Black Prison

Inside the luxury sedan, the handsome man.

He carefully placed the magnetic tape that suddenly appeared in his hand into a specially made handbag.

Only after closing the handbag and locking the password did he slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"Since we've obtained the <Song of Extinction>, half of our plan has already succeeded," he said to the beautiful woman in a short skirt sitting beside him.

She affectionately caressed his cheek and chuckled, "I'm already looking forward to the reward that 'that adult' will give us after the mission is complete. We both have a good chance of achieving our Fifth Awakening."

"Don't get careless! Black Umbrella still had an accident. According to the original plan, he was supposed to take the <Forbidden Item> and his followers to feign an attack on the <East City Branch> after the plan began. But he stumbled in a ditch, and then three followers also went missing."

The handsome man's expression turned grim as he spoke. He then embraced the woman, reached into her short skirt, and said, "If it weren't for the fact that those three followers weren't qualified to know the plan's intelligence, nor were they qualified to enter the '<Ark>', I wouldn't dare to enter <Border City No. 3>!"

It was called a border city precisely because it was the closest to the disaster zone.

It was humanity's first line of defense against the disaster, a fortress with immense power within. It had four branches and one headquarters, each with many powerful handlers who controlled a large number of <Forbidden Item>.

What's more, <Border City No. 3> housed an old veteran who had experienced the disaster and fought his way out of the miasma.

Even for them, and even for the '<Ark>', this was an extremely dangerous place.

If the reward wasn't so substantial, he wouldn't have dared to come here and take such a risk.

The woman blushed and her ears turned red from the man's actions, but she giggled, "It's alright. With the <Song of Extinction>, they'll have their hands full then. Those cunning <Forbidden Item> won't miss such a good opportunity to escape, and that will be enough to give them a headache. Let's continue according to the plan."

"Besides, what we need to do isn't to destroy <Giant City>," the woman whispered into the man's ear as she snuggled in his arms. "It's to force that <Wáng> to make a move, to see if he's died of old age."

"To force <Old Mad King> to make a move!" the man whispered, his voice barely audible as if he feared the title of <Wáng>.

<Old Mad King>, formerly the <Mad King>.

He was a powerful being who dared to challenge the <Wáng> of the disaster zone. He was the one who overcame all obstacles, led the human army, pioneered this land, and then established <Border City No. 3> under the noses of three disaster zones.

Guarding three major disaster zones!

He even boasted that one day he would reclaim 12.6 million square kilometers of territory.

That would require destroying several disaster zones; he was utterly arrogant!

Therefore, he was called the <Mad King> by the <Wáng> of the disaster zone.

To be recognized by a <Wáng> of a disaster zone as a human was an immense compliment. However, he possessed the strength to match that title. In his prime, even the <Wáng> of the disaster zone did not wish to conflict with <Border City No. 3>.

But now, as a <Spirit Ability User>, he had grown old under the torment of curses.

He might have aged beyond recognition.

Someone wanted to know if this <Old Mad King> could still fight, so they devised a crazy plan.

And '<Ark>' was the intermediary for this transaction.

As an organization that existed outside the physical world, this group had no concept of good or evil.

'<Ark>' was more like a place for communication that ignored physical distance.

Its leader, or captain, would find <Spirit Ability User> qualified to enter and grant them exclusive tickets.

This allowed '<Ark>' members from all over the world to gather.

They traded information, items, or received missions within '<Ark>'.

This function allowed their strength to increase rapidly, and they had become a colossal entity hidden in the shadows.

They referred to each other by codenames, unaware of each other's identities.

And this time, a mysterious visitor had issued a mission with a very generous reward within '<Ark>'. It was so generous that many '<Ark>' members were willing to team up for the adventure.

Who could this mysterious visitor be? Could it be a <Wáng> from a disaster zone? the handsome man mused.

Then, the car slowly stopped, and the door opened. The beautiful woman from inside, carrying the handbag, disappeared without a trace. Only the handsome man got out of the sedan, waving to the fans on both sides.

His face was full of smiles and enthusiasm, but no one noticed the coldness and madness lurking in his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

Meanwhile, <Li Yèlái> arrived at the branch and saw many familiar faces.

<Starfire>, <Shadowflow>, <Heavy Cavalry>, and <Detective> were all at the branch.

"What a coincidence. If you're going to eat, count me in," <Li Yèlái> stepped forward and greeted them.

"I heard you've already had your Second Awakening," <Heavy Cavalry>, the emotionless girl, was the first to speak. A smile appeared on her fair, expressionless face: "Congratulations! I'll catch up soon."

<Heavy Cavalry> had been very busy lately. Although she wasn't as unlucky as <Li Yèlái>, constantly encountering trouble, she had resolved some dangerous incidents and was on the verge of a breakthrough.

"Mm, keep it up. Be careful of the temptation of <Void Realm> power," <Li Yèlái> recalled the illusions he encountered during his previous breakthrough.

He dismissed the image of <Heavy Cavalry> scantily clad from his mind and sternly reminded her, "Don't believe you've succeeded until the very end. Don't be led astray by any visions. It's all fake!"

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you. Next time I surpass you, I'll share my experience with you too," <Heavy Cavalry> nodded.

<Detective> picked his ear and asked with wide eyes, "Surpass him when? When surpassing him?"

<Heavy Cavalry> glanced at him and returned to her emotionless state.

<Starfire>'s demeanor had become much more mature. The incident with <Mada> had hit him hard, but it had also made him grow a lot.

The competitive spirit was gone, replaced by a much calmer and steadier demeanor.

"Brother Ye, thanks for your help last time," <Starfire> said. "And congratulations on your successful second awakening."

"Mm," <Li Yèlái> replied. "I remember you guys just graduated high school, right? Going straight to university?"

In this era, the bar for university was high.

Someone like <Li Yèlái>, with only a high school diploma, would normally have to save up for a few years, gain considerable work experience, and then be able to take the university entrance exam.

Of course, those who excelled academically and received recommendations, or the wealthy who wanted to gild their resumes, didn't have to worry about this.

Therefore, the value of a university student was very high.

"Yeah, I'm already a university student," <Starfire> nodded. "My current daily task is to monitor the university for any hidden anomalies or strange occurrences. It's just a bit of trouble lately; a celebrity band has come to <Border City No. 3>. The students are all incredibly enthusiastic. The higher-ups are worried there might be issues, so they've assigned us to monitor the whole event. Though, we can get a couple of free tickets out of it."

The authorities had made some preparations for the band's arrival.

Perhaps certain intelligence had made them uneasy. Many handlers were dispatched to the scene.

After all, once the concert started, it would be a sea of people. Any problems that arose would be magnified infinitely.

However, this no longer concerned <Li Yèlái>.

He was scheduled to enter the <Black Prison> today, and wouldn't be out until next month.

After chatting with a few people, <Li Yèlái> went to retrieve his <Crimson Longsword>, put on the official combat uniform, and wandered around the branch office, waiting for his shift.

During this time, he saw seasoned handlers returning from outside the city, members of Team One, also fully armed.

<Li Yèlái> even saw a knight clad in dragon scale armor, wielding a pair of strange dual blades.

That dragon scale armor was made from actual dragon scales, said to be a <Psychic Weapon> crafted from the remains of a formidable fire dragon hunted in the forbidden zone, the <Doomsday Forest>.

These veteran handlers were typically the tough individuals who left <Giant City>, ventured beyond the high walls, and faced calamities in the wilderness.

They restrained the expansion of supernatural creatures and protected the communication lines and trade routes between the <Giant City>es.

Therefore, they were also known as the <Night Watch>.

They were the elite among handlers!

<Li Yèlái> knew this designation originated from ancient history before the Cataclysm.

Despite only having a high school diploma, working in an antique shop had given him some knowledge of this history.

The name stemmed from the ancient Great Wall, which <Li Yèlái> had never seen.

The Great Wall was a defensive measure employed by agricultural civilizations against nomadic peoples.

In most feudal <Wáng> dynasties, the Great Wall played a crucial role.

Strong <Wáng> dynasties, like the Han and Tang, used the Great Wall as a base to attack foreign tribes.

Weak <Wáng> dynasties, on the other hand, used it for defense.

It was important to remember that beyond the Central Plains lay the world's most expansive grasslands.

Countless nomadic cavalry roared across the land, becoming the most feared cavalry of that era.

The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Rouran, Shiwei, Turkic, Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongolians—all were once powerful forces.

And the Great Wall stood along that long, despair-inducing border.

It served as a beacon for early warning, a high wall for defense, and a means for troop deployment and transport.

Thus, the Great Wall became the most troublesome defense for the nomadic peoples.

It was precisely because of the Great Wall's existence that many northern nomadic tribes abandoned their southward expansion, turning westward instead, crossing the Danube or Rhine rivers.

The <Night Watch>, however, were units operating beyond the protection of the Great Wall. Their duty was to gather intelligence, conduct surprise attacks on enemies beyond the frontier, and scout enemy movements.

They were troops who walked on the edge of a blade. Once discovered, survival was a slim chance.

The high walls were like an iron Great Wall protecting humanity from the ravages of disaster.

And these handlers were the <Night Watch> operating outside that Great Wall!

For this suppression of the <Black Prison>, the <Night Watch> who were usually outside had also returned to <Giant City>.

Compared to the minor skirmishes within <Giant City>, they faced far greater dangers outside.

These colleagues were quite friendly towards <Li Yèlái>, even suggesting he go out and explore when he had the chance, perhaps even helping them surround and kill a high-level supernatural creature.

This left <Li Yèlái> utterly bewildered.

Just then, <Li Yèlái> felt his arm being pulled.

He turned to see a little dinosaur.

It was <Puppet>!

This time, she was wearing a dinosaur <Puppet> costume, which looked quite amusing among a group of fully armed <Spirit Ability Users>.

After <Puppet> pulled <Li Yèlái> out of the training room, she held up a sign.

[I prepared something for you (..)]

Then, she handed <Li Yèlái> a small black cloth bag with gold trim.

"Snacks shouldn't be necessary, right? I heard Cheese say there are some downstairs," Li Yèlái asked curiously, opening the cloth bag only to find a handful of long hair.

In an instant, two senior Night Watch members who had walked over to watch the commotion gasped and quickly retreated.

Li Yèlái immediately closed the bag.

He instantly understood. This was Puppet's hair. Due to the nature of curses, if her hair were seen by others, it would trigger a state of panic.

"This is..." Li Yèlái was a little surprised.

[My hair still has curse effects for about ten days after it's separated from me. It's not something to be proud of, and it's troublesome to manage usually. (〃ω)]

[Other colleagues using this would affect themselves. You don't fear me, so you can use it for defense. (`)]

[Be careful, Forbidden Items are very dangerous. Many colleagues have fallen victim to them. (;′⌒`)]

[Some Forbidden Items possess high intelligence and seductive abilities. If you feel something is wrong, just throw my hair out. They're afraid of me too! (ω)]

Puppet continuously changed the words on the billboard.

Her words were filled with concern.

Li Yèlái was a little touched. This meal buddy was too friendly to him.

So, he said, "Thank you. When I get out, I'll treat you to a big meal! Definitely!"

[Mhm, okay, I'm looking forward to it. (▽*)]

Puppet seemed a little happy when she saw Li Yèlái hide the cloth bag.

After chatting for a few more sentences, she bounced away.

Li Yèlái put away the cloth bag and grabbed his weapon, heading for the assembly point.

It was almost time.

When Li Yèlái arrived at the black elevator, he saw hundreds of fully armed Spirit Ability Users.

At the back of the crowd, Cheese was waving at him.

"Are we going down?" Li Yèlái asked, leaning closer. Cheese had changed out of her hoodie today, wearing a combat uniform and carrying bags.

"Yes, we've already started. But the black elevator has a small transport capacity, so it needs to make several trips," Cheese said. "After we go down, the fifth team will rotate in, and we'll begin the formal stationing. Don't be careless, but don't be nervous either."

Li Yèlái nodded, glancing at the small bags hanging on Cheese's body. He noticed they were all filled with saccharin she had brought.

To prevent the saccharin from being lost again, Li Yèlái stepped forward and took one of the bags.

"I'll carry a bag, so you don't lose it again," Li Yèlái said.

Cheese didn't refuse; instead, she smiled. "Okay, just don't choke me this time, and don't get it all over me."

Li Yèlái was already somewhat immune to Cheese's teasing. He just replied, "You pervert."

Ten minutes later, Li Yèlái, Cheese, and several other handlers finally boarded the black elevator.

The elevator had a viewing window, but it was pitch black.

After the elevator descended rapidly for dozens of meters, their eyes suddenly lit up.

What appeared before Li Yèlái was a relatively vast underground space, with many brightly lit buildings.

Teams of Iron Guards and groups of fully armed Spirit Ability Users were assembling in the large plaza of the underground space.

"It's this big?" Li Yèlái was astonished. He had thought the Black Prison was just a dark, gloomy jail.

"Giant City was initially planned as an underground city. Later, they found it unnecessary and converted it into the Black Prison midway. This is the first level, and it's our rest area and mess hall," an unfamiliar handler explained inside the elevator. "There are several more levels below, but those are not our responsibility to guard. Remember, if the situation gets out of control and multiple Forbidden Items break containment, we must immediately retreat to outside the black elevator."

"This is the only exit from the Black Prison!"