Chapter 37 White Hole Prison (14)

Chapter 37 White Hole Prison (Fourteen)

Shi Wu had asked 000 about this earlier, on his way to the cafeteria.

After all, in the previous instance, 000 had claimed to be their exclusive system.

"000, surely you can detect what this thing is, right?"

Shi Wu asked dubiously again.

One second, two seconds...

The cafeteria remained noisy, with the sound of chewing from the prisoners around him, yet deep within his consciousness, it was as still as stagnant water.

No response, no ripple.

Shi Wu's heart sank, and he was just about to swear under his breath.

The next moment, a familiar yet unfamiliar system interface snapped into view—

"Auxiliary System 000 activated"

"Scanning..."

"Detected unknown high-activity biomatter"

"Status: Unstable/Contains partial consciousness residue"

"Source: ??? (Unknown)"

"Risk Level: C/Recommend avoiding contact"

"Note: This substance may contain residual ??? factor, known to cause partial personality structure mutations in consumers"

"Note 2: Recommend consumption"

Shi Wu: "..."

"No thanks, I don't like it. You can have it," Shi Wu muttered expressionlessly, not even lifting an eyelid. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention to him, he flicked his wrist with practiced ease, flinging that small clump of filth from the spoon into his lap.

"That ought to be okay now..." he thought to himself, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he had—

Forgotten something.

Sure enough, the next second, a cold broadcast voice rang out—

"Prisoner 902-4, attention."

"Detected act of wasting food."

"According to the 'White Hole Prison Regulations,' wasting lunch is considered a yellow card warning."

"Immediate execution: Temporary Punishment Level B."

[Prisoner 902-4 will be taken to the "solitary confinement cell" for additional education, duration—two hours.]

"Education takes effect immediately. Prisoner 902-4, cease current behavior and prepare to leave."

"Time until guards arrive: five minutes."

"Fuck me," a crack appeared in Shi Wu's calm expression.

How could he have forgotten this! Shi Wu cursed wildly in his heart, veins bulging at his temples.

In a hellhole like White Hole Prison, where he suspected even the walls and floors might hide unknown creatures, how could he have just "openly" discarded food right under the prison's watchful eyes again?

He looked down. The plate of food in front of him remained completely untouched, not a single corner missing.

He looked up again.

Opposite him, 902-2, pretending to be a quail, was covering half his face, stealing glances at Shi Wu with a mix of terror and pity, as if watching a warrior marching willingly to his death.

Then, under Shi Wu's glare, he cowered back.

But at that moment.

902-3 beside him also seemed to finally realize what had just happened.

His eyes fixed on the "clean" spoon in Shi Wu's hand, then shifted to Shi Wu's completely untouched, pristine plate. The hint of condescending generosity on his face fell away in an instant.

"You—you didn't eat it??!"

His voice suddenly rose sharply, filled with a twisted, incredulous fury. "You... you threw it away??!"

"Do you even know what this is?!" 902-3 suddenly stood up, his face contorted with resentment, teeth grinding audibly. "This is 'Divine Grace'! How dare you actually waste it?!"

His body trembled, his expression turning ferocious. One hand shot up, looking as if he was about to lunge at Shi Wu.

"Wait, wait, wait, calm down, brother," Shi Wu quickly raised a hand to block 902-3's arm. "I was afraid I wasn't devout enough, afraid of tarnishing this 'bite' of grace! Look, I even—"

"Shut up!" Madness spilled from 902-3's eyes.

"You're simply unworthy!"

The surrounding prisoners also turned their gazes toward the two, filled with confusion, scrutiny, or hatred.

It was as if Shi Wu hadn't merely wasted a small piece of "food," but had torn apart the bible they worshipped right in front of the congregation.

And in fact, that was precisely the case.

"Tch." Shi Wu pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, but his eyes turned cold in an instant.

He felt it.

902-3's body was beginning to mutate. The skin on his face seemed to be melting.

Starting from the eye sockets, gradually to the bridge of the nose, then to the entire face, all melting into a puddle—revealing blood-red gums, prominent cheekbones...

"What's going on here?" A cold voice abruptly cut in.

The voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure, silencing the previously murmuring cafeteria completely.

Bao Yan walked in.

And the 902-3 in front of Shi Wu instantly reverted to his original appearance, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

"Guard Captain!" 902-3 whirled around, his whole demeanor like that of someone grasping a lifeline. He pointed at Shi Wu, his face filled with rage. "Prisoner 902-4 refuses to obey the Warden's decree, wasting Divine Grace! He is a heretic—he doesn't deserve to remain here at all!"

"I suggest immediate execution of disciplinary measures! He could even—be stripped of his 'Prisoner Number'!" By the end, his eyes burned with fanatical zeal, his cheeks flushed red as if he'd taken the wrong drug.

But Bao Yan's gaze wasn't fixed on the speaker's face at all.

He merely glanced briefly at Shi Wu's clean spoon, then slowly curled the corner of his mouth as if in mockery.

"Strip him of his number?" he repeated slowly in a low, hoarse voice. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

902-3 instantly stiffened as if doused with a bucket of ice water, the zeal in his eyes instantly turning to terror.

"N-no, I wouldn't dare, I was just—"

"Subordinate?" Bao Yan sneered.

"Whose subordinate are you?"

902-3 was left utterly speechless, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

The next second, Bao Yan had already stepped in front of Shi Wu.

There was barely a fist's distance between the two, their breaths seeming to intertwine.

Bao Yan looked at him, a cold glint in his eyes, full of implied threat. "Have you forgotten the prison regulations, or—"

"Do you want to try 'Personal Education'?"

Shi Wu didn't make a sound. He just looked up, meeting the other's impassive face directly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"If... you, sir, were to personally instruct me," he said, "I wouldn't object."

"In fact, I'd be quite looking forward to it."

The surroundings instantly fell into dead silence.

902-2 had already ducked his head into his tray in fear, his hand holding the fork trembling slightly.

So terrifying, truly terrifying, whimpering, 'Mom...'

After Shi Wu's words fell, Bao Yan's eyes shifted slightly, inscrutable.

"Looking forward to it?" he repeated softly, a faint, elusive curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

Shi Wu nodded solemnly.

"Yes!"

The next instant, cold, merciless words came from Bao Yan's mouth: "Number 902-4 has made inappropriate remarks towards the Guard Captain. Additional education time—that is, 'the black room'—is extended by five hours."

Shi Wu: "?"

On purpose, right?

"Ding—"

The loudspeaker crackled to life again:

[Number 902-4 will be taken to the "black room" for additional education, duration—seven hours.]

[Will be escorted to the designated location by a special escort.]

Shi Wu started to protest: "You—!"

"Isn't this what you were looking forward to?" Bao Yan nodded with a smile, his tone gentle as if asking if he'd like some dessert after the meal.

The next second, he clamped down on Shi Wu's wrist. The movement was so practiced, the force so precise—it wouldn't hurt, yet made it impossible for Shi Wu to easily break free.

"Let's go. Time to do the 'thing' you were looking forward to."

"Don't delay others' lunch here."

Shi Wu: "......"

? Wow.

He suddenly felt like a scumbag who had just finished cheating outside but unfortunately got caught by the main partner.

Pah, what a garbage analogy? Shi Wu gave a full-body shudder, clearly disgusted by his own thought. He quickly shook his head, trying to shake off the thought.

The two walked out of the cafeteria with Bao Yan in the lead, pulling Shi Wu forward.

But just as Shi Wu stepped out the door, he suddenly keenly caught a searing, hateful stare.

Shi Wu looked back. Unsurprisingly, it belonged to 902-3.

The corners of his mouth were still trembling slightly with anger, his eyes like knives viciously hacking at Shi Wu's back, as if he would pounce like a starving wolf the next second and tear Shi Wu to shreds.

This guy is really crazy. Shi Wu glanced at him and then silently withdrew his gaze.

No, this might not be a "person" in the conventional sense anymore.

Just as he was thinking this, there was a soft *swish* from behind, and a black cloth suddenly fell over his head from above.

"Hey hey hey, what are you doing!" Shi Wu instinctively reached up to pull it off, but Bao Yan caught his wrist.

"Weren't you really looking forward to it?" Bao Yan whispered in his ear. "Then play along."

Shi Wu instantly became alert. "Damn, you don't actually have some weird hobby, do you?"

Bao Yan: "......"

"I'm warning you, I may not be a proper person in the traditional sense, but I'm not— mmph."

Bao Yan quickly and efficiently tied a knot with the cloth, effectively gagging Shi Wu's mouth as well.

"Shut up. It's the rule." Bao Yan's tone wasn't loud, but it was icy. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll upgrade the content you were 'looking forward to' to a 48-hour immersive closed education right now."

"......"

Shi Wu paused and finally shut up.

At the moment, he wasn't feeling much, just suddenly realized he really didn't know much about this "black room."

People always have curiosity and an urge to explore the unknown.

And from the moment the black cloth covered his eyes, his world plunged into complete darkness.

At first, he could still sense some of the surroundings, but gradually, Shi Wu couldn't even hear his own footsteps clearly anymore. He even felt as if he had entered a strange loop, constantly walking in place, sometimes seeming to go up, sometimes seeming to go down.

Perhaps because the darkness was too absolute, an unexpected thought popped into Shi Wu's mind: What material is this black cloth? The quality is so good. I wonder if I can take one back; it would definitely be very comfortable as an eye mask.

"Hey," he whispered, clearly affected by the quiet environment too, "sir, are you still there?"

No one responded.

Shi Wu kept talking, hell-bent on getting a reaction:

"Sir?"

"Guard Captain?"

"Buddy?"

"Human trafficker?"

"You're not really going to sell me, are you? You wouldn't just ditch me around a corner and hand me over as a sacrifice to some—"

"Mmph—"

Bao Yan suddenly reached out and covered his mouth. "You're too loud."

A moment later, Shi Wu felt Bao Yan's fingers draw a few quick lines on his palm—itchy, and carrying a bit of warmth from Bao Yan's fingertips.

Shi Wu abruptly paused, even his struggling movements diminishing considerably.

Those few strokes meant: Be careful, there are "people" nearby.