The vehicle drove around the walls of Sin Hunter City for over half an hour, and in the end, Zuo Lin'an realized they had returned to the training base...
Huh?
However, looking closely, Zuo Lin'an noticed something different.
This was a completely different training base!
“Instructor, this is...”
“There are several training bases outside Sin Hunter City,” An Wen said. “You don't need to be surprised.”
“In a moment, I'll take you to the prison cells behind this base. You'll be entering Sin Hunter City along with a batch of prisoners from here.”
Xu Youyou blinked. “Instructor, we won't accidentally be used as experimental consumables, will we?”
An Wen raised an eyebrow.
“What nonsense are you talking about? I will be keeping an eye on you from the shadows the entire time, right until I see you board the plane.”
Only then did Xu Youyou breathe a sigh of relief. “That's a relief.”
An Wen drove the car into the training base, only stopping once they reached the vicinity of the prison cells.
Someone quickly came forward to greet them.
“Ah, Mr. An. These two must be your students?”
“The application you submitted just now has been approved. We can arrange their entry slots into the city right away.”
An Wen asked, “For this batch of prisoners, only my two students are joining, correct?”
“Yes. Everyone else is a real criminal, so they're fair game to be killed. The landing site has also been chosen—an abandoned residential area with no inhabitants. There happen to be a few marked spots nearby where food is stored.”
“Furthermore, there are some small criminal gatherings nearby, making it convenient for them to find other criminals quickly after they finish their initial kills.”
“By the way, this batch of prisoners consists entirely of ordinary people. I'm sure these two outstanding students will have no trouble keeping them under control.”
An Wen's stern expression softened considerably. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome. It's the least we can do. Besides, this is about as much help as we can provide.”
Zuo Lin'an wasn't particularly surprised to hear this.
The sole purpose of the training base was to cultivate more Human-Specter Symbionts, so it was only natural for them to offer some external assistance.
Soon, Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou were brought to the cells at the very back of the prison.
An Wen gave them one last deep look.
“You two pay close attention to your Death Rules. Don't slip up in some minor detail and end up being forced to kill each other.”
With that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a round, fingernail-sized object, and pressed it into Zuo Lin'an's hand.
“Keep this safe.”
“I hope we'll meet again in the future.”
Zuo Lin'an looked down and saw that Instructor An had given him a miniature electronic clock.
The current time was 5:03 PM.
Dusk had already fallen.
When he looked up again, An Wen had already turned and walked away.
“Students, these are your cells. Please go inside for now. You'll have to wait a bit longer, so we'll have to trouble you to stay in here for the time being.”
Zuo Lin'an didn't mind.
“Thanks for your trouble.”
The two of them entered separate cells.
Zuo Lin'an sized up the cramped, narrow cell, then closed his eyes and sat down to wait in silence.
Midway through, someone brought in a generous portion of food and water.
Zuo Lin'an ate and drank everything bit by bit. He felt that after consuming this meal, he could last until at least tomorrow evening.
Time ticked away slowly.
It wasn't until exactly 8:00 PM that a commotion was heard outside.
The iron door swung open, revealing two heavily armed soldiers standing outside.
“Let's go. Time to hit the road!”
Zuo Lin'an stood up and walked out. The two soldiers grabbed him by each arm, dragging him somewhat roughly in a certain direction.
Xu Youyou was right behind him, receiving the exact same treatment.
However, at this moment, Xu Youyou also wore a cold, gloomy expression, completely devoid of his usual demeanor.
They were dragged to the back of the prison and led down a wide, paved path through the woods.
Towering trees surrounded them, casting the area in pitch darkness.
Before long, Zuo Lin'an noticed a helipad ahead. A helicopter was currently stationed there, surrounded by numerous soldiers, with every pair of soldiers holding onto a prisoner clad in a prison uniform.
Zuo Lin'an quietly scanned his surroundings. Counting himself and Xu Youyou, there were fifteen prisoners in total.
These prisoners all stood obediently with their heads bowed, not daring to make any sudden movements or look around.
Zuo Lin'an followed their lead, standing perfectly still to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to himself.
Still, these thirteen other prisoners were likely the first batch of prey the training base had prepared for them.
They indeed looked frail and showed no signs of training. Subduing them shouldn't be difficult.
After another short wait, they were escorted onto the helicopter.
Xu Youyou sat right next to him, while the other prisoners—men, women, young, and old—sat beside and across from them.
Two soldiers stood near the cabin door.
They held their rifles, maintaining a ready-to-fire stance at all times.
Zuo Lin'an merely cast a fleeting glance in their direction before quickly looking away.
He didn't dare stare.
Who knew if these two soldiers were aware of his and Xu Youyou's true identities?
If they thought he was acting up and shot him, things would get ugly real fast.
However, to Zuo Lin'an's slight surprise, there was a prisoner who seemed to be around his own age.
Around eighteen or nineteen, still looking somewhat childish.
He hadn't expected someone so young to have committed murder, let alone be sent to Sin Hunter City.
Zuo Lin'an knew that not all murderers were sent here.
Only malicious killers, or those who murdered to seize benefits from others, would be sent to this place.
Just like the two criminal identities he and Xu Youyou had assumed.
They had teamed up to brutally poison their two roommates simply because their academic grades surpassed theirs.
Therefore, even though the youth Zuo Lin'an saw was young, he was undoubtedly a vicious killer.
Could it be...
...that appearances really were deceiving?
With the roar of the rotor blades, the helicopter gradually ascended, carrying them all toward Sin Hunter City.
The interior of the helicopter was sealed, leaving them completely blind to the outside world.
All they could do was wait.
However...
Zuo Lin'an soon noticed a pile of fifteen bulging backpacks stacked in a corner. Were these prepared for them?
After about fifteen or twenty minutes, Zuo Lin'an felt the helicopter begin to descend.
Had they arrived?
Before long, everyone felt the helicopter make a smooth landing.
The cabin door slid open.
The two soldiers who had been sitting with them quickly stood up.
“Grab one of those backpacks over there, each of you. Once you have it, get the hell out.”
No one dared to speak up. They all obediently took a backpack and filed out in order.
Only when he stepped outside did Zuo Lin'an realize that they weren't on the ground, but rather on a rooftop.
Rate on N.U.
