Danger!

"Three-Winged Sanctuary sword sorcerer, Bloodmad Hunter Gerard..." Yaxiu retreated into a corner of the dining hall, watching the high-spirited, white-haired hunter from within the crowd, his heart fraught with doubt and alarm. He was no longer a complete novice newly transmigrated to this world. He naturally knew that this white-haired hunter, who had made his transmigration experience utterly miserable, held tremendous weight in this city. One-Winged Silver, Two-Winged Gold, Three-Winged Sanctuary, Four-Winged Legend. Beneath the starry sky, Legendary Sorcerers stood at the very pinnacle—the top tier of every faction, the limit of individual combat strength. Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerers served as the main pillars. While Legendary Sorcerers dedicated themselves to studying sorcerous arts and exploring the Void Realm, Sanctuary Sorcerers were typically responsible for major affairs, wielding the greatest secular power and serving as the highest rank of standard combat strength. From this, one could also tell that the Four Pillar Gods cult Heath had organized was by no means the amateur ragtag band Yaxiu had assumed. The fact that Kaimeng City had deployed Gerard, the Sin Hunting Hall's top ace hunter, was proof enough that Heath qualified as a high-value wild monster suitable for padding someone's political record. Compared to his status, Gerard's strength was even more despair-inducing. The hypothetical enemy in Yaxiu and the others' original plan had merely been a Two-Winged Sorcerer-level Bloodmad Hunter. Now that a Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerer had suddenly cropped up, Gerard alone was more than enough to wipe out their entire group in one fell swoop. If the plan had originally held a thirty percent chance of survival, now it was certain death. The transport ship could not possibly return to Kaimeng City within ten minutes, and the prison was sure to discover their jailbreak within ten minutes. Seizing the transport ship was a core part of the plan, meaning they could not avoid a clash with the Bloodmad Hunters. Yaxiu sighed. "Since it's him, we have no choice but to abandon the plan. Our luck is just too rotten." "No, it's not just a matter of luck." Igola led him to Shattered Lake Port. "Look." Yaxiu looked toward the fully enclosed vessel shaped like a bullet head. "The shape of this ship... really conforms to fluid dynamics!" "That's no ordinary ship," Igola said. "It's a mobile prison... and it just so happens to be time for them to board." Under Yaxiu's astonished gaze, the death row inmates lined up near the port strode proudly across the yellow line under the hunters' watchful eyes, leaving Shattered Lake Prison behind to board the transport vessel. Tuke the "Black Beast," a notorious figure within the prison, suddenly turned around before stepping into the transport ship, thrusting his fist toward the prison and bellowing with laughter, "Hahaha! I'm finally leaving this shithole!" The nearby death row prisoners watched them with envious eyes. But that yellow line painted on the ground was like an impassable chasm; they could only watch helplessly as others departed, not even permitted to approach. "They're the volunteers!" Yaxiu finally recalled the volunteer recruitment from a few days ago. "This ship came to transport them!" "This is the fatal blind spot in our plan!" Igola could not resist biting his thumbnail. "Because such an event is so exceedingly rare, I didn't factor it into my calculations at all! What came this time isn't a normal transport ship—it's a 'Pig Cage'!" "'Pig Cage'?" It was the first time Yaxiu had ever heard such a bizarre name for a vessel. "This ship won't return to Kaimeng City. Instead, it will head straight east down Shattered Lake to the Lake View Warzone in eastern Kaimeng!" Frustration was written all over Igola's face. "I should have realized it long ago! Even if the mayor used benefits to sway the Order Organizations in the council, they could never allow death row inmates to return to the city proper. The risk is simply too high! "If word leaked out and the public discovered that death row prisoners had escaped judgment, public opinion would explode on a massive scale, and the entire council would be dragged down with it! The citizens would use their ballots to reshuffle the entire council! "Therefore, the only destination for those volunteers is the Lake View Warzone responsible for suppressing the Abyss!" Yaxiu watched the last volunteer step into the cabin and said, "So if we boarded that ship, we'd essentially be walking into a trap—running straight from a prison into a warzone where everyone is a powerhouse?" Although Yaxiu still lacked a full understanding of the Blood Moon Country, piecing together keywords like 'suppressing the Abyss' and 'warzone' meant he didn't need a brain to know that place wouldn't be some water amusement park. "No, we wouldn't even have the chance to board," Igola said, shaking his head. "That ship has an internal processor as well. It automatically scans every living organism that boards. If people without authorization like us set foot on it, alarms would blare across the entire ship, pinpointing our exact locations!" Yaxiu was completely taken aback. "Wait, doesn't that mean your plan was impossible from the very beginning? If every ship has this kind of security system, we never could have escaped Shattered Lake Prison by boat—" "No, only specialized vessels like the 'Pig Cage' are equipped with processors. Most other vehicles don't have security scanning systems." "Huh? Why? Are these security processors that expensive?" "First, they are exceedingly costly. These processors are products of sorcery and must be crafted manually by sorcerers. Second, scanning someone's chip without authorization is a serious crime." Yaxiu blinked, his expression turning somewhat bewildered. He rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "Out there, scanning a chip is illegal?" "Of course it is," Igola gave him a strange look. "Infringing on privacy rights like that is a severe crime." Although Yaxiu understood there were bound to be many differences between the inside and outside of the prison, hearing that the outside world was a nation that deeply valued privacy rights made him feel like Igola was pulling his leg. A place that implanted control chips into human bodies from childhood, could extract personal memories at will, abolished the family system, practiced complete socialized child-rearing, and turned capital punishment into a variety show—did it truly value privacy rights more than this prison where he had to take a dump in chains?! Dropping the topic, he pressed on, "Then why is this ship called the 'Pig Cage' allowed to scan the chip of everyone who boards?" "Because the 'Pig Cage' is a disciplinary instrument designed for soldiers undergoing punishment," Igola explained. "The Waterway Abyss suppressed by the Lake View Warzone requires personnel to venture into its deep layers to investigate the situation at regular intervals. "However, the deeper a sorcerer ventures into the Waterway Abyss, the more susceptible they become to psychological aberrations. Loss of sanity, self-harm, desertion—all sorts of conditions arise. "Because almost no one is willing to undertake such missions, the warzone places errant soldiers facing punishment into the 'Pig Cage.' Many protocols are added to their chips, allowing the ship's processor to control them, preventing them from self-harming, fleeing, or slaughtering one another. At the same time, the processor is tasked with detecting living organisms on board, alerting the soldiers to purge any monsters that breach the cabins. "Once they complete their mission and return, they can redeem themselves through their service, wiping their slate clean. "To transport death row inmates, even if the warzone thought it an overreaction, Mayor Financier would have certainly demanded that they dispatch a 'Pig Cage'!" Igola ground his teeth. "I knew full well what kind of man Financier is... When it comes to matters concerning his future, he invariably intervenes personally... Every detail would certainly be arranged to the highest standard!" Yaxiu was filled with sudden admiration. "You've even conned the mayor?" "I investigated and planned it, but the risk was too great and the success rate too low, so I abandoned it in the end," Igola said faintly. "If I had known back then that I'd end up in prison sooner or later, I definitely would have given it a shot. The most powerful figure I've ever swindled is merely a councilman." *Normal people swindle for money, but you do it to collect achievements...* Though Yaxiu didn't fully grasp things like mayors, warzones, or abysses, he could read between Igola's lines. "In other words, insurmountable problems have cropped up in every single step of our plan?" "Only for this time," Igola said. "There's a Blood Moon Trial on the first of next month. If we want to proceed with the plan, the date will have to be pushed back to the eleventh. However, given Professor Xilin's influence, I strongly suspect you might be selected for the trial on the first—" Suddenly! A light screen snapped open before Yaxiu's eyes! "Good afternoon, everyone. This is the Shattered Lake Prison Administration Office. I am prison guard Nagu Macmillan," Nagu's voice resonated from the screen. "We are now broadcasting two announcements. "First, there will be an additional Blood Moon Trial on the twenty-seventh of this month. The roster for the trial will be published on the morning of the twenty-seventh. "Second, in order to set up the arena for the trial on the twenty-seventh, the Bloodmad Hunters will be staying overnight in the prison. We hope everyone cooperates fully with the hunters' work. Any enthusiastic individuals who assist the hunters will be rewarded with varying amounts of contribution points." As the light screen automatically closed, Yaxiu had yet to recover from the shock. An extra Blood Moon Trial? Bloodmad Hunters staying overnight? "Generally speaking, this additional Blood Moon Trial should be meant for those newly imprisoned political figures," Igola said faintly. "However, if your name appears on that roster, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest." Yaxiu's face turned grim. "They wouldn't be that ruthless, would they?" "Whenever you think things will go bad, they will inevitably turn out far worse than you imagined," Igola remarked. "In all my years as a swindler, that is the single truth I have taught my clients most profoundly." "I know you frequently give the rich a brutal beating on society's behalf, so you don't need to keep flaunting your record in front of me," Yaxiu said crossly. "At worst, I'll just end up on the trial roster for the twenty-fifth—could things really get any worse?" Just then, Yaxiu felt the surrounding light dim, as though a tall figure behind him had blocked out the illumination. "Yaxiu Heath, staring so intently at the ship leading to the outside world—are you thinking of breaking out?" Igola quietly slipped aside. Yaxiu turned around and took a step back, squeezing out a strained smile toward the newcomer. "Of course. What lad in prison doesn't dream of breaking out?" "Not necessarily. Even evil men repent, and scoundrels mend their ways. Bestowing upon you all the proper despair—that is the very purpose of the Blood Moon Trial." Gerard looked down at Yaxiu from his towering height. Glancing toward Igola, he remarked coolly, "Made a new friend? As expected of a beloved devotee of the Four Pillar Evil Gods. I truly wonder if staying here too long will turn this entire prison into a breeding ground for evil gods." "I'm off to take a midday nap. If you're looking for someone to chat with, Captain Gerard, feel free to talk to Igola Bogin here. He excels at financial planning and investments; I'm sure you'll find it quite rewarding—" "Hold on, Yaxiu Heath." Gerard blocked his path. "The prison instructed you all to assist the hunters with their work, didn't it? I need your assistance." Yaxiu felt an ominous premonition. "How can I assist? As you can see, I can't lift with my shoulders or carry with my hands. I'm purely a titanium-grade piece of trash. When I'm not eating, I'm sleeping. I'm afraid I won't be able to satisfy your needs—" "Splendid! You satisfy my needs perfectly." Gerard snapped his fingers. "Here's the situation: because the prison is overcrowded with inmates, there are no spare dormitories for us visiting hunters to stay in. As the captain, I naturally gave the private rooms to my squad members while I squeeze in with an inmate." Yaxiu drew in a sharp breath of cold air. "I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know any lovely ladies in this prison to introduce to you. Why don't you consult this Igola here—" "No need to make things so complicated." The hunter pressed a heavy hand onto Yaxiu's shoulder, his crimson pupils glinting with a teasing smirk. "Yaxiu Heath, I don't imagine you'd mind squeezing together with me for a night, would you?"