Click.
Two in the morning. The unlocked door of the single-occupancy cell.
Yang Ming sprang up from the single bed, alert, and frowned at the door, which had opened a crack.
A black card was slipped inside, then the door closed again.
Yang Ming's ears twitched slightly. He could clearly hear snores coming from the cells around him, and faint footsteps gradually moving away.
Yang Ming waited a long while before going to the door to pick up the card.
He had no idea what it was made of. It felt cool to the touch, and a sticky note on the back read, "Landing Pad 6."
Yang Ming placed the card against the door lock. The familiar click sounded, and the electronic door unlocked by itself...
Oh? They were making it obvious he could break out whenever he wanted?
The people plotting behind the scenes were that impatient?
He'd only been in this single cell for six or seven hours, and he hadn't even gotten much use out of his private toilet!
Yang Ming pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully. Once he was sure no one was outside, he quietly pushed it open.
He looked around. The guard post, which should have been staffed, was empty. Two miniature cameras above him slowly turned, aimed right at his head.
Just as I thought.
This detail confirmed Yang Ming's suspicion.
Chief Guard Gulipa wanted him to meet Kolev. Was he supposed to use this card to open the neighboring cell, then leave for Landing Pad 6 with Kolev?
Tsk. Only an idiot would believe that.
Yang Ming could almost hear the guards whispering in their hiding places and see the Chief Guard's sinister smile.
But for Yang Ming, this was also a chance to meet Kolev directly.
He crept along the wall to the neighboring cell and saw the metal plaque attached to it.
This is a vicious criminal.
He's killed countless people and is a notorious pirate.
He must spend the rest of his life here.
Never let your guard down around him.
For some reason, Yang Ming found himself feeling a little anticipation.
He could almost see a ferocious man standing amid a mountain of corpses, faint arcs of electricity flickering from his dark red mechanical prosthetics.
Suddenly, the electronic lock before Yang Ming displayed a green unlock indicator. He hadn't used the black card in his hand.
The door was opening from the inside!
Yang Ming immediately darted to the right.
The door of Cell 625 opened a crack, and warm yellow light spilled out. Yang Ming stared intently at the gap, then saw someone peering out through it...
A little old man.
Uh, this was the pirate he'd spent over a week looking for?
The old man was short and thin, with a graying beard and long, matted hair—clear signs of his poor personal hygiene. His pale green striped pajamas and the sleeping cap printed with cartoon characters looked especially peculiar, too.
If Yang Ming had to describe him, the old man looked a little like a shorter version of the movie character "Gandalf."
Of course, even more eye-catching than the old man was the other black card in his hand and the paper magazine featuring a naked woman.
"Oh?"
The old man spotted Yang Ming, and their eyes met briefly.
Bang!
The alloy door slammed shut, and the electronic lock engaged again.
I can't let him escape!
Yang Ming swiped his card over the electronic lock and pulled the door open as he rushed inside.
The old man yanked off his cartoon sleeping cap, braced one hand against the nearest wall, and acted as if nothing was amiss. He raised an eyebrow at Yang Ming.
"Hey, young man. Can I help you?"
"Kolev? Group Leader of the Black Dragon Pirate Group?" Yang Ming asked.
The old man paused. "Yes, that's me."
The old man's gaze suddenly sharpened as it fixed on the black card in Yang Ming's hand. "Well, well. You've got one too."
"Someone arranged for me to break out," Yang Ming said calmly, "but I think it's a trap."
"It has to be a trap. They love doing this! They give you a little help so you can be caught in the act of escaping. Then they'll have every right to kill you."
Kolev clicked his tongue and folded his arms, as if the pose helped him feel more confident about his size.
Kolev launched into a long explanation:
"Listen, kid. The Interstellar Court has no death penalty. Everything that happens here is transparent and monitored by various countries. As long as you follow the rules, they can't do anything to you.
"They wouldn't dare poison us. That would bring in a joint investigation team. They wouldn't dare hurt us directly in here, either. They'd be condemned by human rights activists everywhere, and their funding would be affected.
"Only a prison break counts as a direct threat to the guards' lives. They have the right to shoot any prisoner, no matter what their crime.
"The card in your hand—and, of course, the one I have—is just a trap to get us killed."
"I agree with you," Yang Ming said with a smile. "So why were you about to go out just now?"
Kolev stammered for a while, then muttered, "A beast that's tasted freedom can't step into its grave before its time."
Yang Ming's opinion of the old man improved a little.
But this Kolev... He was just over a meter and a half tall, with sagging muscles and a bulging belly. He looked completely incapable of fighting.
Kolev said, "Wait a minute. Those military trousers... You're a soldier in the Sherman Empire?"
Yang Ming nodded.
Kolev stroked his fluffy beard and chuckled. "Those noblewomen in the Sherman Empire have such lovely skin."
"Do you want to leave here?" Yang Ming asked.
"Of course. Who doesn't long for freedom? But it's not so bad here, is it?"
Kolev spread his hands, as though trying to convince himself as well:
"Look at this place. The conditions are excellent. I can do whatever I want, except go online, and they'll make sure I'm safe.
"I'm old, kid. I'm already seventy-two. My time has passed. All I need to do is sit here quietly and wait for death.
"Not many pirates live to my age.
"That's right. I don't want to leave."
Yang Ming: ...
This guy really knew how to brainwash himself.
"All right, go back to bed, young man. Disturbing an old man's sleep is immoral."
Kolev waved a hand and smiled. "If you want to learn some professional pirate tricks, I can teach you a few secrets, since we're cellmates."
"Sorry to bother you."
Yang Ming turned and swiped the electronic lock. Before leaving, he repeated the line with a cold smile:
"A beast that's tasted freedom can't step into its grave before its time."
Kolev looked as if he were constipated.
Yang Ming lay on the single bed in Cell 624, listening to the footsteps pacing back and forth in the cell beside him.
While chatting with the little old man—cough, the great pirate—Yang Ming had quickly sensed that something about him was unusual.
Those small eyes were remarkably shrewd. Yang Ming felt as if Kolev could see right through him.
But everyone had weaknesses, and this old man was no exception.
Unfortunately, Yang Ming had never heard of Kolev while playing Abyss. The world of Abyss—or the world before him—was simply too vast for any player to explore more than a limited area. Kolev wasn't some legendary pirate known across the Milky Way Galaxy.
So, how could he win Kolev over?
Carry him out by force?
That wasn't a good idea. What Yang Ming needed was a ship that could leave Kor Port and take him to Mech Twilight. It was clear Kolev was a proud man, and forcing him would make it hard to achieve his goal.
Bribe him?
The savings Hanton had set aside to marry the Female Noble wouldn't even buy half of the smallest FTL-capable ship, and a great pirate like this was bound to be rich.
"Tsk." Yang Ming shifted position.
Like Kolev, who was still pacing back and forth, Yang Ming was getting restless.
The great pirate was right in front of him, and so was a way to get a ship. Yang Ming might even be able to use the Black Market where pirates traded to secure a supply of Gene Stabilizers.
Yang Ming knew exactly what predicament he faced.
On one hand, Gulipa's and Old Bailin's behavior today had made him realize that an imminent crisis was looming.
On the other hand, he was the sole success of the Imperial Valkyrie Program. That identity was especially dangerous.
Although only Lina's side knew he was a Modified human, both the Empire and its enemies saw his performance at his next hearing as his only value.
But normally, the intelligence networks of the major powers infiltrated each other.
And the longer he stayed in this prison, the greater the risk of exposure. A single blood test would be enough to ruin everything.
If it came to that, the four major powers of the Milky Way Galaxy—the Sherman Empire, the New Federation, the United States of Freedom, and the Guer Alliance—would stop at nothing to obtain this modification technology. Escaping then would be next to impossible.
So the great pirate Kolev was Yang Ming's perfect chance to break out on his own!
I have to take a chance.
Yang Ming was certain that if Kolev decided to make a move, he would come looking for him. He closed his eyes and slipped into a light sleep.
He could already control the state he slept in.
When he opened his eyes again, it was morning by galactic time. Kor Port had entered "daytime" mode, the outer shield had turned transparent, and the M-type star once again hung in space.
The day seemed particularly long.
Yang Ming forced himself to sleep through the entire day, saving his strength for that night's operation.
When it was around the same time as the previous night, just past midnight, Yang Ming put on his Imperial uniform. His short hair, freshly washed, felt especially clean.
He pressed close to the door and listened carefully. The outside was still deserted. The seven or eight guards who should have been on duty on the sixth level were nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly.
Knock, knock-knock.
A faint vibration came through the wall. Kolev seemed to be tapping on it.
Yang Ming thought for a moment—he did suspect that Kolev might be part of the trap.
I have to try.
Yang Ming tapped lightly on the wall a few times.
Bang, bang-bang!
The other side fell silent.
Yang Ming didn't rush him.
About three or four minutes later, the wall sounded again.
Knock, knock-knock-knock-knock.
Yang Ming smiled calmly and replied.
The game went on for quite some time.
Just as Yang Ming began to think he and the strange old man had reached an understanding, he heard the electronic lock of the neighboring cell click. A few seconds later, the lock on his own cell disengaged as well. Kolev stormed inside and pulled the door shut behind him.
"Hey!" The old man glared at Yang Ming. "What was that supposed to mean?"
"What?" Yang Ming asked, confused.
"I was using the Logan Code to talk to you! The Logan Code! You're a soldier—how could you not know it? I asked you, 'Are we making a move tonight?' You answered, 'Fire, fire.' I asked, 'Do you have backup?' You answered, 'You're so sexy.'"
Kolev's fluffy beard kept quivering.
"No one's ever said that to me! No one! That's sexual harassment! Oh, my God! My daughter is already the Group Leader of a pirate group, and you still—!"
Yang Ming felt a little awkward and replied at once, "Hey, Kolev, didn't you know? The Empire uses Morse Code now."
Kolev glared at Yang Ming with a frown, but some of his anger subsided.
"Are we making a move tonight?" Kolev asked.
"It's a trap," Yang Ming said calmly, folding his arms. "That's what you said."
"Yes, it's a trap." Kolev sneered. "I can picture the half-bald Chief Guard's grim expression right now. He's definitely hiding behind a screen in the control room, watching the two of us."
"Then how am I supposed to trust you?" Yang Ming asked. "I just got here, while you've been around long enough to know all the tricks."
"That's a risk you have to take, kid. You have to make your own judgment."
Kolev's gaze remained sharp as he toyed with the black card in his hand and sneered:
"This card—they're insulting me, understand? They're insulting me.
"If I can leave my cell freely and do nothing, I'll become a laughingstock in my line of work. The reputation I've spent forty years building will be ruined.
"The Chief Guard must be planning some trick where we break out and they shoot us dead. But they have no idea who they've picked a fight with."
Yang Ming said, "You mean we work together?"
"You can be my First Mate." Kolev lifted his chin slightly. "Temporarily, that is. Once we get out of here, the agreement will automatically end."
Yang Ming smiled. "I can work with that, but I want you to be my First Mate. You'll have to follow my orders."
"That's impossible!" Kolev turned confrontational. "Before I decided to retire, I had seven warships. Seven! I could go straight to those small countries and demand protection money! And you, young man—let me see your rank. Oh, a Captain?"
Yang Ming said, "Then how about this? We'll work together for now and decide later who's captain and who's First Mate."
"You need to conquer me." Kolev narrowed his eyes and smiled. "This is getting interesting. Come on, First Mate. Let's check out Landing Pad 6. They're monitoring our every move, but we have to find a way to turn the tables."
"Sure thing, First Mate."
"Oh, don't be cheeky, my First Mate."
"I should go first. You're too old and slow to react, First Mate."
"Of course. The captain has to take charge. I'll follow you, First Mate."
Before you continue