Black Crow Prison (21): My Turf, My Rules

Mu Xinning stood in the corridor of the basement level, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the bandages of the mummy doll. The lift was located around a corner of the hallway; it was no wonder she hadn't noticed it when she first entered the instance. As she walked, she observed her surroundings; the surveillance cameras here were denser than on the floors above, yet there were fewer facilities. It was only thanks to Mo Yichen's tacit approval that she could wander under the cameras with such impunity. She rather enjoyed this feeling of dancing on the edge of a blade.

This floor featured the open-air playground used for initial waiting and a front desk registration area. However, the stairs that had led to the first floor upon entry had transformed into a downward staircase, with three large characters inscribed above the heavy door: "Morgue."

Indeed! A spark ignited in Mu Xinning's eyes. She had been thinking earlier that when Feng Xuanxuan met her tragic end, the sound had emanated from beneath the lift. She surmised that the lift and the morgue were connected, and that it only descended to that level during a violation, as there was no button for the morgue on the control panel. The staff at the front desk were gone, and there were no prison guards in sight on this floor, making it much easier to move about.

Her gaze fell upon the open prison gate not far away; just as it had been when she first encountered it, it exuded a lethal temptation. The image of the man who had rushed out last time being reduced to a pile of flesh flashed through her mind. She scoffed; this game always loved using such clumsy lures to test stupidity.

The open-air playground was covered by gray-white walls, preventing any view of the outside. Inside, there were only five running tracks and three rows of seats. This area was also under surveillance, meaning the chance of scaling the walls to escape was effectively zero. Consequently, Mu Xinning quickly abandoned the idea of escaping through the playground. This floor was dominated by the playground on one side and gray walls on the other, with the only exception being the stairwell that had changed from an upward path into a descent toward the morgue.

From the entrance of the morgue, a damp, fishy stench drifted out of the pitch-black stairwell; one could smell the pungent odor even from a distance.

"Jin, there must be a creature inside, right?" Mu Xinning tried asking in her mind. Recalling Feng Xuanxuan's agonizing screams, she figured the creature down there couldn't possibly be pleasant to look at.

Jin responded with a hint of disdain, "There is indeed an alien creature inside, but I don't care to eat this type. It smells foul and has a terrible texture." He feared being mocked for having poor taste if he were to eat it!

Mu Xinning found it amusing. "You’re quite the picky eater, aren't you? This is the very creature that just swallowed Feng Xuanxuan." Its combat power was surely higher than that of the eyeball monster.

Jin remained indifferent. "I don't mind killing it, but eating it is out of the question."

Escaping the prison was the key to clearing the instance. Mu Xinning had initially thought that if she could take out the guards in the fifth-floor surveillance room, she could escape without being detected. If she remained undiscovered, she could simply stroll out the front gate. But this morgue gave her a new idea; perhaps there was a hidden exit inside. Jin had also confirmed the presence of the alien creature. Referring to the second floor where the eyeball monster was kept, floors housing such creatures usually lacked surveillance cameras. If she truly found an exit, there would be no need to make another trip to the fifth floor; she could just leave directly.

"If you're happy with that, then I'll go down and take a look." She had just taken a step to investigate when a small part of the tentacle at her lower back emerged and moved under her clothes. "Wait."

"Someone is coming," Jin's voice echoed in her mind.

Footsteps approached, their steady rhythm particularly clear in the empty corridor. As Mu Xinning turned, she saw Mo Yichen crossing the corner of the hallway. He held the white access card in his hand. His violet eyes softened with relief upon seeing her, though they were quickly clouded by a complex emotion. How had he caught up so quickly?

"You dropped this." He walked up to her and handed over the card, his gaze lingering on her face.

Mu Xinning raised an eyebrow, not immediately taking it. "Dr. Mo is well-informed, knowing exactly where I am?" She suspected he had a tracker on her!

Mo Yichen did not answer her directly, saying instead, "You're not being good, wandering out so late." He had intended to prepare a late-night snack for her, given she had skipped both breakfast and lunch, only to find her missing again. He paused, his gaze sweeping over the open prison gate, his tone deepening. "It's not safe here. Come back upstairs with me." Could it be... that she wanted to leave? A sense of unease churned within him.

"Oh? Why is it not safe?" She hooked her fingertip onto his sleeve. "Or is it... that Dr. Mo is afraid I'll walk into somewhere I shouldn't?"

It was a naked probe. Mo Yichen’s eyelashes fluttered, and a faint red flush crept up his ears. "With me here, you won't come to any harm." Besides, his true form was right by her side; she would never be the one to get hurt.

"Why is that?" Mu Xinning was determined to make him say it out loud tonight to confirm the answer once and for all.

"Because... my place, my rules." Mo Yichen understood her implication and admitted it generously. He was the instance boss.

"Then why did you come after me?" Mu Xinning took the card, her fingertips lightly brushing the back of his hand. "Or are you afraid that if I run away, no one will be here to have breakfast with you?"

"Nonsense." He looked away, his eyes falling on the gray-white wall. "I just wanted to bring the card back to you... I had no other intentions." He stammered, "And... it's not safe for a girl to walk alone at night. I was just worried, so I came down to check."

Mo Yichen felt his own words lacked conviction, which made him even more afraid to look her in the eye.

In her mind, Jin bristled. "This damn clone doesn't even feel ashamed when lying!" Returning the card was clearly just an excuse. Didn't he know his own clone? It was obvious he was gunning for the little one! How shameless! Jin was fuming.

Mu Xinning ignored Jin's complaints. She tucked the card back into the pocket on the back of the doll and said calmly, "Don't worry, I haven't lived enough yet, so I naturally won't do anything reckless." She then leaned in close to Mo Yichen, lowering her voice. "But if you had come a moment later, I might have actually tried walking out that door. After all... being dead is better than being in prison forever." She was joking, of course.

Mo Yichen's breath hitched. He suddenly reached out and gripped her wrist, his force neither light nor heavy, but carrying an unrefusable stubbornness. "I won't allow you to leave." Five days, not a second less.

He then picked her up. By the time they entered the lift, it had returned to its original state, and they were back in the ward. It was past ten at night. Mo Yichen gently placed her back on the bed. "Rest early, and don't wander around at night." It made him worry.

He leaned over her, bracing his hands on either side, and pressed her into the bed, his violet eyes locked onto her amber ones. Mu Xinning was stunned by his naked gaze. "Dr. Mo, what are you...?"

Jin’s roar echoed in Mo Yichen's mind: "What are you doing?! If you dare do anything to the little one, see if I don't cut you down right now!" Although he had not fully recovered, he still possessed the strength to fight if pushed.

Mo Yichen sensed the emotions from his true form, but he remained still. Instead, he murmured to the person beneath him, "Do you... really remember nothing at all?"