Chapter 394 Preparing to Slack Off

Upon reaching the prison, Duan Fei found it even gloomier than he had imagined.

It was pitch-black all around, and the gray stone tiles were covered in dark stains.

They were stains from prisoners’ blood, which had seeped into the floor tiles over countless years.

The walls, meanwhile, were covered in scratches. The bloody marks seemed to be a silent roar, echoing through the empty corridor.

As they walked on the stone tiles, Duan Fei held up his phone to light the way for them both.

Jinghong was looking at her own phone. “The prison is thirty-seven million square kilometers,” she said. “It has roughly a million sectors, and each one includes a massive number of cells, Prison Guard rooms, cafeterias, and so on. We must be in one of the inmate housing areas.”

“Yeah, figured as much.”

Duan Fei and Jinghong walked down a long, narrow corridor, flanked on both sides by cells with iron-bar fronts.

The entire corridor seemed to have been measured with a ruler. Each section was exactly one thousand meters long and ended in a crossroads with a signpost marking the sector name and the locations of the nearest facilities.

By using the signs, they could find the nearest guard rooms, cafeterias, and other such places.

The prison wasn’t quiet. They could constantly hear the sounds of weeping and harsh rebukes, but no matter where they moved, the sounds never grew louder or fainter, just like background music in a video game.

The cells on either side were also empty. Yet, after Duan Fei walked past them, he would hear cries for help coming from the cells behind him, even though he was certain they were unoccupied.

When they entered the cafeteria, however, Duan Fei found it surprisingly bright.

The tables and chairs were well-used but had been wiped spotlessly clean. Trays of food, still steaming, were set out on the tables, but there wasn’t a single person eating.

The stoves in the back kitchen were still on, and on a cutting board lay a kitchen knife and half-chopped vegetables, yet there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Without touching the food, the two of them left the cafeteria. After they had walked about a hundred meters, a clamor suddenly erupted from within, as if all the people who were supposed to be there had returned.

The gym was the same, as was the computer lab. Every location showed abundant signs of human activity, but upon entering, they found not a single person.

In the records room, Duan Fei discovered that all the files were written in an incomprehensible script for which the system provided no translation.

“This is just bizarre,” Duan Fei couldn’t help but remark.

“It is.” Jinghong nodded. “I get the feeling we shouldn’t stay here long. You brought the bounty mission item, right? Let’s just finish the mission and get out of here.”

“Alright.”

He activated the bounty mission item, and a key appeared in his hand.

The method for opening a dungeon within the prison was simple: use a key to open a cell door, and just walk inside.

Alternatively, if a cell had a torch lit inside, its door would be unlocked, and one could walk in to enter a random dungeon.

Finding a suitable cell, Duan Fei inserted the key, turned it, and pushed open the door.

The prison didn’t provide any prompt at the dungeon entrance, meaning it would contain more unknown elements and be far more dangerous.

He took Jinghong’s hand, and together they stepped forward into the dungeon.

With a flash of white light, their first dungeon in the prison began.

When the white light faded, Duan Fei found he was no longer in the prison, but in a dimly lit room.

He was bound tightly to a chair with leather straps. A burly military officer sat before him, fiddling with a small lighter.

Seeing that Duan Fei was awake, the officer gave a rather elegant smile. “You’re awake, Mr. Duan.”

“Who are you? And do I know you?”

“You certainly don’t know me, but I know you. You’re one of the greatest Assassins in history. But ever since your wife died, you’ve been living in seclusion.”

“And my wife was…?”

“Miss Jinghong.”

“I knew it. Why am I not surprised in the slightest?”

The officer mistook Duan Fei’s wry smile for one of contempt, which only made him admire Duan Fei more.

He patted Duan Fei’s shoulder apologetically and said with a note of regret, “To be honest, I’m a huge fan. I’ve reviewed the recordings of your previous seventy-three assassinations five times over, and I gain new insights with every viewing. What you do isn’t assassination; it’s art. You’ve elevated assassination to an unprecedented level. You are a true legend.”

“And would you believe that this ‘legend’ you speak of is actually best at saving people?”

“I understand, I do,” the officer said. “You always viewed taking a life as your mission. You never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. I truly respect you for that.”

“Is tying me to a chair your way of showing respect?”

“I had no choice,” the officer said regretfully. “If I didn’t, your next move would be to slit my throat with your tongue. Even chained up, few people would dare come within ten meters of you.”

“Well, I hope I don’t have bad breath.”

Duan Fei’s composure only increased the officer’s admiration.

‘Just as you’d expect from the legendary Assassin,’ he thought. ‘He can even crack jokes at a time like this.’

He couldn’t resist leaning in a little closer. “We’ve brought you out of retirement because we have a target that must be eliminated. He’s a famous Superpower User, and a sociopathic madman to boot. His Superpower has already reached Level 3, making him an extremely dangerous individual. We had no choice but to ask you to come back.”

“And what makes you so sure I’ll take the job?”

“Because of your blood oath from all those years ago. With this, you have no choice but to act.”

Duan Fei looked at the document the officer held out. At the bottom, he saw a red mark, likely made by someone biting their own finger and pressing it to the page.

Still, Duan Fei found it hard to believe. “Is there any more proof? I don’t remember any of this.”

“In order to live an ordinary life, you erased your memories as an Assassin and disguised yourself as an insurance salesman. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll soon recall who you truly are. To help you recover your skills, we’ve prepared a rehabilitation program. And I guarantee, we will provide you with the most comprehensive support. You have only one mission: eliminate the All-Knowing.”

“The All-Knowing? The Third-level Superpower User?”

“Correct. You have amnesia right now, so you wouldn’t know that we’ve been concealing the existence of Superpower Users from the public. A Third-level Superpower User is practically a god. Once he fully familiarizes himself with his Power, our entire United States will be doomed.”

“Something that good exists?” Duan Fei was ecstatic. “Then we should at least get two of them!”

“Mr. Duan, please, this is no time for jokes. Now, please give it your all. We’re counting on you.”

Seeing how sincere the officer was, Duan Fei made up his mind.

‘I’m just going to coast through this dungeon.’