“Is this the psychological counseling room?”
Looking at the room in complete disarray, Qin Hao could not help but frown.
The tables and chairs had been smashed to pieces, the floor was pockmarked, and the walls were covered in scratches and dents. This was worlds apart from the tranquil space he had imagined.
“You should know that when those crazy women lose control, their destructive power is extremely formidable,” Chen Shengnan said.
Qin Hao said nothing more. He had more or less come to understand that the individual martial power of this world was probably far beyond that of Earth.
“However, you don’t need to worry about your safety.” Chen Shengnan went to the wall and pressed a button. A hollow protective barrier descended from the ceiling, dividing the room in two.
Qin Hao walked over to the protective barrier and examined it. It was entirely black, and when he lightly tapped it, it gave off a deep resonant hum.
“What material is this made of?” he asked.
“Dí.”
Chen Shengnan said a single word. Qin Hao had no idea what she meant, but he could be certain that this metal was not on any version of the periodic table of elements he knew.
“Why didn’t the previous psychological counselor install this kind of protective measure?” he asked again.
“They did, but a five-star prisoner dismantled it,” Chen Shengnan replied.
“...”
“But don’t worry. I upgraded it.” Chen Shengnan smiled at him and pressed the button once more. Electric arcs of a deep blue hue suddenly crackled across the barrier.
“See? Isn’t it impressive? I can guarantee that no one will dare touch this thing unless they’re insane.” Chen Shengnan’s eyes were filled with pride.
Qin Hao rubbed his brow. “Have you ever considered what would happen if I accidentally touched it?”
“Haha! Don’t worry!” Chen Shengnan laughed heartily and slapped him on the shoulder again. “If you really get electrocuted to death, I’ll give you a little extra compensation.”
“How thoughtful of you. Thank you.” Qin Hao rubbed his shoulder and changed the subject. “You mentioned a ‘five-star prisoner’ just now?”
“That’s how the star ratings are classified.” Chen Shengnan pulled a display terminal from a pile of miscellaneous items and tossed it to him. “Swipe your card to activate it. It contains the prisoners’ information.”
Qin Hao caught it and placed his work badge on the sensor area.
The screen immediately lit up, displaying several modules:
Work, Leisure, Feedback, and several other areas marked with question marks.
He tried tapping several of the question-mark areas, and the screen immediately displayed: “Insufficient access privileges. Unable to enter.”
Just as expected.
He muttered to himself and entered the Work section. There was quite a lot of content: news and information, feature showcases, administrative services, information searches, and other sections. It was extremely similar to an official website.
He opened the information search section. It was divided into two parts: guard information and prisoner information.
He opened the guard information and saw details on a great many guards. Wang Ling, Li Jun, and Chen Shengnan were all listed.
He looked through Li Jun’s and Chen Shengnan’s information and found that their credentials were extraordinarily impressive, consisting of long lists of glorious achievements. At the very end of their profiles was a line of red text:
Comprehensive strength assessment: ★★★.
He scrolled to the very end of the records and, sure enough, found his own information as well. His credentials were blank, and his comprehensive strength assessment was: ☆.
An empty star—did that mean half-star?
He shook his head with a laugh and returned to the beginning. He wanted to view Wang Ling’s detailed information, but after clicking on it, he received a message saying that he lacked sufficient access privileges.
“The warden’s origins are mysterious, and her strength is terrifying as well. Conservatively, I’d estimate that she’s no lower than five-star,” Chen Shengnan said when she saw this. “Also, it’s best not to look up her information unless necessary. She’ll receive a notification.”
Qin Hao nodded. “Is five-star really that strong?”
“That’s the pinnacle of humanity, of course it’s strong.” Chen Shengnan nodded.
“The pinnacle of humanity?” Qin Hao glanced at her. “You said the warden was no lower than five-star, which means she could very well surpass five-star? Then what cultivation realm comes after five-star?”
“I don’t know. That’s a cultivation realm possessed only by legendary powerhouses. How could trash like me possibly know?” Chen Shengnan said self-deprecatingly.
“Don’t say that. If you’re trash, then what does that make me?”
Chen Shengnan glanced at him and burst out laughing. “You’re little bean sprout.”
Qin Hao decisively ignored her and opened the prisoner records.
Compared with the guards, the prisoners’ records were much more complete. Their entire lives were essentially documented, including their crimes, verdicts, evidence related to their cases, and more.
There was also one thing that surprised him: very few of these prisoners had an overall strength below three-star.
And among the strongest, there were even several five-star prisoners.
“Don’t be surprised. Anyone at four-star level or above is a powerhouse in their own right. How could they willingly remain trapped here as a guard?” Chen Shengnan explained. “Besides, all these prisoners have prisoner chips implanted in them, so they simply can’t escape. The guards don’t need to be particularly strong, especially with the warden stationed here.”
Qin Hao nodded and began browsing the information on the female prisoner area again.
At the very end of the records, one prisoner’s information appeared only as a silhouette, and he did not have permission to access it either.
He looked at Chen Shengnan questioningly.
Chen Shengnan shook her head. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know who it is either. Perhaps only the warden knows.”
Just then, her communicator rang, and a panicked voice said:
“Captain! Prisoner 3058 is having another episode!”
“Restrain her! I’m on my way!” Chen Shengnan replied. After giving Qin Hao a meaningful look, she hurried out.
Qin Hao shook his head, raised the protective barrier, and began cleaning the room.
This would be the place where he lived and worked for some time to come. He could not very well leave it looking like a garbage dump.
..
Chen Shengnan rushed to the scene, only to find alarm bells blaring and several guards sprawled across the floor. Not one of them was still standing.
“Control room! Where is she?” Chen Shengnan was shocked and immediately contacted the control room.
“She went in the direction of Corridor Four,” came the reply from the control room.
“All units, attention. Prisoner 3058 is escaping toward Corridor Four. Proceed to intercept. Attention: the prisoner is four-star, mentally unstable, and classified as an extremely dangerous individual. Weapons may be used if necessary! Repeating: the prisoner is extremely dangerous. Please prioritize your own safety.” Chen Shengnan immediately broadcast the warning to the guards in the female prisoner area.
All the guards immediately sprang into action and rushed to Corridor Four to intercept her. Chen Shengnan also hurried there at once.
However, when she arrived, she saw only guards strewn across the floor. Her expression changed dramatically. “Where is she?”
A guard said weakly, “She went to the psychological counseling room.”
Chen Shengnan’s face changed drastically upon hearing this. As she left, she had heard the sound of Qin Hao raising the protective barrier.
This was bad. Something was about to happen.
She sprinted toward the psychological counseling room.
At the same time, a graceful figure was also speeding toward the psychological counseling room.