Chapter 188.1 – We Are V587 (3)

◎ Song Keke, is that you? ◎

Death Prison.

Hu Yong pushed open the door to the office, where someone was already waiting for him. A tall young man sat on the sofa, rhythmically tapping his cold white fingertips, looking silently out the window at the deep sea, his side profile melancholic and profound.

Hu Yong’s gaze lowered, and he noticed a silver cane placed beside the sofa; the young man’s right leg seemed not very agile—just like the last time they met.

Several people were scattered around the room, appearing calm and casual. Near the door were twin siblings with similar facial features but different genders. Two military personnel with insignias embroidered with the pattern of an azure phoenix were wandering by the window, their presence barely noticeable. Having dealt with criminals for most of his life and with the characteristics of being half-human and half-AI, Hu Yong keenly discerned that these people had special identities. They bore the burden of taking lives and were highly likely to be awakeners, perhaps even S-level.

Having exchanged greetings in advance, even though their appearances were vastly different, he accurately called out the young man’s name, “Zhuang Qingyan.”

Zhuang Qingyan nodded gently, “Long time no see, Lord Hades, no, Warden Hu.”

Hu Yong took a step forward; the twin siblings eyed him warily. He paused, circled back to his desk, and sat down at a distance from Zhuang Qingyan.

“Rarely do prisoners voluntarily come back,” Hu Yong sighed, “let alone those who escaped from prison.”

Zhuang Qingyan showed no embarrassment at having his dark history exposed. He got straight to the point, “I came to invite Sin City to join the Bauhinia Alliance.”

Hu Yong remained impassive, “The Alliance has more than one prison, and District F is not that important.”

Zhuang Qingyan smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on his sleeves and smiled, “That was in the past. Because of you, F180 is now crucial.”

A district magistrate leaves a strong personal style in the city he governs: Nai Kang is cruel, Mu City people is miserable, and in anger, the citizens overthrow his rule. Chen Zuyi is kind, Tongwan stands united, and the whole city gathers strength to withstand the onslaught of the zombie tide.

After taking over the Death Prison, Sin City remained chaotic, filled with violence and crime. However, the arbiter tilted towards fairness and justice. Hu Yong re-evaluated sentences, punished criminals severely, and also released many innocent people.

Zhuang Qingyan’s exceptional memory allowed him to recognize Jorik in the Trading Street just now.

His gaze was clear and cold, like a born negotiation expert, “If I’m not mistaken, in the past year, although Death Prison appears stable on the surface, it has long lost financial support, and the number of prison guards has dwindled significantly, right?”

After the Loak War, Gu Hongyi died violently, and many core officials of the Central Court were killed or injured. The Alliance’s influence in Utopia suffered a severe setback, and the once tripartite situation fell apart. Now, the higher-ups were preoccupied and had no spare time to deal with a mere District F.

“If another malicious prison break occurs, can you handle it?” Zhuang Qingyan hinted with a purpose.

Sin City had once experienced a sensational news event: a team called “V587,” using some unknown method, flipped Death Prison 180 degrees and successfully escaped from it. This was the only successful prison break event since the establishment of Death Prison.

Hu Yong was speechless, “…” Weren’t you the one who escaped in the first place? How can you act like nothing happened with a different face?

Zhuang Qingyan’s face was as thick as a city wall, showing no signs of abnormality. He remained calm and said, “The apocalypse not only brings crises but also creates opportunities.”

“Whether to seize the opportunity, lead Sin City against the current, or continue to drift with the tide, Warden Hu, it depends on your choice.”

“Why choose me?” Hu Yong’s voice was low and hoarse.

Zhuang Qingyan glanced at him intently. There was a rare steadiness about Hu Yong, and his emotions seemed never to spiral out of control.

“Death Prison is a necessary product of the Alliance’s development at a specific stage. Its functionality is irreplaceable, and staying here is your lifelong mission.”

Zhuang Qingyan recited calmly, “Is that still your belief, or have your thoughts changed?”

Hu Yong shook his head slowly, “Never.”

Zhuang Qingyan smiled, “The selection for the new city district is about to begin. There are no registration restrictions this time. The classification will consider various aspects, and all C-level cities will receive resource support. I look forward to a story of F rising to C.”

Hu Yong remained silent for a while before speaking, “I have a question. Even if I am not… human, is it acceptable?”

He spoke vaguely, but Zhuang Qingyan understood, “Among the members of the Bauhinia Alliance, you are not the only non-human magistrate.”

“Ferrara is controlled by a super AI, Loak is even ruled by the Fallen King. Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, the definition of being human will be rewritten.”

Hu Yong nodded solemnly, “Thank you, I will consider it.”

Knock! Knock! Urgent knocking sounded from outside the door, “Warden, something’s wrong in the desert!”

Zhuang Qingyan stood up gracefully, casually gripping his cane, “You take care of that first; I won’t disturb you.”

After watching the group depart, Hu Yong turned to the prison guard and asked, “What happened?”

“All the prisoners released yesterday were killed!”

“For what reason?” Hu Yong asked calmly.

“It was a vicious group fight,” the prison guard sighed with frustration. “In the end, it’s their own fault, they were seeking death. They were sand bandits before they came in, saw someone kill a Level 4 Scorpion, got envious, and tried to rob it, only to be counter-killed.”

“How are the casualties on the other side?”

“The other side, um… they’re fine.”

The prison guard’s expression was conflicted, struggling to speak but hesitating. “Warden, when I said group fight, it’s a situation where one person is beating up a whole group…”

*

In the scorching desert, the sun hung high, and the air was so hot it distorted. Song Ke’s back was drenched in sweat, her wet white hair sticking to her collarbones. The hood seemed about to catch fire, and her skin, marred and broken, quickly healed due to her second ability, leaving only traces of pain that didn’t have time to linger.

Two mutant scorpion carcasses lay by her feet, and even a slight movement caused the burning heat to engulf the surroundings.

Jorik, equally sweaty, panted in the heat but continued to follow her.

“Here’s yours.”

Song Ke handed two crimson crystals to him. Thanks to this foolish but righteous helper, she paid the money to Cheng Yi on time, catching up with the deadline.

Jorik took a step back, shook his head quickly, and awkwardly looked at her, stammering, “Buy you coffee, ring is for you… go home.”

“I’ll leave tomorrow when I get the goods. You go get the ring yourself.”

The weather was too hot, and every second was torture. Song Ke, with patience worn thin and not understanding what he was saying, spoke with a commanding tone.

Jorik, looking dazed, after several signals from Song Ke, finally took only one crystal and stored it away.

“Go home…” he began saying, but his ears suddenly perked up, and he looked towards the distant sand dunes with a dark expression.

The sandstorm raged, and the sandy dunes undulated in shades of brown. Bang! Bang! Explosions erupted as over thirty sand bandits, lying in ambush, sprung out and surrounded Song Ke and her companion.

“Since this fool doesn’t want it, why not give us the crystal?” The speaker exuded the aura of a desperate outlaw, with a sinister smile, reaching out without hesitation to activate the awakened ability “grabbing objects from the air”.

Zheng—! Mental power hit an iron plate, Song Ke’s crystal remained unmoved in her palm. The opponent was only at the C-level, the power gap too vast for them to even get close.

The sand bandits, shocked, abandoned their playful expressions, stared menacingly at her, revealing their cruel true selves.

Hot sweat dripped down the chin, instantly evaporating in the scorching heat. Song Ke felt a bit dizzy, wishing to return to the cool underground city.

Her voice dry, she spoke slowly, “Give you three seconds, hurry up and leave.”

“Well, look at the attitude! Brothers, kill her! Take the crystal!”

Over thirty people rushed forward, their various awakened abilities stirring up the sandy ground.

“Roar!!”

Jorik roared in anger, transforming into a werewolf, aggressively pouncing, clawing and biting fiercely. However…

Due to his usually pampered lifestyle and thick, dense fur, the wealthy man suffered heatstroke immediately upon transformation, collapsing with a thud.

The sand bandits burst into laughter, restraining him. A curved knife poised at Jorik’s throat, ready to strike.

Song Ke slowly raised her gaze, and her pink pupils flashed with dazzling golden light.

A surging and domineering awakened energy shook the earth, raising a massive sandstorm from all directions. Countless thorned arrows shot out from behind her, piercing through the bandits. In an instant, the sand bandits had limbs severed, bodies dismembered, each pierced through the heart, and they fell dead.

The sandstorm subsided, corpses scattered, and all sound disappeared. A pin could be heard dropping in the silent scene.

“Come out,” Song Ke coldly said to the deserted desert.

After a while, a group of trembling locals emerged from beneath the sand.

After a while, the mirage of an oasis appeared, and another wave of timid awakeners emerged.

Praying mantis hunts the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; truly the most chaotic and sinful city in the entire Alliance. In this small battlefield, three waves of people were lying in ambush.