Chapter 368 Prison

The work ahead was going to be tricky. An extra pair of hands would be ideal, preferably someone with a Superpower.

Wang Shaojie was a member of the Third Line, after all. He might as well ask him first.

At this, Wang Shaojie sighed. “Chief, have you forgotten? We only have Superpowers in Thought Wave 1. No matter how many skills I have in there, they’re useless out here. And that stuff about being ‘amped up’—I don’t know which idiot started that rumor, but it’s all a lie.”

Zhang Wenda took a deep breath. After a long pause, he said, “Dude, you’re completely useless.”

Wang Shaojie quickly defended himself. “I’m not like you, Chief! I’m just a staffer at one of the strongholds, and in Region 1, no less. My regular job is just to make sure the Xinhua Bookstore stays operational and to report any abnormalities immediately.”

A look of contempt crossed Zhang Wenda’s face. “Don’t talk yourself up. You didn’t even do your job right. I had a Red Core on my arm, and when I asked you what it was, you told me you didn’t know.”

“Of course I knew! But Chief, you were just a kid back then. Why would I bother explaining it to a child? The moment I saw a kid with a Red Core on his arm, I reported it to headquarters. I even got a bonus that month.”

‘A bonus?’ Zhang Wenda was taken aback. ‘So, in other words, the Third Line knew about me from the very beginning. But why didn’t they send someone to make contact? Or was that chance encounter with 2826 supposed to be their form of contact?’

‘Did they really need to be so cautious with a child? Couldn’t they have just sent someone over to run some checks?’

Zhang Wenda suddenly realized that behind some of his past experiences, other events had been unfolding in secret, completely unbeknownst to him.

However, with Old Tan’s death and the complete collapse of the Third Line, these questions were fated to remain unanswered.

“Chief? Chief, are you all right?” Wang Shaojie asked, looking worriedly at the dazed Zhang Wenda.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Zhang Wenda took a small piece of solid pain from his Inner World and tossed it into his mouth to clear his head.

“You have zero combat ability. What are you supposed to do if something happens in Region 1?”

Wang Shaojie said proudly, “That’s precisely the value of my post! Not only is this a liaison and rest point for all our colleagues in Thought Wave 1, but in an emergency, I can provide teleportation coordinates to the Security Department. All I have to do is press the emergency switch, and members of the combat team will respond and teleport here within thirty seconds.”

Zhang Wenda remembered that. He seemed to have received that same emergency treatment back when he acquired “three reds,” even earning a B+ mission rating for it.

He had his Hippocampus record all these details. This was the very foundation of the order the Third Line had provided for everyone in Thought Wave. It was something he could perhaps adapt for his own use when his power expanded in the future.

Seeing Hu Maomao trot back, Zhang Wenda immediately swallowed the pain in his mouth and asked her, “How did it go?”

“We have an opening. I found their shift schedule. And I found this, too.” Hu Maomao whipped out a ring of keys. “This has everything, from the innermost rooms to the outside.”

“Nice work, Maomao!” Zhang Wenda said, immediately reaching out to take the keys.

“I also set you up with an identity. No need to hide. You can walk right in.” With these items in hand, the next part would be much easier.

Soon, when Zhang Wenda reappeared, his head had reverted to its human form. With his face smeared in forest camouflage, he walked openly toward the building in the distance.

When he was stopped at the entrance, Zhang Wenda expertly recited the lines Hu Maomao had given him. “Clocking in. What else? I’m on the three o’clock shift. Group Four.”

The wooden door opened, and Zhang Wenda walked in without a hitch. As he entered, everything within his Inner World went with him.

As people brushed past Zhang Wenda, the information in their minds was intercepted by Hu Maomao and shared directly with his.

The fog of war covering the unfamiliar territory was instantly dispelled. Zhang Wenda now knew not only the complete layout of the facility, but even some of the internal gossip within the Big Circle.

With this shared consciousness, the entire place was transparent to Zhang Wenda. He could easily avoid any potential tripwires or patrols.

‘Turn left up ahead. After that, there are three doors. The water prison is behind them.’ As the three iron doors opened one after another, everything matched the information in his mind.

With this guidance, Zhang Wenda reached the water prison unimpeded.

It was a level almost half-submerged in filthy swamp water, its interior divided into individual cells by thick metal walls. The place was not just dim, it also reeked. Something red seemed to be spreading through the black water.

Sounds like wails and sobs drifted from the cells on either side, making the atmosphere incredibly eerie.

Perhaps because the external security was so tight, there were no guards at all past the final door.

Using the concentration of red, Zhang Wenda precisely located the most crowded cell. He extended a scythe, carved a hole in the iron door, and shone his flashlight inside. He was met with the sight of dozens of faces, some terrified, others numb.

They were men and women, all of them filthy and in tattered clothes. From the long immersion in the water, parts of their bodies had begun to fester. It was clear they had endured this miserable existence for quite some time.

Judging by their appearance alone, it was impossible to tell who they were.

“Maomao! Now!”

Hu Maomao immediately jumped out and began to quickly scan their thoughts.

Zhang Wenda couldn’t be bothered with questions. Checking their thoughts was a much faster and more accurate way to confirm if they were his people.

When Hu Maomao nodded at him, Zhang Wenda held out his insignia for everyone to see. Immediately, he saw hope flare in their eyes. Many of them simply broke down and sobbed.

“I knew it! Our people weren’t all wiped out! I knew it!”

“Which division are you from?”

“Finally…”

“Shh! If you want to get out of here, be quiet!” Zhang Wenda’s command quieted the rising clamor, and all eyes turned to him.

In that moment, to everyone there, Zhang Wenda was hope itself.

Sneaking this many people out from the lowest level of the building would have been next to impossible for anyone else. But for Zhang Wenda, it was a simple matter.

With a swipe of his right hand, he opened the gate to his Inner World and urged the prisoners to hurry inside.