Xu Cenfeng had just sensed something amiss in Hawke’s reaction. If Faeus had truly been attacked, the most logical action for Hawke would be to gather his former comrades at the military headquarters to consolidate their power, rather than patrolling alone here.
It seems as if he’s deliberately…
Trying to provoke Yenia into pointing a gun at him?
The whereabouts of the Supreme Leader are unknown, and many generals below him are surely conducting covert investigations. Yenia will likely find a scapegoat, and Hawke is the prime candidate. While Yenia claims he won’t sentence Hawke to death, he may have just sent him to prison only to have him “commit suicide out of fear” shortly after.
Yenia has already come knocking, and in the coming days, he will systematically remove Fares’s trusted aides. Today it’s Hawke, tomorrow it could be another scapegoat, and the day after, perhaps Xu Cenfeng will be next.
After all, the covetousness brought about by a pure-blooded male zerg is unimaginable. Inside the city may not be much safer than the prison. If conflict breaks out, the elites outside will fight to the death, creating a situation of rivers of blood that Xu Cenfeng does not want to see. It might be better to take the opportunity to leave.
Considering this, Xu Cenfeng glanced lightly at Hawke, only to see him staring back in fear, frantically shaking his head to indicate not to come closer. To those unaware, they might think he was a virtuous woman being coerced by a tyrant.
Hawke: “Panic mode activated.jpg”
Xu Cenfeng pretended not to notice, as if afraid Yenia hadn’t heard clearly, he repeated clearly: “I am Hawke’s conspirator. In the North, aren’t all males and females equally guilty? If he’s going to Blackstone Prison, I’ll go with him.”
These words sounded so ambiguous that it was hard not to suspect they were truly involved. Even Yenia’s face showed a hint of interest. He remarked meaningfully, “Your Excellency, it seems your relationship with Deputy Leader Hawke is quite deep. You’re even willing to accompany him to a place like Blackstone Prison. If Faeus knew about this, he would surely feel very ‘comforted’.”
He might as well have openly suggested putting a green hat on Faeus’ head.
Hawke felt utterly defeated, his face filled with despair.
General Wesley sensed the implications in Yenia’s words and frowned, cautioning, “Deputy Leader, this gentleman is a pure-blooded male zerg, the only one in the entire North. Please refrain from being too presumptuous!”
Yenia found it oddly grating to hear himself addressed as “Deputy Leader”: “General Wesley, Faeus caused Zog’s death during a mission in the beast tide. Don’t you want to exact a little interest in return? As far as I know, Faeus treasured this male zerg quite a bit. Just look, the guards nearby are all A-class elites.”
Setting aside the rare S-class queen zergs, A-class female zergs are absolutely the elite forces at the top of the military hierarchy. Their numbers are exceedingly few, and only the personal guards of the leader are qualified to be equipped with them. Inside and out, top to bottom, this entire residence is guarded exclusively by A-class or higher elite troops.
Yenia always enjoyed making things difficult for Faeus; the more Faeus liked something, the more Yenia wanted to destroy it.
General Wesley’s face darkened as he gritted his teeth and said, “Faeus is already dead. Why must you be so ruthless?”
Yenia, however, was indifferent. “It’s just a prison sentence. I never said I would kill them. Let this gentleman experience some hardship in prison as well. It might teach him to be less restless.”
After speaking, Yenia made a gesture, signaling his personal guards to handcuff Xu Cenfeng as well. However, a sudden barrage of guns being cocked echoed through the air. The A-class elite guards standing outside surged forward, shielding Xu Cenfeng behind them, their dark gun barrels all aimed at Yenia.
The lead captain’s voice was icy cold as he warned, word by word, “Anyone who steps forward will be killed without mercy!”
Seeing this, Yenia’s face darkened momentarily. Though he now controlled the main city of Hossburgh and killing these soldiers wouldn’t be difficult, the number of A-class female zergs in the military was already limited. If he were to kill this group, it could take years to train another batch.
To be honest, killing these elite soldiers would pain Yenia more than killing a pure-blooded male zerg.
Xu Cenfeng, however, stepped out of the protective circle, signaling the guards to stand down. His voice was consistently gentle but left no room for doubt: “Lower your weapons. I won’t be in any danger, and I trust Leader Yenia wouldn’t stoop so low as to harm an unarmed male zerg. Stay at your posts and guard this room. Do not let anyone else enter.”
Before leaving, Faeus issued a missguided order, instructing these soldiers to follow Xu Cenfeng’s commands in all matters. As a result, they could not disobey him. Upon hearing his instructions, they all simultaneously lowered their guns and returned to their positions.
These were loyal soldiers to the death.
No matter what orders the commander gave—right or wrong, reasonable or unreasonable—they would unconditionally obey.
Hawke watched helplessly as Xu Cenfeng put on the handcuffs and couldn’t help but struggle desperately. “Your Excellency! What madness is this? Blackstone Prison is full of the most vicious scum. If you go there, you will die! You must not go!!”
General Wesley hesitated, wanting to speak, but Xu Cenfeng signaled him with his eyes to not act rashly, so he reluctantly stepped back.
Yenia ordered sternly, “Take them both away!”
Blackstone Prison is located in the most remote area of the North, within a region of peculiar black mountains. During the snowmelt season, the landscape appears desolate, with the world rendered in only black and white.
Xu Cenfeng sat on the aircraft, feeling the scenery outside the porthole rapidly changing. At first, he could still see the sun, but eventually the sky grew overcast, leaving only a dark gray, as if the world had plunged into chaos.
Xu Cenfeng shifted his somewhat numb legs and spoke up, asking, “Are we almost there?”
Hawke sat on the other side, separated by a considerable distance. He wore electronic shackles on his hands and a newly changed prisoner’s uniform. Leaning against the porthole with a look of despair, he replied in a monotone voice, “No, judging by the distance, we won’t arrive until it’s dark at the earliest.”
Xu Cenfeng: “You seem a bit unhappy?”
Hawke fell silent for a moment. “…Is being in prison something to be happy about?”
Xu Cenfeng: “…” Neither is it.
In the front seats of the cockpit were Yenia’s guards, making it difficult for Xu Cenfeng and Hawke to have private conversations. As a result, Hawke remained mostly silent throughout the journey, with Xu Cenfeng often taking the initiative to start conversations.
Xu Cenfeng: “What do we do once we’re in Blackstone Prison?”
Hawke: “Mine stones. There will be guards watching you, and you’ll get whipped if you don’t complete your tasks.”
Xu Cenfeng: “Even males have to mine?”
Hawke: “Even males have to mine.”
Xu Cenfeng was puzzled, sensing a discrepancy with his own memories. “Aren’t males supposed to receive special treatment?”
Hawke glanced at him quietly. “They did at first, but not anymore.”
Xu Cenfeng asked, “Why?”
Hawke replied, “It was changed by the Supreme Leader not long ago.”
Xu Cenfeng fell silent.
The aircraft flew continuously for seven to eight hours before finally landing at the entrance of Blackstone Prison. Xu Cenfeng stepped down from the aircraft wearing handcuffs. He saw a towering prison made of steel-like materials standing in the snowy landscape, with endless black mountains in the background. It resembled a giant black beast lurking quietly behind, ready to devour any visitors at any moment.
The gloomy sky was dotted with countless dragonfly probes, their buzzing sounding like the fluttering of zerg wings. They monitored every movement within several miles, leaving no disturbance unnoticed.
Xu Cenfeng had never seen a place like this before and couldn’t help but pause for a moment, taking it all in.
Hawke appeared behind him at some point and explained, “This prison holds exiles from various tribes, branded with unforgivable crimes that strip them of their imperial citizenship. They spend their entire lives here mining ores until they die.”
Xu Cenfeng, feeling the cold shackles on his wrist, asked with curiosity, “Is escape not possible?”
Hawke gestured towards the nearby patrolling guards. “There are soldiers patrolling 24 hours a day here, and not far away is a military base with a full sixty thousand troops stationed. Blackstone Prison has been here for 864 years. Unless their sentence is complete and they’re released, no prisoner has ever escaped.”
He said all this just to convey one point: “Your Excellency, you still have time to regret.”
Xu Cenfeng replied, “I have regretted only one thing in my life. There won’t be a second.”
After finishing his statement, disregarding Hawke’s stunned expression, Xu Cenfeng proceeded directly into the prison under the escort of guards. After undergoing a series of security checks and entry procedures, he received his own identity badge.
The front desk worker handed Xu Cenfeng a white badge, perhaps noticing his handsome appearance and kindly offered a few reminders, “Your badge number is 57366. Your cell is in Block 3, 6th floor, Cell 6. If you see high-level offenders with red badges, please avoid conflict with them.”
In the prison, badges also come in different colors to denote severity: white for minor offenses, green for general crimes, yellow for military offenses, and red for serious offenders.
Xu Cenfeng affixed his white badge and said, “Thank you.”
The nearby prison guard, acting politely under General Wesley’s instructions, said, “Your Excellency, let me take you to get your daily necessities. Mealtime in the cafeteria starts in half an hour, and missing it means you won’t get extra food.”
Xu Cenfeng glanced around but didn’t see Hawke nearby. “Where’s the female zerg who was brought in with me?”
The guard explained, “He’s a red-badge serious offender, so he might be randomly assigned to another block.”
Xu Cenfeng thought to himself, puzzled by why Hawke received a red badge while he received a white one despite being co-conspirators. “Are there many males imprisoned in this facility?”
The guard shook his head. “Not many, just a dozen or so, but…”
Xu Cenfeng keenly sensed something. “But what?”
The guard hesitated before speaking. “But the prison here mixes males and females. Five zergs per cell. It might cause some trouble, but General Wesley has instructed me to arrange a single cell for you.”
In both the western and northern regions, the scarcity of males remains a serious issue. Cohabitation of males and females is actually an unspoken rule, which could be described as making the most out of waste. After all, you can’t realistically expect males to do manual labor like mining stones. Since they can’t be used as laborers for redemption, other methods must be employed instead.
Xu Cenfeng didn’t refuse. “Is there outdoor time every day?”
The guard responded, “After breakfast, there’s half an hour of recreation time. Then you’ll head to Blackstone Mountain for mining. As long as there’s no trouble, the guards rarely interfere with you.”
Xu Cenfeng unexpectedly adapted to the situation. He nodded at the guard’s words and didn’t say anything more, following him to collect his daily necessities.
As long as there was outdoor time, he could find Faeus here.
Xu Cenfeng initially didn’t guess Faeus’ exact hiding place. He simply deduced that Faeus wouldn’t casually leave Hawke, his right-hand zerg, within the city and must have arrangements outside. That’s why he followed the guard to Blackstone Prison.
Despite Hawke’s reluctance to reveal much during the flight, Xu Cenfeng gleaned some clues from his cryptic remarks.
Blackstone Prison is located near the military base, meaning it’s not far from the border. Since Faeus disappeared during the military handover ceremony, if he’s alive, he would certainly seek a hiding place, and the prison is a plausible choice.
Over the next few days, Xu Cenfeng plans to locate Hawke and observe his actions discreetly. By tracing Hawke’s movements, he hopes to eventually uncover Faeus’ whereabouts.
The prison guard had never seen a criminal as calm as Xu Cenfeng. Without crying or making a fuss, he seemed almost pleased to be entering the prison. Leading Xu Cenfeng through one illuminated archway after another, they finally stopped at the entrance. The guard used his work card to scan a nearby device, causing a massive reinforced blast door in front of them to automatically split open, revealing the full view of the interior of the prison.
The prison was not as desolate and dilapidated as Xu Cenfeng had imagined. On the contrary, it exuded a cold, technological atmosphere in every corner. Countless lights illuminated the dome above, while the walls and floors were pristine white. Soldiers with guns patrolled the corridors tirelessly, resembling robots in their relentless vigilance, creating an atmosphere of stifling oppression.
Xu Cenfeng inexplicably recalled a hospital, similarly pristine and glaringly white.
The guard unlocked the handcuffs from Xu Cenfeng’s wrists, guiding him deeper inside while explaining in a low voice, “This is the third block, housing a total of nine thousand inmates. Among them, there are sixty-four red-card felons, the fewest in any block.”
“They usually stay in their individual cells during sleep, but meal times and mining activities are conducted collectively. These two periods are most prone to conflicts and fights, so please be careful.”
Xu Cenfeng listened attentively, “Will you intervene if prisoners fight?”
The prison guard shook his head slightly, “We generally don’t intervene in minor scuffles. After all, this is a prison with complex dynamics and many factions. Most new inmates find a protector upon arrival, otherwise, it’s difficult to survive here. My name is Simon. If you need any help, you can ask the nearby guards to find me anytime.”
Xu Cenfeng heard this and noticed the two stars on Simon’s shoulder patch, indicating his rank as a captain.
Inside the prison, the layout was designed in a cruciform shape. To facilitate the observation of inmates by the guards, the doors of the cells were in a grille style, allowing visibility both from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out.
As Simon escorted Xu Cenfeng through the corridors, a commotion erupted inside the prison. Inmates who were resting inside their cells gathered in small groups near the doors, and countless eyes fixated on them for a moment.
Xu Cenfeng entered dressed in a grey-blue prison uniform, adorned with a white badge on the right side. He followed behind Simon calmly, as if taking a leisurely stroll. His handsome and refined features created quite a visual impact, his neck clear of any markings, unmistakably identifying him as a male zerg.
Xu Cenfeng noticed the gazes around him and glanced around. He saw that most of the inmates detained inside were females from the North, their eyes and hair colors varying, but their skin tones were similar to that of Faeus.
The gazes of these females were devoid of desire or covetousness, only cold scrutiny.
One of the blue-haired females suddenly tapped the cell door, causing the bars to hum. He stared intensely at Xu Cenfeng through the gap, speaking emotionlessly to Simon:
“What crime did this male commit to end up here?”
His badge was red, which somewhat made him a big shot around here.
Simon paused at the remark, then adjusted his military cap and frowned slightly. “Petty theft, no prior history of assaulting females, no prior history of mistreating females. He’ll be out in a few days. In this section, you’re the leader. Take extra care of him during collective activities.”
Simon didn’t initially need to explain in such detail, but if a male zerg is imprisoned for crimes like beating a cub or abusing a female zerg, they are usually subjected to severe torture by the inmates.
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Xu Cenfeng: (〃’▽’〃) Honest as can be.jpg
