Chapter 56
Chapter 56 - Trial
?Ye Hao had always suspected that Kui Wu was attempting to extort money from him. But when the police arrived within a minute of the woman's phone call, he realized it was a setup. Who had he managed to offend? Since his arrival in Glento, he couldn't recall crossing anyone.
“What's going on here?” the two officers asked in a stern tone upon their arrival.
Kui Wu, with a look of sorrow and anger, accused Ye Hao, “I merely glanced at his girlfriend, and he assaulted me.”
“You're lying,” Tang Pianpian retorted furiously.
“The public sees everything clearly,” Kui Wu claimed, turning to the bystanders.
“I'll testify; I saw him hit the man,” a middle-aged man spoke up immediately.
“I'll testify too.”
“This guy is excessively violent.”
“Indeed, if we hadn't intervened, he might have killed him.”
Tang Pianpian realized that the onlookers were all in cahoots with Kui Wu.
“Bearing false witness is illegal,” she stated firmly.
“Miss, you shouldn't spout such nonsense,” the middle-aged man responded with displeasure.
Before Tang Pianpian could respond, one of the officers addressed Ye Hao, “You need to come with us.”
“You can't take him,” Tang Pianpian protested, stepping in front of Ye Hao.
Ye Hao gently moved Tang Pianpian aside and handed her his phone. “Inform Loong Yuanzhu about my situation.”
Tang Pianpian composed herself, knowing she was powerless to prevent Ye Hao's detainment. Ye Hao must have had a plan, given his instructions to her.
The officers escorted Ye Hao, Kui Wu, and several witnesses away, following proper protocol. Ye Hao's anxiety grew; his enemies were likely trying to eliminate him.
Tang Pianpian quickly dialed Loong Yuanzhu's number. Soon, his hearty voice answered, “Ye Hao, what brings you to call me?”
“Is this Loong Yuanzhu?”
“Who's asking?”
“I'm a friend of Ye Hao's. Please, I'm begging you to help him.”
“What's happened?”
Tang Pianpian recounted the entire ordeal.
“This is a setup!” Loong Yuanzhu exclaimed. “Don't panic, I have a few contacts in the Glento news industry. I'll have them look into it right away.”
Loong Yuanzhu was highly efficient.
Soon after, Tang Pianpian's phone rang.
“We've hit a snag,” Loong Yuanzhu admitted.
Tang Pianpian's face fell at the news.
“Who's trying to harm Ye Hao?”
“From what my friend has uncovered, someone influential is targeting Ye Hao. My friend pulled some strings, but couldn't identify the person,” Loong Yuanzhu said gravely.
“What's our next move?”
After a moment's thought, Loong Yuanzhu had an idea. “Ye Hao is enrolled at Riverdale College, isn't he?”
“Your dean has significant clout in Glento and across the nation. If he's willing to step in, Ye Hao should be safe.”
“The dean?” Tang Pianpian's eyes brightened.
Hwa Xu, the dean of Riverdale College, was revered in Castoace as a sage of traditional medicine and even had the ear of Eylas's leadership.
“Name,” a police officer demanded in the interrogation room.
“Ye Hao.”
“Gender.”
“Male.”
“Age.”
“17.”
“Why did you assault Kui Wu?”
“I didn't assault Kui Wu,” Ye Hao stated firmly.
“Kui Wu's right leg is broken because of you, and yet you deny hitting him?”
“I did not assault Kui Wu.”
“Bring in Kui Wu,” the interrogating officer ordered, visibly angered.
Shortly, another officer wheeled in the injured Kui Wu.
Ye Hao gazed at Kui Wu's right leg for a moment before sighing, “You've gone to great lengths to frame me.”
With his X-ray Vision, Ye Hao could easily discern that Kui Wu's right leg was indeed fractured, a break caused by a severe blow.
“What do you have to say for yourself now?”
“The injury to Kui Wu's right leg is unrelated to me.”
“With both the witness and evidence against you, how can you still not confess?”
“I'm innocent of this accusation, so naturally, I won't confess.”
The officer interrogating Ye Hao stood up and said icily, “It seems I'll have to resort to extraordinary measures to get a confession out of you.”
It appeared that they were intent on coercing a confession from Ye Hao.
His gaze hardened.
He wondered if Tang Pianpian had notified Loong Yuanzhu.
The thought of escape had never crossed Ye Hao's mind.
Even though he was capable, the risk was too great.
He would be branded a fugitive!
Soon after, two police officers entered, carrying some equipment.
They secured Ye Hao to a metal chair. One officer wrapped a rope tightly around his neck, while the other held his head down.
The interrogating officer placed a wet gauze on Ye Hao's face and asked, “Do you know what this is?”
Ye Hao remained silent.
Truthfully, he had no idea what they planned to do.
“Look, there are nine layers of this gauze. I'll apply them to your face, one at a time. Once they're all on, breathing will become a challenge. But don't worry, if you breathe hard enough, you'll get the oxygen you need to stay alive.”
“Is that all?” It didn't seem much like torture.
“The next part is where it gets interesting. Let's just watch and see.” The officer said, placing a second layer of gauze on Ye Hao's face.
By the time the ninth layer was drenched and clinging to Ye Hao's face, breathing had become an immense struggle.
He exerted all his strength just to draw in a bit of air.
Then, a liquid was poured over the gauze, and a sharp odor hit his nose.
Ye Hao's face contorted.
Chili mixture!
He instinctively held his breath.
Inhaling the chili would be suffocating.
But he could only hold his breath for so long.
Soon enough, Ye Hao couldn't bear it any longer. The moment he inhaled, the chili mixture invaded his nostrils.
He began to cough violently, tears and mucus streaming uncontrollably.
The coughing subsided slightly after a while, but then the sensation of suffocation returned.
Ye Hao now understood why this form of punishment was indeed torture.
As long as he continued to breathe, he would be inhaling the potent chili mixture. Such an intense sensation wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
However, he had no alternative.
If he stopped breathing, he would suffocate.
Should he attempt to hold his breath on purpose, he would pass out. In that event, his body would instinctively take a breath, and the sharp sting of the chili mixture would jolt him awake.
No one could endure that.
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