At the front of the cold hibernation warehouse that looked both like a prison and a tomb were thirty-six hibernation cabins that were relatively large and had rather smooth shells. Looking into the cabins through the translucent observation holes, Li Yao could also see thirty-six hibernators crouching inside like babies.
However, the hibernators were different from the people who had just been convicted of 'instigation, riot, and endangering national security'. From the back of their heads all the way down along their spines, a complicated, glittering nail had been pierced into their bodies every few centimeters. The top of the nail was connected to each other by a solid and complicated mechanical structure, which also extended to their limbs and all the way to their fingertips, like some sort of weird exoskeleton structure.
Li Yao imagined for a moment and realized that the nails were probably pierced into the gaps of their spines to control their spinal cord, central nerves, and limbs.
Even if they were to break free from the hibernation state, they would not be able to resist at all when their spines were bound by such shackles.
Therefore, they were not passengers but … prisoners.
It did make sense on second thought. This was a carrier that was used to jump and cruise among the Sectors in the heartland of the Imperium of True Human Beings. Judging from the structure and the performance of the engine compartment, it was not suitable for super long-distance space jump missions. A round trip would not take long. So, there was no need for the crew to hibernate.
Li Yao keenly sensed vague spiritual energy from the hibernators.
It was especially so at the center of their eyebrows. Although they were in the deep sleep state, a cluster of existences that looked like 'virtual neurons' was still bouncing feebly.
That was where the spiritual root was.
Their spiritual root has been awakened. Are they Cultivators, or …?
Next to the hibernation cabins of the 36 awakened spiritual roots, there was also a small crystal processor. The information about their bodies was much more detailed than that of ordinary people, including their major realms, minor levels, and the cultivation arts they practiced on a daily basis. It even included a few of their combat videos.
However, their names and backgrounds were also absent. There was only a string of simple numbers and new crimes: "Dereliction of duty, treason, crimes against humanity."
Most of the people whose spiritual roots were awakened were convicted of one or two of the three crimes. Some of them were even convicted of all three crimes. Of course, he was also the strongest one, who was in the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage. His spine was bound by a particularly thick shackle. Hundreds of crystal wires spread out from the top of the shackle and extended from the back of his head to the front, piercing into his brain through his nostrils, ears, and the corners of his eyes.
Judging from his closed, quivering eyeballs, and twisted face, even though his fleshly body was sealed in the extremely low temperature, his soul was still suffering indescribable torment in the icy hell.
"If they are Cultivators, 'treason' and 'crimes against humanity' are easy to understand."
Li Yao thought for a moment. "But what about 'dereliction of duty'? Even if they are making up random crimes, they wouldn't have come up with such weird ones, right?"
The warehouse that was as cold as an icehouse was utterly silent. Only a few spiritual puppets were moving forward mechanically according to the patrolling route, which added to the creepiness of the place and made one unwilling to stay there for long.
Li Yao considered for a moment and retreated his telepathic thoughts. He returned to the engine compartment at the rear of the warship that was brimming with smoke and venom.
The entire engine compartment had no secrets in front of him at all. The licking of the flames, the explosion of the fuel transmission tubes, and the action of every Immortal Cultivator in the damage management team were all dissected and peeled off like transparent virtual pictures, appearing in his brain in the most fundamental way of data and models.
BOOM!
When a crew of the damage control team ran by in a hurry through a pathway next to the engine compartment, Li Yao thought for a moment, and one of the ancillary incendiary tubes that he had tampered with remotely was immediately broken. The ancillary incendiary that had been vaporized and expanded tens of thousands of times collided with the venomous fog, immediately raising a new explosion. Everybody was swallowed by the venomous flames. Some were even blown dozens of meters away by the blast, crashing into the end of the pathway brutally.
The place was a mess. Explosions and screams were everywhere. All the illumination and surveillance systems were disrupted. The wounded were running away from the fire with their broken limbs. Those who were lucky enough not to be hurt had their Crystal Suits seriously damaged, too. Dizzy and dizzy after inhaling tremendous venomous gas, they ran amok in the venomous fog and the devilish flames like headless flies.
In such a mess, nobody noticed that their captain had been blown to the end of the pathway by the blast and vanished into the venomous fog that was as intense as ink!
Li Yao opened his fingers and grabbed the captain's head like an iron clamp. He was so strong that even the most solid helmet of the Crystal Suit was squeaking, as if it would explode at any moment.
Spiritual energy dashed over like vipers, cutting off all the rune arrays and chips that could transmit information to the outside world. It also broke through the Crystal Suit's crystal processor, paralyzing the Crystal Suit and turning it into a flawless iron coffin.
It was not until then that Li Yao dragged the captain to a secret corner unhurriedly. He had studied the structure around the engine compartment carefully and made deductions based on the current damage. He had also released a hundred telepathic thoughts to be on alert. Nobody would 'disturb' him for at least five minutes.
BAM!
Li Yao slightly increased his strength. The helmet of the Crystal Suit, which was made of super alloys and special ceramics and could resist the bombardment of storm bolters at a short distance, immediately exploded like a delicate vase. Surprisingly, the head below the Crystal Suit was not hurt at all. There was not even the slightest trace of blood in the explosion of the broken pieces.
The captain's face was pale, and he did not know what had happened at all.
However, judging from Li Yao's demonic aura and his immeasurable eyes, he was like a hyena that was faced with a velociraptor. He could not summon the will to struggle at all. He did not even have the strength to scream.
Li Yao curled his lips and did not bother to waste time on the guy. His left eye gradually turned red. Weird bloody streaks beamed out of the pupil and even crawled out of the eyeball, growing and extending in midair, before they all pierced into the eyes of the captain.
The captain was in a trance, cramping as if he had been electrocuted. Hissing noises were echoing from his throat, but they could not be condensed into a scream. There was no real resistance, either.
In the end, his eyes turned bloodshot, and protruding streaks of blood were all over his face, making him look like a giant spider that was crouching on his facial organs.
"Alright. Ask away."
The mental devil grimaced.
The gap between the two parties was too huge. Li Yao did not need to resort to any methods of interrogation or language games at all. He simply asked the mental devil to break through the enemy's mental defense line and hypnotize him.
"Who are you?" Li Yao asked. "What mission are you carrying out?"
The blood streaks on the captain's face were wriggling nonstop, like worms that were absorbing the secrets in his cerebral cortex and his wrinkles. Half a second later, he replied clearly and quickly, "We are the No. 221 carrier of the 'Ursa Colossus Transport Group'. We are carrying out a regular transport mission to deliver a batch of assets to the space base of the Heavenly Eye Group in the Martial Meritocrats Sector in the Devilish Scorpion Galaxy."
"The Heavenly Eye Group?"
Li Yao thought to himself. It seemed to be the force of the Immortal Cultivators that controlled Manjusaka. Thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Did you encounter a cosmic storm during your voyage?"
"Yes," the captain said.
"Soon after we set off from the 'Spiritual Snake Sector' twelve days ago, we suddenly encountered a cosmic storm of a rather large scale. We managed to survive all the way to this place."
Li Yao continued asking, "Are the goods you are transporting the people in the hibernation cabins? Who are those people? Why are they being transported to Manjusaka, the City in the Sky? "
"They are all prisoners."
The captain's face was dull, and his eyes were frozen, but his mind was very clear. He was talking faster and faster, too, as if a certain mysterious force was reading the information from his brain by force. "He is a felon who has been sentenced to life imprisonment and a suspended death sentence. He will be sent to the prison in Manjusaka to serve his sentence."
Li Yao was slightly dazed. "Is there a prison above 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky'?"
"Yes. There is a very large private prison there. It ranks among the best in scale and level of all the space prisons in the entire Imperium," the captain said.
"The 'Ursa Colossus Transport Group' has signed a transportation contract with the 'Heavenly Eye Group'. Every year, we help them transport tremendous prisoners from everywhere in the universe to serve their sentences."
"I saw their crimes. Instigation, riot, dereliction of duty, treason, endangering national security, and even … crimes against humanity."
Li Yao said, "But there are only the crimes but no detailed files. Do you know how they committed the crimes exactly?"
The captain hesitated for a moment and said, "We are only responsible for the transportation. Somebody else is responsible for the capture or trial. It's just hearsay."
"It doesn't matter."
A few streaks of blood spurted out of Li Yao's left eye again, piercing into the captain's eyeball brutally. "Tell me everything you heard from the hearsay. Now!"
The captain shuddered, and his eyeballs rolled quickly. As if he were talking in a dream, he said, "They seem to be miners on a certain remote resource planet in the Spiritual Snake Sector. Because they were dissatisfied with the working conditions and the inadequate compensation measures after a few mining accidents, they went on strike at first, followed by illegal demonstrations, and eventually escalated into armed riots. After they were suppressed quickly, all the key members of the riot were sentenced to life imprisonment with a reprieve and sent here to serve their sentences."
"That explains a lot."
Li Yao thought to himself. No wonder men and women, old and young, all looked rather strong even though their spiritual roots had not been awakened. So, they were all miners.
Thinking for a moment, he asked again, "What about the people who are imprisoned for 'dereliction of duty' and other crimes? Are they miners, too?"
"No. They seem to be the managers of the local mining groups. They are all Immortal Cultivators. Because they were too lenient in suppressing the illegal demonstrations and armed riots, which further escalated the situation, they were sentenced for 'dereliction of duty' and sent here, too."
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