Valen couldn't stop thinking about the entrance exam and how "Draven" had performed back then. A thought popped into his head. If they really fought, what were his odds? And if it were Thora or Ashley, who would come out on top? Out of professional instinct, countless calculations flashed through Valen's head in an instant. Yet all of them ultimately circled back to one core issue—the true extent of the man standing in front of him. Darius smiled faintly. His tone was calm, but the authority in it left no room for argument. "Mr. Mercer, better wait a moment." The message was clear. No one was getting past him until Thora finished questioning the suspect. If things turned ugly, that wouldn't be on him. Pain suddenly shot through Valen's shoulder. He stared at Darius coldly and said in a low voice, "Impressive skills, Mr. Blackwood."Darius chuckled and withdrew his hand. The restraint vanished instantly. "You flatter me," he replied with perfect manners, as if he hadn't just overpowered Valen seconds ago. Valen rolled his shoulder and snorted, angry but helpless. "Dream on! I'd rather die than tell you anything!" the masked man snarled at Thora. Bound by the chains and her grip, it took all his strength just to get the words out. Even without removing the mask, Thora already knew who he was. "Tough, huh?" Her eyes turned icy. "Good. I like breaking tough ones." She reached out and suddenly tightened her grip on his arm. Crack—crack— Sharp, clean sounds echoed as bones shattered, followed by a horrible scream. "Ahhh—"In seconds, his arm went limp, hanging uselessly, held together by nothing but flesh. His bone had been completely crushed. He felt the exact instant his bones were ground into powder. The pain was far worse than an ordinary fracture, so intense that he wished he'd die on the spot. "I warned you already. You get one chance. If you won't talk, I'm not wasting time forcing it," Thora said evenly, her voice cold and sharp. "Someone else will deal with you eventually. You're already a dead man." Those words hit him hard. Fear squeezed his heart. He'd never been scared of death before. But standing in front of Thora, all that bravery vanished. What filled him instead was a hopeless terror even worse than death, leaving him unable to fight back. Valen couldn't take it anymore. He was honestly afraid Thora might kill the man right there. They still had no idea who the masked man was or where he came from. If she killed him here, Valen wouldn't be able to explain it to Davis. He stepped forward, then instinctively glanced at Darius. Darius smiled and nodded at him. "Go ahead." Valen almost wanted to shoot him on the spot. He was furious beyond words, yet completely helpless. The suffocating frustration almost drowned him. He stormed forward and shouted, "Stop!" Thora didn't spare Valen a single glance. Her eyes never left the man in her hand. "Don't..." The masked man finally gave in, his weak plea clearly reaching her. A cold smile formed on Thora's lips. At that moment, Valen arrived with his soldiers and said deeply, "Thora, let him go." The masked man's expression changed the second he saw Valen. He shut his mouth tight and refused to say anything else.Thora lifted her gaze to Valen, her eyes colder than before. "Mr. Mercer, I caught him. I should be the one handling this." "He broke academy rules. This is the academy's responsibility," Valen replied firmly. He was taking the man away, no matter what. Thora frowned, her tone dropping. "He tried to kill me." "Relax. I'll make him talk. You'll get your answers," Valen said seriously. "But how we handle him follows academy rules." As an instructor at a military academy, he had to follow procedure. "Thora," Darius said gently as he walked over, his voice warm and indulgent. "Mr. Mercer is just doing his job. If you want that guy later, I'll help you get him." Valen's expression darkened instantly. Asking Thora to back off now felt like outright begging her for a favor. Still, he knew the truth. With Darius's strength and the Blackwoods' ties to the academy, pulling someone out of Blue Star Military Academy wasn't impossible. Thora hadn't meant to make things hard for Valen. She simply hated being interrupted halfway through an interrogation. She shot the man with a cold look, then casually threw him to the ground. "Ah!" the masked man cried out again as he collapsed. Valen stepped forward and tore off the mask. The moment he saw the face beneath it, his eyes widened in shock. "It's you?!"