Qin Hao looked at his own hand, then at Li Jun, and said with a smile:
“Captain Li, you really are enthusiastic.”
Li Jun sneered. “With a new colleague joining us, of course we have to give him a warm welcome.”
As he spoke, he increased the strength in his hand again. He wanted to make Qin Hao look foolish and establish his dominance.
Wang Ling, standing nearby, did not stop him. She glanced at Qin Hao, wanting to see how he would respond.
“Captain Li, are you really welcoming me?” Qin Hao asked without changing expression.
“If not, then what am I doing?” Li Jun retorted.
Qin Hao looked into his eyes and smiled faintly. “Is that so? But all I sense from you, Captain Li, is disgust, wariness, and even a trace of fear. There isn’t a single positive emotion.”
“Hah, who would have thought you knew mind-reading?” Li Jun scoffed.
Qin Hao nodded. “No, I don’t know mind-reading. I sensed all of this from your soul.”
Li Jun’s face was full of disdain. “Heh.”
Qin Hao continued, “Although you’re acting completely dismissive, I still caught that fleeting trace of fear. Captain Li, what are you afraid of? Or could it be that you have some shameful secret?”
“Quit spouting bullshit!” Li Jun yanked Qin Hao in front of him and lowered his voice as he hissed, “Kid, don’t think that just because you’ve gotten on the warden’s good side, I can’t do anything to you. Here, I have plenty of ways to kill you!”
“You’re using threats to cover up your guilty conscience, so I must have guessed correctly. You really do have an unspeakable secret.” Qin Hao smiled at him. “Moreover, you seem very unwilling to let the warden know about this secret, don’t you?”
Wang Ling turned to look at Li Jun when she heard this.
Li Jun hurriedly gave her an awkward smile. “Warden, this kid is deliberately framing me and trying to drive a wedge between us.”
Wang Ling glanced at him but said nothing.
Li Jun viciously shoved Qin Hao to the ground and spat at him:
“Kid, I’m warning you. If you dare drive a wedge between me and the warden again, even if it means offending her, I’ll still kill you!”
Qin Hao rose from the ground and dusted off his clothes:
“So you’re laying the groundwork for killing me later?”
“You!” Li Jun was both shocked and enraged by his words. In fact, he really did have such a plan.
“Enough!” Wang Ling suddenly shouted, interrupting the two of them. She said to Li Jun, “Go prepare the execution.”
Li Jun glared resentfully at Qin Hao before turning and leaving.
Watching his back, Qin Hao asked Wang Ling, “Sister Wang, why does he obey your every command?”
“Because crushing him is as easy as crushing a vermin.” Wang Ling swept him with a glance and spoke coldly.
For some reason, hearing him call her “Sister Wang” made her want to beat him up.
Qin Hao nodded. “So this is a world where the weak are prey to the strong, and the strong are revered?”
Wang Ling looked at him in confusion. “It has been this way for hundreds of thousands of years, ever since humanity established city-states. Are you only learning this now?”
“Hundreds of thousands of years?” Qin Hao raised an eyebrow. “Then I understand.”
So this was no longer Earth. He had crossed over.
Unfortunately, he had not brought a system with him.
“Come with me.” Wang Ling said this to him and walked ahead.
Qin Hao followed behind her, looking her over from head to toe. He had to admit that her figure was exceptionally alluring, like a special effect had been added to some short-video app.
“What are you looking at?” At that moment, Wang Ling suddenly stopped and asked coldly.
Qin Hao smiled. “I’m looking at your figure. It’s excellent.”
Wang Ling turned around and looked at him. “The last person who said that to me has already had both eyes gouged out.”
Qin Hao spread his hands. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t my fault. The pursuit of beauty is human nature, and I can’t restrain myself. But please believe me, I’m different from those people whose minds are filled with filth.”
“If there’s a next time, I’ll personally help you restrain yourself.” Wang Ling said this before turning around again.
Qin Hao shrugged and stopped looking at her, instead examining the scenery around them.
Almost everything here was no different from Earth: the language, writing, technology, clothing, architectural styles, and so on.
If not for what Wang Ling had just said, he would almost have thought he was still on Earth.
He simply did not know what kind of world this really was.
After walking for a while, the two arrived at a storage room.
Wang Ling picked up a large box and tossed it to him:
“A guard died unexpectedly yesterday. These are his belongings. Take over his identity for now.”
Qin Hao was somewhat surprised. “That direct? Aren’t you afraid someone will recognize me?”
“This batch of guards was just transferred here. They were recruited from various other prisons and don’t know one another. Can you remember hundreds of people you’ve only seen once?” Wang Ling asked.
Qin Hao nodded. “I can. Isn’t remembering someone after one glance easy?”
Wang Ling froze, then glared at him. “You’d better pray no one recognizes you. Otherwise, I’ll personally shoot you, this impostor posing as a guard.”
“All right.” Qin Hao shook his head with a laugh. “I’ll pray once every day.”
“He didn’t have an identification number yet. You can choose one from these.” Wang Ling handed him a display terminal, which showed strings of numerical identification numbers.
Qin Hao looked at it, then raised his head and asked, “Can I only choose from these? Can I write one myself?”
Wang Ling frowned and took the display terminal from his hand. “What identification number?”
“9527,” Qin Hao said.
Wang Ling looked up at him. “Does this sequence of numbers have any special meaning?”
“Yes. It represents my longing for my homeland.” Qin Hao nodded.
Wang Ling looked at him in confusion. She did not know what these numbers had to do with his homeland. However, she did not ask further. Instead, she took his photograph, recorded his fingerprints and irises, and helped him complete the relevant procedures.
Qin Hao did not disturb her and began looking through the belongings of his “predecessor.”
There were not many of his things—only some changes of clothes and a few daily necessities.
Aside from that, there was only a notebook.
When he opened the notebook, he saw a photograph pasted onto the title page.
The photograph showed a young woman with snow-white skin, a jade-like face, and exquisite features. She was an absolutely beautiful woman.
Beneath the photograph, there was also a line of writing:
Whether life takes me adventuring or wandering, I will always keep you in my heart. Deep affection strikes my heart, my pulse beats with every longing, and every minute and second carries the hope of loving you.
“All right. From now on, you’re a guard here. Identification number: 9527.”
Just as he was about to continue flipping through the notebook, Wang Ling tossed an identification card to him.
“Thanks.” Qin Hao closed the notebook and took the card, looking it over. Sure enough, it bore his photograph and identification number.
But when his gaze fell on the column for his position, he suddenly froze. Written there in stark letters was:
Position: guard of the female prisoner area.