"Hmm..."
It seemed Xiang Yi's hunch was right. He had found unique materials that could be used to modify mechanical equipment.
A panel projected itself before Xiang Yi's eyes, displaying the source of the materials—a three-dimensional projection of the Blood Crystal Worm's corpse.
The specific parts of the Blood Crystal Worm from which the materials originated were also clearly marked.
Inside the Blood Crystal Worm's body were semi-transparent, fluid crystals; these were ordinary Blood Crystals.
A portion of the flesh on the team leader's severed leg had been converted into crystals; these, having been transformed from flesh and blood, were High-Quality Blood Crystals.
And within the Blood Crystal Worm's body were several black specks, which were labeled as Living Iron—a material Xiang Yi was completely unfamiliar with.
It seemed this unique modification could only be performed once. Based on the material's properties, the change to the target object would be highly specialized and potent.
As it stood, Xiang Yi had no idea what properties the blood-red, semi-transparent Blood Crystal had, nor did he know what this Living Iron was.
So...
Xiang Yi tossed aside the pistol and used the elevator floor to push himself up. The short rest had allowed him to recover a bit of his strength.
He took off his outer pants and wrapped them around the team leader's bleeding right leg to stanch the bleeding.
As the service elevator slowly came to a halt, Xiang Yi grabbed the team leader's arm, pulled him to his feet, and then hoisted him onto his shoulder before heading out of the elevator.
He didn't really want to bother with the team leader, but he figured that if he didn't bring someone back alive, he probably wouldn't survive another two days himself.
Soon.
A slapping sound reached the ears of the prison guard watching over the disinfection room.
He whipped his head toward the source of the sound, only to see a blood-stained hand leave a palm print on the glass of the main door.
His expression shifted from confusion to terror.
"Someone, help!"
As the terrified guard behind the door cried out, Xiang Yi finally gave out, his eyes closing as he collapsed to the ground.
He was distantly aware of the disinfection room's main door opening and the sound of numerous footsteps surrounding him.
「Two days later.」
Xiang Yi had changed into a fresh set of clothes, not a prison uniform, and was lying on the soft mattress in his new cell, thinking quietly.
The pain in his body had eased considerably over the past two days, but the mental exhaustion still made it difficult for him to remain calm for long.
But at least he was safe now.
Two days prior, after the guards called for a doctor, they were both quickly revived. With the team leader awake, there was no need for Xiang Yi to painstakingly explain everything that had happened.
After a doctor treated his injuries in the infirmary, he was taken to a new cell to recover in peace.
Not only was the environment better, with a private bathroom, but the daily meals had also improved significantly.
It was certainly a huge improvement over his original eight-person cell, where he had slept next to the toilet and gnawed on hard, dry steamed buns.
These must be the "benefits" that guy Long was talking about.
The jealous glares from the other prisoners as he moved his few personal belongings out of his old cell were unmistakable.
Every last one of them wished they could take his place, but it was nothing more than a fantasy.
Xiang Yi silently enjoyed these hard-won privileges, but he never forgot where he was or what he had to do.
During his daily yard time, he continued to memorize the prison's layout, constantly mapping out escape routes in his mind.
To outsiders, it seemed Xiang Yi spent half an hour every day sitting dazedly in his room, lost in some unknown thought.
Today was no exception.
As Xiang Yi once again began contemplating his escape...
...in the room next to his private cell, the team leader and a man in work clothes were observing him through a one-way mirror.
The team leader stood steadily on the floor, his right leg already regrown—a clear demonstration of the era's biomedical technology.
He pointed at Xiang Yi and asked the man in work clothes beside him, "What's your take? Repairing equipment with his bare hands."
"I've inspected the generator. It was damaged because a circuit fused after being kept in an overloaded state for too long. All you need to do to fix it is reconnect the broken line. Furthermore..."
The team leader raised a hand, cutting off the man's long-winded explanation. "You don't need to give me all the technical details. I just want to know if it's possible to fix it with your bare hands."
"Theoretically, it's possible. As long as your hands are steady enough and you're daring enough, you could sever a wire by hand and use it to reconnect the circuit, provided you aren't aiming for stability. It's just that doing so is extremely dangerous and inefficient."
"However, I have to say, apart from the basic circuit structure, the operating logic of its Spiritual Energy systems isn't something a technician at my level can figure out. So I can't be one hundred percent certain."
"So you're saying he's familiar with this machine?"
"He managed to fix it, so he must be."
"I see." The team leader didn't ask any more about the generator, changing his line of questioning. "What about the stun baton modification?"
"I can do that too, it just requires a very high level of precision. I probably couldn't pull it off while engaged in strenuous activity. One moment of carelessness and it would've blown up in his own hands."
"So you're saying his skills are better than yours?"
"Er... at least when it comes to this sort of thing... I suppose you could say that..."
The team leader stared at Xiang Yi in silence for a good while. Just when the man in work clothes thought he'd said something wrong and was about to apologize, the leader spoke again. "You'll take him from now on. The warden needs me for something shortly. Go and teach him everything he needs to know. Just treat him the same way we do the other prisoners we've recruited."
The man in work clothes let out a sigh of relief. "Understood."
The team leader turned and pushed the door open, exiting the room.
A moment later, he appeared at the door to Xiang Yi's cell.
Hearing the footsteps at his door, Xiang Yi immediately stood up and saw the team leader walking normally.
The team leader was now wearing a white lab coat. A badge hung from his chest, displaying his name.
He Dong.
He Dong didn't waste any time on small talk. He got straight to the point. "Do you want to keep being a miner?"
"No."
"Good. I'll arrange a new job for you. You'll have a better environment and living quarters, and someone will give you regular check-ups."
"What kind of check-ups?"
"The same kind you've been getting. Hasn't a doctor been coming to examine you regularly for the past two days? Like that."
Xiang Yi glanced at the gauze wrapped around his limbs.
It was true. For the past two days, a doctor had come to see him twice daily, once in the morning and once at night, to change his bandages, treat his wounds, and draw some blood while they were at it.
'But my injuries are already almost healed. The medicine of this era made them heal so quickly they might not even leave scars. Are follow-up check-ups really still necessary?'
Xiang Yi asked, a little uncertain. "It's that good?"
"In fact, most people get this kind of treatment, minus the job. But for others, the privileges are usually temporary. In your case, the conditions can be a bit more relaxed. I haven't forgotten that you saved my life."
'By "most people," he must be referring to the inmates who sold out their peers.'
"So now I just have to sign that... agreement, or whatever it was someone mentioned before, and then...?"
"Someone will come arrange a new job for you. You're skilled, so you should be a good fit for a technical position. As long as you don't have any other ideas, you can actually live quite well here."
Xiang Yi figured this was the prison's way of giving the inmates a sliver of hope.
They promoted some of the well-behaved inmates—or, more accurately, those who had backstabbed the most people—to staff positions for everyone else to see. It was proof that they wouldn't just be killed to tie up loose ends, and it gave the other prisoners something to hope for.
"What about my crime...?"
A flicker of confusion seemed to cross He Dong's eyes, but he didn't let it show. "Just go sign the agreement. You'll find out when the time comes."
"Alright. Where do I need to go?"
He Dong pointed outside the door. "There's someone waiting for you. Just follow him. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't be going with you."
Xiang Yi nodded, followed He Dong out the door, and fell in with a man dressed like a lawyer who greeted him.