The Crystal Core Research Station had never been merely a research facility from the moment it was established—in fact, Hao Ren's earliest definition of the place had been "prison." It had originally been built to house and imprison the two deranged Firstborn dug out of Horleta. Although the station's focus had since shifted more toward scientific research and planetary monitoring, its prison facilities had remained in operation the entire time.
Area A of the Space Station was adjacent to Container One. Inside was a series of isolation cells equipped with rigorous security measures. These cells could block any energy impact below the level of divine magic and weaken the resistance of any living creature inside. The tireless patrol AI and sentry guns installed along the isolation-zone corridors made this a cage from which prisoners could never escape.
This place had been designed from the start to imprison the most dangerous creatures in the universe, and today, Hao Ren finally activated one of its cells.
The rebel prisoner captured by Sulun was escorted into the cell by the Autonomous Mechanical Units. Only after confirming that every security device had been activated did Hao Ren remotely remove the numerous restraints from the prisoner's body. The various restraints fell away as if they were alive, and the rebel prisoner collapsed awkwardly onto the floor. He finally began to stir only after the last chain had left his body.
The rebel prisoner awoke from his long slumber and immediately discovered, to his astonishment, that he was trapped in a strange place. Beside him stood a hexagonal prism surrounded by pale-blue walls of light. Above the prismatic cage was a boundless sea of light, while below was a solid crystalline floor. Looking outside the prism, he saw more than a dozen other cages arranged in