Prison Cell Encounter

The afternoon sun filtered through the wooden fences of the mountain stronghold, casting dappled shadows on the rammed-earth plaza.

Lin Mo slowly finished the last mouthful of chicken soup in his bowl at the main table and let out a satisfied sigh.

Three days after transmigrating into the game world, this was the most substantial and comforting meal he'd had.

"Lord, would you like to retire to your room?" Liu Lao Liu appeared again at some point, a smile plastered on his face. "The ladies in the north courtyard are waiting for you..."

Lin Mo waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the clones sprawled haphazardly around the plaza, digesting their meals.

"No rush. I just ate, I'll take a walk to aid digestion."

"Yes, yes, yes! A hundred steps after a meal will make you live to ninety-nine!" Liu Lao Liu quickly nodded in agreement, his face beaming with a fawning smile.

"Lord, shall I bring some men?" Lin Yi, standing beside him, put down his bowl and chopsticks and immediately asked.

"No need," Lin Mo waved his hand. "I'll just walk around the stronghold and get familiar with our new home."

He left the gradually quieting plaza alone and strolled leisurely along the rammed-earth path.

The mountain stronghold in the afternoon exuded a lazy tranquility.

Most of the clones, having eaten their fill, were scattered in twos and threes around the plaza.

Some were dozing against the walls, while others were lying directly in the shade with their legs crossed.

A few were gathered together, playing a game similar to "Jungle" with simple wooden pieces.

Only the figures of the clones on duty on the fortress walls cast long shadows in the sunlight.

Lin Mo walked with his hands behind his back, like an old rich man inspecting his own estate, looking around as he went.

The warehouse, stables, workshops, barracks... although rudimentary, they were fully functional.

Compared to the damp cave of Water Curtain Cave, this place could be considered a mansion.

As he walked, he arrived at the northwest corner of the mountain stronghold.

This area was more secluded than others, with a few low, adobe houses standing in isolation.

The walls had no windows, only a thick wooden door with a rusty, heavy padlock hanging on it.

Just as Lin Mo was about to pass the door, he suddenly heard a faint cry from inside one of the rooms.

"Let... let me out..."

"Is anyone there... give me some water..."

The voice was hoarse and weak, but it was definitely human.

Lin Mo stopped in hisbos, frowning as he looked at the adobe house.

"Liu Lao Liu!" he called out loudly.

In just a moment, Liu Lao Liu came running from a distance, his fawning smile as usual: "My Lord! What are your orders?"

"What is this place?" Lin Mo pointed to the adobe house.

"Replying to my Lord, this is the stronghold's prison cell," Liu Lao Liu quickly answered. "We usually lock up disobedient hostages or captured spies."

"Is there someone locked in the prison cell right now?"

"Yes... there is one," Liu Lao Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"We captured a vagrant at the foot of the mountain the day before yesterday. He was acting suspiciously, not like a good person. The few leaders were busy planning a big business deal at the time and didn't have time to deal with him, so they ordered him to be locked up first."

"Big business deal?" Lin Mo recalled the letters. "Is it about robbing those eight merchant families?"

"My Lord sees clearly!" Liu Lao Liu nodded repeatedly. "As a result, before the deal could even happen, you... uh, the three leaders..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Lin Mo ignored it and looked towards the cell from which the voice came. "How many days has he been locked up?"

"He was captured the day before yesterday, and it's been... almost three days now," Liu Lao Liu answered cautiously.

"Open the door, I want to see."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Lao Liu quickly fumbled at his waist for a large bunch of keys.

After a moment of fumbling, he finally opened the padlock with a "click."

The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and a stench mixed with mold, excrement, urine, and blood assaulted them.

Lin Mo frowned, fanning his nose with his hand, and stepped into the prison cell.

The cell was small, only about a zhang square.

The walls were made of rammed earth, the floor was covered with dry grass, and a chamber pot was placed in the corner, emitting the foul odor.

A figure was curled up on the pile of dry grass. Hearing the door open, he struggled to lift his head.

It was a middle-aged man in his forties, his face covered in dirt, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, and his coarse cloth clothes tattered.

Most striking was his right leg, which was twisted at an unnatural angle from the knee down, purplish, clearly broken for some time.

"Water... give me some water..." the man weakly extended his hand.

But the moment Lin Mo saw this face, he froze.

This face... why was it so familiar?

It felt like he'd seen it somewhere before...

And at this moment, the middle-aged man also got a clear look at the person walking in.

He first blinked in confusion, his gaze sweeping over Lin Mo's short hair, his relatively clean face.

And the iron armor, which was clearly ill-fitting but of decent quality.

The next second, his eyes suddenly erupted with a palpable beam of hope!

"You... you're a Player?!" the middle-aged man's voice sharpened and distorted with excitement, "You're an Internal Test Player, aren't you?!"

As he spoke, he tried to get up, but his twisted, broken leg dragged on the ground.

The intense pain made him groan, and large beads of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

"How did you know I was a Player?" Lin Mo deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound more mature.

"People here... wouldn't have short modern haircuts like yours." the middle-aged man gasped for breath, the pain from his broken leg causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.