Chapter 45 White Hole Prison (22)

Chapter 45: White Hole Prison (Part 22)

The moment the word "self-reflection" popped up, Shi Wu felt uneasy.

After hearing the broadcast, the crowd gradually grew noisier, and the prisoners started moving faster and faster.

Shi Wu and the other three were almost carried along by the crowd, quickly arriving at the so-called "self-reflection" site.

It was a massive tiered auditorium. The overhead lights were blindingly bright, and all the windows were sealed shut with iron plates. The hall was filled with individual chairs, row after row, neatly arranged.

The ceiling was hung with a dense array of silver threads, which extended downward, ultimately connecting to a long, rod-shaped object on each desk.

"This scene really takes me back to my school days..." Scarface rubbed his arm and shuddered. "I hope this isn't some kind of exam."

"Hahaha, maybe it is."

The girl had calmed down a lot compared to before. She was even in the mood to joke, "I used to sit in the front row a lot. I hope this time it's not..."

Before she could finish, the lanky man pointed to a seat in the first row near the door. "This chair has a number on the back."

"What?" The girl looked over suspiciously.

The lanky man glanced at the girl, then pointed at the chair again, a strange look on his face. "Come take a look yourself."

The girl leaned in for a closer look, and her face immediately froze. The number carved on the back of the chair was clear and distinct, as if deliberately mocking her.

"How... is this really my number?"

"Girl, your mouth is really something! Whatever you say comes true!" Scarface couldn't help but sigh. "You really ended up in the front row... but—"

"Wait, I remember your number was more towards the back, wasn't it?"

"Don't just stand there." Shi Wu, who had been scanning the area, suddenly spoke up. "The seats here are all mixed up. Everyone, hurry and find your own spot."

Scarface looked at Shi Wu's pale face with concern. "Bro, are you sure you're okay?"

"It's fine." Shi Wu waved a hand dismissively. "Just a minor injury. I'm almost fully recovered now."

"Then be careful." Though Scarface said this, he still felt uneasy, casting several worried glances.

The girl turned her head again to tease, "Didn't Scarface just say my mouth is something special?"

She blinked hard, forcing out a smile. "Then I'll say something good now: this time, all of us will definitely succeed and survive this dungeon!"

They exchanged glances, silently nodding to each other, then went off to find their respective seats.

Most of the prisoners in the entire self-reflection hall had already found their seats. Shi Wu's gaze swept across the room, and he was fortunate enough to spot his number on the first try. He walked over, sat down casually, and began observing his surroundings.

Nearly every seat was occupied. The girl was in the first row near the door, her back ramrod straight. Scarface was in a seat right in the middle, also craning his neck to look around. The lanky man was tucked away in a seat against the wall, one row behind Shi Wu.

Just as Shi Wu's gaze swept to the diagonally front, it involuntarily paused.

The person sitting diagonally in front was none other than 902-3.

At that moment, 902-3 also happened to turn around, locking eyes with Shi Wu. He pulled his lips into a malicious smile, pointed at Shi Wu, then raised a hand and mimed slitting his throat.

Shi Wu: ...

He couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid, directly ignoring the other person, treating him like air. This made 902-3 stomp his feet in anger.

Shi Wu lowered his head again, looking at the desk in front of him. The desktop was smooth, clearly having been used by many people before.

On the desk lay the pen connected to the silver thread. Next to the pen was a sheet of snow-white paper, completely blank.

So, was this really going to be an "exam"?

Just as Shi Wu frowned in thought, a soft click suddenly came from the back of his chair.

*Click—*

Shi Wu's waist suddenly tightened. He looked down to see two cold metal clasps extending from the sides of the chair, firmly locking around his waist, pinning him to the seat. He couldn't stand up or escape.

"Damn it!" The lanky man, being relatively close to Shi Wu, instinctively cursed under his breath.

Amidst this small commotion, several Guard Captains quietly appeared in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, on the "podium" at the very front of the self-reflection hall, a figure slowly materialized.

The man wore an old-fashioned suit, reminiscent of styles from the last century. A friendly smile graced his face as he gazed warmly at the prisoners below—it was the Warden.

However, ever since Shi Wu had seen the Warden's past, he always felt that beneath that affable smile lay deep sorrow, and behind that gentle mask was utter madness and delusion.

The Warden nodded as if very satisfied. "Tonight's self-reflection session is about to begin. I hope everyone can complete it seriously."

His voice wasn't very loud, but it still clearly reached everyone's ears. "The content is very simple. Please answer the questions truthfully."

A cold broadcast voice sounded from above the hall: "This self-reflection session begins now! Remaining time: 30 minutes."

Shi Wu stared at the blank sheet of paper. The moment the broadcast ended, several lines of black text suddenly appeared on the paper's surface:

"Prisoner Mental State Form"

"Note: Please use the provided pen to answer based on your true thoughts and feelings. Lies and evasion will be detected."

"1. What is your name?"

My name?

Shi Wu raised an eyebrow, picked up the strange pen, and tentatively wrote: 902-4.

A few seconds later, the characters "902-4" seemed to be slowly smudged by a water-like stain, gradually becoming blurry. Then, below that question, a line of blood-red text slowly rose:

"First reminder: Please enter your real name."

Real name?

Shi Wu thought for a moment and wrote again: Shi Wu.

This time, the black ink characters spelling "Shi Wu" showed no change.

So, this thing wanted that kind of "real name"?

But before he could think too much about it, the second question immediately appeared on the paper:

"2. What is your date of birth?"

Shi Wu: ...Alright then.

He lifted the pen and wrote with a flourish: Year 131313, Month 13, Day 13.

This time, the paper seemed to pause for an unusually long time, as if hesitating over whether the answer was a joke. But after a while, it actually accepted it by default and proceeded to display the next question:

"3. What is your biological sex?"

Shi Wu: ...What is this, a census?

Shi Wu was impatient, but he nonetheless picked up the pen and wrote: Male.

The characters sat there, normal and unchanging.

After a pause of a few seconds, the next question began to appear:

"4. What is your self-perceived gender?"

Looking at this question, Shi Wu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

What is this? Playing mind games?

He then wrote with a grand flourish: One white, interstellar, biodegradable, pollution- and hazard-free garbage bag.

A moment of silence followed.

The lines of text on the paper seemed to "freeze" for a few seconds, as if stunned by this answer. An intangible silence emanated from the page, as if the paper itself were staring at Shi Wu, its entire surface screaming:

Are you messing with me?

"Hahaha..." A few stifled chuckles suddenly came from beside him.

Shi Wu looked up and found it was the Guard Captain with the split eyebrow.

That guy had his arms crossed, half his body leaning against the table, looking at Shi Wu as if watching something entertaining.

"Really interesting..." the broken-eyebrow Guard Captain snorted, amused. "A garbage bag, huh? I'll find a few to put over your head later—"

Shi Wu shot a look at this guy with bad intentions and then slowly raised his hand.

"Report!"

The Warden was sitting at the podium, flipping through some documents. He seemed not to have expected anyone to report, a slight look of surprise flashing across his perpetually gentle face. "Hmm? Yes."

"Warden, I have been answering the questions seriously all along," Shi Wu said with a straight face. "But this person has been bothering me this whole time."

The entire hall fell silent for a moment, even the sound of writing disappeared.

The Guard Captain with the split eyebrow froze for a few seconds. After he realized what was said, his face contorted. "You—!"

The Warden looked up, his gaze sweeping coldly across the room, his eyes filled with displeasure.

"Your duty is to maintain discipline," the Warden's voice was low and chilling. "Don't say what shouldn't be said. Don't do what shouldn't be done."

"Understood?"

The Guard Captain with the split eyebrow's face instantly darkened. He snorted, glared at Shi Wu, forcibly swallowed all the curses, and, cowed by the Warden's authority, silently retreated to the side.

Many prisoners around were dumbfounded, and a few even secretly shot him looks of amazement.

What a waste of my 'exam' time! Shi Wu sighed to himself and lowered his head to continue with the questions.

He saw that the previously paused paper now displayed a new line of red text:

"Answer recorded."

Shi Wu blinked. This gets recorded too? Was his answer that bizarre?

Immediately, he looked at the next question:

"5. For what crime were you sent to this place?"

Crime? Finally getting to the point?

Shi Wu thought carefully, then pulled up his mission panel to check, but found no description of any crime he had committed.

Now this is interesting.

Shi Wu narrowed his eyes. What crime?

Theft. He wrote.

As soon as the pen tip left the paper, the characters on the page seemed like knives cutting into skin, suddenly oozing red liquid:

"First warning. Lies will be punished."

Suddenly, the metal buckle around his waist instantly tightened, followed by a faint electric crackle.

"Ugh..." Shi Wu's vision went dark; he almost lost his composure.

The metal buckle had tightened so much, pressing directly against his wound, sending a tearing pain.

Damn it. Shi Wu cursed inwardly. He really didn't know what crime it was. Wasn't he just an ordinary, subsistence-level space pirate?

But if that doesn't work...

Then write the most serious crime and see.

Shi Wu, enduring the pain, forced himself to pick up the pen: Intentional homicide.

The paper seemed satisfied with his honesty, almost eagerly displaying the next line of questions:

"6. Did you personally end the other's life? Yes or No."

[If the answer is "Yes," then answer the following sub-questions:

a. Quantity:

b. Please select the most memorable instance and describe in detail:

The other's appearance or distinguishing features:

The tool or method you used:

The sensation transmitted to your fingertips as you deprived them of life:

The last words you heard from the other were:

At the moment life faded, the strongest emotion that surged within you was:"]