Chapter 6: The Tower of Evil

Chapter 6: The Tower of Evil

Xu Qingran narrowed his eyes.

It was the first time he had heard someone wanting to teach him how to behave.

The system, seeing him clench his fists, thought he was about to go crazy and act out, and hurriedly stopped him: 「Master! The weapons they are holding are not the ordinary firearms you've encountered before; they are the kind that work in conjunction with psychic energy, with speed and lethality far beyond what you might expect!」

「Moreover, those who come out to arrest Type-E extremists themselves have psychic pools at A-level or above. You can't match them right now!」

「Calm down, lay low and bide your time!」

Xu Qingran sent it a question mark: ?

"Who said I was going to resist?"

When he heard the system mention the term "the Tower of Evil" that day, he became interested. Especially after hearing that it housed many so-called Type-E extremists, he wanted to see it even more.

Isn't this opportunity just knocking on the door?

So he directly responded: "Alright, shall we head out now?"

Before closing the door, he asked: "My fever hasn't gone down yet, can I bring some medicine?"

Chen Bin exhaled a puff of smoke; the person in front of him was unexpectedly cooperative.

He also didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that he had just been transferred to the guard team of the Tower of Evil, and his first task was to arrest the young man in blood-stained white clothes he had met at the South 13-11 checkpoint that day.

He bit his cigarette and chuckled: "No problem."

The sea of stars is vast, the universe boundless, and the journey across galaxies is destined to be long.

After being taken onto a military-grade aircraft, Xu Qingran, as it docked, entered a starship the size of a space station. The starship was made of special materials, looking very resistant and sturdy, and was equipped with many fighter jets and weapon ports. But the starships in this world also rely on the cooperation of professional psychic energy to operate, just like ordinary vehicles.

From departure to entering the destination's domain, it took more than a day.

The atmosphere inside the vehicle, however, was quite harmonious and calm.

The younger guards, being more impatient, would take out centuries-old card games when they got bored, gathering around to joke and play. The older, more steady ones kept their attention on the 'prisoner' they were escorting at all times.

The one who should have been the most nervous instead treated the cramped compartment like his own bed, sleeping soundly.

He was wearing an off-white cotton coat, the light tone diluting his sharp edges. His quiet and peaceful appearance while sleeping made him seem soft and well-behaved, and coupled with his injuries and pale weakness, one couldn't help but feel a pang of pity after looking at him a few times.

"Ah, after all, he's a spoiled young master from a wealthy family. With such a weak constitution, I wonder if he can handle being taken to the Tower of Evil."

In another compartment of the aircraft, several guards whispered about the main target in the compartment.

Anyone who had followed the recent scandal involving the Silver Dragon Battalion would basically recognize the name Xu Qingran. The incident had caused such a stir, even exhibiting self-harm and suicidal tendencies, so it was no surprise that he was ordered to be taken to the Tower of Evil for re-education.

What surprised them was that the infamous eldest son of the Xu family looked so frail.

"I heard his psychic pool level is also very low, like F-level... Although his soul psychic type hasn't been determined yet, I don't think he can really jump from F directly to 3S or above after full awakening."

"At most, it's just going through the motions, undergoing some criticism and re-education."

"That's tough enough..."

"But if even Colonel Lu doesn't fancy the eldest son, what kind of goddess must his fiancée be?"

As soon as the casual question was asked, the man in the corner, still clutching two glowing cards, sneered.

"I've seen her, nothing special. Putting them side by side is downright insulting," he said, tossing the last two cards onto the low table made of stacked game boxes, ending the game.

"Damn, Qi Heqian, you’re one sneaky bastard!"

The man, who was being pointed at and laughed at by everyone, didn't continue the game. He rested his hands behind his head, and the loosely hanging military cap slid down as he lowered his head, covering most of his face.

He closed his eyes and drifted off.

·

The Kayan Empire’s primary star system, the CS Celestial System.

Queen’s Star, home to the Tower of Evil, is also the main star where the palace is situated. However, the two are not on the same continent and are separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean.

Xu Qingran’s first impression of Queen’s Star after landing was that it was the planet most reminiscent of his past life’s Blue Star.

From the plants growing to the distribution of water and land, the cats and dogs blending into the street crowds, and the birds very similar to sparrows and crows, everything felt incredibly familiar. The row of weeping willows by the riverbank swayed in the wind, carrying his thoughts back to his homeland.

The Tower of Evil sits on the northern continent, known as 'North Abyss.'

The nearly hundred-story structure forms a perfect hollow cylinder. The open space within the largest building houses another tower with a smaller diameter. Like a set of Russian nesting dolls, a larger building encircles a smaller hollow cylindrical building, and so on, totaling six layers.

The innermost structure is solid—a true 'tower'—apparently serving a different purpose, not part of the prison. The outermost building spans nearly the width of his past life’s capital city.

The tower is dotted with round mechanical spheres hovering above, resembling their 'sky eye' security system.

The further in, the more dangerous the prisoners, and the more severe their crimes.

Someone like Xu Qingran, here merely for criticism and education, is naturally sent to the outermost Building 5.

As he entered the building with the guards, Xu Qingran saw all kinds of people. Some were too terrified to do anything but cry, some resisted fiercely like rebellious teenagers, while others shouted in futile, angry outbursts. There were those who were completely insane, and those who wanted to crash into the solid metal walls to end their lives in despair.

"You seem awfully calm," the older guard walking beside him suddenly spoke.

Xu Qingran had learned on the way that his name was Chen Bin.

Chen Bin, a heavy smoker, reluctantly stubbed out his cigarette before stepping inside, and added, "I don't even sense a bit of fear in you."

"Such calm is rare in someone as young and well-off as you."

Xu Qingran asked him, "Should I be afraid?"

Chen Bin laughed a few times after hearing this, then said, "Yes, kid, you should be scared."

"Unless your soul and spirit are later determined not to be of the E-type, as long as you haven't passed the tower's tests, you'll have to stay here and face punishment for your poor personality test results."

The Tower of Evil is a deep, imposing black, with a dim, crude interior and a stifling, foul, and damp stench. It’s hard to believe such a rough, unfinished interior still exists in this day and age.

It gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Among the batch sent in with Xu Qingran for criticism and education were a few teenagers, the youngest being only 12 years old. They were all sent into the same elevator, ascending to the higher floors. The elevator had a speaker hanging inside, from which came occasional piercing screams, sounding like someone was being tortured.

In the confined space, the terror was amplified several times over.

As expected, the teenagers who had already worn expressions of 'hopelessness' before entering were so scared they almost clung to each other, their lips turning pale. Only Xu Qingran leaned casually against the other side of the elevator, one hand in his pocket, relaxed, even a bit impatient.

As if he were some big shot here on an inspection tour.

"Brother, will we really become Type E extremists? Are we going to be locked up in the Tower of Evil forever, with no way out?" The youngest girl with long hair among them buried her face in the arms of an older boy beside her, clutching him tightly, scared.

The boy, scared of what the future might hold, tried to steady his voice and comforted her by gently stroking the back of her head: "No, we'll get out of here soon, I promise."

Xu Qingran looked away from the girl, lowered his head, and started zoning out again.

The elevator soon arrived at the 60th floor.

This floor was designed more humanely than the lower levels. However, the long corridor still seemed endless, with rooms on both sides and no daylight, making it feel suffocating.

Every now and then, guards and staff would walk down the corridor.

They were all dressed formally, looking very serious. Some were flipping through papers as they walked, looking busy.

They weren’t all in the usual silver-black uniforms anymore; some were dressed in more elegant dark golden clothing, with a golden badge with a phoenix spreading its wings on their chests.

This must be the Golden Wing Battalion’s symbol.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop helipad of the 5th building of the Tower of Evil, a small spacecraft touched down. Unlike regular aircraft, it had emergency guns and cannons, made of dark gray star sand, tougher than diamond.

The hatch, marked with a golden emblem, slid open silently, and a man in a dark golden military coat stepped out. He took off his hat, revealing deep, ocean-like eyes, making everything else seem dull.

"General!" The guard at the tower top rushed to greet him, snapping a sharp salute, then grinned, showing a familiar relationship with the newcomer, "Back to inspect the Tower of Evil again?"

The man's lips curled slightly, his gentle demeanor off the battlefield making him appear like a modest and admirable gentleman.

"It’s the commander’s orders—can’t say no," he said, heading towards the direction of the stairs, "It's fine, I’ll have tea with your warden and take a break."

The guard who escorted him to the elevator looked regretful: "The Crown Prince? I don’t get why he keeps sending you here. Your skills and talent belong somewhere more important."

Shen Tingyu glanced at the elevator button pressed by the guard, his smile deepening but not reaching his eyes.

The elevator arrived quickly. He put his hat back on, stepped in with his exquisite boots, and before the door closed again, left a casual remark to the person outside.

"Maybe he’s reminding me not to forget my roots."