Chapter 5: High-Risk Experimental Subject  

626 turned off the radio. “Let’s play another round of Gomoku. I wonder how much longer this operation will take.”  

Tonight, 626 wasn’t in top form, and Jing Rong managed to counter his moves several times. The two were evenly matched, and it wasn’t until late into the night that the man and the system finally went their separate ways to sleep.  

Jing Rong slept lightly.  

In the early hours of the morning, he heard the wind outside grow louder. He threw on his clothes and got up, walking to the window.  

Tonight, the capital was bathed in artificial light, casting the sky into a distant gray. The snow that had fallen for two days suddenly turned to rain, the droplets scattering the haze and pelting against the transparent window.  

“Can’t sleep?” 626 was resting inside his radio tonight and turned over drowsily. “Your mind is still preoccupied with the High-Risk Experimental Subject.”  

Jing Rong didn’t respond. Gazing at the rain outside, he pulled out the half-smoked thick cigarette from his case and abruptly turned to leave.  

A Royal Guard was stationed at his door, looking surprised to see him step out.  

“Trouble sleeping, Master? Was the wind too loud tonight?”  

The guard continued, “The rooms on the top floor are too high up—it’s always noisier at night.”  

But Jing Rong’s focus wasn’t on his words. He asked, “Did the weather forecast say it would rain tonight?”  

The guard froze, clearly bewildered by the question.  

After a few seconds, the guard hesitantly replied, “I can… turn on the internal radio weather channel to confirm for you…?”  

Jing Rong shook his head, raising a hand to signal it wasn’t necessary, and walked down the corridor alone.  

The sound of rain grew louder in the hallway, and the temperature had risen so much that it almost felt uncomfortably warm.  

Jing Rong slowed his steps.  

The empty corridor echoed only with the hurried footsteps of the guard chasing after him. “Master, let me accompany you downstairs for a walk. You haven’t seen our laboratories yet. I—”  

Jing Rong suddenly stopped at the staircase, raising his hand to silence the guard.  

The guard’s words cut off abruptly.  

Below them stretched a spiral staircase leading to the prison laboratories on each floor, so wide its end couldn’t be seen at a glance.  

Now, blood soaked the dark-green stone steps, spreading thicker the further down one looked. At the bottom of this floor’s staircase lay several motionless Royal Guards.  

Looking deeper into the darkness, all that could be seen was a sea of blood.  

The guard who had followed Jing Rong was utterly horrified, his body rigid with fear.  

Jing Rong stepped over the bloodstained stairs and crouched to check the breath of one of the fallen men.  

“Not dead, but their Mental Power has been shattered.” Jing Rong’s gaze swept over the others, his words brief. “Their weapons were also destroyed by High-Energy Resonance. If they don’t receive emergency treatment within three hours, they’ll be crippled.”  

The guard behind him jolted into action, sprinting to call for the emergency team. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back, his voice trembling with terror and helplessness. “Master, but you—”  

But Jing Rong was already far ahead.  

Through the bloody haze, the guard suddenly realized with a shock that this young man was unlike anyone he had ever seen before.  

Their orders had been vague—they only knew that this young man was an Adjudicator of the highest status. They didn’t understand why someone of his rank would come to this place, as the prison’s high-risk inmates and critical records had long been relocated.  

The guard’s fingers trembled violently as he clutched the radio to contact headquarters, his voice shaking uncontrollably with fear.

“Calling the military headquarters… Prison Fortress, the High-Risk Experimental Subject is in the Prison Fortress!”

“All… all Royal Guards have been incapacitated. Urgent medical support needed! There’s no one left here…”

This message burst into countless signal channels, stirring waves of shock in distant places.

“Report your position, guard. Please remain calm. Everyone has lost mobility, is that correct?” The central station connected to his signal, their voice tense under forced composure. “We’ll dispatch medical teams immediately! Do not recklessly approach the enemy—prioritize your own safety!”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

The guard realized the mistake in his words. His voice came through clearly on every operative’s channel.

“There’s still one person… He’s heading toward the experimental subject’s location…”

The guard struggled to recall, finally remembering the number assigned to the man when he reported in.

“He’s an Adjudicator—Adjudicator Number Eleven!”

*

Jing Rong moved through the corridors, checking floor by floor.

He had descended from the fifth level, working his way down, which took considerable time. The only certainty was that within this fortress, apart from himself, there was not a single person left with a clear mind.

All guards—whether from the Royal Guard or the elite soldiers specially assigned—had their Mental Power shattered. The copious bloodstains on the ground came from the self-destruction of their weapons.

“A High-Energy Resonance-type Mental Power shockwave.”

626 was still asleep on the fifth floor, so no one answered his muttering.

Jing Rong adjusted a fallen soldier into a position that would facilitate blood circulation, then glanced at the rain outside the window.

The closer he got to the lower levels, the hotter the rain became, until steam began rising from it.

From the current situation, it was clear that none of the military forces led by Rynce had anticipated this outcome.

The Prison Fortress’s defensive forces had been completely wiped out, while the main troops and defensive lines remained far away.

The castle was so silent that only his own breathing and footsteps echoed through it.

This was also the first time Jing Rong had taken a proper look at the structure of the ancient prison fortress. Each cell was secured with five heavy mechanical locks, with only a small opening for delivering meals. Inside was pitch darkness. Some cells were filled with shackles and torture devices, along with syringes.

He had already checked four floors, providing basic aid to the wounded where possible.

At the entrance to the final level, clear signage warned:

—Experimental Specimen Area. Danger! Risk of Mental Power contamination.

Jing Rong paused briefly before stepping onto the archival floor. His black tactical boots crushed shards of glass beneath them without making a sound.

Every door stood open. The shelves inside were lined with various Mental Specimens or Mental Constructs.

All Mental Constructs had crumbled into dust, while the specimens submerged in extraction fluid boiled violently.

None of the rooms held any people.

The scorching heat in the air signaled that he was now very close to the experimental subject.

The door at the end was slightly ajar.

Jing Rong reached out, then abruptly changed his mind.

He knocked on the door and waited.

From inside came the distinct sound of a test tube hitting the floor.

In the next instant, a searing crimson light pierced through the door, melting the thick iron barrier before slashing straight toward him!

It was a section of steel pipe tempered and reinforced with Mental Power, casually twisted off from the edge of a table to serve as a weapon. The scorching heat penetrated everything, but after the final strike missed, the person holding it no longer had the strength to keep a firm grip.

The steel rod flew heavily through the air.

An extremely thin blade pressed against Jing Rong’s neck. The blade was cold.

Jing Rong leaned against the wall, looking down to see a strikingly beautiful and intense crimson.

Jue wore a faded cloak that carried the pleasant scent of soap, evidence of the care the laundromat workers had taken with it. Now, however, it was stained with blood, smoke, and ash.

“Cat got your tongue, Adjudicator?”

Jue’s voice was hoarse, strained from exhaustion, his words laced with rapid breaths. Only the hand pressing the thin, sharp blade remained steady.

He raised his eyes, and upon recognizing the person before him, his gaze grew inscrutable.

“Mr. No. 11.”

Jing Rong said, “A very beautiful color.”

Jue: “?”

With his throat pinned, Jing Rong couldn’t lower his head, so he simply lowered his gaze to look at him.

“Your hair. And your eyes.”

It was a color no photograph could capture. Only in person could one be struck by this red, flowing like molten lava and sunset glow.

And something even rarer—Jing Rong noticed the color of his eyes.

The man with long, fiery crimson hair that seemed capable of burning had eyes of an utterly serene and profound blue, like the sky above a frozen tundra.

Jing Rong was momentarily speechless.

He still lacked the ability to recognize human faces, but he had already seen everything he wanted to know.

“Adjudicator.”

A faint smile surfaced in Jue’s eyes. “Has anyone ever told you you’re sick in the head?”

Jing Rong replied, “A colleague of mine says it often.”

“Then he’s absolutely right.” Jue’s grip didn’t loosen in the slightest. “Still on leave today?”

Jing Rong continued to gaze into his eyes. “Depends.”

Time ticked by. Jue studied him in return, but unlike Jing Rong, his eyes held a cold, calculated scrutiny.

This Adjudicator before him carried no killing intent.

In fact, he was far too devoid of it.

He looked like a college student who had wandered into the wrong place.

But Jue wasn’t one to take risks. As a leader, he knew how to make judgments.

Jue’s lips curled into a smirk, his mouth still smeared with blood, his smile wild and unrestrained. “Sweetheart, this might hurt a little.”

Jing Rong grunted as Jue’s Mental Power abruptly invaded his consciousness.

It was an overwhelmingly powerful, domineering force—one that could illuminate all suffering and confusion in an instant, or pierce through anyone’s mind.

Of course, the process was indeed painful.

Jing Rong frowned, his face paling.

“You have no Mental Power?” Jue withdrew his energy in an instant, his tone laced with mild surprise. “Poor thing.”

Jing Rong chuckled through the pain. He instinctively wanted to reach for the cigarettes in his pocket, but any movement would be life-threatening.

Instead, he asked, “Why are you here?”

Jue’s eyes took on that contemplative look again, though his expression remained unchanged. “Just revisiting old haunts. Nostalgia.”

Jing Rong: “Is there something here you need to retrieve? They’ve already moved all the important items.”

Jue didn’t answer.

Partly because he couldn’t be bothered, and partly because he no longer had the strength to speak.

Jing Rong could tell that Jue was seriously injured. Breaking through such an impenetrable dragnet, infiltrating this prison fortress, and still being alive was nothing short of a miracle.  

Jue was a body of battered flesh, a cold and ruthless designation devoid of warmth—everything about him would eventually turn to dust, to ashes.  

Only those serene, fathomless blue eyes were still calculating.  

Jing Rong looked into those eyes, his voice softening considerably. “Please leave this place as soon as possible. If you run now, you can still live.”  

Jue glanced at him and swiftly sheathed his blade.  

This Adjudicator posed no threat to him… This Adjudicator just seemed sick in the head.  

Jue dragged his steps, unsteady but fast, and in moments, that striking crimson figure vanished from Jing Rong’s sight.  

626: “Holy shit holy shit holy shit!”  

626: “Holy shit! The base is breached! Something just invaded your consciousness field!”  

Jing Rong traced the wound on his throat with his fingers and greeted his colleague. “Good evening, 626. Sleep well?”  

626 immediately began scanning system logs. “Holy shit! You just had a direct encounter with an SSS-class High-Risk Experimental Subject! And you’re not dead! And he’s not dead! But why would he come back here?”  

“With his skills, why didn’t he break through the encirclement and escape outward? Why return here instead?”  

Jing Rong leaned against the wall and said, “I don’t know.”  

“I asked. He didn’t tell me.”  

626: “…”  

Great, this guy’s having another episode.  

“You didn’t see him.”  

Jing Rong recalled that vivid crimson and deep blue, his voice quiet. “He’s beautiful.”  

“…”  

626 shut up completely.  

It recognized this state of Jing Rong’s. Though his tone hadn’t changed and his expression remained unreadable, the aura around him betrayed extreme excitement.