This left Shen Ying utterly speechless. Despite her wealth of life experience and having encountered countless people, Lien was uniquely special in certain ways.
Shen Ying reminded him, "Have you forgotten you escaped from prison? You weren't released after serving your sentence."
Lien brushed it off without a care. "So what? Does that have anything to do with teaming up for a ga?"
Shen Ying replied, "Logically, I should use the system to track your signal, report your coordinates, and have the military arrest you."
Lien, with the calm of soone who might not be in prison but couldn't be fooled, scoffed, "Cut the crap. You're hiding from the Empire's forces yourself. I heard they're trying to hold you accountable, but it's stuck in a stalemate."
Shen Ying said, "So if I report your whereabouts now, it’d break the deadlock."
Lien smirked. "As if they could catch even if they tried."
After a few more exchanges, Lien grew impatient. "Just add as a friend already. It’s annoying having to track you down every ti."
Shen Ying raised an eyebrow. "How did you even find ?"
Lien snorted. "morizing a user code with dozens of digits? Please, I have 3S-level ntal power. Was that supposed to be hard?"
Shen Ying was incredulous. "You had the presence of mind to rember a ga user code in that situation?"
Lien’s face flushed slightly, but he doubled down. "Of course. I told you I’d break out eventually. Wouldn’t it be a sha if I couldn’t co back and see the look on your face when you realized it?"
He then urged her again, "Stop wasting ti. Just click the damn 'Add Friend' button in the top-left corner."
Shen Ying didn’t move, lazily replying, "My friend list is full."
Lien exploded. "Bullshit! You have less than ten ga friends. Don’t think I don’t know."
Shen Ying shrugged. "Your reputation in-ga is terrible. Teaming up with you would get ostracized."
Lien fud. "Who’s spreading lies about ? My god-tier skills deserve respect, not slander!"
Shen Ying said, "Maybe check the forums? There are still posts calling you a cheater. I’d rather not ruin my gaming experience."
With that, she rcilessly kicked him out of the team lobby and queued up with her usual teammates.
anwhile, sowhere else in the universe, Lien was livid. "She actually kicked out?"
"How dare she? I only charged her eight hundred per session, and after all that, she won’t even add as a friend?"
His crew gathered around, curious. One asked, "Boss, what’s this 'eight hundred' thing?"
"Since when did you take on such small-ti jobs? What were you selling?"
Before Lien could answer, another crewmate chid in, "Ga boosting, right? Still, that’s dirt cheap."
"With Boss’s skills, reflexes, and tactical mind, he could dominate intergalactic tournants. Carrying soone for just eight hundred? Damn, prison really screws you over."
Another nodded. "Yeah, I rember gaming scouts offering Boss annual contracts worth hundreds of millions before."
"Don’t think too much about it. Prison life’s rough."
Lien listened to their chatter, feeling a pang of guilt. How could he admit that the "eight hundred" was paynt for sothing far more compromising?
He swore to himself to keep that secret buried, but his hands moved swiftly. Soon, he located Shen Ying’s ga session and joined in.
This mission took place on a chanical planet, where every living thing was made of machinery—even the "grass" was sharp tal blades.
A tiny spider could wreak havoc, let alone the chanical strays lurking in dark alleys or the tallic tendrils bursting from the ground.
Shen Ying’s team was cautious. She was skilled, and her teammates were among the best amateurs.
As the match progressed, their squad remained intact while others fell, increasing their odds of victory.
But just as they entered a chemical plant for supplies, they were ambushed. The enemy knew the terrain well, catching them off guard.
Before they could assess the layout, they were sitting ducks—especially with an enemy sniper picking them off one by one.
Only Shen Ying was left standing.
She sighed. "Such a promising start, ruined."
"Should’ve tead up with ," Lien said, appearing behind her with a smug grin.
"This planet actually exists. It’s rich in liquid minerals—the core fuel for chs. Too bad it’s too dangerous to mine. I’ve scouted it a few tis, so I know these places like the back of my hand."
Shen Ying deadpanned, "Oh? Even better than you know the prison?"
Lien scowled. "You never let explore the prison freely."
Ignoring that, Shen Ying said, "You wrecked my ga. What’s your compensation plan?"
Lien scoffed. "Your teammates were trash. Not my fault. Want to climb the ranks? Easy—just team up with , and I’ll carry you to #1 on the leaderboard."
Shen Ying countered, "So the whole universe can learn that not only did I let a prisoner escape, but I also tead up with a fugitive to dominate an online ga? Now that’s headline material."
Lien frowned. "Who’d even know it’s us? Besides that idiot Crown Prince."
"Wait—are you worried he’ll find out? Does he even rember how he escaped?"
"Speaking of which… don’t tell you went easy just to let him out. Were the rest of us just collateral?"
Shen Ying smirked. "So things are better left unsaid."
Lien nearly choked on his fury. Just then, his crew closed in around them.
One eyed Shen Ying and sneered, "So this is Warden Shen Ying of the Sky Prison?"
Another grinned maliciously. "Our boss has been under your… care for a while now."
Shen Ying smiled back, cryptic. "No worries. He paid his dues."
The crew froze. There was an unsettling weight to her words.
They didn’t dwell on it, though—nor did they notice Lien’s flushed ears—as they encircled her.
One taunted, "This ga’s pain settings are adjustable, but most hardcore players keep it at the max—60%."
"Warden Shen’s in a high-tier lobby. Lowering pain sensitivity would be embarrassing, right?"
"Sure, 60% isn’t as bad as the real thing, but if we hit hard enough, it’ll still make you wish you were dead."
"Of course, you could always just log out."
"But imagine the Sky Prison’s warden fleeing from escaped convicts. Now that’d be a sight."
They weren’t planning anything extre—just reclaiming so dignity for their boss after his ti under her watch.
If she ran, maybe Lien would stop brooding over whatever was eating at him.
They blad his recent mood swings on the humiliation of being subdued in prison.
But Shen Ying just glanced at her settings. "Pain perception? Oh, I have it fully disabled."
The crew: "…"
"Seriously, look at the ss you've organized. Aren't your teammates judging you for this?"
At that mont, Lien kicked one of the n aside, breaking through the circle surrounding him. "I wasn't finished speaking yet. Why are you all crowding around like a wall?"
"Get out, all of you!"
After shooing his subordinates away, he pulled Shen Ying aside into a corner and asked, "Has anything unusual happened in the prison lately?"
Shen Ying smirked at him. "Get this straight—this is a prison, not the hotown you’re so nostalgic about. Did you miss it so much you wanted to co back for a visit?"
Annoyed by her feigned ignorance, Lien snapped, "I’m just worried that after we leaders left, you might take it out on the lower ranks."
"Even though we didn’t spend much ti together, they were still my subordinates. I can’t let them suffer in my place."
Shen Ying raised an eyebrow. "Do I seem like that kind of person? When it cos to discipline, I never punish the innocent."
Sowhat reassured, Lien pressed further, "How’s the maintenance on the prison’s simulation pods?"
Shen Ying shrugged. "No idea. I’ve been too busy dealing with headquarters’ interrogations to play around."
Lien smirked in satisfaction. "No big deal. Worst case, we defect from the Empire. What’s there to fear? Just give the coordinates, and I’ll help you take on the military."
Shen Ying gave him a teasing look. "Prisoner 3077, you’ve really got a new lease on life after getting out, huh?"
Flustered, Lien quickly changed the subject. "I told you to add as a friend."
"Otherwise, when the military cos knocking and you need backup, don’t bla for not giving you the chance today."
Shen Ying waved him off. "Forget it. I’m not planning to defect and beco a wanted criminal. Having to tiptoe around just to go shopping sounds exhausting."
Just as Lien was about to argue further, a voice interrupted from Shen Ying’s side.
"Warden, I’m coming in."
The voice belonged to a man—young, with a soft, unassuming tone. It sounded almost docile, yet carried an undertone that could easily stir darker impulses.
Lien’s pupils contracted, his entire body tensing with alarm. "Who’s in your office? Who is that?"
Shen Ying ignored him, prompting Lien to grab her arm, preventing her from logging off. "Answer ! What, you’ve already found a new troublemaker in just a few days?"
Shen Ying sighed. "Tu Yi is no troublemaker. There aren’t any troublemakers left in my prison now."
Lien frowned, ntally matching the na to one of the inmates—a reford prisoner.
"Tu Yi? That sniveling coward who’s always on the verge of tears?"
"I told you before, that guy’s no good."
But his opinion didn’t matter. Tu Yi’s voice ca through again. "Warden, I don’t know if it’s because of yesterday’s physical examination, but I’ve been feeling strange—nauseous, like I might throw up."
Lien nearly exploded. "Physical examination? What the hell? You said you weren’t using the simulation pods!"
Shen Ying rolled her eyes. "Don’t be ridiculous. If an inmate shows symptoms, of course I’d examine them in person. Why would I use a simulation pod for that?"
"Besides, it’s rare to find soone interested in my traditional dical skills. I take it seriously."
Lien felt his vision darken. "Then what’s wrong with him? Why would a guy feel nauseous like that?"
Shen Ying shrugged. "How should I know? That’s why I called him in for a recheck."
With that, she prepared to log off. This ti, no amount of Lien’s shouting could make her hesitate.
As her figure vanished from the screen, Lien trembled with rage. He imdiately disconnected, storming into the ship’s cockpit.
He barked at the row of pilots, "Lock onto the airborne prison’s coordinates. Now."
His second-in-command blinked. "Boss, what are you planning?"
Lien clenched his fists. "I didn’t escape on my own rits. I can’t let this go."
The crew exchanged glances.
This guy’s a damn idiot.
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