Chapter 728: Handcraft Model

As Yuan Heping tried to retract his hand in response to Li Huowang's actions, Li Huowang's foot pinned his wrist firmly, preventing him from moving even an inch. "No, no, no!" Yuan Heping pleaded.

When the sharp blade cut through the skin of Yuan Heping's hand, Li Huowang stopped. He stared into Yuan Heping's eyes and asked, word by word, "Speak. Who exactly are you? What is your identity? What is your purpose?"

"I... I don't know!" Yuan Heping replied, looking innocent.

"A few of us finally managed to escape from the mental hospital together. Since it was night and no one was around, we planned to come out and find some food."

"Nonsense! Do you think I'd believe such a blatant lie? Why did you run then?"

Yuan Heping, on the verge of tears, retorted, "You... you were chasing me like a lunatic with a cleaver! Who wouldn't run?"

Just then, Qian Fu suddenly rushed over and glared fiercely at Yuan Heping. "Don't lie! We saw through you a long time ago! You Leo alien! You came to Earth to take it over, didn't you? We've already figured you out!"

Hearing this, Yuan Heping froze for a moment. He first looked at Qian Fu, then at Li Huowang, and then quickly nodded his head repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes! I am a Leo alien! We came to Earth this time precisely to take it over!"

Hearing this, Li Huowang's face twitched. The hand holding the knife pressed down harder, and Yuan Heping's fingers began to bleed. "Are you going to speak or not!" Li Huowang demanded.

"What exactly do you want me to say?!" Yuan Heping looked as if he was about to cry.

"Why were you following me? Why did you put needles in my food? Don't tell me you didn't do any of these things!"

"Alright! Alright, alright, alright! You're right, I put the needles in your food, it was all me!"

"Why? What's your purpose?! Why are you monitoring me?!"

"Because... because..." A sweating Yuan Heping racked his brain, desperately trying to come up with a reason.

As he struggled to find an answer, Qing Wanglai approached pleasantly and helped Yuan Heping to his feet.

"Don't be so quick to assume it's definitely him. Perhaps he's just a pathetic person being exploited."

Released from Li Huowang's clutches, Yuan Heping immediately cowered behind Qing Wanglai, trembling.

"Here, have some water. Don't be nervous."

Seeing Qing Wanglai's approach, Li Huowang was about to object but quickly realized that his turn as the "bad cop" was over; it was time for Qing Wanglai to be the "good cop."

If his tough approach didn't work, perhaps a softer one from Qing Wanglai would.

To increase their chances of success, Li Huowang, mimicking a scene from a TV show, raised the cleaver with a menacing expression and fiercely licked the blood from its blade.

Evidently, Li Huowang's action had its intended effect; Yuan Heping, terrified, retreated even further.

Not only did Yuan Heping back away, but everyone else, except Yang Na, also moved further away, looking at Li Huowang with a touch of unease in their eyes.

"I'm just pretending, just trying to scare him," Li Huowang whispered to Yang Na.

Yang Na looked worriedly at the bespectacled man talking with Qing Wanglai. "Does he really not know anything?"

"Impossible. Once could be a coincidence, but twice? The world is so vast; why would he coincidentally run into me late at night again?"

"He's not completely ignorant; he's just being stubborn!"

"This person is definitely connected to them. We'll see how Qing Wanglai handles it. If he can't get any information, then don't blame me for resorting to force!"

Li Huowang finished speaking through gritted teeth, then turned to search Zhao Lei's cluttered room for tools he would need later.

Zhao Lei's room, seemingly for handicrafts and models, also contained many knives. While the variety wasn't sufficient for Li Huowang, they were barely adequate for his needs.

Just as Li Huowang began sharpening a knife on the edge of the sink, Qing Wanglai's interrogation also concluded.

Qing Wanglai pulled a wad of red banknotes from his wallet and placed them into Yuan Heping's hands, significantly reducing the fear and unease on the latter's face.

"He's just a small pawn," Qing Wanglai explained, "running errands without understanding, not even aware that our world is merely a projection."

Li Huowang was tired of hearing such explanations; he just wanted to solve the problem. "Did he say who was giving the orders?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Qing Wanglai turned his head directly to look at Wang Gang, who appeared to be semi-conscious on the floor.

It was clear that this person, who had been lying motionless, was the real mastermind.

As Li Huowang approached Wang Gang, holding a gleaming sharp weapon, Wang Gang slowly opened his eyes, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

Compared to Yuan Heping, Wang Gang clearly had no intention of feigning ignorance.

"I never thought I'd be defeated by a young girl," Wang Gang muttered. "She seemed so easy to deal with, but she turned out to be a formidable opponent."

Hearing this, Li Huowang's spirits lifted. "So, you're finally dropping the act?"

The others also clearly noticed this and quickly gathered around, eager to hear what he had to say.

"I know what you want to ask," Wang Gang said. "I can tell you, but will you let me go afterward?"

"Yes, you can speak," Li Huowang replied.

Hearing Li Huowang's answer, Wang Gang shook his head. "Your word means nothing to me. I'm asking him." He pointed to Qing Wanglai.

Qing Wanglai nodded in agreement. "Alright, I accept your terms. Once you've spoken, I can arrange for you to leave the country."

With that assurance, Wang Gang finally spoke. "Yes, we were indeed here to monitor Li Huowang. That was our assignment."

"Who sent you?" Li Huowang's heart began to pound.

"Our superiors. I've never seen their faces; all information was conveyed through written notes."

"What's their purpose? Why do they want to capture me?"

"I don't know. They just said something about you being the most difficult to handle."

Hearing this, Li Huowang clenched his jaw. "I knew it!"

"Bang!" Just then, a rustling sound of cloth came from behind. Li Huowang turned to see Zhao Lei frantically searching for something, a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong with you?" asked a smoking Wu Qi impatiently.

"My things are gone!" Zhao Lei exclaimed. "They were just here! They're obviously fake, why would anyone take them?!"

Li Huowang ignored them, staying with Qing Wanglai, and then looked at Wang Gang. "What else do you know?"

Wang Gang glanced at Zhao Lei, pondered for a moment, and then spoke: "I also know... that one of you has actually been bribed by them and has become their traitor."

"What?! Who is that person?"

Just as Li Huowang intently watched Wang Gang's mouth begin to open, he suddenly caught a reflection in the other man's eyes.

Li Huowang whipped his head around and saw Zhao Lei raising a watermelon-sized ship-in-a-bottle, swinging it violently towards his head.

"Why are you stealing my things?!" Zhao Lei shrieked. "These are all mine!"

Just as Zhao Lei was about to strike Li Huowang's head, the wooden ship inside the bottle swayed with the water. The ant-sized wooden figure on the ship, with its long sword in hand, pierced the glass wall of the bottle due to inertia.

With a *crack*, the glass bottle shattered, and the water inside splashed all over Li Huowang's face.

Enraged, he released the cleaver from one hand and snatched the falling wooden ship. "You dare ambush me!"

Li Huowang gripped the wooden ship and slammed it directly into Zhao Lei's face. The entire wooden model instantly shattered into pieces upon impact.

The wooden sword held by the ant-sized wooden figure also directly pierced Zhao Lei's eye.