Chapter 396 Frame-Up

Beside him was a rather expensive medicine box, with “Sasbisini Co., Ltd.” written on it in ornate script.

He opened the medicine box, hoping to see if any medication remained, only to find it completely empty.

‘According to them, there should have been four pills in here. Where did they go?’

Just as he was lost in thought, a group of heavily armed men burst into the room and instantly subdued Chen Qingdi.

“Chen Qingdi, how dare you! To think you would try to murder the Seventh Elder!”

Chen Qingdi was stunned.

“What are you talking about? I’m here under Long Shou’s orders to look after the Seventh Elder.”

The man in the lead gave a sinister smile. “Who can vouch for you?”

Chen Qingdi replied, “I have top-level authorization.”

The men who seized him found the medicine bottle on him and handed it to their leader.

“We found this on him. We don’t know what it is.”

The leader’s face darkened as he ordered those behind him, “Get a pharmacology expert over here to see what’s in this!”

An expert immediately took the bottle, opened the cap, sniffed it, and frowned.

“This drug comes from Evil Doctor Island. It has a name: Half-Step Netherworld!”

Chen Qingdi was bewildered. ‘What the hell? The medicine I had was supposed to be the special medication for the Seventh Elder, produced by the Sasabesni Company from the other side of the ocean. How did it turn into Half-Step Netherworld from Evil Doctor Island?’

The expert used a special test strip to wipe up some of the residual powder from inside the bottle. He sniffed it himself, then had Chen Qingdi smell it too.

Smelling the unique scent of the substance, Chen Qingdi was horrified.

‘It really had been replaced with Half-Step Netherworld!’

Half-Step Netherworld is a lethal poison produced on Evil Doctor Island. The poison has a unique fragrance that, in the short term, makes a person feel clear-headed and refreshed.

But with long-term use, its chronic toxins take effect, pushing the person into the abyss, little by little.

By the time you realize the truth, you already have one foot on the path to the netherworld.

That’s why it’s called Half-Step Netherworld.

Because this poison is so vicious and cruel, even the people of Evil Doctor Island would never use it on anyone but a mortal enemy.

‘To think that someone here was actually colluding with the monsters from Evil Doctor Island.’

Chen Qingdi was furious, but before he could even argue, someone sealed his mouth with duct tape and pulled a hood over his head.

He heard the leader say sinisterly, “Given this man’s special status in the medical community, this matter shouldn’t be made public. We can only take him back for secret interrogation. I’m giving you three hours. You must make him talk!”

Someone beside him asked, “Should we use civilized methods?”

The leader snorted. “Use any means necessary!”

Chen Qingdi was knocked unconscious with a punch. When he came to, he was already in a dark, damp place.

Someone had thrown a ladle of cold water over his head, chilling him to the bone.

Just then, a cold voice asked, “Under whose orders were you acting to murder the Seventh Elder?”

Chen Qingdi wanted to argue but found his mouth was sealed with tape, making it impossible to speak.

But his captor seemed to have forgotten this, quickly lashing him twice with a whip, both strikes landing where it hurt most.

He let out two muffled grunts, secretly weighing his options.

‘It looks like I’ve been framed. If this keeps up, I’ll probably die here. But if I escape right away, I’ll never be able to clear my name, and the trail will go cold. Should I wait a bit longer? No matter how much this whip hurts, it’s just a flesh wound. It won’t break any bones.’

Then he heard a cold, sinister voice near his ear say, “I know you’re not only highly skilled but also have a very strong will. Ordinary torture won’t make you talk. However… we don’t intend to kill you. We just want to beat you black and blue, then find some cloth strips to bandage your wounds.”

Hearing this, Chen Qingdi was horrified.

This form of torture had a name: “Wearing Sackcloth and Mourning.”

It was said to be a brutal form of torture passed down from ancient times. Decades ago, a notoriously infamous organization, the Longmi Special Technical Cooperation Institute, used this method to eliminate dissidents.

The so-called “special techniques” were actually methods of interrogation by torture, and “Wearing Sackcloth and Mourning” was one of them.

Many patriots from the Dragon Country had lost their lives to this horrific torture.

‘To think they would resort to such a vicious method just to stop my investigation.’

He was currently handcuffed and shackled, his entire body fixed to a torture rack by iron chains as thick as goose eggs.

While his mind was wandering, he was struck several more times by the whip.

Just then, someone nearby spoke up.

“This guy is tough as nails. We’re hitting him this hard, and he hasn’t even grunted.”

The man wielding the whip struck him twice more. Hearing no screams of pain, he paused for a moment, then slapped his own forehead.

“The tape on his mouth hasn’t been torn off. My bad, I forgot.”

With that, he ripped the tape from his mouth.

Someone removed the black cloth from his eyes, and a bright light assaulted him, making it impossible to see.

It took a long time for his eyes to adjust, only to find himself clad in a single thin garment, still fixed to the torture rack.

Beside him, two burly men were flogging him with a leather whip soaked in cold water.

At the doorway, a pair of dead-fish eyes stared intently at him, making him feel as if he’d been bitten by a venomous snake.

“Chen, this isn’t your Medical God Island. You’ve come to the wrong place if you think you can act all high and mighty. If you don’t spill something today, don’t even think about leaving here.”

Chen Qingdi’s expression was remarkably calm.

“What do you want to know?”

The man sneered. “Why did you use Half-Step Netherworld Poison to harm the Seventh Elder?”

Chen Qingdi said flatly, “I was ordered to treat the Seventh Elder. When I arrived, I was just about to examine the medicine he had been taking. I didn’t bring that medicine, nor did I import it. As for who brought it in, you should be asking the person who approved it for use!”

The man sneered. “Go on, ask around. For me, Dai Xueli, there’s no such thing as a mouth that can’t be pried open! Even if a man of stone were brought to me, I could still peel a layer of his skin off!”

“So, it was you!”

Chen Qingdi finally understood. He had long heard that a certain clandestine department had a master interrogator named Dai Xueli.

As for the stories behind that name, well, only he knew the full truth.

Chen Qingdi snorted. “This is a kangaroo court! I won’t accept this!”

Dai Xueli sneered.

“The higher-ups ordered you to be sent to me. Now that you’re here, don’t think you’ll get off easy. If you don’t give something up, I’ll make sure you don’t leave here in one piece!”