He slowly raised his left arm, to be precise, his upper left arm, his forearm hanging limply below the elbow.
After a moment of swinging, the handcuffs and shackles on Yu Yaoming disappeared.
The shackles made some noise, and the agent in charge of the interrogation finally looked up and noticed the man beside Yu Yaoming.
The man grabbed Yu Yaoming and continued to move sideways, quickly heading towards the interrogation room's door.
He effortlessly burst through the door, bringing Yu Yaoming out into the corridor.
"The critical moment is now." Shen Jingye played the second video, which was footage from the corridor in the laboratory. The man took Yu Yaoming, crashed through the corridor wall, and emerged outside the building, pausing momentarily in the air before plummeting down.
"Focus on this crucial point," Shen Jingye pressed pause, "According to the organizational responsibility division, Yu Yaoming went missing inside the building, which is the laboratory's fault, but his escape outside falls on the Dark Star Bureau's shoulders."
"Is this even human talk?" Li Banfeng raised his hand, wanting to slap Shen Jingye.
Shen Jingye stepped back, maintaining a relatively safe distance from Li Banfeng: "I believe, logically speaking, there's nothing wrong with this responsibility division. The laboratory has just been established, and the issues outside the building aren't theirs to bear."
Li Banfeng said in astonishment: "Is logic used like this?"
"Finish watching the video first." Shen Jingye played the third video, a surveillance shot from the road outside the building, played at one-fifth speed. The man and Yu Yaoming's figures could finally be discerned.
The man continued walking sideways, his body barely fluctuating.
His shoulders were constantly hunched, and his knees and elbows and other main joints felt weirdly out of sync.
Shen Jingye said: "Can you tell? It's a marionette."
Li Banfeng nodded: "It really looks like one. What you mean is, Yu Yaoming was taken away by a craftsman."
"That's not what I mean, it's the meeting's analysis. They suspect a craftsman created and controlled this marionette, broke into the laboratory, and absconded with Yu Yaoming,
but the key issue is, the agents at the laboratory are Seventh Layer Dark Energy Users, yet before this marionette, they showed no ability to counteract. How powerful do you think this craftsman must be?"
"He's powerful enough to go beyond just being a craftsman." Li Banfeng looked back at Shen Jingye.
Shen Jingye blinked: "I know there's a difference between Craftsman Cultivation and being a craftsman. It's definitely a high-level Craftsman Cultivation; I just prefer not to get bogged down by their titles."
This was the real Shen Jingye, not even willing to obfuscate a single sentence.
But his deduction wasn't wrong. If even a puppet is so powerful, how strong must this Craftsman Cultivation be?
"Getting Yu Yaoming back from him won't be easy."
Shen Jingye nodded: "I know it's not easy. Losing Yu Yaoming isn't our fault, so even if we can't retrieve him, it doesn't count against us, though it means a missed opportunity to make a contribution."
Li Banfeng looked at Shen Jingye: "Do you want to make a contribution?"
"I sure do." Shen Jingye answered very honestly.
"Didn't you previously say you've become indifferent about promotions?"
"Without the opportunity, naturally indifferent; if I can regain the opportunity, maybe not so indifferent."
The two exchanged looks briefly, Li Banfeng laughed: "Little Shen, your straightforwardness is quite endearing!"
Shen Jingye's eyes were filled with longing: "Bureau Chief Li, let's both be straightforward. If you help me with this, what reward do you seek?"
Li Banfeng said: "No rush on rewards. First, see if there's any chance of accomplishing this. Regardless of the opponent's strength, Yu Yaoming is already lost, seeking to recover him is like finding a needle in a haystack. Where do you plan to start looking for clues?"
Shen Jingye, being a professional, naturally had a plan: "First find the motive. What is this person's motive in taking Yu Yaoming?
The first possibility is Yu Yaoming established some organization or gang, and this Craftsman Cultivation is either a member or hired by it to rescue Yu Yaoming,
The second possibility is Yu Yaoming possesses highly advanced scientific knowledge, and an organization wants to exploit his scientific achievements, hence abducted him from the laboratory,
The second possibility seems more likely because this is a civilized society; no gang member would likely challenge an institution like the laboratory due to their feelings for Yu Yaoming. "
"Are you mocking Puluo State?" Li Banfeng chuckled, "Perhaps what they call civilization is just fabricated."
"I'm not mocking Puluo State; I meant to say... Did you just say civilization is fabricated? What do you mean by that?"
Shen Jingye could articulate this sentence completely, proving he's not a Snowflake Beach member.
Li Banfeng said: "I just casually mentioned it. You can treat it as a philosophical question, ponder it deeply,
I think your speculation is correct; the most likely motive is because they're interested in Yu Yaoming's research outcomes,
Considering Yu Yaoming's own circumstances, he possesses certain Dark Ability, therefore the organization that abducted Yu Yaoming should be tied to Dark Ability."
Shen Jingye nodded: "That's my thought too, the opponent is an organization with strong Dark Power Practitioner prowess."
"With the organizations we have on record, how many can afford this level of Craftsman Cultivation? How many organizations have the guts to challenge the laboratory?"
"That certainly narrows it down," Shen Jingye pondered for a moment, "Based on the information I have, within Huan Country, only the Birch Tree Secret Cult can achieve this."
Li Banfeng said: "Trace down the Birch Tree Secret Cult, also include the factions that stemmed from them, the Ferry Gang."
Shen Jingye deliberated further: "If you trace up from the Ferry Gang, you can also find another formidable organization, Snowflake Beach; Ferry Gang was jointly created by Snowflake Beach and the Birch Tree Secret Cult."
Li Banfeng nodded: "Hence, these three organizations mustn't be overlooked. Do you have their records?"
Shen Jingye pursed his lips: "You should have seen the Bureau's records already?"
Li Banfeng laughed: "When I said civilization is fabricated, I meant that. Those records often lack valuable information, much of the content is fabricated."
Shen Jingye got up: "I'll fetch some records and bring them to you shortly."
Li Banfeng said: "Don't rush; there's another detail we shouldn't overlook. Earlier, you mentioned you don't know the laboratory's location."
Shen Jingye nodded: "Yes, I don't know..."
After a moment of silence, Shen Jingye suddenly realized.
I don't know the location, so how did the puppet know?
There's a traitor!
Li Banfeng said no more, and Shen Jingye returned to his office, sitting behind his desk, constantly repeating Li Banfeng's words.
"Civilization is fabricated, civilization is fabricated..."
He picked up the landline and set it back down.
He picked up his cell phone, noted down a number.
He brought out a special phone, one from the early 1990s, a cellphone that rivals the size of a brick.
This phone was specially modified, making it difficult to wiretap.
He made a call using this phone.
"Old Shen, why are you calling me with this number?"
Shen Jingye said: "I have something to ask you, please check Du Wenming's records and his recent activities, focus on his schedule for the past three days."
PS: Does Snowflake Beach really have such powerful Craftsman Cultivation?