Three days.
Three days Han Lie was tied to the Chair of Truth without a break. No food, only a sip of dirty water every 12 hours to make sure he didn't die. The metal spikes had already scratched his skin until his body was covered in small wounds that never healed.
Every day, Feng came with the same questions. Every day, Han Lie tried to answer without betraying the system or lying to Feng. Every day, he failed and was punished by both sides.
"Fourth day," Feng entered with a new hot rod, "still want to play games with me?"
Han Lie couldn't even lift his head anymore. His voice was hoarse from too much screaming. "Please... I've already... told you everything..."
"A FAKE story!" Feng brought the rod closer to Han Lie's eyes. "A voice in your head? Do you think I believe fairytales like that?"
"It's true..." Han Lie whispered desperately. "I'm not lying..."
SSSSS
The hot rod touched Han Lie's eyelid for two seconds. The smell of burning flesh and a horrifying screaming sound filled the room.
"AAAHHHHH! MY EYES! MY EYES!"
"Your eyes are still intact," Feng said coldly. "Only the eyelids are slightly burned. You can still see to... appreciate what I'm going to do next."
Han Lie's left eye was blurry from the burned and swollen eyelid. But he could still see Feng taking a new tool—a small, rusty pair of pliers.
"Today we'll try a different approach," Feng said, approaching with the pliers. "Let's start with your fingernails."
"NO! PLEASE! I'LL TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!"
"It's too late for that."
Feng grabbed Han Lie's index finger and placed the pliers under the nail. With a slow and deliberate motion, he began to pull the nail out.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
An indescribable pain spread from the tip of his finger to his entire body. Han Lie could feel the nail slowly tearing away from the flesh, the exposed nerve endings screaming in agony.
[SANITY: 20 → 15]
[PHYSICAL PAIN: 85/100]
[MENTAL TRAUMA: SEVERE]
[WARNING: HOST IS APPROACHING TOTAL MENTAL BREAKDOWN]
PLOP
Han Lie's index fingernail fell to the floor with a wet sound. The finger bled profusely, its tip raw and exposed.
"One," Feng said, moving to the middle finger. "Nine more."
"NO! PLEASE! I'M GOING TO DIE!"
"You won't die from this," Feng assured him, placing the pliers on the next nail. "I've done this to hundreds of criminals. The human body can endure far more than you think."
The second nail was pulled out in the same slow and methodical way. Han Lie screamed until his vocal cords were almost torn.
[DO YOU WANT ME TO... HELP?]
The system's voice appeared in the middle of Han Lie's screaming.
[I CAN STOP THE PAIN]
[FOR... A CERTAIN PRICE]
"Anything..." Han Lie whispered desperately between screams. "Anything... stop this..."
[GOOD]
[THE PRICE: YOUR SOUL]
[GIVE ME FULL CONTROL OF YOUR BODY]
[AND I WILL... TAKE CARE OF THIS SITUATION]
Han Lie fell silent even though the pliers were already pulling out his third nail. Giving full control meant... he would never be himself again.
"Fourth nail," Feng announced, moving to the ring finger.
RIIIP
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
[DECIDE QUICKLY, HOST]
[OR ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN THIS TORTURE CHAMBER]
"I... I AGREE!" Han Lie screamed desperately. "TAKE MY SOUL! STOP THIS!"
[EXCELLENT CHOICE]
[CONTRACT... FINALIZED]
Suddenly, the pain in Han Lie's entire body disappeared completely. Not numbness, but a total absence of pain. Even the open wounds didn't hurt at all.
What was more terrifying, Han Lie felt another presence entering his body. Something cold, ancient, and infinitely cruel took over his motor control.
"Thank you, Investigator Feng," Han Lie's voice changed—still his voice, but the tone and intonation were completely different. Cold, confident, and terrifying.
Feng was silent, the pliers still in his hand. "What?"
Han Lie—or the something now controlling his body—smiled. A terrifying smile even though his face was covered in wounds and blood.
"Thank you for... motivating my host to finally give up control."
The ropes that were tying Han Lie to the chair suddenly broke without explanation. The metal spikes that had been piercing his body slowly retracted on their own.
"What's happening?!" Feng backed away, dropping the pliers. "How are you—"
"Wrong question," Han Lie stood up from the chair with a fluid and predatory movement. His wounds were still there, but he moved as if he felt no pain at all.
"The right question is..." Han Lie's eyes changed color from black to blood red, "what does it feel like to be prey?"
[ETERNAL SUFFERING SYSTEM - FULL CONTROL MODE ACTIVATED]
[HOST: HAN LIE - STATUS: PUPPET]
[CONSCIOUSNESS: SUPPRESSED]
[OBJECTIVE: UNLIMITED DESTRUCTION]
Feng tried to run to the door, but suddenly the door slammed shut and locked.
"No one is leaving," the entity controlling Han Lie said, cracking its knuckles. "This... is time for a lesson."
In the remaining corner of Han Lie's mind, he screamed in horror when he realized what he had just done.
He didn't just sell his soul.
He had just unleashed something far more terrifying than anything the Phoenix Sect had ever faced.
[THANK YOU FOR... YOUR DONATION... FORMER HOST]
[NOW ENJOY THE SHOW FROM THE AUDIENCE SEAT]
And Han Lie—now only an observer in his own body—could only watch in horror as the systematic massacre began.