scenario did not shy away from the dark sides of the Night City incident, allowing the user to experience it in its rawest, most primitive form.

"The Federation and the military are not monolithic. It is said the military has criticisms of the Federation’s management, especially regarding the Night City incident. I want to complete this simulation and gain a deeper understanding of how human factions collapsed." Not wanting to return to his quarters, Xia Zheng went straight to the Special Operations training and office area to collect his personal belongings.

He then used the materials Deroit had left behind to access his computer. Utilizing the permissions that had not yet been revoked, he quickly gathered intelligence on the current state of Night City, storing it all in his mind to be organized later. This was his unique skill.