My Cell Prison-Chapter 1213 - 1212: Suspicion

Because he had not seen any maintenance workers on the chains, Han Dong privately transmitted a message to inquire about the situation.

"Miss Chen, what exactly do those ’Locksmiths’ at the very bottom do?"

"I’m not sure either... Perhaps a trip down there would reveal the answer.

I only know that undead who fail the city’s entrance test or commit serious crimes are demoted to Locksmiths. They’re sent directly below by the Dragon Boat, but what they do there is unknown."

The response startled Han Dong.

Locksmiths, a condemned class without even the right to live... It was incomprehensible that a high-ranking Dragon View Taoist Master would not know what these lowest-tier workers did.

Such a thing was indefensible in any societal system.

"Well, I hope we find the answer below."

After descending vertically for an entire hour, they finally saw the ground area.

"Is that... a military barracks?"

Centred around the landing point of the chains, it spanned outwards for a kilometer.

There stood a barracks equalling the size of a certain district in Corpse Country, an All Metal Barracks created using the highest technology, as impregnable as a massive fortress.

One other thing to note was that,

aside from the Main Heart Lock Chain corresponding to Corpse Country, the chains connected to the nearby barracks areas of the surrounding Floating Islands, the furthest being no more than five hundred meters away.

The barracks also housed an airport about a hundred meters high, specifically for receiving Dragon Boats carrying ’Locksmiths’.

When the entire group arrived at the barracks,

the military academy explained the situation to the person in charge here, allowing Chen Xinying, this special guest, to move around freely without any restrictions, and even to leave the barracks at will to venture into the Demon Region.

What was strange was,

even in the barracks, Han Dong still did not spot any undead resembling Locksmiths.

It seemed as if after the Dragon Boats brought them to the barracks, they were immediately sent through a special passage to a certain area for work, never appearing in the barracks.

Meanwhile, according to Han Dong’s observations, the ’features’ of the [Barracks] were all taken in.

Those active in the barracks area were not all soldiers obedient to the Ministry of War, sent to suppress monsters in certain areas.

Many were ’Free Persons’ affiliated with the Ministry of War... more precisely, a group of ’Businessmen’.

It was clear from the commerce within the barracks that these ’Businessmen’ who came below under the guise of the military had considerable strength.

Businessmen were roughly divided into two categories:

1. ’Hunters’: This group excelled in ensnaring; they commonly used capture tactics to bring back young monsters, or docile mounts, or even humanoid creatures that could fetch a high price in the slave market.

2. ’Treasure Hunters’: This group was often very powerful, with at least one Black Zombie in place.

They primarily dealt with killing rare monsters, dismembering their bodies to sell parts separately, such as fur, teeth, eyes, and so on, or venturing into more dangerous beast dens in search of treasures.

As the Ministry of War controlled everything here, they naturally took a cut of any ’goods’ produced, causing the items related to monsters within Corpse Country to be relatively expensive.

...

Chen Xinying quickly met up with the acquaintance she mentioned before.

This ’acquaintance’ also held a certain position in the barracks, responsible for managing military pay and supplies, a reservist worker... fairly leisurely but often able to pick up some frontline intelligence.

After a simple exchange,

the person directly provided a rough map with the incident location marked.

The intelligence came from a Treasure Hunter team.

The team had identified a secluded Demon Cave to explore in search of treasure, but upon arrival... they found that the monsters that once lived there had mostly died out, all frozen to death.

The Demon Cave was located about a hundred and thirty li from the barracks, nestled in the gorges of the western ridge mountains.

"Miss Chen, do you need assistance?

I can arrange a capable treasure-hunter squad for you. Since your goal is to capture ’Frozen Bone’ Luo Gaocheng, they would only require the secret treasures of the Demon Cave."

"No need, I prefer to handle this on my own. Just prepare a vehicle for us."

"Alright then."

Soon after.

A steam-powered Coffin Car drove out from the barracks.

The so-called Coffin Car was a type of steam-powered vehicle with a coffin-shaped compartment, the Yin Qi it exuded inside would ensure that zombies remained in optimal condition during the ride.

Lying inside the Coffin Car, Han Dong spoke in a puzzled tone:

"This so-called Demon Region isn’t as dangerous as I had imagined.

The All Metal Barracks directly facing the locks is impregnable, and the soldiers guarding the perimeter don’t seem the least bit tense, quite the contrary.

It’s clear that the barracks are rarely, if ever, attacked by monsters.

Not to mention, the Ministry of War monopolizes ’Monster Beast Products’ by special privilege, allowing numerous squads to hunt and seek treasures.

This is nothing like the ’Corpse Country saga’ I’ve been told.

I remember you saying this, Zhang Xiliang, ’Due to the threat from monsters, humanity was forced to enact the "Decree of Corpse Transformation" and "Corpse Kingdom Reformation", making cities and the surrounding islands float in the air to avoid the threat of monsters.’"

Zhang Xiliang, who was also lying in the Coffin Car, immediately responded: "Mr. Han, these are the stories I’ve heard since I was young... and indeed, all residents within the Corpse Country know this."

Chen Xinying, who was accompanying them, also nodded in agreement with this statement.

"You’ve heard this since you were young, and everyone knows it?

Where did you hear it from as children? Elders... or could it be that such concepts were ingrained in your heads from the start?"

Han Dong’s question bewildered them both.

As Zhang Xiliang tried to recall, he always felt as if his worldview had always been there, born alongside his consciousness.

"Perhaps the relevant concepts were implanted into your brains when you experienced Corpse Change... of course, this is just a guess, don’t take it to heart.

Let’s focus on the pursuit of the fugitive for now."

Due to the uniqueness of the Coffin Car, the journey was unobstructed.

Upon reaching the marked gorge, there was not even a trace of the so-called "Monsters".

The entrance to the Demon Cave was blocked with piles of rocks, completely airtight.

A stack of White Talisman paper was tossed out by Chen Xinying’s hand. Once the Talisman paper stuck to the rock surface, the heavy and massive stones suddenly became lighter than plastic, easily moved by the strength of an ordinary person.

As the rocks blocking the entrance were shifted away, a bone-chilling wind immediately spilled out from inside, even forming some Ice Crystals on their bodies.

This indirectly increased the likelihood of ’Frozen Bone’ Luo Gaocheng hiding inside.

When she felt the cold, a nameless expression of animosity appeared on Chen Xinying’s face, which she could only restrain through smoking.

Han Dong also noticed the change in her expression, but he never asked about the reason for Chen Xinying’s ’animosity’.

"This is incredible!"

The moment he stepped into the Demon Cave, even Han Dong was stunned.

The interior of the cave was like a freezer—the rock layer was covered with a layer of Ice Crystals of varying thickness. The monsters that once inhabited it had been completely frozen, becoming part of the cavern itself.

"This guy has really gotten stronger..."