187 In Middle of Nowhere (2/2)
”Now, Xi Shi. Answer my question and only my question or I will try to make you sing a really crappy song that neither of us really want to hear. Who are you and why are you claiming to be Xi Shi?”
I add before stabbing her a few times just because. It is also due to the fact that I cannot really cut her up since she isn't able to regenerate her limbs like Mo Shu.
While I could use my power to undo any kind of injuries I inflicted on others, I rather not reveal all my cards. There is also no real reason to against someone like her.
”I can't tell you that. She. No. They will kill me. They will kill me!”
Xi Shi begs tearfully. The person that she refers to is probably the real Xi Shi. As for who they are, she is referring to the people in charge of the Party as well as China due to their control of the Communist Party.
”Yes. They probably will, but do you think that I wouldn't? Tell me what I want to know and live a few more days or die now. And I can promise you, I can make you linger between life and death for a very, very long time.”
I response, putting great emphasis on the threat. I can actually do that without resorting to my power thanks to all the micromachines inside her body.
They will keep her alive for as long as possible.
Those micromachines are also in her brain, allowing me to read her surface thought. It did take a while since the micromachines have to get use to her physiology thus becoming capable of hiding from her immune system.
As strong as Xi Shi is as a Chimera, she cannot control her body at the cellular level like Mo Shu can. It is probably not possible for any Chimera to do so as the Aces themselves were created with a far more morality questionable method.
”They will kill my family. Please. They will.”
Xi Shi continues to beg.
”You don't really have a family, Xi Shi. You are the only child, and your parents are dead in a suspicious accident, leaving you the sole beneficiary of their entire estate when you were only nine. Your relatives try to control you, but they too meet with a suspicious accident.”
I reveal my knowledge before stabbing her right through the throat, piercing her vocal cord. It is simply to stop her from talking or screaming. I just hate it when people lie blatantly to my face, thinking that I don't know shit when I probably know more than they do.
Oh. Using their family in order to save their own skin too, especially their children. I despite those who does that.
And speaking of skin, I am going to flay her a bit for lying to me. It is for enjoyment as well. I am pretty evil. I have to be to do what I must.
The end justifies the mean.
My hand retrieves the handle, leaving the glowing blade right through her neck, continuing to prevent her from speaking. The laser edge of the katana is facing up, stopping itself from actually slicing down right through her body.
It would go right through the middle of chest to her stomach and then exit out between her legs. That would be quite gruesome, but probably not more gruesome than skinning her alive.
Putting the handle away, I take out a knife.
I also produce a hand-size grindstone to sharpen the knife just for effect.
From all my time of torturing people to death, people are way more frightened when they know what will happen to them instead of it happening. That is because when it does happen, they are too busy screaming in pain instead of being utterly terrify.
Of course, the torturing part will happen to make sure they understand that I mean it.
Xi Shi tries to bullshit some more, but I don't really want to hear whatever she is going to say, at least not before I prove to her that is very unwise to lie to my face.
Maybe I should warn her that she shouldn't lie to me before I ask her any question. Must have slipped my mind. Oops.
”It has been a while since I had skinned someone alive, so I can promise you that it is going to hurt me a lot less than it is going to hurt you. Did I get that saying wrong? Anyway, I'm going to enjoy this quite a bit. You can regenerate superficial wounds with your power, right? Ah I forget, you are not allowed to talk right now, so I guess I will find out myself.”
I speak while sharpening my knife, slowly and loudly.
The grinding sounds that I am making overshadow the natural sounds of the sea, piercing through her hovering body, making her completely dreadful.
As a Chimera, Xi Shi should be able to regenerate any wounds internally and externally, but only when they aren't extremely severe. Severe as severed limbs for example.
If she keeps up her bullshit, I will severe her limbs and turn her into a human punching bag. I did turn someone into that once. A long, long time ago.
Xi Shi shakes her head, trying to say something, but it comes out as gurgles. She also tries to reach for the weapon with both hands, but the antigravity fields around her arms and legs repel the one around her torso and neck.
It is behaving like super strong magnet.
Of course, Xi Shi also tries to use her special ability, manifesting extremely spider web in order to slice through the blade or somehow remove it. But like every material that come into direct contact with the laser edge, those strings of her are destroyed.
They actually get set alight, making me chuckle.
”Ah. There is no need to be impatient, Xi Shi. It is almost done, just a bit more.”
I comment and have a good look at the edge of the knife. It is extremely sharp, as sharp as possible by machining. Just like the katana that I had left behind in the Triad building, the knife is a very fine piece of work.
There is only one group that is capable to crafting such a fine blade such as this by hands, and they are situated in Japan. They actually crafts weapons for the Japanese Hybrids, who shares the same notion as S.W.O.R.D. members.
That is, getting close and personal.
I would like to get close and personal with them too just to see their swordsmanship. While I do prefer to use a spear, it is good to learn all sort of weapons just in case. I also have learned all sort of martial arts, but they aren't that useful in comparison to pure strength and speed.
Besides, if I want to fight through hand techniques and all of that mumble jumbles, I will just resort to Selene. As a virtual intelligence, she will not have any waste movements.
Xi Shi continues to shake her head as that is the only thing she can do. She is unable to move her limbs, and even if she could, where could she run off to? This is the middle of the ocean.
As for me, I crouch down to wash the sharpened knife with sea water. I am not too worry about getting it rusted since the starship-grade alloys it is made from doesn't rust.
”Alrighty. Sorry for the delay, but I have been stabbing so many people with this knife that it does get kind of dull. So, I am going to spice thing up by flaying a beauty.”
I speak up and grab her hand, taking her wrist into mine.
The gravitation field around that hand is dropped in the process, allowing her to move more freely. Or as freely as allow within my steel grip. I am aware of how much strength she can exert, and since she is floating in midair, that amount diminishes greatly.
Her skin is quite white. Pearly even, but it is hard to tell in utter darkness. While I could see in the dark, it isn't exactly the same as seeing things in bright day light.
Her arm immediately dyed with red as the knife went under the skin, going right between her skin and the upper layer of her muscle. Her regenerative power kicks in quickly, making me frown.
I should find ways to disable it. It would give me a mean of fighting against regenerators.
But in this case, it is actually quite easy to do with the micromachines floating around inside her brain, waiting for my command. Part of her brain becomes highly active when she needs to heal herself. This is a feedback response, and if I interfere with it, her body would assume that it is not injured.
The feedback response is necessary to prevent her cells from replicating out of control, thus becoming something like a giant tumor.
”Hmmm-mmm!?”
Xi Shi utters painfully. Her body tenses up, and warm liquids run down between her legs, dripping into the sea. Speaking of liquids, the seawater on open wound is a bitch, but I didn't really pay any attention to that.
Seeing the blood makes me frown, as I am trying to flay someone alive without drawling a single drop of blood. It is actually possible, but it requires extreme precision.
It didn't help that Xi Shi is thrashing her hand violently, trying to get it away from me and the dreadful knife. Her mind is screaming for mercy, but despite that, I will continue what I am intended.
”Oh. I should tell you that this is what happen to people who thinks they are smarter than me.”
I tell her and continue to flay her, all admist the rather stormy sea.
Good thing that I disable her vocal cord. Listening to her scream for the next hour or so probably kind of torturous.