When Pei Liang opened her eyes, she was dazed for a moment.
Before her was a cramped, confined space. It was reasonably clean and tidy, but the entire room contained nothing superfluous.
If she paid close attention, she could detect the lingering, rather suggestive scent of sex in the air—yet there was no one else present.
This was clearly not an ordinary social setting, and the memories that came flooding in confirmed it.
This mission was quite unusual compared with the previous ones.
The characters she had inherited in the past—even Prince Liang, who had been violent and sinister in her last world—could not simply be called utterly evil.
But this time, the character could be described as a pure, unadulterated villain.
The setting of this world was also different from before. Its technology belonged to a futuristic age.
And where Pei Liang currently was was the highest-security prison in the Human Federation.
Everyone qualified to be held here was, without exception, a serious criminal guilty of countless grave offenses. Either they had committed acts too inhumane to tolerate, caused disasters of enormous severity, or offended people and interests powerful enough to matter.
In short, pick any one of them and put them in an ordinary prison, and they would be considered an exceptionally dangerous inmate.
Before being arrested and imprisoned, the original owner of this body had been a deranged criminal responsible for all manner of evil, with several horrifying crimes to her name.
Incidentally, she was also homosexual—
Upon receiving that piece of information, Pei Liang looked down at her own trousers. At least, that was how it was classified in this era.
She herself did not see it that way, though. After all, there were six genders in this world, and she was merely attracted to three of them. How did that make her homosexual?
Back to the point: after the original owner was arrested, multiple serious offenses were combined in sentencing, and she received a prison term of 999 years.
She had originally been sent to serve her sentence on some remote, desolate planet. But after inciting a riot and killing someone during it, she had been transferred to the Federation’s highest-security prison.
The original owner no longer had any family outside. Before her imprisonment, she had had a lover with whom she was passionately involved.
But Pei Liang did not believe that relationship was still ongoing. So, in her present identity, she could truly be said to have no ties or attachments left in the world.
After fully receiving the original owner’s memories, Pei Liang found herself in a difficult position.
Because, in the case of someone who was rotten to the core, Pei Liang did not think this character was qualified to strive for anything at all.
She glanced around the tightly controlled, cutting-edge confinement facilities of this future prison. Given the knowledge currently in her head, escaping was still beyond her technical capabilities for the time being.
But that was not the problem. She could make up for those shortcomings through study, and she would eventually succeed.
Yet someone who had casually taken countless lives, brought pain to innumerable families, and contributed not the slightest positive value to society—if such a person were allowed to live well, even to struggle and succeed, Pei Liang felt that would be unfair to the victims and their families.
Dissatisfied, Pei Liang asked the system directly, “Is there something wrong with this world’s selection mechanism?”
“According to the game’s principles, someone who has already committed crimes against humanity shouldn’t be eligible to become a mission character, should they?”
After all, they were a legitimate game. Broadly speaking, they still had to uphold positive and proper values. If they displayed any serious political incorrectness and got reported, they could face rectification—or even be taken offline.
But then Pei Liang remembered that this time, the world she had been sent into was one that the Cannon Fodder Struggle Game had taken over from an 18+ game.
A maximum-security prison. A crowd of criminals with no moral bottom line. Excess energy with nowhere to vent. Homosexuality.
Damn, that really did sound like one hell of a setting. No wonder this trashy game had been taken off the market.
This was absolutely not something good kids should be playing.
Pei Liang was certain that the Cannon Fodder Struggle Game had made alterations to it. But why was there such a massive loophole in the host’s identity alone?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, yet the system made no sound in response.
“System?”
“...”
Several seconds passed. She checked her settings again to make sure she had not forgotten to turn off Do Not Disturb.
She hadn’t.
The system truly was not responding.
Pei Liang sat up in bed. Now this was interesting.
The system had vanished, and there was clearly something seriously wrong with her character’s identity. Lying low and doing nothing went against the very purpose of her mission—but if she tried too hard, this instance had been flawed at its roots. Who knew where that might lead?
Pei Liang thought of a certain presence. Could that person be trying to waste her time by trapping her in this meaningless place?
Or had a trap been planted at the very foundation of the mission?
That would certainly be far cleverer than the scheme set up in the previous apocalypse instance.
Pei Liang stopped trying to contact the system and got out of bed.
If even the system could not be found, then there was no point hoping for a script. This was different from feeling her way across a river by stepping on stones.
This time, she was a blind person feeling for stones in the dark.
For the first time, Pei Liang actually hesitated over what her first step should be.
Still, there was no rush. After all, her sentence was a full 999 years.
She would watch how things developed first. Besides, this instance could offer her more than merely mission-related rewards.
If the worst came to pass and she truly could not complete the mission, the knowledge and theories of this future world would still be an invaluable treasure—something not easily encountered.
At that moment, a piercing bell rang throughout the prison. According to the original host’s memories, it was the breakfast bell.
Pei Liang got out of bed and walked from her cell. The maximum-security prison imposed strict regulations on its inmates.
The prisoners were housed two to a cell. Apart from Pei Liang, everyone emerging from the nearby cells came out in pairs. As usual, they stood to the left and right of their cell doors, then turned in unison and formed orderly lines heading toward the cafeteria.
The prison was enormous and held a great many inmates. It was hard to tell from inside the cells, but once they reached the cafeteria, the scale became immediately apparent.
There were nearly several thousand prisoners in total. Apparently, the Interstellar Federation had no shortage of scum.
The cafeteria was a vast space. The maximum-security prison was fairly humane in this regard: breakfast was divided into several sections offering different styles of food.
The inmates could choose what they liked, though it was hardly lavish or gourmet fare.
Pei Liang decisively headed for the East Asian food section. Breakfast consisted of a few simple options: congee, noodles, steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and the like.
It looked pretty decent, and the portions were generous. She had apparently gone through intense physical exertion the night before, and she was hungry now.
She took a large bowl of congee and several steamed buns, then found a seat at random.
As she ate, she quietly observed her surroundings.
Judging from appearances alone, the inmates in the prison came from a complicated mix of bloodlines, with a dazzling variety of hair colors. In the future, people could even inject genetic enhancement drugs for cosmetic purposes.
Hair and iris colors could be altered, facial features subtly adjusted—there was no longer any need for surgery, as Pei Liang understood it.
Many of the serious offenders here had also been born at the bottom of society. Their mothers were mostly prostitutes or drug addicts who had traded on their looks, caring little about their genes or any potential side effects.
Naturally, the children they gave birth to varied widely in appearance as well.
Though it housed several thousand inmates, this large prison was not particularly difficult to manage with the aid of future technology.
Still, with so many people gathered in one place, countless prison factions of every size had inevitably sprung up.
Several of the prison bosses who were doing particularly well made their presence unmistakably felt in the cafeteria.
Each faction clustered together, making them difficult for outsiders to join—and even harder to provoke.
Pei Liang occupied a small table by herself, and no one dared sit across from her.
The original owner of this body had been something of a lone wolf throughout the prison, but she was also one of those dangerous figures whom no one could afford to offend.
First, her record of accomplishments was impressive even among the inmates.
Second, although she was cruel, unhinged, and fairly strong, she had no interest whatsoever in building a faction. All she liked was forcing people to pick up soap.
Dangerous, but not truly threatening—so even the leaders of the prison’s various factions generally avoided provoking her.
It simply was not worth the trouble.
Then Pei Liang felt someone watching her.
She looked up and saw a young man in uniform standing on the second floor, looking down at her.
His appearance lay somewhere between that of a man and a youth. He was tall and leanly built, his bearing rigid and arrogant.
According to the original owner’s memories, he was Warden Lancelot of the Federation’s highest-security prison.
He had assumed the position not long ago. At first, the inmates had looked down on him because of his age and his excessively refined, beautiful appearance.
But his formidable strength and ruthless methods had quickly silenced those voices.
As he looked down at the densely packed inmates below, his eyes held the same contemptuous coldness one might reserve for a heap of garbage, with no attempt to conceal it.
Yet today, his gaze lingered on Pei Liang for slightly longer than usual.
To Lancelot, these scum had no human rights at all. He did not even regard them as human beings.
They were merely beasts wearing human skin—beasts that required management.
But today, that rare inmate of pure East Asian descent had caught his attention in a way he could not explain.
There was no particular reason for it. Once his gaze fell on her, it became difficult to look away. Even when he forced himself to avert his eyes, they would unconsciously drift back to her, as though drawn by a magnet.
Perhaps his excessive attention had caught the notice of the person beside him. His tall, snake-eyed female assistant spoke.
“Inmate 3456. She was transferred to our Federation’s highest-security prison after inciting a mass riot at Pollock Prison and murdering seven people during the disturbance.”
“Since her transfer, she has been relatively well-behaved.”
“Well-behaved?” the warden scoffed.
Someone who was truly well-behaved would not be sitting there so calmly. The first thing every inmate did upon entering this prison was establish their standing, whether voluntarily or by force.
Once they were sorted into the bottom rung, the days ahead would not be pleasant.
The She-Serpent prison guard did not deny the warden’s words. In her cool, smoky voice, rich with a peculiar charm, she said, “By her usual standards—she’s actually been fairly well-behaved.”
“Oh, right. She’s also homosexual.”
“Hm?” Warden Lancelot frowned deeply. At that, he could not help but cast Pei Liang a long, hard look.
There were only Alphas in this prison. It was hardly unusual for them to sleep with members of the same sex to satisfy their urges.
But that was different from someone who had been specifically identified as homosexual. That meant the person had received an authoritative psychological diagnosis.
It meant she did not sleep with Alphas merely because circumstances left her no alternative. She genuinely liked Alphas.
Of course, such people were not especially rare in prison. According to studies, a considerable number of homosexual Alphas were born with personality defects or had suffered psychological trauma later in life.
And such people also happened to be more prone to crime. So while they might be uncommon outside, they were nothing remarkable within prison walls.
Yet when Warden Lancelot heard Pei Liang associated with the word “homosexual,” an inexplicable anger rose in his chest.
Anger, regret, and helplessness, all tangled together.
That only worsened Lancelot’s mood.
So he merely gave Pei Liang another deep look. When she raised her head and their gazes met, he abruptly turned and left the second floor.
Pei Liang bit into her steamed bun, feeling a little disappointed.
Such a beautiful young man—possessing that kind of appearance, yet also an absolutely authoritative position within the prison and such ruthless methods. Contradictory character settings were always the deadliest.
Just looking at him made the food taste better.
Now that he was gone, the busty beauty beside him had left as well. In an instant, Pei Liang had lost two sources of pleasure, and the bun in her mouth no longer seemed quite so tasty.
A few nearby prisoners noticed her and nudged their companions.
“Look at that lesbian. She’s practically drooling over the warden and the She-Serpent. Bet we’ll get a good show soon.”
“She can’t be that stupid, can she? I remember the first time the warden made his rounds. Some idiot grabbed him through the bars, thinking he could just take the warden right there. And what happened? The warden dragged him out through that narrow cell door.”
“That door was so narrow, and the guy was huge. It took nearly half an hour of torment before his entire body was pulled through. By the time he was out, he was dead and barely recognizable. That spot was near Cell 3456, wasn’t it? Who would dare set their sights on the warden after that?”
“You’ll never understand how a horny person’s mind works.”
Pei Liang nodded absentmindedly. On that point, she wholeheartedly agreed.
Leaving aside whether she would actually do it, if the question was simply whether she dared to act—
She really would.
Meanwhile, an exceptionally hulking man was struggling to make a choice in the Western food section.
Brian had suffered from severe indecisiveness since childhood, so his usual solution was to choose everything.
That was also why he had committed several serious robberies and ended up in prison.
Ordinarily, his crimes would not have been enough to send him to the Federation’s highest-security prison. But during his final job, he stole something he should never have touched and caused an important figure’s old illness to flare up, resulting in that person’s death. After considerable maneuvering behind the scenes, he was thrown into this hellhole.
His record counted for nothing in this place. He was at the bottom of the prison’s pecking order. The only reason he hadn’t sunk all the way to the very bottom was his imposing height and build. Even so, he was nobody special—just another man keeping his head down and trying to survive.
He had been standing there alone for more than three minutes, dithering over what to order.
Then someone kicked him in the back.
A spark of anger flared in Brian’s chest. He spun around and saw the leader of a small gang.
The man was built like a tank too, covered in tattoos from scalp to neck. He sneered at Brian.
“Are you picking out a pie, or picking out your own grave?”
Brian instinctively shrank back. “Sorry. I’ll decide now. Right now.”
In prison, you never provoked someone stronger than you. There was no shame in bowing your head to certain people. That was how Brian had always survived.
But seeing how meek he was only made the other man more arrogant.
“Let’s see what our Big Guy Brian is struggling with.”
“Ooh, look at this. Five whole choices for breakfast. So luxurious, so dazzling, that poor Brian just can’t possibly decide.”
Brian’s expression darkened.
The man had already lost patience. He shoved Brian out of the line.
“Let me tell you a way you won’t have to choose.”
“Go wait in the bathroom. Once we’re done taking a shit, you’ll get to sample every flavor.”
“Ha ha ha…”
The people around them burst into laughter.
Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it.
Brian kept repeating the words to himself, trying desperately to force down the rage boiling inside him. Yet another voice, faint but insistent, was cursing him from within.
You fucking coward. You shouldn’t be like this. And if you’re going to kneel, it sure as hell shouldn’t be before trash like this.
Even as his reason tried to restrain his anger, his instincts had already begun assessing the other man’s strength.
The conclusion made Brian think he had gone insane.
Because he could clearly tell that he could take this guy down with one hand.
Then the word “shit” hit him. He had no idea why that particular word carried such weight. He had been humiliated with far filthier insults countless times before.
But the instant he heard it, the rope of reason inside him snapped.
He drove a fist forward.
The man was probably used to prison fights, and his reaction was quick enough. He threw up an arm to block.
But he was nowhere near fast enough to stop Brian’s savage strike.
Their strength wasn’t even in the same league. Brian had no idea why everyone had always taken him for a useless showpiece.
The thought baffled him, but his hands didn’t hesitate.
Punch after punch landed solidly. In only a few blows, he sent the man vomiting blood—and flying backward.
The man’s companions froze for a moment before rushing Brian all at once, trying to swarm him.
Brian didn’t flinch.
With a hand as broad as a fan, he seized one man by the arm and gave it a casual twist. Bones cracked sharply, followed by a scream of agony.
He slipped nimbly around their attacks as they grabbed chairs and food trays to use as weapons. More than getting hurt, he seemed to hate the thought of getting dirty.
“Too weak. Too slow. Crude fighting techniques. Bodies as fragile as paper.”
“AAARGH!” Brian roared, his voice echoing through the entire room. “Why the hell was I ever so damn submissive to garbage like this?”
“Didn’t I—didn’t I prove I’m strong?”
By the time he shouted those final words, no one around him was still standing.
The fight had begun quickly and ended just as fast. Before the guards could even rush over from the far end of the hall, Brian had wiped out a small gang all by himself.
His final roar rang through the dining hall, now eerily quiet, loud enough to shake the rafters—as though it embodied an unyielding spirit of rebellion.
There were two places in the world that worshipped strength above all else: the Federal military and prison.
At the sight of this, the surrounding inmates immediately erupted in cheers of approval.
“Brian! Brian! Brian! …”
Cutlery struck the bolted-down metal tables in perfect rhythm as everyone shouted Brian’s name in praise.
Brian spread his arms wide. “This is the feeling.”
“This is how I’m supposed to be.”
Leaders of gangs large and small could not help but take notice of him. After all, he had accomplished this feat entirely on his own.
“Silence!” the She-Serpent’s stern voice rang out over the intercom.
The She-Serpent’s reputation in the prison was enough to make people tremble. She had been here for a long time, and no one dared provoke her after she spoke.
The cafeteria immediately returned to order.
The defeated men slunk away in humiliation, while Brian hopped up onto a table.
“From now on, if you want to break free from the pathetic lives you used to live, follow me.”
The moment he said this, quite a few unaffiliated inmates nearby joined him.
The leaders of the various factions frowned. They were only independent inmates for now; next would come conflict and annexation.
Judging by the way Brian carried himself, he was clearly not the sort to be content with running some small-time crew.
Still, this was inevitable. He had demonstrated his strength, and in prison, wherever there was a strong person, people would gather around them.
Before breakfast was even over, Brian’s gang had gained several dozen new members.
Which made Pei Liang—the only person in this section who remained unmoved, calmly eating breakfast—stand out all the more.
Brian looked at her, and for some reason, irritation flared in his chest, accompanied by a trace of fear.
But he did not take that fear seriously. After all, he had been afraid of the men he had just fought, too. To him, such emotions were merely weakness—the weakness of someone who had yet to break free from the shackles in his own mind.
They had nothing to do with objective circumstances.
One of his freshly recruited underlings followed his gaze and said in a low voice, “That’s Pei Liang—a cruel, cunning lesbian.”
“She doesn’t have much ambition. Her only hobby is screwing Alphas.”
Brian grinned, strode over, and dropped heavily into the seat opposite Pei Liang.
“A lesbian? I, Brian, have had countless friends in my life, but I’ve never had a lesbian friend before.”
He fixed Pei Liang with a stare. “Do you want to be my friend?”
“If you’re my friend, you’ll have more bitches to play with than you can count. If you’re not my friend, more people than you can count will treat you like a bitch.”
“So? Choose.”
Pei Liang looked at the hulking man in front of her. Logically, she did not know him at all, and she could not possibly have any favorable feelings toward a violent criminal.
Yet for some reason, just looking at him made her want to laugh—and stirred a strange feeling of tenderness within her.
Pei Liang’s heart shifted. She quietly took note of that anomaly.
Yet he answered with a beaming smile, “How about I give you another option?”
“I beat the shit out of you, then tie you up bent over in the bathhouse or the restroom. You can be the communal bitch. How does that sound?”
Brian had developed genuine PTSD over the word “shit.” The moment he heard Pei Liang say it, his heart instinctively clenched.
Then, humiliated and enraged, he threw up both hands and actually flipped the heavy metal table that had been welded to the floor.
He hurled it straight at Pei Liang’s seemingly slight frame. Instinctively, he was treating Pei Liang with far more caution than he had those rabble earlier.
And then—
Well, there was no “then.”
Even when Brian caught the stench wafting from his own crotch, his face was still frozen in an expression of utter disbelief.
Pei Liang had grabbed him by the chin and smashed him against the ground over and over, like cracking walnuts. Under that kind of stimulation, it wasn’t exactly strange for something in his gut to burst out, right?
No one around him looked disgusted. Really.
But to Brian, it was as though the sky had fallen. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Through the haze, Pei Liang’s devilish face appeared before him. “All right, now do you want to be tied up bent over in the restroom, or do you want to be my dog and wag your tail?”
“Choose.”
“Waaah...” Brian burst into tears.
He had only cried halfway through one sob when Pei Liang’s voice turned cold. “Choose.”
“Woof!”
He was extremely good at recognizing the situation.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Arnold glared murderously at the prison doctor. “Y-you... what did you just say?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses. “I said, even if you and your cellmate are very close, you should restrain yourselves a little.”
“To be frank, your anal sphincter has already loosened to a certain degree.”
Arnold’s vision went dark. His cellmate’s face instantly surfaced in his mind—
“Pei—Liang—!”
