TYMIMA Chapter 135

Beneath the hatch, the AGW Special Dangerous Death Row Prison was in the midst of a minor riot.

 

Lan Pingjing suddenly shouted, “Hey! What are you doing? We’re researchers dispatched from the polar region to investigate your prison’s illegal experiments—we’re not prisoners!”

 

He fiercely resisted the full-body search, stubbornly batting away the guard’s hands.

 

The guard barked, “Anyone entering the prison must be searched! Who knows if you’re carrying something dangerous?”

 

Too many things happened in the AGW Special Dangerous Death Row Prison that violated human rights and morality. If these scenes or news ever got out, it would shatter the Federation’s carefully maintained image and bring huge trouble for the prison’s leaders.

 

Lan Pingjing was stubborn by nature. His mind was still foggy from a long sleep, and when he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by Federation guards frisking him, he couldn’t accept it at all.

 

“This is outrageous! I demand to report to the polar organization’s leadership immediately. The investigation is over—we’re leaving!” Lan Pingjing shouted at the white-robed man standing at the center of the crowd.

 

Benbu’s face was so dark it was almost dripping. He stared at the suddenly agitated Lan Pingjing and sneered, “You think you can come and go as you please here?”

 

“Is the Federation really conducting illegal experiments and afraid we’ll expose it?” Lan Pingjing retorted sharply.

 

Tira had no idea why Lan Pingjing was suddenly so worked up. He’d been so cooperative the whole way here.

 

Fearing they’d never make it out, he tugged Lan Pingjing’s sleeve and whispered, “Old Lan, let them search us. It’s all for the mission.”

 

Lan Pingjing turned away, refusing flatly. “We were brought here without warning, before we could even start investigating, and now they want to search us? We represent the face of the polar region—how can we let them bully us like this?”

 

Benbu slowly furrowed his brows.

 

The stark contrast in Lan Pingjing’s behavior before and after the search made him deeply suspicious—there was definitely something off about this person.

 

He shot a look at the fiercest guard.

 

The guard stopped listening to Lan Pingjing’s loud protests and reasoned arguments. He roughly shoved Lan Pingjing against the wall, yanked off his cotton coat, tore open his sweater, and swept a scanner over every inch of his body, not sparing a single corner.

 

Lan Pingjing, hair bristling with rage, struggled with all his might. “Let go! You brutes! Are you deliberately trying to provoke an international incident?”

 

“Shut the hell up!” the guard snarled, grabbing his collar and dragging him to the floor, even pulling off his shoes to check for hidden contraband.

 

All dignity as a scholar stripped away, Lan Pingjing lay sprawled on the ground, his palm scraped raw.

 

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!” Lan Pingjing shouted.

 

Tira, shrinking back, was also thoroughly searched. “Old Lan, just say less, will you?”

 

After searching them both, the guard tossed Lan Pingjing and Tira aside and shook his head at Benbu.

 

He hadn’t found anything. Lan Pingjing and Tira were completely clean.

 

This was not what Benbu had expected—he’d been sure the Black Lantern Society would seize this chance to smuggle something in.

 

Si Hongche watched the whole farce with a blank face, clearly no longer interested in playing along. He didn’t even bother to greet Benbu before turning to leave.

 

Benbu’s gaze turned icy as he watched Si Hongche’s arrogant back.

 

The surrounding guards, seeing nothing had been found, looked disappointed. Some even glanced at Benbu with a loss of respect.

 

Clearly, Benbu had miscalculated again—he’d only deepened the rift between the Federation and the Polar Glacier Organization, and gained nothing.

 

Asmodeus, a natural-born troublemaker, watched the chaos with glee, clearly wishing for even more disorder.

 

He never worried about offending the Polar Glacier Organization. In fact, he looked forward to a war between the Federation and the Polar region. He loved a world littered with corpses and rivers of blood—only killing made life interesting for him.

 

Still unsatisfied, he stroked his chin, planning to kill a prisoner for fun. But just as he took a step forward, Lan Pingjing climbed up from the ground.

 

Lan Pingjing threw his torn coat over his shoulders, fuming. “You criminals are utterly lawless! Bullying ordinary people—what’s the point? If you’ve got guts, try facing the Polar region’s ability-user squad!”

 

“Old Lan, calm down!” Tira was still trying to reason with him.

 

The guards all cracked their knuckles, faces turning hostile.

 

The Polar region’s ability-user squad? As if they could compare to the Federation’s Blue Pivot Inspection Team!

 

Asmodeus thought the same, a mocking smile appearing—only to freeze on his face the next second.

 

He suddenly spun around, strode forward, and grabbed Lan Pingjing by the collar, lifting him right off the ground!

 

“What did you say?”

 

Lan Pingjing could barely breathe, his eyes bloodshot. “Let… go!”

 

Asmodeus flung Lan Pingjing to the ground, his face suddenly changing. “This is bad!”

 

When they’d boarded the cable car, he’d clearly sensed S-level pressure from Lan Pingjing. That was why, when Tira requested two ability-users accompany them, he’d said, “I don’t think you’ll need them.”

 

Because Lan Pingjing himself was a powerful S-level, no weaker than any of the ability-users behind him.

 

In fact, Asmodeus had initially thought Lan Pingjing was actually Tira’s bodyguard.

 

But now, he couldn’t sense any S-level aura from Lan Pingjing at all—in fact, Lan Pingjing wasn’t even an Awakened!

 

Benbu’s eyes sharpened. “What’s wrong?”

 

Asmodeus clenched his jaw, narrowing his brown left eye with a cold laugh. “The hunter’s been pecked by the goose—Black Lantern Society has already slipped in!”

 

Atiya heard this and instantly knew Adrian had been exposed. Her breath caught, and she seized the chaos to leap down from the guard’s coat, darting along the wall’s shadow.

 

Her heart pounded in her throat, legs trembling so hard they barely obeyed. She knew what would happen if she was caught—of course she was terrified.

 

She ran blindly for who knew how long, finally leaving the big shots far behind. When she looked up, she found her path blocked.

 

She had no idea where she was—before her stood a huge, green-bronze door, twice the size of a normal cell door.

 

The door was tightly shut, a chill seeping out from within.

 

Atiya shivered for no reason. Her instincts screamed that something terrible was inside. But she still had to find the Utopians—she couldn’t linger.

 

Just as she was about to turn and run, footsteps sounded behind her.

 

Hard-soled boots struck the floor, echoing like a death knell, growing louder and closer.

 

Atiya clamped a hand over her mouth, curling into the corner.

 

One truly hopeless thing: when she shrank her body, her ability couldn’t hide her pheromones. Any higher-ranked Awakened approaching would sense her.

 

That was why she’d never dared go deep into the AGW Special Dangerous Death Row Prison.

 

She was only C-level—there were too many higher-ranked people here. She couldn’t hide perfectly.

 

Just like now: if she moved, she’d be discovered. But if she stayed, once those two reached her, they’d probably sense her anyway.

 

All she could do was wait for fate’s verdict.

 

Lights flicked on one by one, illuminating the long corridor like daylight. This place seemed rarely visited; the rubber flooring was barely dusty, sticking to the soles.

 

Atiya watched as the two tall guards suddenly stopped. Her adrenaline spiked, sparks exploding in her mind!

 

One guard pulled out a key, grumbling, “Damn, the network’s down, now we have to unlock everything by hand.”

 

The other barked, “Hurry up, the fish has bitten—strangulation operation’s about to start!”

 

They didn’t notice her—she was lucky, both were only C-level.

 

Atiya didn’t relax. She stayed perfectly still, watching them warily.

 

She saw an old-fashioned black key inserted into the lock, heard the mechanical clicks, and then, with a short buzz, three locks popped open in sequence. The green-bronze door opened a crack.

 

The guard pocketed the key, and Atiya’s eyes followed, instinctively memorizing its shape.

 

The two guards pulled open the door and went inside.

 

Atiya should have bolted, and she was ready to run—but a shrill laugh from inside the door made her skin crawl.

 

“Hahahaha! You’re here! You’ve come to reward me—I’m a big shot now! Hahahaha!”

 

Atiya couldn’t help but look back, peeking up past the guards’ black boots.

 

Just one glance made her whole body tense.

 

It was a skeletal old man, hunched in a wheelchair, draped in a filthy, stinking rag, urine soaking the floor beneath him.

 

His withered hands were covered in liver spots, nails yellow and long—clearly no one had cared for him in ages.

 

His skin was the ashen gray of someone who hadn’t seen sunlight in years, stretched tight over bone, as if there wasn’t a scrap of fat left.

 

His eye sockets were sunken, brow bones jutting, face a maze of wrinkles, eyebrows and teeth all gone—he looked like a witch from a fairy tale.

 

Only a single transparent tube connected to his stomach, feeding him white liquid to keep him barely alive.

 

“Old madman, it’s your turn! Once you kill all the enemies who broke in, they’ll take you to be a high official!” the guard coaxed.

 

“Hahaha high official, I’m going to be a high official, I did nothing wrong, I’m finally going to be a high official!” The old madman’s laughter was aged and deranged. From his withered body erupted powerful ability pheromones, an invisible energy sweeping over Atiya’s eyes.

 

Atiya was dumbstruck.

 

Meanwhile, on the second basement level, Adrian hadn’t yet noticed the prison’s changes.

 

Ignoring the gun at his forehead, he stared into the guard’s eyes and said calmly, “Director Si ordered me to do this.”

 

“What did you say?” the guard demanded loudly.

 

“Didn’t you hear clearly?” Adrian suddenly snapped back sternly.

 

The guard hesitated.

 

He eyed the white coat suspiciously, uncertain but not daring to act rashly.

 

He feared Si Hongche’s authority and didn’t want to cross this Blue Pivot official, knowing that those who angered Si Hongche died horribly—including former Federation Speaker Dinlock.

 

Adrian was gambling.

 

When Lucas told him Si Hongche had concealed information about Black Lantern Society members, he bet that Si Hongche had already turned against the Federation.

 

Adrian could roughly guess the source of this betrayal—his sister’s death and Oliver.

 

Guild Leader Zhan Qinghe had always believed the rebellion suppression wasn’t that simple, and Si Hongche, as a key figure, must have many secrets.

 

So Ghost Eye Guild began investigating Si Hongche, learning about the scandal from eighteen years ago. Naturally, they doubted the truth, which led to Zhan Pingchuan infiltrating Blue Pivot Tower to steal Si Hongmei’s autopsy report.

 

Everything went as expected—the report was problematic, and Uriel had been framed.

 

This changed Si Hongche’s motives for joining the rebellion suppression.

 

If he’d been power-hungry from the start, willing to collude with the mastermind, Si Hongmei’s death wouldn’t need to be faked—or she wouldn’t need to die at all.

 

This all proved Si Hongche had been a pawn from the beginning. The mastermind had maneuvered step by step, letting hatred consume him to achieve that unprecedented massacre.

 

Si Hongche was evil incarnate, cold as iron, now completely transformed and deserving death.

 

But Adrian knew Si Hongche didn’t want Oliver to die here. If he didn’t want that, there was room for exploitation.

 

The guard glanced at the scattered syringes on the floor and said coldly, “You mean Lord Benbu ordered Mad Clown’s pheromones drained, but Director Si not only stopped you but had you reset the arm he personally dislocated?”

 

Adrian: “Yes.”

 

The guard smiled viciously. “Do you take me for a fool? Why would he do that?”

 

Adrian: “I don’t know.”

 

“You—!”

 

“If you don’t believe me, go ask Director Si yourself.”

 

The guard fell silent.

 

He didn’t lower his gun but slowly pulled out his radio.

 

Radios worked without networks—currently the prison’s only communication method.

 

He quickly switched frequencies. “Hello, second level here. We need to ask Director Si if he ordered Doctor Bai not to drain Mad Clown’s pheromones?”

 

“What? Wait…”

 

The other side sounded surprised. The background was chaotic, with overlapping footsteps transmitted through the radio.

 

Soon the person stopped and asked humbly, “Director Si, did you order Doctor Bai not to drain Mad Clown’s pheromones?”

 

Si Hongche’s head snapped toward the bewildered guard.

 

“What did you say?” Si Hongche’s voice was dangerously low, like the deep resonance of struck iron.

 

He looked like he’d heard an absurd joke, unsure how to react.

 

A year ago, in the restricted zone, if an inspector had asked such a stupid question, he would have shot the waste immediately.

 

But now, he just stared silently at the guard until the man broke out in cold sweat.

 

No need to think—the infiltrating Black Lantern Society member had found Mad Clown’s location, and this inquiry had exposed that person’s position.

 

Really, no guessing needed. If he were running this operation, he’d head straight to Mad Clown first, because eventually, the hidden person would appear near Mad Clown.

 

But he didn’t want to help Benbu complete this strangulation.

 

“Di-Director Si, did you give such an order?” the guard asked again, urgently prompted from the second level.

 

Si Hongche waited long enough before looking away and offering two words: “No.”

 

The guard’s eyes widened as if electrocuted, his mouth opening to shout into the radio when all radios suddenly crackled with Benbu’s vicious voice—

 

“Black Lantern Society members have disguise abilities and have infiltrated. Everyone immediately check those around you—kill any suspicious persons on sight!”

 

The guard on the second level heard this clearly. His spirits lifted as he stared at Doctor Bai, pupils trembling violently!

 

“You’re Black Lantern Society!”

 

The guard roared, finger about to pull the trigger—

 

BANG!

 

A massive explosion shook the entire prison, a shockwave rising from below, making everyone sway.

 

“What’s happening!”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“The elevator, look at the elevator!”

 

“Enemy breach! Level one alert!”

 

“Black Lantern Society is here! On the ninth floor!”

 

“Support immediately!”

 

Shouts filled the radios, orders flying, footsteps pounding like drumbeats!

 

The silver-white hatch at the prison’s top was completely blown off, steel cables snapping. From the bottom-level elevator came the sound of heavy fists pounding. After three strikes, the entire elevator was destroyed, steel twisting like paper.

 

A powerful laser cleared the way, piercing the chests of front-line guards. Then a fully enhanced giant roared out, swinging arms heavy as mountains, sweeping everything before him!

 

Enhancement system A-level Awakened second-tier ability [Infinite Strength]!

 

Popov transformed into a steel-boned giant, charging ahead with laser-eyed Mudeli, instantly causing heavy casualties among the guards.

 

“Supervisor! We’re here! Where are you?” Popov shouted, his voice echoing through the colosseum-like prison.

 

—

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)