Chapter 5 - Chapter: A "Vacation" in Prison and the Crazy Dark Web Live Stream

It was the first time Lin Jie had heard of someone paying to have their own sentence increased. This was truly a world of wonders.Thankfully, his sharp mind—unlike the mecha's fried CPU—could still piece together the logic behind this. To put it plainly, Curly had deliberately paid to get himself a heavier sentence just to enter the Ninth Prison and pilot Mammoth for Simon in the tournament.As for how Curly would get out later... No matter how you looked at it, breaking out someone as unknown as Curly would be far easier than breaking out a big shot like Simon. In fact, if Simon ever got out of prison, it wasn't impossible that Curly would be abandoned outright."There was actually a professional mechanic with me too," Curly added. "But he had an accident and couldn't make it here. I'm just a mecha pilot—I don't know much about repairing mechas."Even a 'buy one, get one free' deal... Lin Jie was momentarily lost for words. He glanced instinctively at the tall floor-to-ceiling window again.More than wondering about that missing mechanic, Lin Jie was curious how Jenna had come up with such a flawless solution. He thought to himself—even if he'd been in her shoes, he couldn't have done better.On the surface, Karl Star Nation's politicians had handed over the decision-making power to Jenna. But in reality, what they'd given her wasn't power—it was a ticking time bomb.If Jenna had caved to pressure and released some of the super prisoners, and those prisoners later caused trouble that affected Karl Star Nation and sparked public outcry, the politicians could simply shift all the blame to Jenna. They'd easily save their own skins while quelling the controversy.But what if she refused to release any of them?That obviously wouldn't work either. These super prisoners all had powerful backers—forces so strong that even Karl Star Nation's top leaders didn't dare offend them. What chance did Jenna, a mere warden, have of standing up to them?This was where the brilliance of her plan shone through.First, since these super prisoners were influential enough to sway public opinion, their backers could hardly be "good guys." Most were likely gray-market forces, involved in shady dealings.Second, since all these prisoners had been arrested within Karl Star Nation's borders, their backers were presumably based near the Karl Star Nation.And among so many gray-market forces, conflicts and grudges were inevitable. While they all wanted their own people released, they'd be more than happy to see their rivals stay locked up in the Ninth Prison.In this context, with a little maneuvering, Jenna's plan would be fully approved. Because the hatred between these forces was far deeper than their friction with Karl Star Nation—they'd jump at the chance to make things difficult for each other.In this way, Jenna successfully turned the pressure on herself into an internal conflict among these gray-market forces.Jenna doesn't seem smart enough for this. Could someone be helping her behind the scenes... Lin Jie glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window twice more, then turned his gaze back to Curly and Simon, steering the conversation back on track. "What happens if the mechas get damaged and need replacement parts?"Based on the tournament rules Curly had described, the mecha damage rate would definitely be extremely high. If parts couldn't be replaced, winning seven matches would be impossible—even surviving seven matches without being scrapped would be a miracle."The tournament rules forbid sending mecha parts into the prison," Curly explained. "Even if someone tries to send them in, the parts get seized. We have to find them ourselves..."He draped one arm over Lin Jie's shoulder and pointed beyond the high walls with the other. "The Death Star isn't just a prison—it's a trash star, piled high with mechanical wreckage: warships, mechas... Most of it's scrapped, but there are still plenty of usable parts. When a mecha gets damaged, Jenna has the guards take us to a designated trash area and gives us a day to find the parts we need.""So we have to rummage through garbage heaps for what we need," Lin Jie touched his nose and glanced at the high walls dozens of meters away.He couldn't see anything beyond them, but for some reason, he felt a faint sense of anticipation. After living in this world for so many years, this would be his first time "dumpster diving."The three chatted briefly before Simon led Lin Jie and Curly back to his cell. Here, Simon's status in Zone T became glaringly obvious.If Lin Jie had wanted to switch cells, he would have had to report to the guards first. The guards would ask for reasons, decide whether to escalate the request, and go through layers of procedures. Even if the process could be completed in one day, the reply would most likely be, "We'll switch you tomorrow."But Simon didn't need any procedures at all. When he said Lin Jie would share his cell, the guards let Lin Jie move in immediately. When he said he wanted a new set of toiletries, the guards rushed to deliver them.Simon's orders carried more weight than the guards' own fathers'—was there anything more absurd than a prisoner ordering guards around, with the guards obeying without complaint?The answer was: Yes.After following Simon and Curly through twists and turns for several minutes, Lin Jie finally reached Simon's cell. When the door opened, he was greeted by a fully Western-style interior.Warm tones dominated the space. A living room came into view first, with a satellite TV mounted on the wall. To the left were a dining room and kitchen; to the right, a meeting room. Looking further inside, a study and a gym were visible. Behind the living room sofa stood a wine rack the size of the wall, filled with premium wines.There was even a holographic communicator on the coffee table."Can you contact the outside world anytime?" Lin Jie asked in surprise."That's right," Simon walked to the wine rack, took out a bottle of red wine, then sat down on the sofa. "As long as I don't try to escape or harm the prison staff, I can do whatever I want. The guards will satisfy all my requests."Lin Jie: "..."A cell fit for a presidential suite, with prison guards acting as servants—this wasn't punishment. This was a vacation!"There are three or four empty rooms left, each with its own bathroom," Simon said, taking three professional wine glasses from a box and gesturing for Lin Jie and Curly to sit down. He poured wine as he spoke. "I wasn't in the mood to drink after Mammoth got damaged, but your arrival has turned things around... Raise your glasses, guys. Let's talk over wine."Who knew this bald guy could be so elegant... Lin Jie lifted his glass to toast Simon and Curly. He waited for them to take a sip before taking a small taste himself.The three went on to discuss Mammoth in more detail—Lin Jie gave a brief explanation of which parts were damaged and what replacement parts would be needed.However, Simon and Curly weren't well-versed in these technical matters. Curly fared a little better: as a mecha pilot who worked with mechas every day, he could at least understand some of what Lin Jie said. Simon, on the other hand, was completely lost.Gradually, the conversation shifted from the mecha itself back to the tournament. According to Simon and Curly, five flag-capturing matches had already been held. To ensure the tournament was as fair, just, and transparent as possible, every match was livestreamed on Karl Star Nation's interstellar dark web.It wasn't hard to see the purpose of the livestream: to show the matches to the super prisoners' backers, letting them see exactly how their people were performing.But no one had expected what happened next.Starting from the second match, the number of online viewers on the dark web skyrocketed.The Death Star, the Ninth Prison, death-row inmates, Private-class combat mechas, and a no-rules, life-or-death tournament—this combination attracted hordes of dark web users. At its peak, the number of viewers reached 4 billion.Amid this hype, gambling agencies and underground casinos had jumped on the bandwagon, launching betting markets for the "Death Star Tournament" and promoting it heavily. Driven by this momentum, even the number of registered dark web users began to surge."Insane, right?" Curly was clearly thrilled. He downed his glass of red wine in one go. "This level of hype, attention, and viewership—it's even bigger than official mecha leagues! And we're only using basic Private-class mechas. Isn't that incredible? W-Why aren't you reacting at all?"Suddenly, Curly turned to Lin Jie, who was sitting beside him."What kind of reaction do you want?" Lin Jie took a slow sip of his wine, his face expressionless.