Chapter 5: The Junk-collecting Mechanic (Part 1)

"..."

It was the first time Eddie had heard of someone paying to get a longer sentence for themselves.

Surprised as he was, he could still make sense of the logic behind it.

Simply put, Curly paid for a heavier crime just to get into Prison Nine and pilot a mech named 'Mammoth' for Adam in the competition.

As for how he would get out later... No matter how you look at it, releasing a nobody like Curly would be much easier than releasing a big shot like Adam. In fact, if Adam ever got out of prison, it wouldn't be impossible for Curly to be completely abandoned.

"Actually, there was another professional mechanic with me, but he met with an accident and couldn't make it here. I'm just a Iron Rider, not very good with mech repairs," Curly added.

It was still a buy-one-get-one deal... Eddie was momentarily speechless and glanced up at the floor-to-ceiling window again.

Compared to that mechanic whose whereabouts were unknown, what intrigued him more was how Jesse came up with such a perfect solution.

Eddie thought, even if it were him, he couldn't have done it any better.

On the surface, it seemed like the politicians of the Aether Prime system had given Jesse the power to decide, but in reality, what they gave her was not power, but a bomb.

If Jesse really couldn't withstand the pressure and released a bunch of super criminals, then once any of those released committed a crime affecting the Aether Prime system, causing a public outcry, she would undoubtedly be the first to be held responsible.

Then, those politicians could easily shift all the blame onto Jesse to quell the public uproar while saving themselves.

What if she didn't release anyone?

Obviously, that wasn't an option either.

These super criminals were all individuals with powerful backgrounds, so powerful that even the high ranks of the Aether Prime system dared not offend them lightly. What could Jesse, a mere warden, do against them?

At this point, the success of this plan became apparent.

Firstly, since these super criminals had reached a level of influence that affected public opinion, it meant that the forces behind them were not good people, mostly grey forces involved in unsavory dealings.

Secondly, these people were all captured in the Aether Prime system, which meant that the forces behind them were mostly based around the system.

It was obvious that there would be conflicts and contradictions among these many grey forces. While they would hope for their own people to be released, they would also be happy to see their rivals remain in Prison Nine.

Under these circumstances, with a little maneuvering, the plan would be unanimously passed.

Because the grudges between these forces were much bigger than their friction with the Aether Prime system, they would be more than willing to make each other uncomfortable.

This way, Jesse successfully turned her pressure into internal conflicts among these grey forces.

From the recent negotiations, Jesse didn't seem like such a smart woman. Could it be she had a wise advisor behind her? Eddie glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window, then back at Curly and Adam, bringing the topic back on track: "What about the mech? What if it's damaged and needs parts replaced?"

According to Curly's description of the competition, the mech's battle damage was bound to be high. If they weren't allowed to replace parts, it would be a miracle to not be scrapped in seven matches, let alone win.

"We can't have mech parts sent to our 'home.' Even if they are sent, they'll be confiscated. We can only find them ourselves..."

Curly stepped forward, casually resting his elbow on Eddie's shoulder, pointing outside the high walls: "Aside from being a prison, Death Star is also a junk planet, filled with mountains of mechanical wreckage - spaceships, mechs... Although most are scrapped, many parts are still usable.

After the mech is damaged, Jesse will have the guards take us to a specific junk area, giving us a day to find the parts we need."

"So, we have to rummage through garbage piles for what we need." Eddie touched his nose and gazed at the towering wall dozens of meters away.

Though he couldn't see anything, he felt oddly expectant.

Having been in this world for so many years, it was his first time scavenging.

...

The three of them chatted briefly, and Adam took Eddie and Curly back to his own cell.

This demonstrated Adam's status in Area H.

If Eddie wanted to change cells, he would have to speak to the guards, explain the reason, and then decide whether to report it. Even if the procedure was completed that day, the response would most likely be 'change tomorrow.'

But Adam needed no such procedure.

He said Eddie would stay with him in one cell, and the guards allowed it.

He asked for a new set of toiletries, and the guards brought them.

Adam's words were more effective than their own fathers', making Eddie secretly admire.

A prisoner commanding guards without complaint, was there anything more absurd in the world?

Was there?

The answer was: yes.

Following Adam and Curly around for several minutes, Eddie finally arrived at Adam's 'cell.'

Opening the door revealed a completely Western European decor.

Warm tones dominated the space. Entering, one would see a living room with a satellite TV on the wall. To the left was the dining room and kitchen, and to the right, a conference room. Further inside, there was a study and a gym.

Behind the living room and sofa was a wall-sized wine cabinet filled with famous wines.

There was even a holographic communicator on the coffee table.

"Can you contact the outside anytime?" Eddie asked in surprise.

"Yes, otherwise how would my buddies outside know if I'm doing well in prison?" Adam took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and sat back on the sofa, saying, "As long as I don't escape or harm the prison staff, I can do whatever I want, and the guards will satisfy my requests."

Eddie: "..."

A presidential suite-level cell, with prison guards acting as service staff.

This wasn't serving a sentence, it was a vacation!

"There are three or four empty rooms, each with an independent bathroom. Just pick one later. Except for my study and bedroom, which you can't enter without my permission, you can use anything in any other room."

Adam said, taking out three professional wine glasses from a box. He gestured for Eddie and Curly to sit down, pouring wine while continuing, "I wasn't in the mood for wine because of the damage to the Mammoth, but your arrival brings hope... Cheers, buddy, let's drink and talk."

This bald guy is quite elegant... Eddie raised his glass to Adam and Curly, and after seeing them drink, he gently sipped his wine.

Afterward, the three discussed more about the 'Mammoth,' what parts were damaged, and what was needed. Eddie gave a brief explanation to the two.

But Adam and Curly weren't very knowledgeable about these technical issues. Curly was somewhat better, being a Iron Rider and dealing with mechs daily, he could understand Eddie's words to some extent.

Adam, however, couldn't understand at all.

Thus, the topic gradually shifted from the mech itself to the competition.

According to Adam and Curly, the Capture the Flag competition had already gone through five rounds. To make the competition as fair and transparent as possible, each match was live-streamed on the interstellar dark web of the Aether Prime system.

Unsurprisingly, the live stream exploded on the dark web starting from the second match.

Death Star, Prison Nine, high-security prisoners, soldier-class field mechs, a competition with no rules and disregard for life and death, attracted a large number of dark web users. The highest viewership once reached four billion.

With such popularity, betting organizations and underground casinos got involved, setting up betting pools for the Death Island competition and promoting it heavily.

As a result, the number of registered users on the dark web even started to skyrocket.

"Crazy, right?"

Perhaps because he was more talkative, or maybe because he hadn't experienced such attention before, Curly was visibly excited, downing his wine and saying, "This heat, this attention, this viewership, even surpasses regular mech leagues. And we're just using the most basic soldier-class mechs. How incredible... You... you don't seem to have any reaction."

Suddenly, Curly looked at Eddie.

"What reaction do you want..." Eddie sipped his wine lightly, expressionless.