Chapter 3

Li Dalong, this name, no matter how you look at it, feels unusually strange. It has a grand and heroic aura, yet it is also incredibly vulgar and crude.

Thinking back hundreds of years, there was a fierce man named Li Xiaolong on Earth, whose name became famous worldwide. This was because he was extremely tough and skilled in martial arts, even founding a martial art called Jeet Kune Do, which earned him great admiration. By this logic, Li Dalong should at least be a tall, strong, and muscular man.

Unfortunately, Li Dalong lacks height, good looks, and a sense of style. Yet, he still dares to have such a domineering name. Lin Zhi really couldn't understand where Li Dalong's confidence came from.

But whether you are confident or not, the uncle always has that smiling attitude towards any criminal: "We're here, you can go in by yourselves!"

Lin Zhi had no choice, but Li Dalong was very curious, looking around furtively: "Hehe, what is this place? It's very mysterious!"

"It's a very interesting place, you'll know once you go in." The uncle was still smiling.

But Lin Zhi immediately noticed that the entrance was equipped with a human body scanner, which included various probes for iris scanning, fingerprint identification, DNA extraction, retinal comparison, and health analysis.

This was the basic infrastructure for confirming the identity of prisoners in the prison. In ancient times, this was called verifying one's true identity, and in modern times, ordinary prisons did not have such high-tech facilities.

This was not an ordinary prison, Lin Zhi instantly realized.

After various rays scanned the two of them, the iron wall automatically split open, and a pair of mechanical arms extended out, clicking and clamping a delicate metal ring around their necks.

"What is this thing? A gift? Or an ID card?" Li Dalong was even more curious, but unfortunately, he couldn't see his own neck, and even more unfortunately, no one answered him because everything was automatically operated by high-tech facilities.

Lin Zhi sighed deeply: "I know what this thing is."

"What is it?" Li Dalong quickly asked.

Lin Zhi's face had already turned pale: "This thing has a nickname, called the Tightening Spell, which is a miniature explosive device. The micro-computer inside is connected to the central control center and also transmits signals to the international space station. If you are not in the designated place at the designated time, or if you try to remove it manually, the central control center will immediately send a command, and the Tightening Spell will automatically explode in ten seconds..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood that this thing could easily turn your head into mush.

But Li Dalong didn't seem afraid. His expression became thoughtful, and after a long time, he slowly said: "I understand!"

Lin Zhi glanced at him: "You finally understand?"

Li Dalong nodded solemnly, his tone becoming very emotional: "Actually, I used to be late and leave early a lot, and the worst that could happen was getting fined. But this company has such strict rules, to the point of putting explosive collars on employees to prevent tardiness and early departure. But this won't be a problem for me. I'm always very proactive and will never be late or absent without cause..."

Lin Zhi almost fainted. This damn fool, do you think you're here to work? No, you're here to serve time. Don't you know that yet?

He was about to wake the fool up, but then a sweet female voice came from above: "Please proceed to Corridor 4!"

This voice was clearly from the building's intelligent broadcasting system, which Lin Zhi could confirm, as there was no one in sight in the white corridor.

In today's world, intelligent technology has largely replaced human activities, and many things no longer require human effort.

At the end of the corridor was an elevator, strictly speaking, a large freight elevator, but it was an old model from the early 21st century.

"I don't understand," Li Dalong began to voice his opinion. "If the company can use such advanced explosive collars, why is the elevator so old? Is it being stingy?"

Lin Zhi didn't bother to answer. In his eyes, Li Dalong was already categorized as a mentally challenged child, but more importantly, the elevator was slowly descending, and the rumbling sound was particularly闷闷的.

From this harsh and oppressive sound, Lin Zhi sensed a hint of unease. The descent time was too long, and based on his experience, the elevator had descended at least 1000 meters underground.

His heart sank. Anyone imprisoned 1000 meters underground would find the difficulty of escaping comparable to hacking the defense satellite system in space.

But Li Dalong didn't see it that way. He liked to make wild guesses: "Could this be an underground research facility of a large corporation?"

His guess wasn't disappointed. When the elevator stopped, a wider, brighter corridor appeared before him. The ceiling, floor, and walls were all made of crystal-like panels that emitted light automatically, with fireproof, waterproof, and impact-resistant functions. These panels were nearly impossible to destroy even with high-end energy.

But Li Dalong soon noticed something odd. There were many office doors on both sides of the corridor, but these offices seemed to have no windows.

"Could it be a fully enclosed office?" Li Dalong quickly realized, admiring his own quick thinking.

"Room 21!" The intelligent broadcast directed them to their room.

The room door opened automatically, as if welcoming their arrival. However, Li Dalong finally felt something was wrong.

The room had no desk, no chair, no office equipment, no computer, no water purifier, no sofa, no...

Almost nothing. The only thing present was three large beds.

There was someone on one of the beds, a muscular, bald man with a fierce face. But being confined in such a space year-round was no different from death.

So the bald man was leaning against the wall in a posture similar to meditation, his face expressionless, but more like numb.

He didn't show much surprise or shock at the arrival of the two new inmates. He simply said calmly, "Welcome!"

The first to respond was, of course, Li Dalong: "Hehe, I'm new here. If I make any mistakes in my work, please give me guidance, big brother."

"Work?" The bald man got up from the bed, looking at him with surprise, and asked cautiously, "What's your surname?"

Li Dalong immediately regained his confidence: "I'm Li, Li Dalong, the 'Li' in 'big' and the 'long' in 'dragon'!"

The bald man's face showed a faint smile, but it was ugly, as someone with such a fierce appearance shouldn't have a smile.

After staring at Li Dalong for a long time, the bald man put away his smile and asked meaningfully, "Do you know what this place is?"

Li Dalong felt uneasy under the stare, sensing something was wrong, but he still asked, "What place?"

The bald man nodded and said expressionlessly, "A prison!"

Li Dalong was stunned, and after a long time, he managed to force a smile: "Big brother, you're really... joking, right?"

The bald man immediately interrupted him, saying solemnly, "I'm not joking. This is indeed a prison, and you should have heard of its name, Black Spider."

Hearing "Black Spider," Li Dalong still looked puzzled, but Lin Zhi's face turned deathly pale, and his shoulders trembled with fear.

For notorious criminals, this name was well-known in the criminal world.

This famous prison housed the most dangerous criminals in the world, including super hackers, political figures, business elites, interstellar fugitives, master thieves, mercenaries, serial killers, and soldiers.

These criminals came from various fields and were outstanding in their respective industries. Ordinary prisons couldn't hold these experts, so the federal government passed a law to build this famous technological prison.

This was the place with its advanced and stringent security measures, where once you entered, you shouldn't even think about escaping. The idea of breaking out was something you shouldn't even consider.

But why is it called Black Spider?

The name is very apt. Once you are imprisoned here, it's like a mosquito caught in a spider's web. The more you struggle, the tighter the web binds you. If you resist forcefully, the web will strangle you.

From Li Dalong's shocked expression, the bald man could tell that he still didn't realize he was in prison, thinking he had joined a new company and started a new job.

But he didn't ask how Li Dalong ended up here. In this prison, there were no secrets, but if there was one, it was each prisoner's past.

Their pasts were undoubtedly glorious, at least in their respective fields, and some were even earth-shattering secrets. So unless someone spoke up, no one would ask.

The bald man pointed to the corner of the room and said indifferently, "That's your bed."

Li Dalong didn't move, clearly unable to accept the fact that he was in prison. He turned and asked, "Will I be staying in this room every day?"

The bald man shook his head: "Not entirely!"

Li Dalong's eyes lit up: "Can I go out?"

The bald man sighed: "Actually, staying in the room is the safest. I advise you not to go out."

"Why?" Li Dalong was confused.

The bald man changed the subject: "Do you know that there are many rules in this prison?"

Li Dalong asked, "Like what?"

The bald man said coldly, "For example, you shouldn't ask why. What you need to know will eventually be told to you, and what you shouldn't know, if you find out, will bring you trouble."

Li Dalong had no choice but to shut up. The bald man's tone was calm, but his words were irrefutable.

At that moment, a square opening appeared in the metal wall above each bed, as if an invisible hand had opened a drawer. Inside the drawer was a strangely shaped metal helmet.

"What is this?" Li Dalong was curious.

The bald man couldn't help but say, "Don't tell me you don't know what this is?"

Li Dalong shook his head: "I really don't know."

The bald man was also frustrated and sighed, "This is the daily fixed welfare time, only three hours. You should take advantage of it now. If you ever have a chance to get out, you don't want to be penniless, right?"

Li Dalong hesitated: "Is this 'The Ninth Continent'?"

No one answered him this time, as the bald man quickly put on the helmet and lay down: "Li Dalong, when you enter, find me in Maocao Village. My name is easy to remember: 'I Have Dementia.'"

"Indeed, it's easy to remember," Li Dalong muttered as he put on the helmet. "You look like you're only in your thirties. To have dementia at such a young age? You must be crazy!"

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