Chapter 781: Dawn Martial Contest: Testing the Edge (36)

"Are you going to detain us?" Xing immediately became alert.

"It's not detention. I will apply to the Judge of the Ten Kings Bureau's Inquiry Department to leave a detailed testimony for all of you on the Karmic Mirror Platform, to supplement what the report lacks, and also to silence the protests within the Alliance."

Dan Heng nodded: "…I have no problem."

"Furthermore, I have another matter to attend to in Luofu. If the testimony stamped with the Ten Kings Bureau's great seal is meant to suppress the opposing voices among the Alliance's high leadership, then the voices within the Yaoqing Starship's Fox People ought to be heard by General Jingyuan."

General Jingyuan said solemnly: "Is the Heaven-Striking General here for 'Hu Lei'?"

Feixiao: "Exactly. I will take away the Strider Nestfather 'Hu Lei' imprisoned in Luofu Prison and hand him over to the Yaoqing Starship for custody. The recent movements of the Striders are enough to prove they will have a great plot. We must respond in advance."

"Hu Lei is an age-old enemy of the Fox Clan; it is only reasonable for the Fox People to suppress and guard him. General Feixiao trusts Luofu's handling, and Luofu naturally trusts the general's handling in return. Old Yan, what do you think?"

Huai Yan stroked his beard and laughed: "I originally worried this would be a meeting of swords and spears. I was overthinking! Since you two have made a decision and resolved the difficulty, that couldn't be better!"

Feixiao nodded: "For the transfer of Hu Lei, I will send my subordinates Jiao Qiu and Mo Ze to first inspect the prison conditions, so as to later proceed with the escort. If there are no other questions, let's begin?"

——

One-Punch Man.

"Earlier, Feixiao said Hu Lei was the Strider War Chief captured seven hundred years ago; he ought to bear countless lives of the Starship people on his shoulders, so why not just kill him with a single stroke?"

Recalling the past enmity between the Starship and the Striders, it is truly hard for the Child Emperor to understand why they would go to such great lengths to imprison an extremely dangerous war chief, when with the Starship's technology, reducing a Strider to ashes would be utterly simple.

Don't the Starship understand the principle that long nights bring many dreams?

No matter how the Child Emperor thinks about it, it seems impossible.

Bangu stroked his chin and speculated: "Could it be that Hu Lei hides some information of utmost importance to the Starship? Coincidentally, this Hu Lei is still the Strider War Chief, so he surely grasps much about the war movements of the Abundance Folk."

"No, the most important thing about information is its timeliness; no matter how important, after seven hundred years it's worth nothing."

Sparkling Flash added lightly from the side: "Hu Lei was captured seven hundred years ago; the Striders likely already regard him as a discard. Moreover, they now have a new leader, Phantom. Under one heaven, if Phantom knows Hu Lei is still alive, he would probably wish him to die soon in the Starship's great prison."

——

After a while, a Star Barge carried Xing and Dan Heng to a water gate.

Passing through this water gate, inside there was not a breath of wind; the air was dense as solidified liquid, weighing heavily on the skin. Xing opened his eyes and began to gradually adapt to this extremely dim environment.

Before them stood an ancient bronze gate; Dan Heng gazed at the human-head sculpture on the door and couldn't help but feel moved: "Prison… after so many years, I never expected to return here."

As the gate opened, the interior of the Prison unfolded before her, a jail resembling an ancient tower, each level linked by interlacing iron chains. In the distance, Jiao Qiu and Mo Ze had already arrived, the two whispering about something.

Jiao Qiu gave Xing a meaningful look, while Mo Ze failed to grasp its intent and asked: "What are you looking at?"

"Luofu's Prison… is completely different from Yaoqing's, and indeed it is submerged underwater."

Mo Ze said lightly: "Whether in the sky or underwater, escaping is a piece of cake."

Jiao Qiu chuckled: "Kid, is your old habit of jailbreaking acting up again? Stop sizing me up—you're already a free man. If the judges discover you have any ill intent, they'll surely lock you up for a few hundred years, one way or another."

Mo Ze, however, was quite confident: "In just a few days, you'll see me again."

——

Original God.

"Who would've thought he likes jailbreaking—this young man's hobby is quite dangerous."

Inside Melopietroburg, Lei Ousi Li took a sip of black tea, gently setting the cup back on its saucer. A hint of a playful smile crossed his lips; he seemed very interested in Mo Ze.

"Are you wondering whether he can escape from Melopietroburg by jailbreaking?" Clorinde said lightly, sitting opposite him.

Lei Ousi Li also gave a low chuckle upon hearing that, leaning back and settling into the soft high-backed chair.

"No, to be honest, I'm not interested in his jailbreaking skills. Since that Foolish Folk Executor managed to break out of Melopietroburg successfully, this Mr. Mo Ze from the Yaoqing Starship surely can escape here with ease." He shook his head. "…Perhaps coming to Melopietroburg is just like paying a neighborly visit for him."

"What truly interests me is the Prison itself." Lei Ousi Li raised his hand toward the canopy, which, following Xing's line of sight, displayed the Prison's layered, honeycomb‑precise internal structure.

Clorinde lifted her teacup: "In a sense, the Prison and Melopietroburg are quite alike—for example, both are built underwater."

"That confirms building underwater is quite correct, but the true similarity lies in the prison's structure… Their internal construction resembles ours to some extent, yet is far more complex and vast. I don't know whether they have confined Hu Lei in the Prison's lowest level, but if so, then escaping would almost be impossible."

Clorinde tapped the saucer with her spoon, producing a clear sound, as if emphasizing: "…You said 'almost.'"

Lei Ousi Li shrugged: "I just don't want to state everything as absolute, but according to my professional experience, attempting a frontal breakthrough of the Prison is impossible—unless, like that Foolish Folk Executor, one takes advantage of weak guards and uses the prison's conduits to escape."

"So you think Hu Lei could possibly escape prison?" Clorinde asked.

"No." The duke lifted his already slightly cool tea, took another sip, "If he's been imprisoned for seven hundred years and still hasn't escaped, then even locking him up for another seven thousand years wouldn't make it possible—someone like him, a major criminal, surely has ten thousand eyes on him… I might even be understating it."

——

"Escorting Hu Lei back to Yaoqing is not only of great importance to the Yaoqing Fox People, but also extremely important to the general—stay alert."

Mo Ze nodded.

At that moment, Xue Yi walked over from the side: "You two, my name is Xue Yi; I await orders here under the Ten Kings Bureau's Seal Department directive."