"Open your mouth!"
"Come out!"
"You! Come out!"
Two hundred miners gathered lifelessly in one place. Only twenty-three people remained in North Second District, making it appear sparse.
Qian Lai approached Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe. Seeing their festering, disgusting mouths, his face showed obvious disgust, unwilling to spare them even a glance.
Smack!
Smack!
With a flick of the whip, two fresh bloody marks were left on the faces of Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe.
"Step out!"
He made the brothers stand to the side.
The two lowered their heads and accepted silently.
Chen Jichuan's posture had long been corrected, but now he bent his waist, slouched his shoulders, hunched his back, and lowered his head, pretending to have the same appearance as before.
Not long after.
Qian Lai examined all twenty-three people from North Second District, and two more were called out to stand alongside Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe.
Chen Jichuan recognized these two.
One was Sun Fei, who had lost most of his hair, looked aged beyond his twenty-four years.
The other was Shen Liang, whose face was covered in sores, utterly revolting, emitting a stench far worse than the greasiness of iron-repellent oils.
The two hung their heads low, completely exhausted.
Perhaps there was anger deep in their hearts.
But they dared not speak, dared not resist.
People are like this—until the knife is against their neck, they'd rather cling to life than tear the facade and rebel.
Sun Fei and Shen Liang, these Black Prison miners who'd had their backbones broken, were no different.
In fact.
Were Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe any exception?
Life in this world.
Is nothing more than a struggle to "live."
However.
Chen Jichuan never thought that feigning illness could grant him escape to live a peaceful existence.
Even a lowly overseer like Qian Lai dared to act so wantonly against them, these miners—
"Either he's confident these people couldn't awaken."
"Or, even if they did awaken, he believes they couldn't exact revenge on him."
The implications hidden within this.
Were enough to send chills down one's spine.
Fortunately.
He and Chen Shaohe each had their own means, hidden cards giving them hope for overturning this and escaping.
Time passed bit by bit.
Sun Fei and Shen Liang appeared uneasy. Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe mimicked them, acting equally unsettled.
"You two brothers—"
Sun Fei turned his head, looking at the two of them with a sigh, seemingly regretful.
In North Second District.
They crossed paths often, and most miners were acquainted with each other.
Like Sun Fei, who had been in North Second District for two years, he knew the two brothers, Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe, were among the earliest batch of Black Prison miners. He also knew they were the sons of Chen Yunshan, the "Smiling Tiger," one of the Chen Family's Three Tigers from Yongfeng County.
The Chen Family in Yongfeng County had committed all manner of atrocities.
Now, in the Black Prison, they faced retribution, with nearly the entire family wiped out. Watching the two brothers grow up, only for illness to strike them now, it seemed the Chen Family of Yongfeng would soon be extinct.
Perhaps this fulfilled the old saying—
The cycle of heaven's justice spares no one.
Sun Fei glanced at Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe, sighed faintly, and ran a hand over his shiny bald head, feeling a bit better in his heart.
"This man—"
Chen Jichuan had lived long enough to meet countless people, with a certain knack for reading them. He saw through Sun Fei's shallow mindset at a glance, smiling faintly to himself.
He gave him a slight nod and then ignored him.
Chen Shaohe, on the other hand.
Couldn't discern the man's intentions, but seeing Sun Fei's gaze made him uncomfortable. His face betrayed no emotion, but inwardly, he carefully considered Sun Fei's meaning.
This was something his fourth brother had taught him—
In situations where you can't understand, can't hear, or can't perceive the truth, remain silent, say nothing, and show no reaction, so others can't discern you either. This way, no matter what happens, at least it's an even match.
In private, observe and analyze carefully.
Over time, the more you see and encounter, skill will come naturally, and eventually, one can perceive people's hearts at a glance.
With time.
One might reach the so-called state of 'insight into all things' and 'emotions concealed.'
Of course.
In front of overseers like Qian Lai or those major figures of Black Prison, such behavior was inadvisable.
...
The tally was completed.
Including Chen Jichuan, Chen Shaohe, Sun Fei, and Shen Liang, eighteen miners with various symptoms were identified.
The group was herded together by eight Black Armored guards to a shabby hut two or three miles away from the Death Mine, crammed together in a single space.
The mist was dense now.
It seemed they would set off only when the mist thinned in the morning.
Chen Jichuan stayed vigilant.
He told Chen Shaohe to sleep peacefully while he kept watch. When he felt drowsy, he would enter the Great Yann World to rest.
One minute in reality.
Was six hours in the Great Yann World.
A brief moment, and his energy was restored.
The next day.
"Get up!"
"No more sleeping!"
At dawn, eight Black Armored guards, fierce and overbearing, rousted Chen Jichuan and the others.
Forcing them onto the road.
Chen Jichuan peeked secretly—
Name: Weii Guan
Age: 30
Level: 3
Spell: Wusheng Saber (Third Layer)
...
Name: Zhu Bing
Age: 25
Level: 3
Spell: Wusheng Saber (Third Layer)
...
Name: Chuu Mingrui
Age: 24
Level: 2
Spell: Wusheng Saber (Second Layer)
...
A single sweep of his gaze.
Among the eight Black Armored guards, four had trained the "Wusheng Saber" to the third layer, while the other four were only at the second layer, similar to Qian Lai. However, clad in Black Armor and armed with well-crafted weapons, their strength was enhanced further.
"Not bad."
Chen Jichuan surveyed them and felt a slight sense of relief.
Four at Level 3, four at Level 2.
Even in a direct confrontation, he alone could deal with them all. If he struck by surprise, it would be even easier. And with the "Land Flying Skill," none of them would be able to escape.
This didn't even count the Level 4 Fire Control Technique wielded by Chen Shaohe.
The Black Armored guards posed little threat.
The first step, "leaving the Death Mine," was progressing smoothly.
Chen Jichuan felt a weight lift from his heart.
He gave Chen Shaohe a subtle glance, signaling him to stay calm. Then, they followed the Black Armored guards, obediently traveling day after day.