Chapter 29: A Mission to Turn the Tide

From the moment Qin Mo issued his command to when Grey and Grot returned, no more than ten minutes had passed. Along the way, they even found time to deliver Albert's corpse to Aiken's group. Once Qin Mo had the psion, he immediately confined her in a chamber equipped with a psionic suppressor.

"Let me out!" 

"I'll kill you all!" 

"Sob…sob…"

The psion thrashed and self-harmed incessantly in her confinement, her fury fueled by her sudden disconnection from the psionic network of the Gene Stealers. Grey and Qin Mo stood coldly at the door, watching her violent struggle. After observing for a while, Grey could no longer contain his curiosity and asked, "What use is she?"

"A tremendous one," Qin Mo smiled, "I can use her to locate the Rebel Chieftain."

"But didn't you say we needed a device to track and pinpoint their location?"

"Yes, but with this one here, the efficiency and accuracy will be greatly enhanced."

Gazing at the psion within, Grey felt a wave of disgust. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Do we need to extract her brain?"

"No." Qin Mo shook his head.

"Then how do we get her to obey without killing her?" Grey inquired.

At this, Qin Mo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smiled briefly at the psion before turning to Grey, saying, "You know, every creature has a breaking point. Once it's reached, their mind collapses, driving them into insanity."

"Of course." Grey nodded. He himself had nearly broken when his 44th Regiment was all but wiped out, though he rarely let his emotions show. Everyone knew the fragility of the mind, but how did that relate to controlling the psion?

"I'll drive her to madness, break her spirit, and then... I'll tame her, make her submit," Qin Mo said, his voice calm as he descended toward the underground chamber. He motioned for Grey to follow. "You should learn this. It will teach you how to extract information more efficiently in the future."

"Is this something we must do?" Grey asked.

"No, of course not," Qin Mo replied swiftly. "I could strap her into a machine and get the information I need, but this is an opportunity for you to learn the art of interrogation."

"So, this is a lesson?" Grey queried.

"Indeed."

…

Two days passed. 

During that time, Qin Mo and Grey had been wholly absorbed in the interrogation of the rebel psion. While Qin Mo was typically meticulous in his methods, Grey found little sense in his approach to this interrogation. It seemed to be nothing more than a series of odd psychological questions, repeated relentlessly.

At first, the psion had resisted fiercely, refusing to answer. Now, she had begun to respond, albeit reluctantly.

For two full days, this process continued, and it was no different now.

"What flavor of starch do you prefer?" Qin Mo asked, his question seemingly absurd.

Grey stood by, watching the psion crouched in the corner, ready to crush her skull at the slightest provocation. But she merely cowered, answering in a weak voice, "Starch has no flavor, sir…"

"Answer me," Qin Mo insisted.

"But… it really has no taste…"

"Really? I don't believe you," Qin Mo responded, shaking his head with a smile.

The psion, curling up tightly and hugging her knees, appeared utterly pitiful. After a long moment of hesitation, she repeated, "It truly has no flavor."

"Very well," Qin Mo said, standing up and leaving the room.

Grey followed, watching as the guards entered, their electric batons crackling. What followed were screams and roars of pain, as had been the routine for the past two days. 

"Have you learned anything?" Qin Mo asked.

"No, not really," Grey admitted with a shake of his head.

"When we have time, I'll explain in detail, or perhaps I'll upload the knowledge directly to your neural chip," Qin Mo said, understanding that to Grey, his methods seemed more akin to sorcery than science.

After a moment of silence, Grey asked, "Why don't we just strap her into a machine? If you want me to learn, I'll do so, but in this situation…"

"I've ordered each regiment to expand to ten thousand troops. These men need equipment, and they need backup equipment. This gives us at least two days for lessons—or we could use the time to throw a banquet," Qin Mo replied.

…

Three more days passed. 

Qin Mo's instruction had borne fruit, and he was ready to test the locator he had created. Grey brought the psion out of her chamber. Even outside, she couldn't use her powers, thanks to the psionic inhibitor collar around her neck. She was then escorted into the underground cavern.

Once inside, Grey closed the door behind her, and she nervously scanned the area, seeing the five imposing figures clad in formidable power armor—men like Qin Mo who had spent days interrogating her.

"Come here," Qin Mo commanded.

Trembling, the psion approached. Qin Mo seized her by the neck, forcing her to look at the spherical machine in the corner of the cavern. "See that? I need you to go inside, put on the helmet, and relax in the chair."

"Y-yes…" she stammered, nodding.

Satisfied, Qin Mo unfastened her inhibitor collar. The others tensed, preparing for any sudden attack, their hands gripping hammers or ready to fire. But their concerns were unfounded. The psion, not yet accustomed to the freedom of being without the collar, glanced at it nervously, then obediently walked into the machine.

Submission. Obedience. This was her state now.

Grey was astounded. He hadn't expected the strange questions and psychological breakdown to actually work.

Once the psion donned the helmet and relaxed, her body stiffened, immediately connecting to the psionic network of her kin. Strength, defiance, and resistance—concepts she had forgotten during her captivity—suddenly surged back into her mind. Her fear-stricken face grew determined once more.

"Where are you, sister?" 

"Don't give up, don't submit, for the Master of Evolution!" 

"We stand behind you! Be strong!"

The psion heard the messages flooding in through the psionic network. She reached up, attempting to tear the device from her head, but the chair twisted around her, restraining her until she lost consciousness.

Outside, Qin Mo worked the console connected to the machine, which now displayed a series of Gene Stealer locations. 

"The camaraderie of these vermin is almost touching," he remarked, filtering out the useless data as he searched for his primary target. Though this was merely a test, the results were unexpected.

In the depths of Tyron's hive nest, a massive xeno stirred, its attention caught by the sudden reactivation of an important individual. Two seconds later, it closed its eyes, issuing commands through the psionic network. Meanwhile, the psion in Qin Mo's machine succumbed to brain death.

As Grey and the others watched, Qin Mo donned his Guardian power armor, issuing orders. "Once we launch the full-scale assault, I will personally lead the charge. We have a mission ahead—one that could change the course of this war."