Chapter 2
Mia woke up to a long-lost mellow fragrance. Before she opened her eyes, her mouth was flooded with saliva.
It should be noted that the staple food for her and her grandfather during this period - the meat of the colo lizard was dry, hard and astringent, and tasted no less than dry firewood. It would not be a pity to throw it into the garbage dump, but the internal organs were extremely smelly, and she had to pinch her nose every time to eat it. In addition, there was a lack of fuel, seasoning, and a cook who knew how to cook... You can imagine the level of Mia's food these days.
So with her eyes still closed, she involuntarily leaned towards the direction of the fragrance. She sniffed and took two deep breaths, swallowed her saliva with a "gulp", and then opened her eyes with anticipation.
——Meet another pair of eyes as clear as water.
Mia blushed with shame in an instant.
Although the other person had no expression on his face and his eyes were very calm, Mia could still see - or perhaps imagine - a hint of teasing and laughter in them. She wished the ground would immediately crack so that she could jump down.
The rich aroma was getting closer. A skewer of barbecued meat was handed to her. The fist-sized piece of meat was roasted to a golden shine, with crispy skin and tender meat. Just one look at it made her salivate. Mia wanted to refuse with dignity. After all, he was a stranger she had never met before... well, a strange man... and she didn't know if she could trust him... No merit, no reward... A man who eats someone's food will be grateful...
Mia tried her best to convince herself not to give in to her appetite, her brain was a mess, but when the aroma of the crispy and slightly spicy meat exploded in her mouth, she realized that her body had gone against her mind's will and had taken the skewer and took a bite on its own initiative...
Mmm, it's delicious...
All the cells in her body seemed to be moaning with satisfaction. When she came to her senses, she found that the whole skewer had disappeared into her stomach, and she almost chewed up the wooden stick that pierced the meat and swallowed it - if the other party had not handed her another skewer in time, she would have eaten it!
Mia ate voraciously for a long time, until her stomach finally felt a slightly painful feeling of fullness, and she stopped reluctantly. At this time, her brain finally started to work again.
She slowly realized that the reason why these pieces of meat were so delicious was not only because they were cooked by a skilled chef, but also because the ingredients themselves were very delicious. Just five or six meters in front of her, there was a huge corpse lying. The sharp teeth, the huge bone plates on the back, and the triangular spikes revealed the other party's identity.
The Stegosaurus is about 20 meters long and usually weighs more than 30 tons. It is one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Although its meat is tender and delicious, there are almost no people who dare to pay attention to it.
At this moment, a complete, fresh, almost invisible Stegosaurus corpse was placed in front of her... By the way, its flesh was still stuck on the wooden stick in her hand.
Mia slowly lowered her head and looked at the piece of meat that was still roasting on the fire and exuding an enticing aroma. She then slowly turned her head to look at the mysterious man. She could almost hear the "cracking" sound of her cervical vertebrae.
When she saw the Stegosaurus just now, she also saw her grandfather Mi Dong lying next to her. Judging from the rise and fall of his chest, he was still alive, but just temporarily unconscious. Mia breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew more clearly that even if her grandfather woke up at this time, he would not be a match for this man.
——Who is he? What does he want? What does he want from them?
After coming here for more than half a year, Mia has established a clear and firm concept - there is no kindness without reason in this world. For a strong man like the other party who they have never met to sit with them peacefully and let her share his food, he must have some needs. And if she can't satisfy him...
Mia took another look at the body of the Stegosaurus.
——I’m afraid that by then, it will be her and grandpa lying there.
The girl swallowed her saliva with a "gulp" sound and said carefully: "Sir, thank you for your generous gift of food... Is there anything I can do for you?"
The other person curled his lips, as if revealing a faint smile, and spoke for the first time: "Rong Yuan."
"...What?" Mia seemed calm, but in fact she was extremely nervous. She didn't hear him clearly at all. She subconsciously asked back and then quickly racked her brains - damn, what did he say? Forever? Redundant? What does that mean? What should I say?
"Rong Yuan." The young man sitting by the fire said it again very considerately, and then explained: "This is my name, you don't have to call me Sir."
He tilted his head, the orange firelight reflected in his light brown eyes, which looked very warm, even with a bit of intoxicating tenderness. His slender white fingers held the barbecue stick, turning it from time to time, looking very leisurely, like a rich young man who was having a barbecue on vacation in a beautiful place.
——But this is all an illusion.
Mia was in a trance for a moment, then reminded herself.
——Those seemingly weak hands were actually a pair of hands that could kill the ferocious beast Stegosaurus.
Mia shrank her hands, subconsciously grasping the hem of her clothes, and then said, "Mr. Rong..." She carefully chose a name that would not violate the other party's wishes or be too offensive, and whispered, "What can I do for you?"
Rong Yuan was silent for a moment, looked up at the sky and said, "Tell me about this place." The "this place" he was referring to was obviously not the small and relatively flat piece of land where they were grilling, but this planet.
——What kind of request is this?
Mia was puzzled - did this man not know where he was? But she did not think too much about it and started to narrate as he asked.
This is a prison star.
As the name suggests, the entire planet is a huge prison.
The civilization on Prison Star is at a very primitive stage. Not only do they lack various high-tech products that can provide convenience for life, but even basic food must be obtained through farming or hunting. In addition, the cosmic environment of Prison Star is very extreme. Even if someone from the outside world wants to "break the prison" and break through the many warnings and blockades set by the empire, they will still get lost in the chaotic sea of stars without the correct star map to guide them.
There are a total of four such prison stars in the Landia Empire. According to their appearances, they are called Blue Prison Star, White Prison Star, Black Prison Star, and Red Prison Star. According to their ecological environment, geological features, planetary gravity and other different conditions, prisoners with different degrees of severity of their crimes are sent to each star.
The best conditions are on the Blue Prison Planet. This azure planet, which appears blue from afar, has a suitable temperature, weak gravity, long sunshine hours, abundant water resources, rich flora and fauna, and few creatures that threaten humans. Only prisoners with minor crimes or special backgrounds are sent there. The planet itself has good housing, artificially cultivated flora and fauna, and complete medical facilities. There are also regular spacecraft that transport various daily necessities, and will also take released prisoners back to the normal world.
However, for the Landians, who are used to having any meal delivered to their doorstep as long as they place an order, having cars and spaceships to travel, having star networks for information and entertainment, and having an extremely convenient and colorful life, the Blue Prison Planet with its extremely primitive living conditions can be considered hell, not to mention the hell within hell - the Red Prison Planet with the worst conditions among the four prison planets.
It is said that a long time ago, Red Prison Star was originally a mining planet, rich in a rare and precious energy mine in the entire galaxy, and even caused a war with millions of casualties. At that time, this planet had a very important position and a meaningful name that matched its importance. Countless people and various mining equipment worked here day and night, and the bright lights made it shine like a beautiful gem even at night.
But as the energy mines were exhausted, people left, and all the usable machines were taken away. The lights that lost their energy never came on again. What was left behind, in addition to a large amount of garbage, were countless large and small mines scattered throughout the planet. It was once as beautiful as a rare treasure, but now it is just like an ugly red scar in the universe. For tens of thousands of years, no one has set foot here, and the planet has become an insignificant dot in the star map. Until the Empire proposed the "Prison Star Project", no one knew who dug it out of the pile of old papers, and then no matter its past glory or name, it truly became "the past", and what exists now is the "Red Prison Star" that all the people in the Empire are terrified of.
According to the Empire's regulations, all the prisoners put on the Red Prison Planet are super villains who have committed countless crimes and can never be forgiven. Originally, such guys should be sentenced to death, but after thousands of years of efforts by some humanitarian organizations, the Imperial Senate finally passed a proposal to abolish the death penalty. After the death penalty was abolished, many people felt that given the serious crimes of some people, even endless imprisonment would be too light for them. So under the impetus of this group, the Prison Planet Plan came into being. In this plan, there is actually - the Red Prison Planet.
That is the planet they are on at this moment.
The sunshine and temperature of Red Prison Star are relatively bad, but they are still within the acceptable range for the human body. However, as an abandoned mining planet, biological resources and water resources are extremely scarce. The buildings and tools left by the early people have almost disappeared in the polishing of time. The harsh natural environment has spawned some extremely dangerous creatures. The empire dropped prisoners and a small amount of daily necessities on this planet by airdrop, and there will definitely not be a single bit of metal in them. As for the fantasy in some literary works at home and abroad that the empire dropped a large amount of garbage on Red Prison Star, it is completely nonsense. It is not for any sanitary conditions or humanitarianism, but to prevent some extremely capable criminals from piecing together a spaceship from the garbage dump and escaping from Prison Star. Therefore, it is a delusion for people here to pick up garbage to make a living. As for the spacecraft that can travel through the starry sky, even if it is an aircraft that is about to be abandoned, it will never land on Red Prison Star.
In other words, all prisoners who arrived here were sentenced to life imprisonment. They could never get in touch with their families and friends again, and completely left the civilized world of the past. They struggled on the line between life and death every minute and every second, eating raw meat and drinking blood to survive. Even if they formed a family and gave birth to offspring here, no one would send a spacecraft to them in the name of "children are innocent" to give them a glimmer of hope of escape.
"So, what about the spaceships that transport prisoners?" Rong Yuan asked. There must be spaceships that transport prisoners from the distant Imperial Capital Administrative Planet to this Prison Planet, right?
Mia looked down at the fire, and after a moment she gave a bitter smile: "In the past...some people did regard that spaceship as the last means of escape, but they didn't know that the spaceships that sent prisoners to Red Prison Star were actually 'ships of no return'."
——The so-called ship of no return is a spacecraft that is about to be abandoned for various reasons. After dismantling all valuable devices, including the manual operating system, it only maintains an empty shell that can barely sail, carrying a very small amount of energy, and locking on to a certain destination - perhaps a star, a black hole, or perhaps a starry cemetery - and it moves towards destruction like a moth to a flame.
This is a funeral for a spaceship.
"The prisoners were all in hibernation on the way here. If some unfortunate guy woke up halfway and wanted to control the spaceship to escape... well, assuming that he had enough skills to unlock the spaceship's automatic navigation system and seize the authority to drive the spaceship, the energy on board would not be enough for him to sail to any habitable planet. His fate might be to be buried with the spaceship, or to wander endlessly in the dark universe, but the biggest possibility is... he would have starved to death before he fell into any of the above fates." Mia shrugged casually, but the expression on her face was complicated, half sad and half pitying.
Rong Yuan looked at her and said casually, "From the look of you, it seems like you know someone has done this before?"
Mia's body froze, and the respectful fear on her face disappeared for a moment. It was as if she was suddenly pricked by a needle, and her eyebrows could not help but reveal a look of pain. She looked at Rong Yuan hesitantly, and after a long time, she slowly said: "My grandfather...he would not come here..." Mia turned her gaze to Mi Dong who was still unconscious, and looked at the old man's pale hair, and her voice was choked with sobs, "In order to save me, he and my two uncles deliberately angered a big shot and were sent to a ship of no return. They woke up halfway and wanted to take me away...Now, I only have my grandfather left."
Rong Yuan did not ask what happened to her two uncles - they must have died. As for the cause of death, no matter which guess was made, it was equally cruel.
"Sir," Mia suddenly looked into Rong Yuan's eyes and begged, "Please... I can do whatever you want me to do. Please let my grandfather go... He is old, I..."
At this moment, she was no longer the timid little girl before. Although she was begging, her eyes were firm and sincere, and she would not regret it even if she died.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to do anything to you. I just want to understand my own situation." Rong Yuan interrupted her and said, "Thank you for your information. This Stegosaurus is my reward."
After he finished speaking, Rong Yuan stood up, patted the dirt off his body, and turned to leave. Mia watched his slightly thin back gradually being swallowed by the darkness of the night, opened her mouth, wanted to say something, and then closed it again.
Maybe the other party is playing hard to get... She can't keep such a dangerous person with unknown background around her...
Mia bit her lip.
She vaguely felt that she seemed to have missed something, and she couldn't help feeling regretful.
At this time, Mi Dong snorted, suddenly opened his eyes and woke up.
Rong Yuan left without hesitation. His decisiveness surprised Mia, who was standing behind him. She tossed and turned all night, wondering if she had done something wrong.
But Rong Yuan, who caused all this, did not have any extra thoughts. On the road of life, he walked alone and had left many people behind. To him, whether it was a partner, an enemy, or a stranger like Mia, no matter how long they spent together, in the end, they were just a scene that would eventually be separated.
In a place like Red Prison Star where might is truth, a lone walker like Rong Yuan would naturally become a target for others. As he walked, he noticed that there were more sneaky figures in the shadows around him. But those who dared to travel alone at night also had their own support, and those people did not act rashly before they knew his background.
Rong Yuan glanced at the place where the suppressed breathing sound was faintly coming from, but didn't pay any attention to it.
In his vision, the pitch-black darkness was not an obstacle. The ground, caves, rocks, humans who wanted to ambush him... everything seemed to be shrouded in a layer of light, with clear outlines, no less than in the blazing sunlight during the day. Moreover, the world he saw was a little different from that of ordinary people.
Those sneaky figures were more or less emitting scarlet blood, and he could see them clearly even from a distance of a hundred miles. This blood color of varying shades showed the crimes these people had committed.
The reason for this vision is that he is the only contractor of the "Book of Merits" in the world.
To punish evil and promote good is merit.
As a contractor of the Merit Book, he can see the merits of others, and can also obtain digitized merits by doing good deeds and punishing evil deeds. A certain amount of merits can be exchanged for corresponding goods in the mall of the Merit Book. The goods in the mall range from personal physical fitness to all the items that have existed since ancient times, from the mysterious skills and magic weapons in fairy tales to the future technology in fantasy stories. It can be said that there is nothing that the mall cannot provide except what you can't think of. At the same time, the higher the value of the goods, the more merits are naturally required.
For example, if he was stranded in an isolated place like the Red Prison Star, as long as he had enough merit points, he could exchange them for an interstellar spaceship, any space gate or a small wormhole, and he would be able to quickly escape from the predicament.
But the problem now is: first, the "Book of Merit" is not with him at this moment; second, he does not have much merit points in his hands.
Speaking of which, when Rong Yuan regained consciousness, he approached Mia and her grandson because among the dozens of people around him, only the two of them were emitting white light, which meant that their merits were positive, that is, they had done more good things than bad things. Therefore, in his eyes, in such a bloody place, these two people were as conspicuous as light bulbs in the dark.
According to the rules of the Merit Book, if he helps such people, he can also gain a certain amount of merit points. However, Rong Yuan is no longer the powerless boy when he first got the Merit Book. Even if he is in trouble, he is not impatient and does not have a strong desire for merit. It is good to get more merit, but if others are unwilling, he does not have to help.
——By the way, when did this lazy mentality start?
He couldn't help but pause slightly, his memory quickly traveled through the distant time, and pictures flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope. Before touching the restricted area, he stopped it in time.
A satisfied smiling face unexpectedly passed before my eyes.
After Mia had eaten her fill, she rubbed her belly and smacked her lips, savoring the food, just like a sated squirrel. And when she was wolfing down the food, it seemed as if her brain was being controlled by her body, which was even more hilarious.
Rong Yuan curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
Once upon a time, he was also a man who could be called a "kitchen killer", but now the dishes he makes are still mouth-watering. If old friends knew about this, they would definitely be so surprised that their jaws would drop, right?
In the final analysis, after losing all support, as long as you study hard, there is nothing you cannot learn. The "incompetence" in the past was only the result of someone's willingness to indulge you.
In the night, under the sparse starlight, that face that was favored by heaven and earth had a faint smile on it, but for no reason it made people feel a kind of sadness that was almost tragic.
