Ethan Yang froze.
The Duel Arena owner froze as well.
But a moment later, Ethan Yang burst into loud laughter. "Interesting. Don't tell me you think a lie detector result can be used as evidence. You're an armed Mecha Girl, and you don't even understand basic law? That's hilarious!"
Falcon remained unmoved and continued questioning the Duel Arena owner.
"Why are you helping Ethan Yang hide the truth? Is there some reason you can't talk about?"
"N-no, there isn't. I really did this. It has nothing to do with Mr. Ethan Yang..."
[Error!!]
"Was your family threatened?" Falcon raised an eyebrow.
The Duel Arena owner went silent, lowering his head to stare at his toes.
As long as he said nothing, he would not reveal anything.
[Correct!!]
The lie detector sounded again.
Both Ethan Yang and the Duel Arena owner were stunned.
What the hell was this thing?! This lie detector had to be fake!
"It's an AI brainwave sensor, a new gadget from Xinyan Research Institute. It was originally made to communicate with cats and dogs," Falcon said with a shrug. "Staying silent won't help you. As long as you're in front of this lie detector, and as long as my questions are specific enough, it will use your brainwaves to give one of three answers: correct, incorrect, or unknown."
Ethan Yang still managed to stay calm after hearing that. After all, lie detector results could not be used as evidence. That was a fact.
But the Duel Arena owner was already sweating buckets.
"Old Zhang, you're a smart man. With your family being used against you, don't tell me you didn't prepare anything to guard against Ethan Yang."
[Correct!!]
Falcon rubbed her hands together.
Ethan Yang, on the other hand, looked completely shocked. Then he glared viciously at Old Zhang, his gaze dark and ruthless.
Falcon took out her phone and scrolled through the Duel Arena owner's detailed records while asking, "Your home is in Crown No. 1 Residential Complex, right?"
[Incorrect!]
"Then you don't usually live there. Crown No. 1 Residential Complex is just a smokescreen you put out in the open... Next, No. 173 Lu Xing Street, Emerald Garden?"
[Incorrect!]
Falcon continued reading down the list of addresses.
The Duel Arena owner alone had more than a dozen properties under his name.
Some were large, some were small. Some were lavish and grand, while others were practically empty. There was every type imaginable.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, after all. Staying by Ethan Yang's side, he must have feared he would be devoured one day, so he had left himself plenty of escape routes.
...
"No. 56 Fenglin Street, Kechuang International?"
[Correct!!]
Falcon waved to the armed Mecha Girl beside her. "Go search it. I'll send you the door number right away."
The Mecha Girl left.
Only Falcon and Ethan Yang remained, staring at each other.
After a brief silence, Ethan Yang suddenly snapped back to himself. He pulled out his phone and texted his men, telling them to rush to No. 56 Fenglin Street, Kechuang International, and get Old Zhang's things out first. Then he called Ansei Group for help, working himself into a frantic rush.
Falcon simply rested her chin in both hands and watched in silence.
She showed no intention of stopping him.
Ten minutes later, Ethan Yang had finally finished making his arrangements.
At Crown No. 1 Residential Complex, Ansei Group had already sent people over. His secondary Mecha Girl, Golden Shark, and his lackeys were there too. They would definitely be able to take control of Old Zhang's family.
He had also sent people by helicopter to Kechuang International at No. 56 Fenglin Street. They would definitely be faster than Falcon's people.
His direct superior, Quentin Lin, one of Ansei Group's shareholders, would also video call him soon to help him settle Falcon.
With these three layers of protection, he would keep Crimson here today no matter what.
If he could not keep Crimson, then he would send her to the Recycling Yard!
Thinking this, Ethan Yang let out a breath, relaxed, and once again regained his calm expression.
Evil might be strong, but righteousness was stronger. Falcon should be out of options now.
Faced with Ethan Yang's provocative gaze, Falcon merely leaned back in her chair and yawned.
A short while later, a phone rang.
Ethan Yang answered the first call.
[Boss, something's happened! All the residential complexes under our club have been surrounded by armed Mecha Girls. We can't get Old Zhang's family under control...]
Ethan Yang's pupils shrank, and he said urgently, "What about Ansei Group? Didn't they step in?"
[They did, but they were detained too...]
"What?!"
Ethan Yang heard a burst of chaos from the other end. It sounded as though his subordinate's phone had been snatched away. Then, with a snap, the call cut off.
Ethan Yang stared blankly at the darkened screen.
Then the phone rang again.
[Boss, we were one step too late at Kechuang International.]
"Why?!" Ethan Yang roared. "You were flying. How could you lose to people running on the ground? Are you all useless?"
Functional Mecha Girls were not fast.
If a speed-type Mecha Girl had outrun a helicopter, he could have understood.
[Boss, there was really nothing we could do. They came in a fighter jet. We couldn't catch up. And our helicopter has been detained too.]
...
After hanging up, Ethan Yang felt a pounding pain in his head.
Just hearing the word "detained" made his skull buzz.
Fortunately, no more calls came in, giving him a little room to breathe.
The armed Mecha Girl who had gone to collect evidence soon returned, carrying an opened safe.
Falcon opened the safe. Inside was a diary kept by the Duel Arena owner. It contained records of all Ethan Yang's harsh demands for the arena: Ethan Yang had the medical facilities removed, Ethan Yang had signed the contract requiring at least one black-market match a day, and there was even an audio recording Old Zhang had secretly made of what Ethan Yang said during a meeting.
The testimony and physical evidence were both complete.
Falcon looked at Ethan Yang's deathly expression as if asking him what else he had to say.
"Heh, it doesn't matter. I'm a Techmaster!" Ethan Yang's face flushed red as he loosened his tie. His rumpled suit made him look nothing like the composed man from before. He stuck out his neck and said, "You have no authority to arrest me!"
His mouth was still tough, but the panic in his eyes could not be hidden.
The phone rang.
It was a video call, and Ethan Yang's face lit up with wild joy.
He answered it. On the screen was a middle-aged man with half-gray hair and an imposing presence.
It was Quentin Lin, a shareholder of Ansei Group and a committee member of the Techmasters' Alliance.
Ethan Yang pointed the phone at Falcon and said with a vicious grin, "My superior is a shareholder of Ansei Group and a committee member of the Techmasters' Alliance!"
Then he complained to the man in the video, "Chairman Lin! Did you see that? They want to arrest me! What right do they have to arrest me?! If they arrest me today, tomorrow they'll be stepping all over Ansei Group!"
The phone turned around again.
Quentin Lin felt the world spin in front of his eyes.
Only then did he finally get a clear look at the key person: Falcon.
Falcon looked at the middle-aged man on the screen and said evenly, "Crimson attempted to assassinate Ethan Yang, which is why she was sentenced to the Recycling Yard. But Ethan Yang abused Crimson until she suffered Level 5 injuries. This constitutes deliberate retaliation and carries an additional penalty. Ethan Yang will face life imprisonment and forced labor reform. Crown Club will be sealed off. In addition, your Ansei Group must cooperate with the investigation."
As soon as she said that, Quentin Lin, still a little dazed on the other end of the call, laughed in anger.
He stared coldly at Falcon and flexed his fingers. "What status do you have to speak to me like that? Take your people and withdraw from the Sharp Peak Black Market immediately. You're from Special Squadron 17, aren't you? I'll speak with your superiors about this afterward!"
Falcon clenched her teeth, but did not move.
She saw the Techmaster badge Quentin Lin had deliberately pinned to his chest.
It was gold.
It was on a completely different level from Ethan Yang's bronze badge.
Even with the boss backing her, this was still...
"She may not have enough status..."
The voice arrived before the person did.
The interrogation room door opened.
Against the light, a beautiful figure leaned against the doorframe.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her long hair drifted through the dim yellow glow.
Her red lips parted slightly, her voice cold and commanding.
"Then surely I do, don't I?"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.