You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 269 What do you want to know?
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, deep in thought.

The fact that Prince Kao Shan was assassinated thirty miles outside Luoyang is a matter that is neither too big nor too small.

Although Zhou Chen was somewhat surprised and angry, upon closer reflection, this matter was both unexpected and reasonable.

Prince Kao Shan was ordered to reclaim the private armies of powerful and wealthy families across the land. Despite being intimidated by the imperial court's authority, these families had no choice but to submit.

But it would be a lie to say that these powerful and influential families harbored no anger towards the imperial court or the powerful prince behind the scenes.

The Prince of Kao Shan was assassinated on his way back to Luoyang, and upon closer examination, this is also within the scope of the investigation.

However, Zhou Chen wondered if this matter was really that simple.
Logically speaking, since the powerful and wealthy families had already submitted, they wouldn't have the audacity to openly assassinate the Prince of Kao Shan.

Otherwise, if they are found out, their entire family will be wiped out.

Wealthy and powerful families aren't fools; they wouldn't take such a big risk.

Could this incident be related to those worldly people?
If they were really connected to those people, why would they attack and kill the Prince of Kaoshan?
Zhou Chen frowned, deep in thought.

……

East Factory.

Prison.

After leaving the Imperial Clan Court, Cao Zhengchun went directly back to the Eastern Depot and arrived at the Eastern Depot prison.

Previously, Cao Zhengchun spared three of the black-clad masked men who attacked Prince Kao Shan. These three men have now been brought back to the Eastern Depot and are undergoing severe interrogation by the Eastern Depot.

Cao Zhengchun looked at the three black-clad, masked men who had been tortured and were now unconscious, and fell into deep thought.

His Majesty ordered him to investigate the origins of these masked men in black and then eliminate them, and Cao Zhengchun dared not delay.

At this moment, Cao Zhengchun was thinking about how to get the three masked men in black to talk.

These three survivors are quite strong; they should hold some position among those masked men in black.

They should have some information about those masked men in black.

If we can get them to talk, we can get a lot of information about those masked men in black. We might even be able to find out their hideout and wipe them all out.

However, these three masked men in black are all highly trained assassins, and it won't be easy to get them to talk.

Just like now, these three survivors have fallen unconscious under the torture of the Eastern Depot, and they haven't uttered a single sound.

Cao Zhengchun pondered for a moment, then said to the guards beside him, "Wake them up."

Suddenly!

A basin of cold water was splashed onto the faces of the three survivors.

The three survivors slowly regained consciousness.

By this time, the masks on the three survivors' faces had been removed, revealing three ordinary faces. Their bodies were covered in wounds, clearly indicating that they had suffered severe torture.

Cao Zhengchun looked at the three of them as they woke up and said in a sinister tone, "I'm sure the three of you already know where this place is."

"In my Eastern Depot's prison, no one who has entered has been able to withstand the tortures of my Eastern Depot."

"What you are suffering now is just an appetizer from my Eastern Depot; the real feast is yet to come."

"Therefore, I advise you that rather than being tortured and finally unable to speak out, you should confess now to avoid further physical suffering."

The three survivors looked up at Cao Zhengchun, their faces expressionless, and remained silent.

Seeing this scene, Cao Zhengchun seemed to have expected it and continued, "I know that you are all assassins from the 'Assassin's Tower,' and you have undergone rigorous training. Your willpower is very strong, and it is not something that ordinary people can compare to."

"However, no matter how strong your will is, and no matter how rigorous your training is, you are still just ordinary flesh and blood, and you will still feel pain. You will absolutely not be able to endure the 108 kinds of tortures inflicted by my Eastern Depot."

"That was just the appetizer from my Eastern Depot, and you've already seen it."

"You can imagine that if you can't even endure the appetizers from my Eastern Depot and have already fainted, then how harsh will the main course be?"

The three survivors listened to Cao Zhengchun's words, their faces still as still as a pool of water, and remained silent.

However, the faint fluctuation deep in their eyes did not escape Cao Zhengchun's notice.

"Let's talk again."

"As assassins of the 'Assassin's Tower,' you should know very well what your fate will be if you fail and are captured."

"Although I am not an assassin, I do know a little about the profession. Even if I release you, do you think the 'Assassin's Tower' will continue to let you live?"

"There will only be one outcome for you in the end. I don't need to explain it to you. You should all know that in your hearts."

"This is the ultimate fate of an assassin. What else is there for you to hold on to?"

Cao Zhengchun gazed at the three survivors with a sinister look.

Cao Zhengchun knew that the Eastern Depot's torture methods alone would not be enough to get the three prisoners to talk as quickly as possible.

After all, these three survivors were all assassins, rigorously trained, and their willpower was unmatched by ordinary people.

Therefore, Cao Zhengchun had no choice but to combine psychological manipulation with torture.

He needed to get these three survivors to talk as quickly as possible.

otherwise.

As time went on, even if they managed to pry open the mouths of these three survivors, the masked man in black was already prepared.

At that time, the things the three survivors confessed to were already too little, too late for Cao Zhengchun to understand.

One of the survivors looked up at Cao Zhengchun, his voice extremely weak: "What do you want to know?"

When Cao Zhengchun saw that the survivor had spoken, he felt reassured, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

If these three survivors remain silent, Cao Zhengchun might actually have a headache.

We have no choice but to continue using torture.

But now that one of the survivors has spoken, Cao Zhengchun is confident that he can get this survivor to reveal what he knows.

"shut up."

"You've forgotten the rules of us assassins..."

When this survivor spoke, the other two survivors all looked at him coldly, their eyes filled with a sense of reminder and warning.

Before the two survivors could finish speaking, Cao Zhengchun intervened and silenced them.

Cao Zhengchun slapped the two survivors, who immediately let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Cao Zhengchun gave the two survivors a cold look and waved his hand; "Take them out and continue to torture them. Let me see how tough they are."

To dare threaten someone in front of him, the head of the Eastern Depot, is truly courting death.

The guards around the factory stepped forward and took the two screaming survivors away to continue the torture.

The survivor who had spoken felt a chill run down his spine and a cold sensation throughout his body when he saw the miserable state of the other two survivors under Cao Zhengchun's palm strike.

Even though he was an assassin, he was not afraid of death or torture.

But seeing the miserable state of his two companions under Cao Zhengchun's palm strike still sent chills down his spine.

The survivor was staring at Cao Zhengchun.

Regarding Cao Zhengchun, this survivor knows that he was the Grand Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, a half-step Celestial Realm expert, and ruthless...

But this survivor never expected that Cao Zhengchun was far more ruthless than he had imagined, and that the Eastern Depot was far more terrifying and frightening than they had anticipated.

One hundred and eight kinds of torture—how cruel is that?

After the other two survivors were taken away, Cao Zhengchun looked at the one who had spoken and forced a smile; "It's not that I want to know something, but what can you tell me?"

Cao Zhengchun spoke slowly and deliberately. Cao Zhengchun understood that the most skillful part of interrogating a prisoner was not simply asking one question and receiving a one-by-one answer.

Instead, the goal is to get the prisoner to speak out voluntarily, to confess everything he knows.

This is also a common tactic used by the Eastern Depot's secret police.

Whenever a prisoner was imprisoned in the Eastern Depot's jail, the Eastern Depot's guards would not immediately interrogate him. Instead, they would first give the prisoner an appetizer by severely torturing him to make him understand where he was before he could ask any questions.

Even if prisoners couldn't withstand the torture and tried to confess, no one paid any attention.

The prisoners must be made to experience the methods used by the Eastern Depot as an appetizer.

Only in this way will the prisoner realize that his chances are running out, and he will confess everything he knows without daring to hide anything.

"You should know why I killed everyone else, but spared the three of you."

"I hope you won't let me down."

"Otherwise, the 108 kinds of tortures used by the Eastern Depot will leave you neither alive nor dead."

Cao Zhengchun looked at the survivor and gave him a sinister warning.

The survivor paused for a moment, then looked at Cao Zhengchun; "You want to know why we attacked and killed the Prince of Kaoshan?"

Cao Zhengchun shook his head; "It's not just that. I want to know where your stronghold is? How many bases do you have? I want to know everything you know."

"Don't worry, as long as you tell me everything you know, I won't make you suffer anymore."

"But if..."

"If you dare to deceive or fool me, I guarantee you will absolutely regret being born into this world."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Cao Zhengchun's mouth.

This sight sent a chill down the spine of the survivor.

The survivor took a deep breath.

When he opened his mouth, he had already decided to tell Cao Zhengchun everything he knew.

It wasn't that the survivor wanted to save his life, but rather that he knew he was doomed whether he spoke or not.

This is the ultimate fate of an assassin after failing and being captured.

Since he was going to die either way, why did he insist on enduring torture and suffering?
It would be better to confess and get a quick death, avoiding a period of torture.

……

Half an hour later.

Cao Zhengchun sat in the supervisor's chair, looking at the note in his hand, a cold smile appearing on his lips; "You'll have to confess sooner or later, so why struggle? I thought you guys were tough, but I didn't expect you to be so weak."

The contents of this note were confessed by the two survivors.

After enduring a barrage of torture by the Eastern Depot, the two survivors finally couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up.

This is also related to the first survivor who spoke up.

If the first survivor hadn't spoken, the defenses of the other two survivors wouldn't have been breached so easily and so quickly.

Cao Zhengchun glanced at the confessions of the two survivors, his eyes flashing. "As expected, the Eighth Prince was right. These masked men in black really are assassins from the 'Assassin's Tower'."

"This 'killer's den' has resurfaced."

Cao Zhengchun wasn't stupid; he wouldn't easily believe the first survivor who spoke.

He was waiting for the other two black-clad, masked prisoners to speak.

Now, after seeing the confessions of the other two black-clad masked prisoners and comparing them with those of the first black-clad masked prisoner, Cao Zhengchun knew that the confessions of all three black-clad masked prisoners were correct.

Just as Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, had guessed, these masked men in black were assassins from the 'Assassin's Tower'.

This "assassin's tower" is the same "assassin's tower" that was besieged by the imperial court more than 20 years ago.

"Someone is coming."

Cao Zhengchun put down the note in his hand and walked out of the Eastern Depot prison.

Upon hearing this, all the guards of the Eastern Depot stood outside the prison, awaiting orders from Cao Zhengchun, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot.

When these guards from the Eastern Depot saw Cao Zhengchun come out, they immediately bowed and saluted.

Cao Zhengchun glanced at the Imperial Guards and said, "Pass on my orders to all Imperial Guards to conduct a full-scale investigation of the assassins of the 'Assassin's Tower' and to encircle and destroy the 'Assassin's Tower's' strongholds. Not a single one can be let go."

Cao Zhengchun's face flashed with coldness.

Now that it has been confirmed that these masked men in black are assassins from the Assassin's Tower, Cao Zhengchun will not hold back.

These assassins dared to openly attack Prince Kao Shan right under the nose of the Eastern Depot, thus provoking the imperial court's authority; they should be prepared to die.

"As you command, Commander."

All the guards spoke with murderous intent.

After saying this, Cao Zhengchun left the Eastern Depot with the imperial guards.

The three black-clad, masked prisoners confessed that there was a killer's stronghold in Luoyang.

What Cao Zhengchun needs to do now is to first destroy the stronghold of the assassin's tower in Luoyang.

……

West of the city.

Outside a bustling brothel.

After Cao Zhengchun arrived with the imperial guards, he waved his hand without saying a word, ordering them to rush inside.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Do you know whose territory this is?"

A series of noisy and chaotic sounds immediately erupted from the brothel.

Immediately afterwards, the sounds of clashing weapons came from inside.

Cao Zhengchun stood outside with his hands behind his back, silently ignoring the sounds of fighting inside.

"boom……"

The window on the third floor, looking outwards, was smashed.

Two figures darted out of the third-floor window and leaped away to escape.

"Humph."

"You rats think you can escape from a master like me?"

Cao Zhengchun watched the two figures darting out of the third-floor window, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Cao Zhengchun struck casually.

"puff."

Before the two figures could escape far, Cao Zhengchun struck them down to the ground with a casual blow.

Upon seeing this, the four guards who remained behind Cao Zhengchun immediately went up and took the two figures down.

This brothel was the very stronghold of the 'Assassin's Tower' in Luoyang that the three black-clad, masked prisoners revealed to be alive.

(End of this chapter)