Chapter 20: The Foolish One

Bang—

The insect’s head exploded like a watermelon, and Leon swiftly dodged to avoid getting splattered with the disgusting liquid.

Staring at the insect he had just kicked to death like a stray dog by the roadside, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly:

“So weak...”

[Used Reverse Life Triple in battle, skill experience +4.]

[Fought a brawl in prison, profession experience +16.]

[Current profession level: Prisoner lv3 (5/300).]

Ignoring the notifications flashing on his screen and the sudden surge of power within his body, Leon remained vigilant.

After all, no one knew how many insects were lurking in this pitch-black environment.

Sure enough, two faint crawling sounds soon reached his ears.

He quickly made a decision.

He couldn’t fight inside the cell—the space was far too cramped, leaving no room to dodge.

But the problem was, Leon didn’t know how many insects awaited outside, so rushing out recklessly was dangerous.

Fortunately, he wasn’t reliant on Reverse Life Triple alone. With a slight shift of his foot, he moved to the position of the insect corpse in front of him.

“Sun trigram, wind mirror.”

A barely perceptible gust of air spiraled through the narrow cell and the cramped corridor outside.

“Two of them.”

Having gained a rough idea, Leon felt more confident but didn’t become complacent. He quietly waited for the right moment.

One second, two seconds...

In the pitch-dark prison, the white reaper unleashed a thunderous strike.

Bang bang—

In the narrow corridor, two more arthropod corpses twitched spasmodically before falling still.

Once sure they were truly dead, he approached to examine them.

“The blood isn’t corrosive, but its temperature is strangely high.”

“Fortunately, their only threat lies in their sharp forelegs.”

After a moment, Leon had a general understanding of the insects’ strength, though he didn’t believe these three represented the average power of the world’s insect species.

Just as he lifted his foot to leave, he suddenly turned around, stepped forward, and swung a punch—but then abruptly halted.

“...Hall?”

Leon stared at the pale-faced brown-haired man before his fist, surprised, and quietly called his name.

To guard against sneak attacks, Leon had kept Wind Mirror active, which is how he noticed someone stealthily trailing him.

This man was his cellmate, Evan Hall—the informant Leon had previously used to gather information about this world.

At this moment, Hall looked pale, swallowing nervously. “Bro... bro...”

“So, you’re a professional, huh...”

He glanced at the insect corpses on the ground.

Bullshit, a “Prisoner”!

You expect me to believe a “Prisoner” could manage this?!

He’d seen how these insects mercilessly slaughtered civilians, yet this terrifying creature now lay dead like a stray dog.

Recalling Leon’s pale appearance and feeling the faint sting on his face from the punch’s wind, if he wasn’t a professional with a power level, Hall would have been done for.

Fear filled his heart. Had Leon not stopped in time, he’d be as clueless and dead as the insects on the floor.

Thinking this, the brown-haired man forced a flattering smile. “Bro, can I follow you for a while?”

“?”

Leon furrowed his brow slightly and then took a step back, increasing the distance between them. “Goodbye.”

He wasn’t stupid—bringing along someone who couldn’t protect himself was just asking for trouble.

Besides, who knew what the other person’s intentions were? What if there was a betrayal?

Seeing his lifeline slipping away, Hall panicked immediately. “Bro, name your conditions! If I can do it, I’ll agree!”

Leon chuckled at this. “What conditions can a prisoner like you meet?”

“I’m not Nantong.”

Hall’s face stiffened instantly—Leon’s words hit his weak spot, leaving him at a loss for a comeback.

Yet he soon gave up resistance and said, “Bro, I can scout ahead for you!”

“Given the current situation, you don’t want to just walk out there blindly, right?”

Without waiting for Leon’s reply, Hall revealed his skills to prove his worth. “Bro, I lied before—I’m not a civilian. My profession is Thief, with lockpicking and breath control specialties.”

Considering Hall’s earlier claim that he was imprisoned for theft, Leon found this plausible.

It also explained why he hadn’t noticed Hall’s presence earlier.

Still, this Thief seemed to be at the same level as a Prisoner, far from matching a Refiner (Level 31).

After some thought, Leon finally agreed.

But before leaving, there was one more thing to do.

Looking at Hall’s plain clothes, Leon said, “Take me to where the belongings are stored.”

Every prisoner had to store their possessions before incarceration, though usually it was just clothing.

Following Hall, Leon arrived at the designated storage area.

After finding Queen Adi, who had also crossed over with him, he quickly changed out of his Level 31 sect robe.

Once dressed, Leon addressed Hall:

“You lead the way.”

Hall obediently moved ahead, and Leon followed at a distance of three to five meters.

This gap allowed him to react promptly should anything happen.

Yet until they reached the prison gate, they encountered no danger.

Along the way, Leon discreetly asked Hall some questions. Due to the lack of clocks, Hall wasn’t sure how long it had been since the uprising began—estimated to be about a day.

No guards had returned, so the situation outside was clear.

As for why Hall wanted to be led out...

The answer was simple: if they didn’t leave soon, he’d starve. With the power cut, the prison clearly couldn’t supply the ‘Injection Ten’.

Hall, walking ahead weakly, said, “That’s all I know, bro.”

“Shouldn’t we get out now?”

He gestured toward the prison gate, which was already badly damaged.

Leon had planned to leave anyway; staying in the prison was no solution. Without hesitation, he said, “You go first.”

Hall had no objections. He shrugged and tiptoed out the gate, disappearing from Leon’s view.

After a moment, his voice came from outside: “It’s safe out here, bro. You can come out now.”

Yet upon hearing this, Leon’s brow furrowed deeply.

Something was off.

He didn’t think Hall was a good person. If it really were safe outside, Hall would likely have run already.

But now, unusually, he was telling Leon it was safe.

Two possibilities explained this.

One: Leon had misunderstood Hall. Though imprisoned for theft, he was genuinely good, and it really was safe outside.

Two...

“The insects have him under their control?”

“Are the insects in this world that intelligent?”

Recalling the three sharp-headed insects he had just faced, Leon fell into thoughtful silence.