Chapter 3: A New Journey (x) Making a Run For It (√)

Night.

Li Ang lay atop the hard plank bed, sinking into a deep sleep. To endure the deadly twelve-hour shifts on the assembly line, he needed to guarantee himself sufficient rest.

Thud—

A dull sound echoed through the darkness, swiftly followed by a relentless series of violent tremors.

The disturbance was so great that it jolted Li Ang from his sleep.

“What’s going on... Can’t anyone let a person sleep?” he grumbled with irritation, then rolled over, intent on resuming his slumber.

But the shaking did not subside; instead, it grew fiercer.

Li Ang quickly realized something was amiss.

He shook off the last vestiges of sleep, climbed to his feet, and moved to the cell door, hoping to glean some useful information.

Peering through the narrow window, he saw prison staff hurriedly and anxiously moving through the corridor.

“Something’s happened.”

A heavy feeling settled in his heart.

Without further hesitation, he began pounding on the cell door, trying to draw the attention of the staff and ask what was going on.

Clearly, he was not the only one to have this idea.

Countless prisoners were now banging on their cell doors, their howls and curses filling the air in hopes of being noticed.

But it was in vain; no staff member responded, and soon the corridor fell silent once more.

Meanwhile, the tremors intensified, now rivaling those of a major earthquake.

Fortunately, the prison’s construction was solid—Li Ang saw no signs of damage within his cell.

He sat back down on the bed, muttering, “Prisoner, prisoner...”

“Now I’m truly a prisoner,” he thought, left to wait in this cramped cell for whatever fate might befall him. If luck favored him, nothing would happen and he’d continue his days as a labor convict. If not...

Then perhaps, this time next year, it would be his memorial day.

But neither outcome was one Li Ang desired.

Suddenly, a tremendous metallic roar resounded, and the cell’s white lights abruptly went out, plunging everything into darkness.

Soon after, accompanied by a low humming, the lights flickered back on, though far dimmer than before.

Li Ang surmised the backup power must have kicked in; in a facility like this, there would be contingency plans for emergencies.

This was hardly a good sign.

“Things are getting worse...” Li Ang’s heart sank deeper into the abyss. The activation of backup power meant nothing good was happening outside.

As he pondered how to save himself, the sound of footsteps suddenly caught his attention.

“Have the staff returned?”

With this question in mind, Li Ang moved to the cell door to look outside.

A figure clad in the same white prison uniform as himself appeared in his view.

But before Li Ang could call out, the figure vanished from sight.

“A professional?”

It was obvious this person must have held some special occupation; otherwise, Li Ang couldn’t fathom how he’d escaped from a sealed cell.

He was tempted to imitate him, but the “Prisoner” class offered no such possibilities.

Staring at the thick cell door, Li Ang couldn’t help but complain, “If I shout goodbye to the cage, will it let me switch to the Thief class?”

“If not, I’d settle for the Strongman.”

Everyone here was a convict, yet the gap in abilities was so stark.

“So much for starting a business, cut short before it even began,” he thought, recalling his two powerful talents and feeling on the verge of tears.

Just then, a shrill scream echoed from somewhere out of sight.

His heart skipped a beat, and he backed away from the cell door. “Was it that person from just now?”

“Did the staff catch him escaping?”

“Or...”

Before Li Ang could think further, a horrifying screech resounded through the prison.

Simultaneously, the already dim lights grew even darker.

The sudden turn of events made Li Ang’s pupils contract. He swallowed hard and shrank into the corner. “Those bugs!?”

During his time here, Li Ang had investigated the planet’s information.

Federation Border Colony 9527, native species...

The Swarm.

That name reminded Li Ang of a sci-fi movie he’d seen before, “Starship Troopers,” with its brain-sucking bugs—images he could never forget.

Now, in the pitch-black prison, the screams of inmates rang out one after another.

As the cries drew closer, the sound of skittering crawls reached Li Ang’s ears.

Just as he braced himself for a desperate fight, his profession panel suddenly flashed with a message.

[Major Event: The Swarm’s new star has descended, yet our poor traveler remains ignorant of what has transpired.]

[You may begin a new journey (23:59).]

Li Ang stared at the panel’s message, its tone tinged with mockery, and for a moment he was stunned—then wild joy surged through him.

Without hesitation, he cried out in his heart.

“Begin a new journey!”

In an instant, a strange ripple swept over him, and Li Ang’s form vanished from the cell.

Screech—

No sooner had he disappeared than a piercing metallic grinding echoed, and a bug with four pairs of crimson-glowing compound eyes crawled inside.

But finding the cell empty, its eyes flickered briefly, and it turned to seek its next prey.

...

[If Ruotong spends a lifetime seeking mysteries,
Mysteries will spend a lifetime seeking Ruotong.]

After activating his Traveler talent, Li Ang felt as if he’d been struck on the back of the head, and his surroundings shifted in a blink.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

The exhilaration of surviving disaster nearly brought him to tears.

“Farewell, cage!”

But the next message from the panel instantly dispelled his excitement.

[After experiencing the major event of this world, the traveler will return to the main world.]

“?”

Li Ang had thought he’d escaped for good, only to realize it was nothing but false hope.

He could flee for a while, but not forever.

He would still have to face those terrifying bugs.

Yet from another perspective, he now had some time to prepare. Moreover, his Console Player talent remained active.

This meant he could take on a profession in this world as well—he still had a chance to forge ahead.

“Just whether there’s any supernatural power here remains to be seen.”

After briefly calming himself, Li Ang began to survey his surroundings.

But upon seeing the filthy streets before him, and the ragged beggars lining both sides, he murmured in confusion,

“Where on earth have I ended up?!”