The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul
Chapter 1003: You guys are truly a batch of fantasy

Chapter 1003: You guys are truly a batch of fantasy

A makeshift interrogation room—Shang Xiaoyan managed to set it up in just half an hour, his impressive efficiency leaving Tang Shu impressed.

The room was enclosed by walls on all sides, with only a small square-shaped window above the southern wall, measuring just a few dozen centimeters—large enough for a pigeon to squeeze through. The confined space emanated an oppressive feeling.

If someone truly harbored guilt in their heart, this atmosphere would surely serve as a form of psychological intimidation. At that moment, Tang Shu understood why places like this had been used to house criminals since ancient times.

Beyond the claustrophobic surroundings, the room’s sparse setup added to its peculiar vibe. There was a surveillance camera, a clock, a hanging light, a wooden table, and three chairs of varying heights—absolutely nothing else.

Luckily, the village chief’s house had this sunward-facing yet sunlight-deprived space available; otherwise, Shang Xiaoyan might have had to construct one of his own.

When Tang Shu entered alongside Si Liang, she instinctively surveyed the room, taking in every detail. In the center chair sat a middle-aged woman, her expression somewhat vacant.

Tang Shu approached and placed her fingers lightly on the woman’s wrist, feeling her pulse carefully, then exchanged a glance with Si Liang.

Si Liang acknowledged her with a subtle nod before casually stepping forward. He sat directly across from the woman, meeting her gaze. Though she seemed detached, she eventually reacted to the surroundings—her eyes soon caught sight of Si Liang.

"Who... are you?"

Tang Shu silently backed away, retreating into the shadows beyond the room’s single source of illumination. Under the bright light, only two figures remained.

Si Liang fixed his gaze upon her, his expression warm, his voice smooth and devoid of any fluctuations. "I imagine you might not remember. I’m a teacher at a school."

"A teacher?"

The woman fell silent for a long stretch of time, causing the room to descend into an eerie stillness. The only sound was the ticking of the table’s clock, the steady tick-tock echoing faintly.

Finally, something seemed to click for her. "Oh yes, I think I’ve seen you before—you’re Junjun’s teacher?"

"Yes, Junjun is a thoughtful child, though he can be a bit mischievous."

"He’s my only son, so there’s nothing to be done about it."

...

The two began conversing at a calm and steady pace, their discussion revolving entirely around Junjun’s school life. Their exchanges held a curious symmetry; each question was met with an answer, neither party dominating the conversation.

What baffled Tang Shu was that Si Liang’s every description of Junjun received affirmation from the woman. She began to suspect Si Liang might actually be a teacher at some elementary school, and Junjun one of his pupils.

Yet the notion felt absurd—he had only arrived in Collar Village that very day. How could he have known anything about Junjun?

Within five minutes, the woman had completely let down her guard, her vacant eyes regaining clarity with remarkable speed.

By the time ten minutes had passed, she was fully back to normal.

Throughout the process, Tang Shu and others watched via the room’s camera, silent and attentive—but none could detect even the tiniest hint of anything amiss.

In the shadows, Tang Shu turned her gaze thoughtfully toward her friend’s husband.

The woman soon realized the severity of her situation. The confined space and the solitary overhead light both heightened her unease.

"Wait, where am I? I think... I just remembered..."

Indeed, she had recalled something—mere moments ago, she had been chatting with a group of neighbors at Ah Cui’s house, when suddenly, a squad of people dressed in army-green uniforms stormed in and ordered the door secured.

Who were these people? She had recognized their uniforms instantly, but why would government personnel appear in their village?

Panic creeping into her voice, the woman looked toward Si Liang, who now stood and moved to the seat prepared for him at the interrogation desk. His demeanor shifted, casualness replaced by a formal intensity.

"Ms., I trust by now you understand my identity. Please answer my questions."

"I... I understand. You’re the police."

"Good. Thank you for cooperating. Now... your name?"

"Cui Lanzhi."

"Age?"

...

Within three minutes, Si Liang gleaned all the relevant details about the case from her, including that she did indeed have a son named Junjun. However, she revealed an odd detail—her son was only three years old.

A three-year-old in school?

Even preschool would only be suitable for the youngest children, yet Junjun supposedly attended an elementary school twenty miles away. For villagers in this rural, mountainous area, such arrangements were uncommon at best.

"That’s all for now, Ms. Cui. We’ll stop here for today."

When Tang Shu emerged with Si Liang from the makeshift interrogation room and rejoined the team, Shang Xiaoyan had already logged every detail of the previous interrogation.

Wen Nuan, Shang Xiaoyan, Officer Song, and Jing Yu greeted them with calm expressions, looking perfectly normal—save for Tang Shu, who carried a storm of unanswered questions.

After Cui Lanzhi was escorted away, another villager was brought into the interrogation room, and Si Liang disappeared again after greeting Wen Nuan.

Tang Shu felt she no longer had any reason to follow him.

"Their physical well-being is fine. Aside from the Child Gu affecting their consciousness due to its distance from the Mother Gu, there’s no immediate danger."

"Got it. You stay here," Wen Nuan replied, freeing up space for Tang Shu. The surveillance monitor soon had another set of eyes trained on it.

Si Liang conducted a new round of negotiations, restoring clarity to seven or eight women within the span of an hour. They not only regained their mental faculties but willingly divulged everything they knew—including the whereabouts of the missing children.

Tang Shu’s gaze lingered heavily on Si Liang, her furrowed brow gradually deepening into a knot.

"Stop overthinking," Jing Yu said, pulling her aside with a sigh. "It’s psychology. Si Liang is extraordinarily skilled in hypnosis—even the most determined individuals can’t hold out against him for ten minutes."

What? Hypnosis?

She hadn’t seen any signs of hypnosis whatsoever. She had been less than two meters away from the participants—it didn’t match anything she had previously seen or imagined.

Watching a number of films on hypnosis had barely prepared her for this encounter. Where were the props for waving or swinging in front of someone’s face?

There weren’t any—not even one!

"Is the alarm clock suspicious?"

"No, it’s just an ordinary clock."

Jing Yu chuckled. "Don’t overthink it. If he wanted to hypnotize someone, he wouldn’t need any props at all."

"..."

Are you all the ones living in a fantasy?

***

Tang Shu didn’t dwell on the hypnosis for long, ultimately chalking it up to an "otherworldly" experience.

"Otherworldly? No, this is very much grounded in science," came the firm rebuttal.