Crack—!
The tightness around his neck suddenly loosened... Exhausted, Lu Cheng instinctively jolted awake and sat up. The lock on the cell door was slowly turning, opening.
Lu Cheng's pupils contracted. He reached up, touched the collar around his neck, and removed it with ease.
"What is this...?"
He did not feel surprised right away. Instead, he was filled with suspicion and uncertainty... He had been captured and made a menial laborer in the fortress for only a few days, yet it had felt as long as a century. There were too many unknown methods here.
Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and approaching the cell door. He carefully pushed the already-open iron door a crack farther... Then he took a deep breath and cautiously stepped outside.
The corridor was bright as day in both directions, with rows of cells arranged neatly along it.
At that moment, the doors of the cells on both sides also began to open slowly. One figure after another, having endured oppression and torture, staggered out... Like Lu Cheng, they still wore looks of fear, but confusion was even more apparent.
More and more male laborers emerged from the cells, and soon the corridor was packed with people... The smell of sweat fermenting filled the air, yet no one spoke.
"Shall... shall we go back?"
In the silent corridor, where only increasingly numerous breaths could be heard, a trembling voice suddenly rang out.
Then came another long silence.
"Damn it!!! Let's fight!"
Boom—!!!
A tremendous bang rang out, causing the corridor to tremble several times... The sound had come from the district below. Lu Cheng shuddered and suddenly thought of something: it was very possible that the problem was not limited to the level of the prison district he was in!