Chapter 1: The Prisoner

In the Aether Prime galaxy lies Death Star, the Ninth Prison.

The barely adequate living conditions have not brought prosperity to this planet. It has become a junkyard planet, where mountains of mechanical wreckage heap up, occasionally sparking with electricity. The air is permeated with the smell of burnt cables.

The Ninth Prison, occupying nearly half of the planet, stands amidst these ruins. Its various sectors, like fortresses, look bizarrely majestic under the illumination of the blue star.

This is the largest prison in the Aether Prime galaxy, holding many prisoners and countless unspeakable secrets. It boasts highly sophisticated intelligence security and weaponry.

For over six hundred years since its construction, with a "zero" escape success rate and good welfare, it has become a dream posting for the prison guards of the Aether Prime galaxy.

Eddie Lee once had such a dream and worked hard for it. His efforts were not in vain. After a twenty-three-year journey from birth to the present, he successfully entered the Ninth Prison, becoming a... prisoner.

...

"Prisoner H0567, Eddie Lee, 23 years old, human. You look more handsome than your photo..."

In the interrogation room of Section H of the prison, Eddie sat in the interrogation chair, watching the middle-aged woman in front of him place her file on the table and smile at him. "Hello, Mr. Lee, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jesse Moss, the warden of the Ninth Prison."

"Hello, Warden."

"You can call me Mrs. Moss."

This was one of the basic interrogation techniques - to close the gap with amiable conversation. Eddie replied with a smile, "Okay, Mrs. Moss. I've heard about you, and I'm honored to meet you today. I didn't expect you to look so well-preserved at fifty-five, with so few wrinkles."

Jesse's smile faltered, struggling to maintain her facade.

"Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. Let me rephrase... For an ordinary person, you look very young, not at all like a fifty-five-year-old woman."

"Do I? And how old do I look?"

"Fifty-four, maybe."

"You think you're funny?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow, her friendly smile fading.

"Your jokes aren't funny, Mr. Lee. Do you know where you are? This is the Ninth Prison, and I am its highest authority. I am questioning you!"

The interrogation technique escalated, adding intimidation when the interrogatee was uncooperative.

Eddie's smile deepened. "Okay, Warden. Just a joke, no need to get so upset. Getting angry might cause your anterior pituitary to abnormally secrete LH."

"And what would that do?"

"It might cause you to have irregular ovulation..."

"0567!"

Jesse was really getting angry. As a warden, she had seen many prisoners, but for some reason, Eddie's offhand remarks angered her more than the dirty provocations of others.

Still, she had to keep her composure.

Taking a few deep breaths, Jesse reopened her eyes, trying to make her expression less ferocious. "Mr. Lee, you're still young. Think about your family, your friends, your future. Why must we talk like this? To be honest, I wanted to see you today to help you."

Another interrogation technique, using emotions to break psychological defenses. Eddie sneered inwardly, but his face showed a hesitant look, as if contemplating something. After a moment, he looked at Jesse: "Really? Can you truly help me?"

Seeing an opportunity, Jesse's eyes brightened, coaxing: "Of course, it's true. Otherwise, why would I talk to you alone among so many prisoners in the Ninth Prison?"

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to cooperate with me," Jesse thought she had found a breakthrough, her smile returning.

"I need you to trust me completely, tell me your background, why you were sent to the Ninth Prison, what crime you actually committed."

Eddie blinked, feigning innocence: "Honestly, Mrs. Moss, I hacked into the presidential palace's security system, sneaked in, and after three hours of dodging the guards and knocking out more than ten bodyguards, I finally found the president's son and successfully stole his lollipop."

"..."

Jesse's face turned sour again, staring coldly at Eddie: "The president only has three daughters, no son!"

"Is that so? Then let me make up another one for you."

"Mr. Lee!"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Moss, I can make up many crimes. There's bound to be one that fits me."

"0567!"

"Are you angry? Don't be. Remember, getting angry can cause irregular ovulation..."

"Shut up! Shut up! You jerk!"

Jesse was furious, almost screaming as she ordered the guards to take Eddie away.

It took her a while to calm down and sit back down.

The dim light cast shadows on her face, highlighting the deepening lines of age. Above them were a pair of eyes filled with menopausal malice.

...

"The fact proves that, in any world, discussing age with such spiteful women is an absolute provocation..."

By the pond in the exercise yard, Eddie, who had just washed his face, lowered his head, smiling. Yes, Eddie was an Earthling. After crossing into this world, it took him twenty-three years to grow from an infant to a mature... prisoner. The twists and turns of this journey were not something that could be explained in a few words.

"Whew—" Eddie sighed deeply.

The reflection in the washbasin showed his appearance - black hair, black pupils, a few days' worth of stubble adding a touch of ruggedness. His slightly melancholic eyes, coupled with a playful smile, gave him a unique charm. It was a pity that the gray prison uniform and the electronic collar around his neck spoiled the aesthetic.

"Used to only hear about it, now I find, this thing is really uncomfortable."

Eddie turned around, observing the other prisoners in the yard while touching the electronic collar on his neck.

Most of the Ninth Prison's inmates, like Eddie, belonged to the so-called 'ordinary human' race, indistinguishable from Earthlings. This race was said to be common in the universe, with no distinct racial characteristics, hence the name.

Looking around, Section H had only a few members of other races, each with a unique appearance.

However, one thing they all had in common was the electronic collar.

As Eddie understood, this collar not only suppressed abilities but also had satellite positioning and explosive functions. If someone escaped the designated area or tried to forcibly remove the collar, it would explode, instantly beheading them.

Seeing everyone obediently staying put, Eddie did not foolishly try to open the collar. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his body.

As a transmigrator, he had another thing.

A cube.

Inside his body, either in the brain or some other place - undetectable even by interstellar-era instruments, and thus unlocatable by Eddie. But he could see it whenever he closed his eyes.

In a dim space, the cube floated there.

Made of an unknown alloy, each of its six faces was the same color, but each small face had different pale white lines.

The dividing lines glowed with a faint blue light, exuding a sense of technology.

"Twenty-five years..." Admiring the cube, Eddie felt a rare sense of frustration.

His connection with this cube could be traced back to before his transmigration. Eddie was almost certain that his transmigration had a lot to do with the cube.

Back then, he was just a fresh graduate, celebrating a new job with a good meal. On his way home in the dark, he noticed something reflecting light in the roadside bushes. Out of instinctive curiosity, he went to check.

And that reflective object was this cube.

Eddie's transmigration journey began at that moment.

Originally, the cube, with each face the same color but the patterns scrambled, was difficult to solve. Most people would give up after a few tries, keeping it as a decorative piece at home for occasional research.

But Eddie was not most people.

Call it OCD or a quirky hobby.

In any case, he had a special obsession with puzzles, Rubik's cubes, and decryption. He once stayed up for three days straight to complete a puzzle game.

That night, the cube ignited his challenge spirit.

He squatted on the roadside curb, constantly observing, imagining, from evening until late at night, spending four hours and half a pack of cigarettes to finally piece together a pattern on one face of the cube.

Then, he transmigrated.

Without any preparation or second thought, he didn't even get a chance to see clearly what the pattern was before he was transported to another world.

Starting anew as an infant, it took him over twenty years to grow into a mature... prisoner.

And for these twenty years, the cube was inside him, visible whenever he closed his eyes, but it never did anything.

Eddie tried more than once to turn it again, to communicate with it.

But the cube was like an irresponsible playboy. It seduced Eddie that night, accompanied him for four hours on the roadside, entered his body... and then ignored him.

For twenty-three years, it just floated there, unresponsive to Eddie's attempts.

That left Eddie speechless.

"Damn..." Another unsuccessful attempt at communication, Eddie opened his eyes, looking around, muttering: "24/7 surveillance, ability-suppressing explosive collars, fifty-meter alloy walls, military satellite protection... and this useless cube. How am I supposed to get out of here?"

Boom, boom, boom—

Suddenly, the metallic gates made a heavy sound. Eddie and the other prisoners looked over to see two figures entering their view.

The one in front was a bald man, like Eddie, an ordinary human, but much taller and more muscular, over two meters tall, exuding an oppressive aura, making the curly-haired young man beside him look even smaller.

As soon as they appeared, the noisy exercise yard quieted down in an instant.

"A bully?"

Eddie's eyebrows raised slightly.

The scene before him was like noisy students suddenly seeing the headteacher at the door, giving him an oddly familiar feeling.

The bald man seemed accustomed to this scene, showing little reaction as he walked into the exercise yard with the young man.

Unexpectedly, a transport vehicle followed them. As they entered the exercise yard, the vehicle also drove in.

On the vehicle stood a five-meter-tall iron giant, humanoid, with visible damage to its chest and abdomen, revealing the cockpit inside.

The overall proportions were slender, showing the mech designer's deliberate pursuit of agility. However... its condition was not good. The old, mottled parts and the black smoke billowing from inside the mech suggested it was on the verge of being scrapped.

A field mech... Eddie narrowed his eyes.

Why would such a thing be in the prison?