The warden's every step landed where Lu Yu least expected, and the audacity with which she solved problems left him utterly disbelieving.
So much so that even when he easily returned to his own territory, his own stronghold, he didn’t feel the usual ease and composure.
Shen Ying urged, "What are you standing around for? Take to your place for a drink."
Without hesitation, Lu Yu turned and led Shen Ying downstairs.
After his influence spread across the star system, he had rarely stayed on his ho planet.
The last ti he’d visited this bar was over a year ago. While there had been so changes in personnel, a few old-tirs still held their posts.
One of the security guards at the entrance, who had worked there for years, nearly couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Lu Yu.
"B-b-boss?"
Lu Yu gave a slight nod and strode in with effortless confidence, Shen Ying following close behind. Before her unfolded a world of decadence, teeming with madness and desire.
The bar pulsed with seductive music, the holographic effects creating an imrsive, hyper-realistic atmosphere.
The circular dance floor at the center was lined with cyborg dancers, each performing sultry, srizing routines.
Their styles varied, their enhancents accentuated by dazzling visual effects tailored to their modifications.
Their outfits shifted with their movents, a hypnotic display of ever-changing allure.
One dancer even soared through the air on angelic wings—just standing in the main hall was enough to feast the eyes on pure spectacle.
Beautiful servers weaved through the crowd with trays of cocktails, the drinks glowing even more intoxicating under the kaleidoscopic lights.
Shen Ying couldn’t help but whistle. "Nice place."
By then, word of Lu Yu’s arrival had spread inside.
A man rushed over, his face alight with excitent. "Boss, you’re back?"
He was the bar’s manager, flanked by two others—all familiar faces from the past couple of years. Lu Yu recognized them.
He nodded. "Find a quiet spot."
Before he could finish, Shen Ying added, "With a good view, plenty of space, and bring in ten male models."
Though the term "male model" was long outdated, everyone understood her aning.
The manager glanced at Lu Yu, who wore a stiff expression but didn’t oppose the woman’s request. Baffled, he complied.
Soon, they were escorted to a private booth upstairs, overlooking the dance floor below. The vantage point offered a full view of the perforrs while shielding them from prying eyes.
Ten strikingly handso male cyborgs filed in, including a rman.
With icy-blue hair and translucent azure fins for ears, his ethereal beauty rippled like water.
On land, his lower half was human, but after staff wheeled in a massive aquarium, he slowly shed his clothes, his movents sinuous as he slipped into the tank. His legs gradually transford into a shimring tail.
Shen Ying stared, utterly captivated. If not for the vast responsibilities of her prison empire, she might’ve considered staying.
But even she, as reckless as she was, rembered why they’d co.
Mostly because Lu Yu nudged her. "Warden? Warden?"
Shen Ying snapped out of it. Lu Yu smirked. "Don’t tell this was your plan all along—coming here to drink and indulge?"
He had so respect for Shen Ying, knowing this person was deep and skilled at acting—just like when he'd pretended to be sorrowful while doing carpentry to ss with him.
But using the sa trick twice was entirely unnecessary.
Little did he know, in Shen Ying's eyes, this was serious business.
Still, Shen Ying didn’t call him out. Instead, he said, "My principle has always been: whoever makes the ss cleans it up."
"The cloaking system is cutting-edge tech, but for soone of your caliber, Boss Lu Yu, getting your hands on a re cloaking reflector in this galaxy’s largest black market should be child’s play."
"Have soone prepare it now."
Lu Yu’s eyes flickered. "So the Warden agrees to let contact my subordinates?"
Though his arrival had already spread through the entire organization, and it wouldn’t be long before his inner circle ca rushing in.
Still, there was a world of difference between him relaying precise orders and his underlings reacting blindly without context.
He hadn’t expected the other party to not even restrict his communications.
While Lu Yu was still processing this, the fleet stationed at a certain coordinate was thrown into confusion.
They’d been waiting for the airborne prison to arrive so they could ambush it, but after hours with no movent, they instead received word from their ho planet.
Their boss had already returned, and it was confird to be him.
Soon after, Lu Yu himself called, telling them the coordinates were compromised and ordering a full retreat to rendezvous with him back ho.
Of course, this was all in code. In front of Shen Ying, Lu Yu made it clear he was arranging for the parts.
Shen Ying paid no mind to any of this, his gaze practically glued to the modified humans.
He played extravagantly, tipping generously, and before long, all the modded attendants had received hefty rewards. They fawned over Shen Ying even more eagerly,
even forgetting about Boss Lu Yu—though that was partly because Lu Yu wasn’t making his presence known.
Sipping his drink, Lu Yu watched the Warden from a distance. The man was surrounded, leaning against a fish tank.
Inside, that silly fish sat dripping wet on the tank’s edge, its tail occasionally brushing against Shen Ying’s arm.
And whenever it did, the Warden would rember to stroke its gem-like scales.
Why did he need the reminder? Because he was overwheld—modified humans crowded around him, each with their own striking features: alluring ears, horns, tails, or wings.
These creatures had no sha. Seeing how freely he spent, they practically clung to him.
Lu Yu found it irritating, but then the Warden spoke up: "3053, aren’t you joining us?"
The mont those words left his mouth, the entire private room fell silent—including the manager who’d slipped in pretending to be staff.
They knew Boss Lu Yu had been imprisoned, locked away in the most secure airborne facility.
That kind of address? Clearly a prisoner number. So who was this woman?
At first, they’d assud she was just so woman Boss Lu Yu had picked up after a successful escape. Now, it seed far more complicated.
They stole cautious glances at Lu Yu, bracing for his reaction to such a humiliating title.
But against all expectations, Lu Yu showed no trace of anger. Calmly, he replied, "I’ll pass. The Warden should enjoy himself."
"Tonight’s expenses are on ."
The Warden?
The manager stiffened, then shot a aningful look at the person beside him. Understanding, they hurried out.
Shen Ying appeared unperturbed by Lu Yu directly exposing her identity—an act that would typically be considered a major breach.
She showed no reaction to the comings and goings of people in the private room, rely expressing regret as she said, "Oh? That’s a sha. I even prepared a little tip for you."
"It’d be such a waste if you didn’t co."
At these words, Lu Yu’s subordinates grew furious. The audacity of inviting their boss over as if she were so form of entertainnt ant to please her!
One of them opened their mouth to speak, but a single glance from Lu Yu silenced them instantly, their head bowing in submission.
Lu Yu, however, simply smiled and replied to Shen Ying, "Thank you for your kindness, Warden. I’m not exactly strapped for cash, so I’ll have to pass on the tip."
Shen Ying, anwhile, was idly stroking the tail of a rman, his face flushing pink under her touch.
With a aningful tone, she said, "Well, suit yourself. Though in my opinion, that tip would’ve been quite useful for you."
Suppressing the unease in her heart, Lu Yu continued, "Are you enjoying yourself, Warden?"
"The parts you requested have arrived. If you’re not in a hurry, I can have them delivered a little later?"
Shen Ying perked up. "No need. Have them brought in now. We shouldn’t let leisure interfere with business, after all."
Lu Yu glanced at her, still so carefree and indulgent, and couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
She gave the manager a look, and he hurried out. When he returned, he was followed by a group of people—no fewer than a dozen, each exuding an imposing presence.
So carried themselves with the composure of high-ranking officials, while others radiated the danger of seasoned warriors. None of them were re underlings.
These were clearly the core mbers of Lu Yu’s faction, especially the three at the front, whose sharp, capable auras stood out.
In contrast, Lu Yu, their leader, often appeared far more harmless by comparison.
As their gazes swept across the room, the modified entertainers who had been flirting around Shen Ying quickly retreated, slinking away in embarrassnt.
Shen Ying, thoroughly unamused by the interruption, rose and returned to her seat.
Her eyes flicked over the newcors before settling on Lu Yu with a light chuckle. "If I recall correctly, the reflector head is only about the size of a palm, isn’t it?"
"For such a tiny component, you’ve mobilized over a dozen highly skilled people to escort it here. Isn’t that a bit excessive?"
Lu Yu smiled and extended a hand toward the group.
The bearded middle-aged man at the front, carrying a case, stepped forward respectfully. He bowed first to Lu Yu, saying, "Boss, you’ve had a long journey."
Then he handed her the case.
Lu Yu took it and opened it in front of Shen Ying, revealing several reflector head components inside.
She pushed the case toward Shen Ying. "Would you like to inspect them, Warden?"
Shen Ying waved a hand dismissively. "No need. I trust your competence in handling matters—though your carpentry skills leave sothing to be desired."
Lu Yu stiffened slightly, only to hear the warden mutter under her breath, "Not that I’d know how to check the quality anyway."
With that, she closed the case and said to Lu Yu, "Well, we’ve relaxed, and the parts are here. Ti to head back."
Lu Yu didn’t rise. Instead, the mustached man who had handed her the case spoke up with a genial smile. "Warden Shen, we’ve long admired the reputation of the Sky Prison."
"But it’s always been shrouded in such mystery that, no matter how much we yearn to know more, we’ve remained completely in the dark."
"Now that you’ve graced us with your presence today, why not stay a little longer and allow us to play host?"
"Besides, our boss has surely been under your care during her ti in the prison. It’d be remiss of us not to show our appreciation."
Shen Ying turned to Lu Yu. "What do you say?"
Lu Yu saw her composure and knew better than to be blindly optimistic about the current situation.
Yet even with the risks, this was the closest he had ever co to a successful prison break.
Giving up wasn’t an option, so he smiled and said, "Indeed, I’ve been aning to thank the warden for the woodworking polishing guidance earlier."
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