Shackles of Humanity

The gladiatorial matches were held in an oval-shaped mining pit inside the camp. Heavily armed guards surrounded the edge of the pit, their indifferent gazes fixed on the laughing and shouting prisoners below, as if they were looking at a herd of swine.

The matches had no rules, and no registration was required. Anyone who wanted to could go up. Winning three matches in a row would get you into the winner’s bracket and earn you a barrel of beer. After that, the winner’s bracket would compete amongst themselves, and the champion would be decided from that group.

Although there were many prisoners in the mining camp, few dared to compete. The winner’s bracket was perennially dominated by the henchmen of a few Prison Tyrants.

But today was different. A large, bald man was the first to step onto the stone-built fighting ring in the center of the pit. He scanned the crowd and bellowed, ”Who’s next?!”

The rowdy crowd immediately fell silent. This bald man was the leader of the new war criminals, nicknamed Ba Hu. In the past few days, he had already beaten up every well-known fighter in the mining camp. Only the five Prison Tyrants had yet to make a move.

For a long time, no one dared to accept the challenge. The prisoners turned their gazes to the five Prison Tyrants.

”I’ll take you on!” The speaker was a huge, fleshy-faced man. In an environment like the mining camp, few could maintain such a physique. His name was Fat Dragon, a Prison Tyrant who had made his name in the prison long ago. Though it was rare for anyone to see him fight these days, his henchmen were infamous—Grant among them. Fat Dragon’s faction was the most powerful of the five Prison Tyrants, making him their de facto leader.

Down below, Luo Kai’s gaze hardened. He hadn’t expected a showdown of this level to happen right away. If Fat Dragon won, it would be one thing, but if he lost, he would lose all face.

Suddenly recalling something, he began searching among the prisoners. He couldn’t find a trace of Li Gui or Grant. ’What are they up to?’ Then he remembered Dicky, whom he had run into last night. ’What was he doing last night?’

Ba Hu clearly hadn’t expected Fat Dragon to be the first to step up. A flicker of doubt crossed his face, and his gaze instinctively shifted to the edge of the pit, where the head of the guards, Long Hong, was standing.

Fat Dragon walked onto the ring with a grin. ”We’re the lowliest prisoners on earth. Why must a great sir from the Military Punishment Department condescend to be a prisoner here with us?”

Ba Hu’s expression changed. ”How did you know?” he asked coldly.

Fat Dragon chuckled. ”The Mǎjiā Art you use is a military Secret Skill from the Lord’s Mansion’s Military Punishment Department. I just so happened to have dealings with people from the Military Punishment Department back in the day, so I was lucky enough to recognize it.”

Ba Hu’s face darkened. ”I didn’t expect this little prison to be full of hidden masters. In that case, you must know why we’re here.”

The fat on Fat Dragon’s large face trembled slightly. He sighed. ”This was supposed to be a good thing. Unfortunately, I’ve been here for twelve years already, and I have no intention of staying any longer.”

Although the two men on the ring spoke quietly, the people below heard them clearly. Most looked bewildered, but a few showed signs of excitement.

BOOM... RUMBLE. At that very moment, a massive explosion came from above, followed by a series of roars that thundered overhead, as loud as Celestial Thunder descending upon the world.

Luo Kai stared blankly at the sky. A thick cloud of dust and smoke, along with a cascade of rocks, came crashing down from the mountaintop like a stampede of ten thousand horses. ’This is... a landslide!’

”Go!” In the instant Luo Kai froze, Shisan, who was beside him, grabbed him and charged toward the exit.

”Run! It’s a landslide!” The prisoners snapped to their senses and swarmed toward the camp’s exit. The guards, after a moment of shock, also started running for it. At that moment, no one cared about anything else; escaping with their lives was all that mattered.

In the frantic escape, many were trampled underfoot. Those who were too slow were buried by the rock and debris. In the face of such heavenly might, human strength seemed insignificant. The roar of the falling boulders mixed with the screams of the crowd, as if it were the end of days.

Shisan charged ahead like a bulldozer, and Luo Kai, sticking close behind him, was spared the danger of being trampled.

The camp’s iron fence was smashed open by the surging crowd. For a moment, the mob paused, looking around in confusion. However, a portion of them didn’t stop at all, sprinting directly for the docks. The other prisoners seemed to understand something, and without further hesitation, they too swarmed toward the docks.

Luo Kai and Shisan also followed the crowd out of the camp. Looking back, they saw that nearly half of the camp had been buried by the landslide.

Both of their faces were pale. The person who planned this was truly ruthless. At least half the people in the camp were now buried forever beneath the rock and earth!

The commotion at the mining camp alerted the prison. Squad after squad of fully armed soldiers charged toward the scattering prisoners.

Atop the prison’s high tower, the handsome face of the Tri-Eyed Race Prison Director was dark with gloom. ”What is going on?” he asked coldly.

The middle-aged man beside him, clad in white Scale Armor, replied in a low voice, ”The mountain is Solid. A landslide wouldn’t normally occur. Someone must have planted a large amount of explosives on the mountain!”

”Where did he get so many explosives?”

”Explosives are only used in mining operations when we encounter Solid rock formations. This person must have been involved in the blasting, stealing a little at a time over the years...”

The third eye on the Prison Director’s forehead began to glow with specks of white light. He suddenly chuckled. ”What an audacious plan. To think this small prison would house such a talent! Capture the mastermind for me. I want him alive.”

...

The swarming crowd had already reached the docks. Sporadic gunfire erupted, and people fell around them from time to time.

Luo Kai clutched his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep up with Shisan. Shisan scanned their surroundings and said in a low voice, ”To the side! Jump in the sea and swim for it!”

The guards scattered around the area began to methodically eliminate the prisoners, executing anyone who disobeyed orders on the spot. But the prisoners were numerous, and many had managed to snatch firearms. The entire island descended into a chaotic free-for-all.

A large number of guards were converging on the docks. Swaths of prisoners on the pier were constantly being cut down, unable to break through the curtain of steel and lead.

A transport ship let out a loud, clear horn blast. Its huge smokestack spewed black smoke as it slowly weighed anchor and started to move. A row of people could be seen standing on the deck, among whom a large, fat man was exceptionally conspicuous—it was Fat Dragon! Li Gui, Grant, and Dicky were all there with him.

By some unknown means, those people had actually managed to hijack a ship!

The sound of bullets tearing through the air ahead grew denser. The two of them rushed to the shoreline, where several guards on the docks aimed their long rifle barrels at them.

Shisan shouted, ”Get behind me!”

There was the faint sound of a few thuds, like bullets hitting cotton. Shisan’s body trembled slightly, and then he dove headfirst into the sea.

With his Spirit on high alert, the wound on Luo Kai’s shoulder didn’t hurt as much as before. He unhesitatingly followed Shisan and leaped into the sea. Ripples spread out as countless minute vibrations in the water flooded his mind. His body instinctively began to rise and fall with the waves. It felt as if he had always belonged to the sea!