109 White Ring and Black Sun (Part 1)

Ring ring—

The warden of Shiratori Town Prison, Ozawa Izumitaro, seemed somewhat surprised. He doesn't often receive phone calls here; if it's a family member visiting, they should call the front desk, not directly to the office.

So without a doubt, it must be the big shots calling from above. He didn't dare to be negligent and quickly answered the phone, "Hi, Shiratori Town Prison, this is Xiao Ze."

"SCIA (Sky Ring Intelligence Agency), what's the current situation at the prison?"

The person who answered spoke hastily, without even using honorifics, but Xiao Ze, upon hearing the person's identity, didn't dare to take offense and quickly said, "Ah, so you're from SCIA, my apologies. The situation in the prison here is very good; the prisoners are very obedient. In the long-term low-temperature environment, they simply cannot riot, and they are eager to do labor every day."

However, the SCIA agents were too lazy to listen to his compliments and boasts about their management, and simply said indifferently, "We have received information that the Red Squad members are starting to gather. We suggest you prepare, they may be planning a prison break."

"Hey, really? A prison break? This is no small matter."

Ozawa Izumitaro said this, but he didn't seem to care much. "Even so, they shouldn't be that stupid. My prison is a fortified tower built with Old Era architecture, as solid as a rock. There's a combined arms brigade less than 10 kilometers away. How could the Red Squad, with its less than 2,000 troops, dare to attack us?"

"The 107th Combined Brigade has been transferred for military operations. That's all I can say."

After saying that, the other party hung up the phone, seemingly having something more important to deal with.

"Hey, what do you mean by being transferred? Military operation? Are we going to fight Red Arrow?"

The warden called out for a long time, but the other end had already hung up. He was furious and hung up the phone, feeling increasingly resentful.

Given the level of Shiratori Town Prison, it should be similar to Frostplate Elf Island. However, the latter is a top priority of the country with an extremely high level of secrecy, and the warden is a high-ranking official of the country, while he is just an ordinary civil servant who has to rely on the Minister of Finance to allocate funds for expansion.

Now, even someone in charge of intelligence is trying to ride roughshod over him. Their arrogant attitude makes Ozawa Izumitaro very unhappy, so he doesn't take their threats seriously.

What a joke! Gretwar Night Song, a key figure in the Red Squad, is imprisoned here. Even without the help of the Combined Arms Brigade, this prison is a formidable fortress. Even without water and electricity, it has at least six months' worth of ammunition and supplies. If necessary, it can also mobilize prisoners to fight and die as a disciplinary force.

Moreover, the Red Squad's record is really mediocre. Without Gretvor, relying solely on that former pilot named Xiajian Jing, they are simply no match for him.

"A mere group of scattered soldiers is nothing to fear."

Ozawa Izumitaro's contempt was justified. On one hand, the Red Squad's anti-war movement had failed. On the other hand, he lived in the remote suburbs and was naturally unaware that the SCIA was busy dealing with the chaos at the Nine Dragons Gathering.

Rather, it would be strange if people thought there was something wrong in this situation.

"Please calm down. SCIA people are always like this. They're arrogant and complacent, it's not surprising." The secretary readily agreed, "Besides, how could the Red Squad possibly be a match for us?"

"Yeah, that's right." Ozawa Izumitaro crossed his arms and muttered, "SCIA is making a big fuss over nothing. Has something serious happened? But that shouldn't be the case. Right now, it's the Nine Dragons Gathering. The focus of all the countries should be in Qiongan Capital. The whole country is on high alert. How could the Red Squad dare to make a move at this time?"

"Speaking of which," Ozawa Izumitaro said casually, "How is that Gretwar Night Song going?"

The secretary said, "He cooperates well with meals, rest, and work, and even chats and plays cards with the prisoners. He seems to be enjoying himself."

Ozawa Izumitaro stroked his chin:

"... It's really strange. With just swill and sorghum buns, he, a near- Gamma-rank powerhouse, worked ten hours a day and didn't collapse from hunger due to lack of energy."

"Perhaps it's due to a special constitution—but since they're starving to this extent, they probably won't have the strength to resist."

"I still don't think it's safe."

Ozawa Izumitaro was well aware that it was highly unlikely that the outside world could break in, so guarding against riots inside the prison was a serious concern.

They've imprisoned quite a few of these self-proclaimed progressive and powerful individuals, in particular.

"How about this?" The secretary thought for a moment and came up with an idea, "It's almost noon. I'll have the kitchen prepare some food with trace amounts of toxins for them. They've been starving for so long, they definitely can't resist it."

"But you can't poison them," Ozawa Izumitaro cautioned. "We live in a society governed by law. If the prisoners die, we'll lose our budget, and what if it disrupts factory production? You need to think this through."

"Leave it to me." The secretary smiled. "This is medicine from the Hojo Family; there won't be any problems. It will only weaken them, not kill them."

"Just pull out the tiger's teeth, and it'll have to jump through a ring of fire. You know, every prisoner is an important asset to our prison, and we must take good care of them."

"Yes."

"Is she still not coming out?"

Dim sunlight streamed through the gaps, casting the Xiajian Jing on the ground, making it impossible to discern any human shape.

"Ever since she came back from the Outland, she's been locking herself in her room. Speaking of which, according to the plot, shouldn't she be giving some speeches and inspiring people at this point?"

Xiajian Jing raised his hand and pressed it against his face, where his veins bulged. A deep silver color was faintly visible in the veins, which flashed past as he breathed. Black raven feathers grew down his shoulder blades and slowly fell.

"The boss isn't like that. She's tongue-tied and doesn't know how to give speeches. Gretvor does all that kind of work—the boss just beats people up. She doesn't say much normally, but once she rescues Big Brother Gretvor, she'll naturally start talking more often."

— Whispering, calling softly, murmuring.

Xiajian Jing lay on the ground, her pupils contracted and rotated continuously. Her body shape changed constantly, her muscles swelled and atrophied, rapidly dehydrated and then swelled up again. After several repetitions, her spine began to continuously produce new blood, a kind of blood with great power and spirituality.

She had thought that awakening her powers after being infected by the Malefic Calamity was already the most painful experience, but the distortion and sense of being detached she was experiencing now were hundreds of times more terrifying than that.

The voice, as intimate as a mother's, makes one let go of all thoughts and vigilance, eager to rush into its embrace. A wealth of information that shouldn't exist in this world is like a brand, deeply engraved in the depths of one's mind.

Countless people looked at her and smiled at her. What they saw in their eyes was neither the Xiajian Jing nor a human, but a crow with strange wings standing upright. Just seeing it would make the word 'thief' come to mind.

People told her to abandon this ridiculous Real World and that it was time to embrace real society.

She had to give up... She couldn't take it anymore. The Real World and that hidden existence were intertwined and emerging, and her perceptions were constantly being destroyed and reshaped.

Death, hunger, war, plague, discrimination, prejudice, differences, class, poverty, ignorance, shortsightedness, suffering, hatred, and envy.

The sins committed by these Azure Planet People and all the existing negative phenomena were clearly displayed before them by that society. A strong sense of negativity and pessimism rose in their Follow the Heart. The stronger their aversion to reality, the stronger the attraction of that society became to them.

Xiajian Jing cannot imagine what kind of person could not despair of this world.

This world is fucking rotten.

While some starve to death because they can't afford food, others pour milk into ditches; while some die in cold, damp trenches, others recite poems about romance in warm palaces; while child laborers have their legs cut off by lathes, others complain that people aren't working hard enough.

People with higher education only think about emigrating and running away, while illiterate farmers and workers fantasize about a prosperous and strong country.

Fuck reality.

That entity called society didn't say anything tempting; it simply showed her the reality without any embellishment, and that was enough to break her down.

She didn't want to get up anymore; she wanted to stop here and never fight again.

As Xiajian Jing leaned against the wall, the silver blood in her arteries surged even more violently, and her consciousness gradually succumbed.

"I don't want to be ordered by the lords to fight against the poor people of another country."

The image of Gretwar Night Song holding the calico cat was still vivid in his mind. He gently stroked the injured calico cat, and the life-giving light emanating from his body tenderly healed the poor little thing.

"If we win the war, the honor goes to the boss and the corporation. Only the blood and wounds are left to poor people like us."

His eyes were so gentle, warm as fire, yet his tone was colder than deep water, covering his resolute heart:

"If we lose the war, it's people like us who die. We'll be called butchers by the enemy and cowards by the people."

The boy of yesteryear was forged by fire and deep water, and eventually became a warrior of steel.

"I don't want you and me to become monsters like that."

Bang! Faced with the suppression of anti-war civilians by the Heavenly Ring People, he simply picked up his shield and, without hesitation, went against the crowd, using his own flesh and blood to block the tank. "Stand behind me, you won't get hurt anymore."

"Grey, you're an idiot, an incurable idiot."

With his eyes covered, Xiajian Jing gently shook his neck and slowly stood up from his death throes.

"But smart people will never be your friends. Smart people always look down on us stinking rats in the sewers."