Future Masters in Modern Times

Chapter 2: Rebirth

Lobestan Prison is the world’s only S-class maximum-security facility, housing convicts deemed extremely dangerous. Among them are bank robbers, train hijackers, terrorists, and murderers—it is home to virtually every source of global instability. The prison walls stand over ten meters high, topped with electric fences. Security cameras are installed in every corner, constantly monitoring the inmates’ every move. A special forces unit composed of a multinational coalition is permanently stationed on the prison’s perimeter, maintaining constant vigilance. Military helicopters circle the prison day and night, ensuring that not a single person can escape. The prison is divided into Zones A, B, and C. All inmates deemed extremely dangerous are held separately in these three zones. Inside the prison, fights breaking out over the slightest disagreement are a common occurrence. In this small world rife with violence, the class hierarchy is starkly defined; the weak are treated worse than dogs in this brutal environment. In a corner of Block B, several tattooed inmates were beating a short Asian man with their fists and feet. “You yellow-skinned pig, are you itching for a beating again? How dare you insult us!” ” A Black man kicked the Asian man in the chest, violently sending him crashing into the corner of the wall, then immediately followed up with a vicious punch to his cheek. The Asian man’s face remained expressionless; he merely glared with cold, dark eyes, staring intently at his attackers and etching their faces firmly into his memory. Seeing the look in his eyes only enraged the criminals further. Cursing under their breath, they redoubled their assault, raining blows down on the Asian man like a hailstorm. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his prison uniform red. Suddenly, his head took a heavy blow, slamming violently against the wall, and bright red blood began to flow from his temple. He went completely still, lying motionless on the floor. “Hey, don’t play dead, you yellow-skinned pig. Get up.” A white man kicked him a few more times. Realizing he didn’t seem to be faking it, he crouched down, held his hand under the man’s nose to check for a pulse, then exchanged a glance with the others and shook his head slightly. “He must have fallen on his own. You guys agree, right?” “Yeah, we all saw him fall on his own. Orientals are just too frail.” ” The inmates shrugged at one another and walked away as if nothing had happened. A moment later, a patrolling guard passed by, spotted the Asian man lying on the ground, and hurriedly pulled out his walkie-talkie to call for the medical team to provide emergency care. As the world’s largest and most dangerous prison, it clearly had no shortage of medical staff; for humanitarian reasons, prison authorities could not stand by and let him die. Moments later, a medical team rushed to the scene and took him to the prison medical Center for emergency treatment. Unfortunately, due to head injuries, he was ultimately pronounced dead. The prison clerk opened his identification file and recorded the following information. Name: Zhao Wuji. Gender: Male. Age: 25. Nationality: Chinese-American. Reason for Incarceration: Instigated a gang-related disturbance that caused unrest, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred people. Cause of death: Traumatic brain injury. After the record was completed, the clerk called a staff member to wheel Zhao Wuji into the morgue. People died every day in the prison for various reasons, and no one paid it any mind. The morgue, a place that symbolizes death, was cold and eerily silent. Time passed, and suddenly, a finger on one of the corpses twitched. Fang Quan felt as though he had been on a long journey—one longer than interstellar travel, even longer than the journey he had taken years ago aboard a faster-than-light spacecraft to the Rebellion Galaxy. His consciousness had remained in a state of confusion until he remembered who he was, recalled the great battle on Planet Mosku, and remembered the singularity bomb that had destroyed the planet. Then, he awoke. All he could see was a blinding white expanse, and his mind was filled with questions. Could this be the final resting place of my soul? In just a fleeting moment, Fang Quan realized something was different—it seemed he could still sense the presence of his body, though it was in poor condition. He tried to move his body and discovered he was covered by a white cloth. He struggled to sit up; the white cloth slipped from his eyes, and his view was no longer obstructed. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed the rudimentary construction techniques—the kind the Federation had seemingly phased out 5,000 years ago. The white light bulbs on the ceiling resembled the lighting used before humanity had entered the interstellar age. All around him lay numerous corpses, each covered with the same crude white cloth as he was. Fang Quan touched his face and realized that this body did not seem to be his own. He strained to dig up information from his mind, and suddenly, a fierce torrent of data surged forth, making him feel slightly queasy. As time ticked by, Fang Quan suddenly let out a long exhale, having come to understand everything before him. At that time, although the Singularity Bomb consumed the entire planet—including his physical body—it did not destroy his soul. Instead, by a stroke of luck, it opened a portal through time and space, sending his soul back 5,000 years to a time when human civilization was still in its infancy on Earth. By some mysterious twist of fate, Fang Quan’s soul encountered Zhao Wuji, who had died unexpectedly, and the two souls fused, allowing him to be reborn. This Zhao Wuji hailed from Huaxia, an ancient nation. He had arrived in the United States with his parents three years prior. Because his father’s company had interfered with the interests of several crime syndicates, the leaders of those syndicates sent men to assassinate his father and even drove his mother to suicide. Seeking revenge, he used his exceptional intelligence to provoke a violent gang war among them,resulting in numerous casualties. The leaders of those two gangs also lost their lives in the firefight. As the United States government investigated, they eventually uncovered his involvement behind the scenes and immediately classified him as a high-risk threat. After capturing him, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Lobestan Prison. In this dangerous place, even Zhao Wuji’s exceptional intelligence was useless; here, might makes right. Thus, Zhao Wuji became a weakling—one who was bullied day in and day out. This latest beating was actually instigated by those inmates looking for a fight; they simply didn’t expect to beat him to death. Upon learning the cause of his death, Fang Quan’s expression turned cold, radiating a intense killing intent. “Now that I’ve taken possession of your body, I won’t let this happen again. Those responsible for your death will die a miserable death!” Everything from his past life had vanished into thin air. Fang Quan knew he was no longer the formidable figure who once dominated the battlefield and struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. From now on, he existed in this world as Zhao Wuji—a man imprisoned in Lobestan Prison for avenging his parents. And from this moment forward, a Zhao Wuji so powerful he would make his enemies tremble was about to emerge! After assessing his surroundings, Zhao Wuji realized that his first priority was to become stronger; only by becoming stronger could he survive in this prison. So, what were his advantages? Zhao Wuji climbed down from the iron bed and began to focus his mind and calm his breath. Instantly, the morgue took on a different appearance in his eyes. A mist-like substance was swirling above several corpses. Zhao Wuji knew these were living souls. Aside from a few corpses whose souls had already dissipated due to the length of time since their deaths, there were still at least ten living souls in this morgue available for him to absorb. “That’s enough. The number of these living souls should be sufficient for my first enhancement. By then, those bastards will be no better than worthless trash—I’ll be able to kill them at will!” Zhao Wuji sneered. He walked over to the first corpse and began absorbing its living spirit. “Hmm, this living spirit’s energy is quite good—it’s equivalent to ten percent of the energy required for my first enhancement.” Zhao Wuji’s brow would relax one moment and furrow the next; it turned out that the energy of these living spirits varied in strength. Only after he had absorbed all the energy did he realize he was still about ten percent short of what was needed for the enhancement. Furrowing his brow, Zhao Wuji decided to wait a little longer; more corpses would likely be delivered soon. When that happened, he would proceed directly with his first enhancement. After the first enhancement, the strength of a single arm should reach two thousand jin, while leg strength would reach four thousand jin. Such power would be enough to make him the most formidable figure in the entire prison. Of course, Zhao Wuji didn’t believe he could now withstand bullets; normally, this body would need at least four enhancements before it could ignore bullets. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Zhao Wuji lay back down and pulled the white sheet over himself.