Hearing Horitake's explanation, Kagaya raised a question:
"If that is the case, then given enough time, Hantengu will eventually heal and recover on his own, will he not?"
Horitake neither nodded nor shook his head.
"Yes, and no."
"How so?"
"Demons are biological creatures; no matter how much they self-heal or regenerate, they must adhere to the law of conservation of mass and energy. From the moment I defeated him until now—it's been many days—Hantengu hasn't eaten a single thing. He hasn't ingested any energy at all.
Without sufficient energy support, let alone gradual recovery, he will likely find it difficult even to survive.
Therefore, if we want to keep Hantengu from dying, we will have to feed him something eventually.
However, we must also prevent him from healing enough to escape, so the amount we feed him must be very minimal."
At this moment, Tamayo, sitting nearby, smiled. She indicated that this matter was quite simple.
"I see. That is easily handled.
Although Yushiro and I no longer need to eat human flesh to survive, we do need to drink a small amount of human blood every so often to maintain our lives.
When the time comes, we can simply spare some blood for Hantengu. This will ensure he doesn't starve to death, but also ensure he lacks the energy to heal and recover."
Horitake nodded repeatedly, expressing that this was exactly what he had in mind.
"That is exactly what I mean. We need to keep Hantengu in this half-dead state."
After saying this, Horitake looked at Tamayo, then at Kagaya.
"Oyakata-sama, the reason you had me bring Hantengu to Miss Tamayo is for her research, correct?"
Mentioning this, Tamayo's researcher soul seemed to ignite. Rarely for her, she showed a hint of excitement and impatience.
"That is correct. This is Upper Rank Four; his body must contain a significant amount of Muzan's cells. It will be incredibly useful for my research. With Hantengu, my research progress will undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds!"
"Indeed, such a test subject is of immense value to Miss Tamayo.
But the problem is, this guy isn't just useful for experimental research.
He is, after all, Upper Rank Four, one of Muzan's most loyal subordinates. He should possess intelligence regarding Muzan and the internal workings of the demons.
I originally intended to take him back to Headquarters and have professionals conduct a severe interrogation to extract more intelligence from him. But now that Hantengu is here with Miss Tamayo, that becomes inconvenient."
Regarding Horitake's concerns, Kagaya had already thought it through and had a solution ready.
He spoke calmly:
"It doesn't matter. Interrogating him at Headquarters is the same as interrogating him here.
Later, I will invite professionals in interrogation to come here. From now on, Hantengu will not only be Miss Tamayo's experimental subject but also our interrogation target.
When Miss Tamayo needs to research, she can take Hantengu and do as she pleases.
When research is not required, the remaining time can be entirely handed over to the professionals, so they can properly 'entertain' Hantengu."
When Kagaya said these words, his tone was remarkably serene.
Horitake looked at Kagaya with newfound respect.
As expected, the Master was absolutely not the indecisive, gentle, and calm figure he appeared to be on the surface. Once he decided to be ruthless, he was a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Horitake could already imagine what Hantengu's life would be like from now on.
When nothing else was happening, Hantengu would be reduced to a lab rat for Tamayo and Yushiro—sliced, drained of blood, and perhaps even dissected for study.
The rest of the time would be dedicated to severe torture by professionals. Various punishments and interrogation methods would greet Hantengu in turn. Even if Hantengu was stubborn at first, it didn't matter; given enough time, he would eventually talk.
Just thinking about it made that kind of life seem incredibly intense!
A moment of silence for Hantengu. One second.
Silence over.
Horitake couldn't help but give Kagaya a thumbs up.
"As expected of Oyakata-sama. When it's time to act, you don't hesitate in the slightest.
I just didn't expect our Demon Slayer Corps to harbor professionals skilled in severe torture. We truly are full of hidden talents.
However, there is one more thing. Bringing professionals here to torture Hantengu is fine, but where will the interrogation take place? There doesn't seem to be a professional venue.
If we look for another location nearby, I'm afraid there's a risk of exposure."
Tamayo proactively took on this responsibility. She answered:
"That is not a problem. The basement of this house is quite large, and there are many empty, unused rooms. With some slight modifications, these rooms can be made available for the professionals to use."
"Excellent. It seems the venue issue is resolved.
Then there are basically no more problems.
The only thing we need to pay attention to is secrecy and caution."
Saying this, Horitake looked at both Tamayo and Kagaya.
"Whether it is on Miss Tamayo's side or the side of our Demon Slayer Corps professionals, we must ensure strict confidentiality. Under no circumstances can Hantengu's situation be leaked!
Once it is exposed, it might not just be the Upper Ranks who come knocking—Muzan might come personally!
If that happens, we'll all be in trouble.
We must also be mindful of secrecy measures and defensive measures.
On the way here with Hantengu this time, I encountered two demons tracking us. One of them had a Blood Demon Art granting him a super-strong sense of smell comparable to a dog's; he tracked us by following Hantengu's scent.
Fortunately, we dealt with those two demons, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
But there is no guarantee there won't be other demons with similar tracking and searching abilities in the future. Everyone must be prudent and careful."
Tamayo had been hiding from Muzan's pursuit for hundreds of years. She resonated deeply with the need for prudence and caution.
"I agree. We must prioritize secrecy and caution. After all, this is Upper Rank Four, not some ordinary demon. I estimate that Hantengu's disappearance and loss of contact must be quite a shock to Muzan."
Beside them, Shinobu couldn't help but laugh.
"More than just a shock; the irritation must be quite significant.
You might not know this, everyone, but the night before last, not only did Horitake eliminate the two tracking demons, but he also utilized those two demons to execute a counter-espionage stratagem against Muzan."
"Counter-espionage?" Kagaya seemed very interested. "What kind of counter-espionage can deal with Muzan?"
So, Shinobu smiled and recounted the events of that night in full detail.
After listening, everyone had a moment of realization.
At the same time, everyone gained a new appreciation for Horitake's quick wit and adaptability.
As Horitake's close partner, Kagaya was the first to praise him:
"Horitake, to be able to adapt to the situation in such a sudden emergency and come up with such a counter-espionage plan to deal with Muzan—that is truly just like you!"
Horitake had always been thick-skinned, so he didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the praise entirely.
"Haha, just a flash of inspiration, a spur of the moment thing.
However, since it was a counter-espionage plan thought up on the fly, due to the limitations of the conditions, the scheme isn't perfectly laid out. There are still some loopholes."
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