After taking care of matters, Qi Suian found a relatively safe area and began dissecting and interrogating Harrington.
The entire process lasted for three days, during which the Eternal United States’ manhunt for Qi Suian never ceased for a moment.
Fortunately, he had chosen a good location this time, and with a bit of luck on his side, there were no mishaps.
They nearly discovered him a few times, but were always diverted and left.
The enhanced effect of his plot armor, Seven Elements Relief, allowed Qi Suian to effectively avoid the various cliché dramas that protagonists often encounter.
"Primordial Sacred Objects, Standard-Issue Sacred Objects, and Jigsaw Sacred Objects."
"Nice names," Qi Suian remarked, having learned the classifications of the Sacred Objects from Harrington.
As for the Destructive Sacred Objects, they were in a class of their own and not part of this classification.
The three types of Sacred Objects he mentioned could all be used and controlled by humans. The Destructive Sacred Objects, on the other hand, were difficult to even approach, let alone use.
Unfortunately, the war had made Harrington tough as nails. He was only willing to give up routine information; no matter how much Qi Suian tortured him, he refused to speak a word about the Eternal United States’ secrets.
"Just kill me. I won’t say anything else," Harrington said weakly.
Having lost his Sacred Object and been dissected and tortured by Qi Suian for three days, he was incredibly weak, even though Qi Suian was barely keeping him alive.
"No, no, no. I still have a few things to ask you." As he spoke, Qi Suian took out the Unbreakable Ring. "You recognize this Sacred Object, don’t you?"
The moment Qi Suian produced it, the Unbreakable Ring’s retrieval mechanism activated, though not very strongly. It seemed its power diminished after a failed attempt.
"The Eternal Love Ring. It can fuse non-Sacred-Objects and non-living matter with the user," Harrington said.
"Good, you recognize it. I was wondering, are there other Sacred Objects like this one?" Qi Suian asked, hoping he could get the information he needed from Harrington.
Harrington’s expression changed at Qi Suian’s words. "What do you know?"
"So you do know the truth." Qi Suian instantly discerned his thoughts. "They’re part of the same series of Sacred Objects, aren’t they?"
Qi Suian stated it so bluntly that Harrington’s expression grew even darker.
"They are a catastrophe! Even if you survivors are backed by a power comparable to a Destructive Sacred Object, these are not things you should be prying into."
"Once all of the Sacred Objects are gathered, they will..." As he spoke, Harrington trailed off, his expression growing vacant.
He knew that collecting and combining an entire series of Sacred Objects would have dire consequences, but he couldn’t remember why.
It was as if that part of his memory had been wiped clean.
He knew the danger, but not the reason for it.
"A Sacred Object erased the relevant memories and altered your perception?" Seeing this, Qi Suian didn’t think he was lying.
"Exactly. That’s why the consequences are so severe. Even speaking of it could lead to a terrible outcome."
"Do you still plan to collect and combine an entire series of Sacred Objects?" Harrington said coldly. "The war alone has already plunged the entire world into a whirlpool."
"If an even more terrifying power were to descend, humanity would be wiped out, even if the world itself wasn’t destroyed."
Qi Suian nodded along as he listened. "You’re absolutely right."
"So... do you have any leads?" Qi Suian asked.
’Worst case, I’ll just collect them all without combining them. I can do the final combination step right before I leave the Sacred Artifact World.’
’At that point, I couldn’t care less if the Sacred Artifact World lives or dies. I’ll be leaving anyway. The whole world could explode for all I care.’
Harrington’s face instantly darkened. So, after all he’d said, the man hadn’t listened to a single word.
"No," he grumbled, then shut his eyes.
He wouldn’t speak again, no matter what else Qi Suian asked.
’Looks like he knows something,’ Qi Suian thought, delighted. ’With an attitude like that, he’s definitely lying about not knowing.’
"Just tell me, and I’ll go get it myself."
"Otherwise... Oh, right. I combined ’The Chapter of Disease’ with the ’Choir’."
At Qi Suian’s abrupt change of topic, Harrington’s eyes snapped open.
He didn’t know what kind of Jigsaw Sacred Object those two Primordial Sacred Objects would form, but he was certain of one thing: their compatibility had to be incredibly high.
"Come on, I’ll show you its power," Qi Suian said, hauling up the immobile Harrington and fitting him with protective isolation gear.
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Harrington had a sinking feeling he knew what Qi Suian was planning.
"Forcing you to cooperate, of course," Qi Suian said without a hint of shame. "Talk, and I’ll stop."
"If you don’t tell me, I’ll unleash the Plague Choir everywhere."
"And to convince you I have the power to do it, I need to give you a little demonstration of the Plague Choir’s might."
"Perfect timing. A search party is here," Qi Suian said with a wicked grin, immediately activating the Devoted Holy Orchestra of plague and disease.
The Holy Orchestra coalesced from the Profound Virus, and the sounds of instruments and chanting filled the air.
"Damn it, stop! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!" Harrington finally understood Qi Suian’s intent.
With Qi Suian’s mobility, all he had to do was unleash the Plague Choir in a city in the United States for just a few seconds, and it would be enough to start a terrifying plague that could sweep across the entire Eternal United States.
"The Chapter of Disease" contained a portion of the plague from the Book of Revelation. Even if it wasn’t as powerful as the ’War’ that had already been unleashed, its combination with the Choir was enough to cause immense trouble for the Eternal United States.
The plague itself wasn’t the issue; the Eternal United States could cure it. The real problem was that it would weaken the nation, leaving it vulnerable to invasion by the Xuan Empire and the survivors.
A single misstep could lead to the complete annihilation of the Eternal United States.
"No, no. They haven’t even finished a single verse. How could you ask them to stop?"
"You’re desecrating art," Qi Suian said, adopting an expression that seemed to say, ’I may not understand art, but I respect it.’
’In reality, he had no appreciation for art whatsoever. He’d rather spend the time collecting more mutant strains of the Profound Virus to strengthen himself.’
Harrington tried to speak again, but Qi Suian physically muted him.
"I gave you a chance to talk, and you refused. Now the show’s begun. You didn’t really think I was a good guy who’d let you off without paying a price, did you?"
He could have spoken promptly, and Qi Suian would have given him a quick death.
Or he could have not caved and just endured it.
Even a compromise would only come after the torment was finished.
The search party quickly noticed the Devoted Holy Orchestra and came to investigate, falling right into the trap.
In less than three seconds, they were consumed by the virus and turned into zombies on the spot.
The zombies flailed wildly, attacking any living thing in sight.
Qi Suian narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t controlling them; within the Holy Orchestra’s chanting range, these zombies were like enhanced versions of the ones from the Profound World.
’No, wait. It seems they also possess the advantages of humans from the Sacred Artifact World,’ Qi Suian mused.
This was the first time he had used the Holy Orchestra for an area-of-effect attack.
"Plague... You’ve unleashed the Plague from the Apocalypse!!!" Harrington sputtered, forcing Qi Suian’s hand away from his mouth and speaking in a tone of pure terror.
"No, it has always existed," Qi Suian bluffed. "From the very beginning, ’War’ wasn’t the only thing released from the Apocalypse."
"War brings Death, corpses breed Plague, and your greed is the Famine for power."
Qi Suian knew the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were Plague, War, Famine, and Death.
At that, Harrington’s mind went completely blank.
For no other reason than the fact that what Qi Suian said made perfect sense.
In reality, of course... Qi Suian was just spouting nonsense. He had no idea what the real situation was.
Back when the Destructive Sacred Object known as the Apocalypse was first opened, Qi Suian hadn’t even been born yet—not even if you counted his previous life and the ten months he’d spent in the womb.
His main goal was to break Harrington’s psychological defenses and make him reveal the whereabouts of the Eternal Love series of Sacred Objects.
"Alright, the show’s over, and I’ve said my piece. Time to wrap this up."
"I really hope you’ll tell me where the other Eternal Love Sacred Objects are. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to start a plague in the Eternal United States."
"Harrington, you wouldn’t want the nation you’re so loyal to come to harm, would you?" Qi Suian threatened outright.
No carrot, all stick.
If he didn’t get what he wanted, he’d just use the stick to beat him to death.
"I... I..." Harrington’s voice was laced with hesitation.
Qi Suian then "cut the power" to the Holy Orchestra. The Priests and nuns slowly vanished, and the zombies collapsed and melted, dissolving into pools of pus.
The effect was dispelled, but the virus hadn’t vanished. In fact, it was still spreading.
Without the amplification of the Holy Orchestra and its hymn, it could no longer transform people into zombies. Instead, the lightly afflicted would fall gravely ill, while the heavily afflicted would die in agony.
Qi Suian concealed this from Harrington, who didn’t see a thing.
"Oh, by the way, you’d better decide quickly."
"Because those search party members who just turned into zombies are no longer bound by the Plague Choir. They’re already following their instincts to hunt the living."
"Anyone they scratch or bite will also turn into a zombie."
"So, when I decide to deal with those zombies depends entirely on when you decide to talk," Qi Suian said, striking while the iron was hot.
Harrington snapped out of the shock from Qi Suian’s lies. "And how can you guarantee you’ll keep your promise after you get the Eternal Love Sacred Object?" he asked.
"Me? I’m an honest, trustworthy gentleman. People call me the ’Hero of the Righteous Path.’"
"My word is my bond. I absolutely keep my promises." Qi Suian’s tone was one of absolute conviction. In reality, he was very civilized and never spat. Therefore, his words about being honest and trustworthy were utter nonsense.
Harrington gave Qi Suian a long, hard look.
"I have no choice but to trust you."
"But remember this: the Eternal United States does not bow to threats!"
"If you break your word, you will face the full might of a national war machine, forged in a century of conflict, hunting you down!"