Welcome to Prison No. 18

The familiar cell, familiar alloy walls, familiar cold bed.

Qing Chen had never felt so delighted. He had feared that his second crossing would take him somewhere else. If that had happened, all his previous efforts would have been wasted, along with the goodwill he had finally earned from Li Shutong.

Now, it seemed that every crossing continued from the last one. That meant the Canon sheet music he had memorized was still useful.

Whatever Li Shutong's true identity was, He Xiaoxiao's guide had already confirmed that he was an influential figure in the Inner World.

At this moment, Qing Chen believed that 90 percent of the travelers were still confused, unsure how to obtain what they wanted from the Inner World.

But he had already crossed over to Li Shutong's side.

Perhaps the other travelers had already witnessed the magnificent, wondrous world outside, but that was not important.

Qing Chen spat the USB drive from his mouth into his palm. The experiment had succeeded.

The fact that he could bring the USB drive over showed that as long as something was inside his "body," it could pass through that wall of time.

He then looked at the bruises on his arm. Likewise, injuries sustained in the Outer World came with him when he crossed over.

That proved that the body that crossed over was indeed his own body.

Using his own methods, Qing Chen gradually filled in his understanding of this world and the mechanism of crossing over.

As time passed, the noisy sounds of prisoners banging on alloy cell doors gradually rose throughout Prison No. 18.

For some reason, compared to the Outer World where he had no one to rely on, Qing Chen even found the clamor he had not heard for two days somewhat comforting.

He was back.

Qing Chen looked at his arm. The white interlocking mechanical pattern's countdown had changed:

Return countdown 47:55:50.

This return countdown was still two days long, very brief.

But Qing Chen wondered whether the countdown's duration would change. Would it become longer or shorter in the future?

At mealtime, the alloy cell doors opened on schedule. Qing Chen was no longer as cautious as he had been when he first arrived. He stepped over the threshold and looked down below. Li Shutong, Ye Wan, and Lin Xiaoxiao were already downstairs, and Lin Xiaoxiao was even waving at him.

The prisoners around him still looked on with envy.

Qing Chen smiled and greeted the prisoners. Some of them hurriedly returned the gesture as if flattered.

At some point, this seventeen-year-old boy had also become a "big shot" in the prison.

However, Qing Chen did not hurry downstairs. He stood in the shadows of the fifth-floor corridor, silently surveying the prison.

At midnight in the Inner World, after all the prisoners had been locked in their cells, a group of newcomers had been escorted in.

By now, the second batch of travelers from the Outer World should have arrived in the Inner World.

Qing Chen wanted to watch from upstairs to see whether he could spot any traces of "travelers," while considering how he should conceal his identity if there really were any.

At that moment, eight unfamiliar faces stood scattered across the second-floor corridor, looking around timidly and in confusion.

Qing Chen froze, because one of them was none other than Liu Dezhu, the classmate from the neighboring class who had claimed yesterday that he was a traveler!

He could not go downstairs yet. Liu Dezhu would definitely recognize him.

Amid the commotion, Lu Guangyi on the sixth floor shouted at the newcomers with a grin, "Newbies, huh? We'll give you some proper entertainment later!"

Qing Chen had found Lu Guangyi a little annoying before, but after returning to Prison No. 18, even seeing this guy felt oddly comforting.

Suddenly, someone smiled at the new prisoners and said, "Welcome to Prison No. 18!"

Qing Chen watched the newcomers' expressions. When Liu Dezhu heard the words "Prison No. 18," his expression gradually began to change.

A trace of delight suddenly appeared amidst his initial fear.

It seemed that the term "Prison No. 18" was particularly special.

However, Liu Dezhu did not act rashly. He quietly copied the other prisoners and lined up to go downstairs for food. On the way, he softly asked the prisoner in front of him, "Excuse me, which one is Li Shutong?"

The prisoners before and behind him were both stunned by the question. Everyone began to wonder: Could this guy be someone with connections?

After thinking for a moment, one prisoner pointed for him. "There, that man downstairs."

Liu Dezhu looked down from above and immediately noticed Li Shutong's distinctive presence. He Xiaoxiao really hadn't lied to me. You could tell at a glance that this middle-aged man was a big shot!

After getting his meal, he discovered that the other prisoners could move around freely. They gradually began closing in around him, smiling with ill intent.

Liu Dezhu silently cursed in alarm and decisively carried his tray toward Li Shutong.

But before he could get close, Lin Xiaoxiao blocked his path.

Standing before him, Lin Xiaoxiao said with a smile, "These past two days have been strange. Why does every newcomer dare come straight to find my boss?"

Liu Dezhu turned to glance at the prisoners who wanted to grab him, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously to Lin Xiaoxiao, "I'm here to accept a mission. I'm one of us."

Lin Xiaoxiao: "???"

What the hell? Liu Dezhu's words completely baffled Lin Xiaoxiao!

What mission? He had never seen this person in the organization! And why the hell did this feel like some kind of spy rendezvous?

Seeing that Lin Xiaoxiao said nothing, Liu Dezhu became a little anxious. "I really am here to accept a mission! A class advancement mission!"

"Get lost!" Lin Xiaoxiao said impatiently. Then he waved to the prisoners nearby. "What are you standing around for? Drag him away!"

Liu Dezhu was truly panicking now. He shouted at Li Shutong, "Li Shutong, I'm here to accept a class advancement mission!"

In an instant, all of Prison No. 18 fell silent.

It was as though someone had suddenly hit the mute button on Prison No. 18. The prisoners stood where they were, staring at one another.

They had no idea what had happened, but it all felt deeply strange!

At that moment, Li Shutong still did not raise his head from the unfinished game before him, but Big Cat lying on the table and Ye Wan beside it both instantly turned to look at Liu Dezhu.

Lin Xiaoxiao narrowed his eyes and gave a chuckle. "What kind of weirdo has shown up this time?"

To be honest, Liu Dezhu himself had no idea what had gone wrong.

He Xiaoxiao's guide had only listed three class paths in total. The first two were vague, while only the Prison No. 18 route seemed feasible.

Now that he had crossed directly into Prison No. 18, wasn't this the legendary Chosen One start?

Except... this did not seem like a suitable place for a class advancement mission. Had he gotten something wrong somewhere?

Liu Dezhu had no time to think further. At Lin Xiaoxiao's signal, the prisoners beside him were about to forcibly drag him into a cell for a lesson.

Suddenly, Liu Dezhu spotted a gap and squeezed through the crowd. He ran to the alloy gate beside the courtyard and began pounding on it frantically. "Let me out! They're going to torture me! Let me out!"

At that moment, the drones in the sky were descending, and the nine mechanical prison guards below began moving as well.

Qing Chen looked at Liu Dezhu speechlessly. Was this kid out of his mind?

Having just arrived in a new world, shouldn't he have observed the situation first?