Chapter 2106: Regret Comes Too Late
As it turned out, the "Unconscious Room" lived up to its name, and Jiangnan was indeed beaten unconscious!
Jiu Lan dragged her sore body out through the broken hole and, with great effort, pried Jiangnan off the wall!
She tucked him under her arm and headed back inside.
Seeing the female prisoners peeking out with terrified looks to watch the commotion, Jiu Lan glared.
(ꐦ°᷄口°᷅) "What are you looking at? Never seen this before? Want to try it yourselves?"
The prisoners quickly pulled their heads back in fright. They had seen it before, but this was the first time someone had punched a hole through the heavy punishment room!
Ah~ What a waste of that little wolfdog, just getting beaten into a dead dog by Sister Lanlan like that.
(ʃƪ˘³˘) "La... Lanlan Jie? Since he's already broken, how about giving him to me? I'll take care of him for you, okay? He should still be warm, can't let him go to waste..."
Jiu Lan glared: "Shut up! Get out of here!"
If I gave him to you, he'd really be done for, wouldn't he?
She dragged the unconscious Jiangnan back into the Unconscious Room.
Looking at the mess inside, Jiu Lan sighed bitterly. Maybe she had gone a bit too far.
But thinking back to Jiangnan's brilliant combo attack, Jiu Lan's eyes sparkled.
She had to learn all of that!
Yet looking at the unconscious Jiangnan, she couldn't help but grow nervous—he wasn't really dead, was he?
She propped him up to help his breathing, and placed her hand under his nose to check if he still had breath.
But as soon as she did that, Jiangnan, still unconscious, suddenly opened his mouth wide and inhaled fiercely!
(#˘口˘) Ah~
(#≥3≤)~ Choo!
With a deafening roar, intense flames burst from Jiangnan's mouth and nose!
It was like a planet-crushing cannon or a dragon's breath bomb!
Jiu Lan's fingers were instantly blackened. Startled, she instinctively punched Jiangnan in the face.
"Bang!" Jiangnan's head was hammered into the floor, his legs kicking wildly.
(#)꒪ͦϠ꒪ͦ(#)...
"(º口º*) Ah!!!"
Realizing she had messed up, Jiu Lan broke out in a cold sweat. He might have had a chance to survive before, but after that punch, he was probably a goner!
What the hell?
Since when were human sneezes this terrifying?
Jiu Lan grabbed Jiangnan by the collar and pulled him out of the floor.
But just as she did, Jiangnan's face lined up with hers.
(#)⋟3⋞) "Ah-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo~"
In an instant, five consecutive sneezes blasted out without warning, all hitting Jiu Lan right in the face!
Her face was scorched black, smoke rising from her head as if she had been hit by a planet-crushing cannon.
(●▀̿⍸▀̿●)...
[From Jiu Lan: Resentment +1008!]
[From...]
Jiu Lan's forehead veins bulged as she raised her fist and hammered Jiangnan's head again.
"Bang!" She slammed him back into the floor.
(#)꒪ัϠ꒪ั(#)...
She stood up, crossed her arms, turned to face the wall, grinding her teeth and shaking her leg violently.
He did that on purpose!
Whether he lives or dies, what do I care? Just die already!
The female prisoners shivered as they heard it.
Lanlan Jie is starting to beat the corpse now, huh?
After two more critical hits, Jiangnan was jolted awake from his unconscious state.
He struggled to pull his head out of the floor, two smoking red lumps on top.
He rubbed his head, grimacing in pain.
His dazed eyes fell on Jiu Lan's back. So this was what it felt like to be in the Unconscious Room.
That attack of hers with the Styx energy was seriously terrifying.
"Just now..."
Before Jiangnan could finish, Jiu Lan cut in.
(◕ˇ～ˇ◕) "Just now, you won. For a moment there, you actually knocked me unconscious."
"I keep my word. I lost the bet, so I'll grant you one reasonable request. It can be a little over the top. Go ahead."
With that, she turned to face Jiangnan, frowning and turning her head away, closing her eyes.
Her body trembled slightly, and her cheeks flushed, but since her face was blackened by the nuclear sneeze, it wasn't very noticeable.
Jiu Lan's heart was pounding.
His request must be for a hug, right? He kept shouting about it during the fight!
Give... give him a hug, fine. After all, I lost the bet.
But if his paws start wandering, I'll break them off!
But... he already grabbed my chest earlier. Would grabbing it again count as wandering?
Jiu Lan was trapped in a mad internal debate.
Jiangnan looked at her, frowning and turning away, completely confused. She seemed to be expecting something?
But hey, at least he won! Hahahaha!
Time to reclaim his happiness!
Jiangnan walked up to Jiu Lan with a sincere expression.
Feeling the warmth of his presence, Jiu Lan couldn't help but open her eyes a crack, holding her breath nervously.
Jiangnan twisted his hands shyly.
(ʃƪ͡°̫͡°) "Um... My request is actually pretty simple. Earlier, in the men's prison area bathroom, did you confiscate a certain... mosaic?"
"I want that back!"
Jiu Lan's expression froze.
Not a hug?
Dammit, I already got mentally prepared. I even decided I'd let him grab my chest without breaking his hand. And you're talking about a mosaic?
[From Jiu Lan: Resentment +1010!]
Jiu Lan's forehead veins bulged. She grabbed Jiangnan by the collar and glared.
(ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)و "You mean the unidentified tool you hid in the water tank? That's an escape tool! It violates the prison rules! Not giving it back! Make another request!"
Jiangnan: ∑(°口°#)???
What the hell? Since when is that an escape tool? Are you even polite?
How would you use that to escape?
That's my lost happiness!
I just want my mosaic back. Why is Jiu Lan so mad?
She's racking up resentment like crazy. What's wrong with her?
(◞‸◟) "That's my only request! That's not an escape tool at all! It's... it's... Ah~"
"Forget it. If you won't give it, fine. Are we done? Then I'll go back to my cell to rest and sleep."
With a long sigh, he limped toward the door.
Jiu Lan watched his desolate, lonely back, frowning.
She felt a pang of sympathy.
Jiangnan did win fair and square. He brought her some fun, and his Hell Nether Eight Stances had improved a lot.
Besides, this request didn't seem too unreasonable.
"Wait..."
Jiangnan paused. Aha! It worked! Playing hard to get did the trick!
Jiu Lan raised an eyebrow: (#◔～◔ิ) "Is that thing really important to you? Tell me what that escape tool is actually used for. What's its specific purpose? Then I'll give it back."
Jiangnan: =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)!!!
Used for what?
It's used for... that!
Good thing he didn't drink the Green Stick, or he'd be blabbing the truth and would die on the spot!
Jiangnan turned around, tears in his eyes.
(ᵒ̴̶̷̥́__ก̀｡) "That's not an escape tool at all. It's a family heirloom, passed down from my mother. I've kept it on me for over twenty years."
"I've carried it through life and death, through countless battles, and it's been with me all this way."
"Now that I'm in prison, I don't know if I'll ever get out alive. I don't know where my mother is, or if she's still alive. That heirloom is my only connection to her. Every night, seeing it there gives me peace of mind."
"Earlier, during the life-and-death match, I was afraid it would get broken, so I hid it in the water tank. Next thing I knew, you confiscated it. I..."
At this, Jiangnan, a tough man, actually shed tears, rubbing his eyes.
(◔ิ﹏ก̀｡)
Sigh~ Touching, right? Heartbreaking, right? Can you handle this tender side of a steel warrior?
Truth be told, Jiangnan wasn't lying much. It was 99% true!
Jiu Lan's heart tightened. A memento from his mother?
(｡•᷄～•᷅) "You're not lying to me? Is that true?"
Jiangnan bit his lower lip: "A Blue Star native doesn't lie to aliens! Besides, if I wanted to escape, would I need tools?"
"Ah~ If you won't give it, fine. I'm destined to die here anyway. I'll probably never get out in this lifetime."
Jiu Lan took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll accept this condition. Since it's a family heirloom, not an escape tool, I can return it to you."
"But the Ming He Death Prison forbids private storage. You need to keep this secret. After I give it back, take good care of it and don't lose it again."
"Lucky it was me who confiscated it. If Bing Chacha had seen it, she would have thrown it away immediately."
Jiangnan cheered inwardly! Success! He actually succeeded!
Of course he'd take good care of it! He'd never lose it again!
Thank goodness Jiu Lan didn't throw it away, or he wouldn't be able to live!
"Really? Thank you so much! Where... where did you put it?"
Jiu Lan led Jiangnan deeper into the women's prison area.
"I store all confiscated contraband in the tool room over here. Don't worry, I didn't throw it away."
Jiangnan breathed a sigh of relief. He was also glad Jiu Lan hadn't used this to blackmail him into revealing secrets.
If she had, it would mean he had misjudged her.
In that case, he'd have to use some unconventional methods.
The two walked one after the other toward the tool room.
It was lockup time, so the corridor was empty, eerily silent except for their footsteps.
Jiangnan looked around curiously like a curious child—after all, he didn't get many chances to stroll around the women's prison.
Jiu Lan, on the other hand, stole a glance at him and couldn't help asking:
"What do you think?"
Jiangnan was taken aback: (´ﾟωﾟ) "Think about what?"
Why would he put a family heirloom in a water tank?
Jiu Lan didn't turn around, speaking flatly: "The human affair has spread across the starry sky. I've heard a little about it."
"Four spiritual energy recoveries, over three thousand years of struggle, the final Star Ruins War, even triggering the Thousand Star Calamity to join the Star Domain Sequence."
"It's the greatest disaster to hit the Thousand Stars City since its establishment in the Thousand Stars Era. Hard to imagine you were the one leading all that."
"Now, although humanity has entered the Star Domain Sequence, they're in danger at every turn. They could be devoured by the major starry sky races at any moment, completely disappearing from the starry sky."
Here, Jiu Lan's gaze fell on Jiangnan.
"And you, the Era Lord of humanity, are forced into prison by the Sacred Law Council, ousted from the game. Your final end will only be death in this Ming He Death Prison."
"Humanity, under the resistance and pressure of the ten thousand races, will gradually wither away, returning to square one."
"You worked so hard, only to get this outcome. If humanity had become a slave race from the start, they could have continued to exist in the starry sky."
"Do you regret it?"
Jiangnan grinned: "Of course I regret it."
Jiu Lan was stunned, then smiled bitterly. Yes, maybe the warden of Nether was right.
Since the outcome was already determined, why bother with useless efforts? Humanity was the best example...
Jiangnan: "I regret not completely dismantling the Thousand Stars City. I regret not killing more Bose. I regret that all this came too late, that I only achieved it today."
"As for what you said... Hah~ If humanity really became a slave race, they wouldn't deserve to be called humans."
"Every human is born free! Freedom is the cheapest and the most valuable thing."
"I don't want my compatriots to be born inferior, to have their fates decided for them. Fate is something you must grasp in your own hands."
Jiu Lan was taken aback, looking at Jiangnan in shock.