Kor Port Prison

Damn it!

He was actually betrayed by his own mistress!

Yang Ming's face darkened as he left the glass chamber, his hands bound in shackles, walking toward the hatch without looking back.

"Hanton!"

Dr. Lina took a few steps after him, only to be blocked by the guards.

Yang Ming turned his head to meet the gaze of this older female doctor.

"Take care of yourself," Dr. Lina said, a bit emotional. "I'll find a way to help you as soon as I can."

"Thanks," Yang Ming replied, warmth in his heart, then shot a glare at Mistress Number One.

The hot-bodied Intern Navigator just shrugged and spread her hands, showing no guilt whatsoever.

They were just shipmates. The ship had blown up, so their intimate relationship was naturally over.

Next, the Humanity Association dispatched over a dozen work teams, entering the Glass Room simultaneously to investigate and gather evidence, acting with great efficiency.

Yang Ming, meanwhile, was taken to a separate interrogation room, subjected to two thorough inspections, and luckily didn't have his identity as a Modified human exposed.

He began a long stretch of silence.

If he were Hanton, what would be the most appropriate reaction right now?

Simple: absolute loyalty to the Sherman Empire, waiting for the Empire to mount a rescue.

So, facing the Humanity Association investigation team, Yang Ming stayed silent;

a day later, facing the Humanity Association officials, Yang Ming stayed silent;

and two days later, facing the Interstellar Court's interrogator, Yang Ming planned to stay silent—but he realized... if he kept silent any longer, he might really be thrown into an interstellar prison!

He decided to say something.

Interstellar Court, Courtroom No. 3, was located at the center of Kor Port.

The core of Kor Port was an abandoned giant Transport Ship. Using that ship as a foundation, alloy structures had 'grown' outward in all directions, continuously incorporating more abandoned vessels and fusing together dismantled fortress sections, eventually forming this interstellar transit hub capable of housing a million people.

An M-type Dwarf Star provided a steady stream of energy to Kor Port; high-tech contributions from the New Federation also made simulated Gravity Fields ubiquitous here.

Of course, the vast majority of residents here were transient.

People preferred to settle and retire on solid planets.

The publicly accessible Courtroom No. 3 was something of a 'must-visit spot' at Kor Port.

From the outside, the courtroom looked like a sea-bowl, reminiscent of the colosseum in Yang Ming's memory; over a dozen rows of seats encircled it, sparsely occupied by figures from different star regions and different races.

At the center of the courtroom, three judges—or more accurately, Public Interrogators—sat on Anti-Gravity Stone Chairs suspended in midair, staring at Yang Ming as he slowly rose on a Flying Disc.

"Captain Hanton."

The lead Interrogator was an older woman with short, light brown hair and sharp eyes. Her overly long neck and limbs made her appear both elegant and strange.

The Female Interrogator asked: "You're going to stay silent again today, aren't you?"

Yang Ming gave no response.

He was savoring the memory of the past week's generous meals and the soft mattress that had made sleeping effortless.

The Humanity Association really did emphasize the protection of human rights.

The Female Interrogator nodded, looking at the text projected before her, and spoke slowly:

"You are an outstanding Sherman officer, but Captain, the Empire's elites who were rescued alongside you didn't care much about imperial honor. They've already provided ample testimony proving your guilt."

Yang Ming's heart tightened.

Had his identity as a modified experimental subject been exposed?

The few researchers involved in the 'Hanton Modification Experiment' had all been knocked unconscious by him and died in the Research Ship's explosion... Did the other researchers know about that impromptu experiment too?

Yang Ming hummed a few times.

The Female Interrogator fixed her intimidating eyes on Yang Ming.

"I want to know what they said," Yang Ming asked calmly.

The Female Interrogator rattled off a string of terms: "Professor Gigrov, War God Program, human modification experiments, gene fusion, monster, Valkyrie... Though you don't need to add anything more, we'd still like to hear your side. You're one of the perpetrators too."

"I was just a Third Mate," Yang Ming said, his expression full of helplessness. "I was only responsible for maintaining the fire suppression system and some emergency repair work."

The Female Interrogator asked: "Were you directly involved in the War God Program?"

"No," Yang Ming replied. "I wasn't an executor of the program. Whenever I accidentally wandered into the test area, I was chased off by those people in white lab coats. A Third Mate's status is actually quite pitiful—that's standard practice."

Out of the corner of his eye, Yang Ming spotted a few middle-aged men in Imperial military uniforms sitting in the audience.

His saviors had arrived?

The Female Interrogator continued: "The disaster that destroyed the Research Ship was triggered by the Valkyrie's riot, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"According to the testimonies of several bridge crew members, you were standing on the main console at the time and said a few words—you said that penetrating trauma should be inflicted on the Valkyrie to immobilize her, is that correct?"

"Yes."

Yang Ming added, "I just thought it would be safer that way."

He was gambling, betting that no living person knew about the battle in the tail compartment.

"Furthermore," the Female Interrogator's gaze lifted from the documents before her, locking onto Yang Ming.

Yang Ming's heart leaped into his throat.

The Female Interrogator said, "That Intern Navigator—your sexual partner on this research ship—has confessed to us that you were extremely flustered before the Valkyrie launched her uprising and even warned her to find a lifeboat, is that correct?"

Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly.

That ungrateful bitch—if she ever fell into his hands!

"Yes, at the time, I judged from various signs that the Valkyrie might have already lost control."

Yang Ming's expression looked utterly sincere:

"The specific signs are rather complicated to explain, and they mostly come down to biological sixth sense—intuition.

"Some of my intelligence came from those researchers with abnormal mental states. I am a mature and physically strong male, and I had more than one temporary partner."

"Oh?"

The Female Interrogator pushed up her glasses, sizing up the sturdy yet well-proportioned muscles beneath Yang Ming's uniform.

The Female Interrogator asked, "Then after you judged that the Valkyrie might have lost control, what did you do?"

"I didn't have time to do anything before the riot broke out."

Yang Ming thought for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"I know you might already see me as a wicked executioner, but what I want to say is, I'm just a low-ranking officer following orders from my superiors.

"I'm standing here now because the disaster took the lives of my superiors—the Captain, the First Mate, and the Second Mate all perished—leaving me, the Firefighter Third Mate, to step up, not because I committed any crime."

"Yes, Lieutenant Hanton," the Female Interrogator acknowledged with a nod, "we need to conduct a trial for the crimes aboard that research ship, and that requires a specific subject of the crime."

Yang Ming frowned. "You mean, no matter what I say, I'm facing prison time?"

"Objective facts that have occurred cannot be altered by your subjective statements."

The Female Interrogator said:

"If you are willing to plead guilty in court and participate in the upcoming press conference, truthfully recounting to the reporters everything that happened aboard that research ship, fully promoting racial equality and fairness and justice, then I will pronounce the lightest penalty allowed under interstellar law and arrange for your stable resettlement.

"If you choose to defend that ridiculous imperial honor, you will face a maximum sentence of twenty-two years."

Yang Ming was about to speak.

But the Female Interrogator said, "You don't need to rush, Hanton. According to our regulations, the interrogation period lasts two months. You will be sent to Kor Port Prison next, where you can wait for a month. The next hearing will take place in a month."

"You're a citizen of the New Federation, right? Interrogator?" Yang Ming suddenly asked.

The Female Interrogator was taken aback, then smiled. "Yes, I just work here."

Yang Ming curled his lip and said calmly, "I can feel the malice toward the Sherman Empire in your words. You're already hinting that I should betray my homeland."

The Female Interrogator said, "I do not bring personal feelings into my work. You are questioning my professional ethics."

Yang Ming sneered. "Hypocritical Federation."

"Very well. The next hearing will take place in two months. You will have two months of prison experience."

Yang Ming calmly raised both fists, palms facing himself, and neatly extended both middle fingers.

He hadn't expected that this Earth-origin international greeting would be universal across the pan-galactic civilization.

The Female Interrogator's face turned green with rage.

On the way to prison, Yang Ming caught a half-good, half-bad piece of news.

All the 'refugees' brought back by the Humanity Association, except for him, had been released.

That meant those lab-coat researchers involved in the experiments got off scot-free, while he, the Third Mate responsible for maintaining fire pipes, became the scapegoat.

Sure enough, the hypocritical Federation and the evil Empire were neck and neck—both of the galaxy's largest powers were thugs!

This also indirectly showed that the Empire currently didn't know Hanton had been modified.

But did Geglov's research ship leave any data behind? Or something like a 'cloud data' backup? Would Dr. Lina sell him out?

In Yang Ming's view, these were uncontrollable risks.

The transport vehicle was fully enclosed, giving Yang Ming no chance to glimpse Kor Port's uniquely metallic architecture.

He carefully studied the layout inside the vehicle. He was confident he could knock the four Escorts beside and in front of him into concussions before they could react, then kick open the door and make a run for it.

But what then?

Did he have a map of this city?

Was there a way to leave this port city?

How strong is the defense system here?

Even if this body is incredibly powerful, can it withstand a ship's cannon?

Impossible. Even an incomplete Valkyrie couldn't block an Old Mech's particle cannon blast, let alone a ship's cannon. If a point-defense cannon locked onto him, he'd be dead for sure.

Not to mention, the Ancient God Lifeform that provided the Valkyrie with modified genes also died under the guns of a powerful Imperial fleet.

This was the galactic age of sail, ruled by starships and cannons.

His individual combat ability could only shine in confined spaces. Of course, if he got inside a starship, that would be a different story.

Yang Ming focused on planning his path ahead, paying little attention to the changes in his surroundings.

He stepped off the transport vehicle in shackles, calmly walked through the crude, relic-like gate, and was handed over to a squad of guards in black uniforms.

The escort captain exchanged a few hushed words with the prison guards.

Yang Ming's ears twitched slightly, easily catching several key phrases:

[Evil Imperial Soldier], [Special Treatment], [The interrogator needs him to suffer a bit to cooperate with the upcoming work].

Yang Ming smirked inwardly, completely unfazed.

So, a few minutes later.

Several guards unlocked Yang Ming's shackles and shoved him into a cramped, mixed cell.

Seven or eight burly men pumping iron turned their heads. When they saw Yang Ming's handsome face, their expressions shifted subtly.

"Give him a welcome party!"

Whistles came from the guards outside the cell, who quickly left the "scene."

Yang Ming ignored these useless muscle men entirely and walked to a corner on his own.

For Yang Ming right now, nothing was more important than planning his future.

"Hey, bro," a few of the big men slowly surrounded him, "New arrivals need a deep inspection. Strip down."

Yang Ming slowly raised his head.

"Are you sure?"