There was not supposed to wind here.

Ishiki suppressed his murderous thoughts and kept moving with the guards while thinking on other topics.

That was when he suddenly heard rushed footsteps from the opposite direction of the corridor. Then there was the sound of opening of the metal door... which was certainly of the Interrogation room.

Ishiki immediately used [Ghost Blade] and closed his eyes, focusing. As his perception expended... his suspicions were confirmed. It was actually the door of the interrogation room and three soldiers just entered the room.

They were breathing heavily and their faces were ashen as if they had seen something that they shouldn't have or something that was not supposed to happen.

The guys said something to all the people in the room and then suddenly everyone's faces paled.

They all looked at each other in horror with wide eyes, even the legal advisor, Aldric looked shaken.

The interrogator even more so... and suddenly all of them sprinted out of the room to the other direction of the corridor.

'So... the exit is further left. I see.'

Ishiki soon reached his cell.

The guards threw him back into the cell with enough force to send him sprawling onto the cold stone floor. The door clanged shut with a finality that echoed through the corridor.

In a minute or two, the guards' footsteps faded into the distance as they walked away from the cell, chatting nervously.

For a moment Ishiki just laid there for a long moment, breathing heavily. His mind reeled with all the things happening around him.

The first was the issue with what the hell had suddenly happened and what kind of cryptic message did the three guards bring.

Ishiki sat straight and used the [Ghost Blade] to its maximum capabilities. His perception expanded... reaching almost 500 meters in a sphere.

A picture of the world above was painted into his mind... it was an isolated area so there was not much movement as usual.

He clicked his tongue is frustration and then deactivated the skill. Seeing his frustrated look the man on the other side leaned forward and asked curiously. "What happened kid? You don't look good."

Ishiki pushed himself up slowly, wincing as his bruised ribs protested. "I met someone named, Aldric Thorne. He said he was a Legal advisor for the Partike Organization."

"Ah." Carver's tone carried recognition. "That cunning bitch is never a good news. What did he want?"

"To recruit me." Ishiki moved to his usual spot against the wall and slumped down. "They want me to work for them. Use my abilities for... assignments."

Carver laughed lightly. "What did you choose then... it would be interesting."

Ishiki's mouth twitched a little, he sighed and continued. "if I don't join them... they would execute me in three days. But let them try... like they can kill me so easily."

Carver seemed genuinely surprised. "That's one hell of a choice and you seem confident in yourself."

"There's no choice," Ishiki said quietly. "I won't work under those bastards."

"Then you're dead."

"Maybe." Ishiki leaned back against the wall, staring up at the low ceiling. "Or maybe I will find a third option."

"Like what?"

"I don't know yet." He closed his eyes, exhaustion settling over him like a shroud. "But I'll figure something out."

Carver was silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice was softer than usual. "For what it's worth, kid... I hope you do."

Night descended upon the world outside, but it was still the ever-present darkness inside the cells and the corridor.

As the guards came and went after their timely checkup... the prisoners started to have crude conversations with each other that echoed faintly through the cells and the corridors.

Ishiki lay awake in the dark, facing a wall. He was trying to sleep but he couldn't because of the prisoners in the cell that was right in front of theirs.

The conversations started innocently enough. Henrick, the laborer in the front cell, reminiscing about his life before the arrest. His wife and children. The small pleasures he had taken for granted—fresh bread, clean water, sunlight.

But as the hours dragged on and the darkness deepened, the tone shifted.

"I ever tell you about the barmaid in the Crimson Lion tavern?" Henrick's voice took on a rougher quality. "Mara, that was her name. She had red hair down to her waist, and her body was like a sculptor's wet dream. Haha, that bitch never wore panties and deliberately leaned -"

"We've heard it," Carver interrupted wearily. "Multiple times."

"Well, I'm telling it again," Henrick insisted. "Don't you wanna listen to that?"

From his side, another voice joined in—Greaves, the accountant and now Henrick's cellmate. "Barmaids are overrated. You want a real woman, you need someone with class. I had a merchant's wife once when her husband was away on business, and she was lonely. The things she could do with her mouth—"

The description that followed made Ishiki's face burn in the darkness. He tried to tune it out, focusing on his breathing, on the cold stone beneath him, on anything but the increasingly graphic conversation going on around him.

He summoned the Admin Chat at the end out of desperation.

The messages floated in his vision.

[Admin 77 - These people are so noisy]

[Admin 104 - No, They are talking about good things... haha]

[Admin 81 - Someone's got quite a perverted mindset]

[Admin 126 - The Kid's face is burning]

[Admin 109 - He is a pure maiden after all]

Ishiki read the messages but didn't despite his urge to throw a few slurs at the jackasses.

As the messages went by... Ishiki's attention was caught by a particular message.

[Admin 88 - Kill them and get Data Fragments kid]

Ishiki read it a few times and frowned. It was as if he was missing something related to that.

As he thought about it again and again... something clicked and his eyes widened with realization and it sent a sudden shudder through his body.

'Holy Shit...'

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