deltrittennovels Chapter 209 The World Is About to Change~
Chapter 209 The World Is About to Change~
"Oh?" Cyrus leaned forward slightly. "Speak."
"It's about Prisoner Zero, 'Blank.' This afternoon, during the prison guards' routine patrol, it... actively conveyed a clear thought, and I immediately went to communicate with it."
Cyrus's pupils contracted slightly.
Leng Meng continued her report: "It indicated that the long imprisonment and fruitless resistance had made it fully realize the reality."
"It is willing to give up all resistance, sign a blood pact with you, and become your most loyal servant."
"In exchange for the continuation of our existence, and a place under your command in the future..."
A hush fell over the office.
Cyrus Mohn's facial muscles remained perfectly still, but a storm was instantly brewing in his deep, abyss-like eyes.
First came an unbelievable ecstasy and greed, an instinctive thirst for the power contained in the "blank," which almost broke through his cold, hard crust.
But the next moment, as if doused with ice water, extreme vigilance and suspicion quickly froze that trace of ecstasy.
He leaned back, the dark red gemstone seal slowly turning between his pale fingers. After a long while, he finally spoke:
"It...hates me to the core and uses every means to try to escape or even turn against me."
"Over the years, I've come to know its stubbornness and cunning better than anyone else."
"How could I... suddenly understand?"
Leng Meng seemed to have anticipated this question; the "excitement" on her face faded slightly, replaced by a rational, analytical expression:
"Warden, you must have heard the saying, 'If you can't beat them, join them,' right? Submission is the only optimal solution they calculate based on their survival instinct."
"It realized that if it continued to resist, it would only be completely annihilated by you, while by submitting to the strongest you, it might be able to retain a spark of 'self'."
Cyrus listened in silence, his fingertips gently tracing the seal.
Leng Meng pressed her advantage and continued:
"Warden, while this matter certainly requires utmost caution, the opportunity is once in a lifetime!"
"At that time, I will personally lead the Obsidian Guard squad to escort you into the Δ zone. Even if 'Blank' harbors ulterior motives, it won't be able to cause any trouble against the combined suppression of you, me, and the four A-rank elites. Moreover—"
Leng Meng paused at just the right moment, raised her head, and looked directly at Cyrus:
"Warden, don't you still hold the 'Soul-Locking Chain'? As long as you lock the 'Blank' first, it won't be able to use any of its power, and then it will naturally be at your disposal."
"If we miss this generous gift... we may never have another chance!"
Cyrus's cold expression finally softened slightly.
Leng Meng's proposed solution did indeed minimize the risks.
The allure of "blankness"—its submission and its power—is simply too great.
So big that he's willing to take a "controllable" risk.
After a long ten seconds, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of determination:
"You've convinced me, Deputy Warden Leng. The power of 'Blank' is crucial to me... to the next phase of the prison's planning."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze deep and focused.
"You are fully responsible for arranging the specific actions."
"I have only one requirement: safety first!"
"Yes!" Leng Meng straightened her back.
The look of "excitement" returned to her face, a mixture of absolute obedience and unwavering confidence:
"Please rest assured, Warden, everything will be handled flawlessly!"
She paused briefly, then pressed on, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's set the blood pact ceremony for 10 a.m. tomorrow. What do you think?"
Cyrus nodded: "Okay, tomorrow at ten o'clock."
He was indeed getting impatient.
"Then I'll go prepare right away." Leng Meng turned around briskly and left the office with steady steps.
Outside the window, the last glimmer of light was completely swallowed by darkness.
Night fell in the prison.
The talkative parrot suddenly flapped its wings and muttered, "...The weather's about to change..."
........................
As soon as Leng Meng left the warden's office, the slight "excitement" she had been trying to maintain on her face instantly froze, returning to her usual coldness and aloofness.
Instead of returning to her deputy warden's office, she turned and headed straight for the guards' quarters on the east side of the prison.
It was a square, dark five-story building. Occasionally, prison guards would walk by in the corridor, and when they saw Leng Meng, they would all suddenly fall silent, straighten their backs, step back to the wall, lower their eyes, and greet her in a low voice: "Deputy Warden Leng."
Leng Meng nodded slightly, and without stopping, went straight to the door of Room 309 at the end of the third floor—this was the private dormitory of the Obsidian Guard Squad.
She didn't knock.
Push it open directly.
The scene inside the door froze instantly:
Four Obsidian Guard members were sitting around a low square table, each holding a few playing cards in their hands.
The cards are printed with images of women dressed in extremely revealing clothing and in ambiguous poses, some of which are even obscene.
They turned their heads and saw it was Deputy Warden Leng. They froze instantly, and the card game came to an abrupt end.
Leng Meng's gaze swept across the four astonished faces like an icicle, and she locked the heavy door shut with a "click".
Before anyone had a chance to speak or react, she flicked her right hand out like lightning, and four almost invisible, dark blue beams of cold light shot towards the four people's foreheads!
The distance was too close, the speed too fast, and coupled with the brief shock brought about by Leng Meng's identity as the deputy warden, the four of them barely had time to react before the cold light instantly pierced their foreheads, leaving only a fleeting, icy sting that went straight to the depths of their souls.
"Ugh—!"
The four men suddenly stood up, overturning the table and chairs, scattering the cards all over the floor.
Their faces were filled with shock, confusion, and anger at the sudden attack.
The captain, a rugged man with a face as if carved by a knife, covered his forehead, his voice hoarse with shock and anger:
"Deputy Warden Leng, what do you mean by this?!"
Leng Meng withdrew her hand, her posture still upright and aloof, as if she had merely flicked dust off her sleeve.
"'Soul-Holding Needle'. It is a technique I have mastered, refined using the vitality of your souls as nourishment."
"Without my unique method to remove the seal, it will slowly erode your soul fire."
"To be precise, after seventy-two hours, the soul fire will be extinguished, and you will experience the pain of your soul being frozen inch by inch and crushed into dust, and finally be completely annihilated in the most extreme torment."
The air froze instantly.
"We...we were just playing cards during our break from duty!"
Another tall guard couldn't help but growl, pointing at the signs on the ground with pictures of beautiful women printed on them.
"Although...although this card is a bit irregular, it doesn't warrant...doesn't warrant this kind of punishment, does it?!"
Leng Meng's gaze swept over the four people one by one. Her gaze was no longer just that of a superior scrutinizing his subordinates, but that of a hunter confirming the prey that had been caught in the cage.
"Punishment? No, this is insurance!"
She took a small step forward, and the invisible pressure made the four of them instinctively tense up.
"Listen, I'll only say this once." Leng Meng's voice was even lower, but every word was like a nail, hammering into their still-shaken minds.
"Tomorrow at 10:00 AM, the warden will personally come to cell number 0 in sector Δ to sign a blood pact with the contained object 'Blank'. The four of you will accompany him as guards."
The pupils of all four people contracted slightly.
The task itself wasn't particularly special, but given his current predicament of being implanted with the deadly "Soul-Holding Needle," a chill ran down his spine.
"During the signing process, no matter what happens, you are not allowed to move an inch without my clear signal!"
"Even if the warden himself gives you the order... you must stand rooted to the spot like obsidian statues, understand?!"