Bat was taken aback by the question and stole a glance at the boss before cautiously asking, "You want to get close to the warden?"
"But didn’t you hear what she just said?" This was clearly not a woman who would be easy to talk to.
Lu Yu replied, "I heard, very clearly. A woman driven by emotion, who just lost her beloved father."
"I can empathize with her feelings. We’ll have plenty to talk about."
Bat was baffled. "Huh? Boss, didn’t you chop up your own dad and feed him to the dogs?"
Lu Yu scoffed, "Dead fathers are dead fathers. Does it matter how they died?"
Was that really how it worked? Bat scratched his head in confusion, looking so stupid that a few of Lu Yu’s men nearby kicked him away.
If he hadn’t been following Lu Yu since childhood, with a brain like that, he’d never have made it into the inner circle of the reform group.
Dinner ended in an atmosphere thick with the schemes of various factions.
The Crown Prince and Lien were taken to collect their living supplies before being escorted to their assigned cells.
By then, most prisoners had already returned to their quarters. Each cell in the space prison housed two inmates, though the massive facility wasn’t at full capacity.
The Crown Prince, born of imperial blood, naturally couldn’t tolerate sharing a cell with a common prisoner. Even something as minor as another person’s breathing while he slept would be unbearable.
The guards, upon his request, sought approval from the warden—but were denied.
Shen Ying, who had refused to waste prison resources by granting the Crown Prince special treatment, now lay on her large bed, sipping red wine as she monitored the troublemakers.
Drifting aimlessly through the silent void of space was a severe test of one’s mental and emotional endurance.
To combat this, the prison was equipped with extensive entertainment facilities—from full-immersion games to millennia of human cultural archives. The recreation room’s hyper-realistic holographic landscapes could make one feel truly transported to any environment.
Shen Ying controlled the entire prison system, so most of these luxuries were accessible without leaving her room.
But compared to those, she was far more interested in her work.
The holographic projections made it seem as if the events unfolding in the prison were right before her eyes.
The moment the Crown Prince stepped into his cell, his cellmate rose from the bed.
Prisoners were always notified in advance when a new inmate was assigned, and this one had been eagerly anticipating the fresh meat.
But when he looked up, he saw a face he’d often encountered on television before his imprisonment.
Who the hell could explain why the Crown Prince was in his cell?
The Crown Prince glanced at his cellmate and asked, "Can you hold your breath for an entire night?"
The prisoner was still dazed and didn’t understand the question.
But before he could answer, the Crown Prince added, "Never mind. Even if you could, your body odor is unbearable."
With that, he delivered a powerful kick, sending the man flying into the metal wall behind him. The prisoner slid down limply, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.
The Crown Prince summoned the guards who hadn’t yet left. "Unprovoked assault, inciting unrest. Send him to solitary confinement for a week."
The guards were startled—but it was a clever workaround. If the warden wouldn’t grant the Crown Prince a single cell, then his cellmate being punished for misconduct didn’t violate the rules.
Without a word, the guards opened the cell door and hauled the groaning prisoner away.
The man, still disoriented, protested loudly, "I—I’m the one who got attacked!"
The guard retorted, "You assaulted His Highness’s foot with your face. That’s a dangerous offense."
The prisoner was stunned by the logic but was dragged off without further discussion.
As they passed the neighboring cell, Lien called out, "Mind doing me a favor too?"
The guards had little patience for the notorious pirate, but when they turned, they saw a bloodied, agonized face pressed against the bars.
Startled, one guard raised his wrist-mounted weapon at Lien.
But Lien simply released his grip, letting the man in his grasp drop like a dead dog to the floor.
His cellmate had fared far worse than the Crown Prince’s—so much so that the other prisoner suddenly felt his own injuries weren’t so bad.
Lien shrugged. "The moment I walked in, this guy started undoing his pants, saying he needed a mouth to help him out. He promised life would be easier if I cooperated."
"So, naturally, I wanted to build a good relationship with my cellmate. I helped him out—figured his teeth were in the way, so I pulled them all."
The guard gave Lien a long look before glancing at the bloodied mess on the floor.
Even in a space prison, some inmates were simply in a league of their own.
Like the Crown Prince.
Like this interstellar pirate.
This was a man who had gone toe-to-toe with the military. Even with his psychic abilities suppressed, his bare hands were more than most could handle.
And yet, despite smashing a man’s teeth out—an excruciating pain—he hadn’t let out a single scream to alert the guards.
Not that the guards cared. New inmates had a grace period: any excessive self-defense during their first days wouldn’t be punished.
In other words, if an old-timer picked a fight with a newcomer, the newcomer could retaliate—short of killing—without consequences.
The result? Both cells were now single occupancy.
The commotion hadn’t gone unnoticed. Prisoners in nearby cells had seen everything.
It didn’t take long for them to recognize the two newcomers—the Crown Prince and Lien, one a royal heir, the other a notorious outlaw. Their faces were hardly unknown.
Whispers spread like wildfire, and by the next day, when the cell doors opened for normal interaction, the entire prison was buzzing.
When the Crown Prince and Lien entered the mess hall, all eyes were on them.
The gossip overshadowed even the new warden—and the tattooed bald guy who, after yesterday’s punishment of "experiencing thirty years as a male prostitute," had arrived arm-in-arm with his cellmate, swaying his hips coquettishly.
That was the Crown Prince of the Empire. The Crown Prince was now a prisoner in the space prison?
Had the Empire collapsed? There’d been no news of that.
But shock didn’t stop these men from acting.
Several leaders from the faction of white-collar criminals hurried over, bowing obsequiously. "Your Highness, how may we serve you?"
The Crown Prince’s reply was curt: "You can start by leaving."
Their faces stiffened, but not a trace of displeasure showed. Even in his current state, the Crown Prince wouldn’t spare these financial criminals and gangsters a shred of courtesy.
As they slunk away, watching the Crown Prince effortlessly command the guards—who obeyed without question—their hopes dimmed.
They’d thought currying favor with the fallen prince might be their ticket out of this hellhole.
But clearly, even groveling wasn’t an option for them.
Compared to the Crown Prince's relaxed situation, Lien had to rely on himself.
Fortunately, prison life was brutally straightforward. He immediately aligned himself with the violent offenders, among whom he recognized quite a few familiar faces.
Those men spotted him too and taunted, "Isn’t this the boss of Bai Shi? What landed you in here after just a few days?"
Lien scoffed. "Before you talk, maybe check the state of your own asshole—stretched wide enough to fit a soccer ball."
His provocation darkened their expressions, but before they could retort, Lien cut in, "Let’s keep it simple."
"I became the boss of Bai Shi by killing the former boss, the second-in-command, the strategist, the young master, and over a dozen old-timers who opposed me."
"Now, to become the boss here—who do I need to kill?"
His rise to power was common knowledge. How else would a guy in his early twenties have built his initial crew and capital? Obviously by taking it by force.
Lien’s gaze swept over the leaders in the group, and most of them instinctively avoided his eyes.
But that didn’t mean they’d just roll over. With a single glance and a silent signal, several burly men suddenly lunged at Lien from behind—
Ten minutes later, the prison’s meal distribution window opened. The cafeteria broadcast reminded inmates to line up orderly, collect food politely, maintain cleanliness, and avoid making a mess.
The prisoners followed these basic rules diligently—after all, violations meant losing behavioral points, which affected their annual simulated pod privileges.
So, in the spot where Lien had stood moments ago, a few inmates were now cleaning up scattered teeth and bloodstains.
Several bloodied men collected their meals from the window and humbly placed them in front of Lien.
Peeling an egg, Lien glanced at them and remarked, "Would’ve been easier if you’d just knelt earlier. Did you really need the extra steps? Or are you just that stupid?"
He pointed at one of them. "You—didn’t your fleet fight mine? You barely escaped in a broken escape pod, you coward. You think I beat you back then by luck?"
The man’s face twisted in misery. "No, no, of course not."
Lien couldn’t be bothered to waste more words on idiots. Prisons were different from outside organizations—families, fleets, gangs—where loyalty was built on blood, profit, or personal ties.
In prison, none of that existed. It was pure survival of the fittest.
As Lien ate breakfast, he locked eyes with two other faction leaders at nearby tables.
After the Crown Prince’s arrival, the power faction had grown docile and low-key. No one dared to posture as a boss and risk drawing the Crown Prince’s attention.
Instead, the Crown Prince sat there, radiating disdain—yet his status alone made the entire group flock to him.
The other leader was from the genetically modified faction—a man with antlers.
When Lien looked at him, his eyes flickered in recognition. This guy was a legendary figure even outside.
Genetically modified humans were products of illegal industries, designed for all sorts of purposes.
Given Lu Yu’s striking beauty, his original intended "use" wasn’t hard to guess.
Yet this man, who should’ve been a plaything, had instead become the leader of a massive underground force.
His ruthlessness spoke for itself.
Still, Lien had no interest in the modified faction, and Lu Yu seemed equally reserved. Their exchanged glances formed an unspoken understanding.
For now, at least, there was no conflict between them.
So Lien called out, "What’re you carving into that radish all morning?"
Lu Yu replied, "I’ve picked up a new woodworking skill. Learned the theory last night, now I’m practicing."
Hearing this, even the Crown Prince glanced over.
Staring at the radish in Lu Yu’s hand—which had nothing to do with woodworking—they both gained a new appreciation for the flexibility of "learning a skill."
But then, a guard from the second floor announced, "Lu Yu, come with me to collect your woodworking kit. Then report to the warden’s office."
Lu Yu tossed aside the radish and the makeshift carving tool (a fork), stood gracefully, and smiled at the two before following the guard.
Watching him leave, the Crown Prince and Lien instantly grasped his goal.
This guy was targeting the warden.
What was his angle? Flattery? Manipulation? A hidden agenda?
The specifics didn’t matter—it was inevitable. The real question was his endgame.
If it was just about gaining more influence inside, fine. But if he had bigger plans, it could interfere with theirs.
Still, this was only the beginning. Worth watching, but no reason to panic.
Regardless of their suspicions, Lu Yu was already walking into the warden’s office, woodworking kit in hand.
