Volume One, Chapter Four: Even After Death, There’s Still a Lottery

Lin Yun had nothing better to do, so he idly flipped through the "Codex of the Prison Master" in his mind, reviewing the crimes of Zhang Ming with a mixture of shock and disdain.

This old man looked like a tough guy, but the atrocities he had committed were truly inhuman; he had spared neither the elderly nor the young, acting worse than a beast. After reading for a while, Lin Yun curled his lip in contempt: "You deserve this treatment; you're just reaping what you sowed!"

Compared to Zhang Ming, he preferred the "legendary exploits" of the great lecher Ma Wanli. That was truly stimulating—much more fitting for a high-spirited young man like himself.

...

Four more days passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Yun continued his mundane routine, carrying the food bucket to distribute meals to the prisoners.

Today, he participated in the interrogation of Li Yuan, the keyboard-warrior doctor who had been spreading rumors about the government. However, the guy wasn't very powerful, and his "sin index" was low, providing Lin Yun with negligible experience points—little more than a tiny bonus.

"Zhang Ming, mealtime."

Lin Yun arrived at Cell No. 12 and knocked on the door. The figure inside remained motionless, ignoring him entirely.

"Suit yourself. If you starve to death, that's your own fault."

Lin Yun didn't indulge him. He scooped a ladle of soup into a bowl, turned around, and continued his rounds.

When he reached Cell No. 11, Lin Yun called out as usual: "Ma Wanli, mealtime."

To his surprise, the great lecher was sprawled on the floor, offering no reaction.

"Dead?"

Lin Yun felt a chill and was about to step inside to check. A prisoner in the next cell suddenly poked his head out: "This guy didn't eat his last meal either. I'm ninety percent sure he's kicked the bucket. Hey, officer, why don't you give his portion to me instead..."

Hearing this, Lin Yun was startled. He immediately opened the "Codex of the Prison Master" to Ma Wanli’s page. The text on the page was slowly fading away.

He hurriedly tried to enter, but suddenly remembered he didn't have the keys. He shouted, "Uncle Wang, come quickly!"

Wang Daqiang was called over and unlocked Cell No. 11. He checked Ma Wanli’s pulse; the man was ice cold and his body had already stiffened. Lin Yun remembered that when he checked that morning, the lecher was still providing experience points. This meant he had been dead for only a few hours.

Looking at Ma Wanli's corpse, Lin Yun felt a strange sense of loss. It wasn't because he had any affection for the man, but mostly because he had lost an "experience farm," and he wouldn't have any more "short films" to watch at night...

Wang Daqiang, however, was used to it. Death in the superpowered prison was as common as a home-cooked meal. After all, most death row inmates didn't live long enough to face their execution.

Take this Ma Wanli, for example. He had offended the deputy mayor and was brought in with his lower parts crushed. He had been hanging on by a thread, so his survival until now was actually a miracle.

Wang Daqiang ordered Lin Yun to clean up the scene and then left. It took Lin Yun over half an hour to finish the task. Once done, he quietly found a secluded corner and hastily opened the "Codex of the Prison Master."

Ma Wanli's page had indeed vanished, but to Lin Yun’s delight, he had left behind an "inheritance."

*Codex of the Prison Master: You may extract a reward from the deceased prisoner. Would you like to proceed?*

Lin Yun was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. There was a lottery reward even when a prisoner died! Ma Wanli had been a Tier 8 intermediate esper; surely he could pull something good out of this?

"Extract!"

Lin Yun whispered in his mind. Several motes of light swirled on the Codex, and he grabbed the largest one. A vast stream of information flooded his brain, and fragments of memory flashed by in an instant.

On his personal profile, a new ability appeared under the "Esper Skills" section:

【"Swallow-Stepping Micro-Steps" (Level 6 Esper Skill): Proficiency — Mastered (4144/10000)】

A Level 6 skill! Although Lin Yun’s knowledge of skills was limited, he knew that Level 1 was the highest. A Level 6 skill was already a valuable asset! Even better, he had directly inherited all of Ma Wanli’s proficiency, reaching the "Mastered" stage.

The levels of skill proficiency were: Novice, Proficient, Mastered, Ultimate, and Return to Nature...

Ma Wanli, as expected of a notorious pervert, had truly honed his movement technique to the "Mastered" stage, only one step away from the "Ultimate" level. No wonder this guy, despite his mediocre overall strength, had managed to evade the Superpower Security Bureau for years and even had the audacity to target the deputy mayor's daughter. He did have some genuine talent.

It was a pity the lecher was arrested before he could succeed. Now, however, the years of hard-earned proficiency had fallen into Lin Yun’s lap.

Lin Yun suddenly felt his body become light as a feather, with wind seemingly rising beneath his feet. He looked around; seeing no one, he gave a gentle leap.

*Whoosh!*

His entire body soared like a swallow, lightly touching the ceiling nearly five meters high—and that wasn't even his limit! He landed softly, without a sound, not even stirring a speck of dust.

"Amazing, this is truly light and traceless!" Lin Yun praised himself inwardly.

This skill was truly miraculous! He was only a Tier 7 beginner-level esper, but once he grew stronger, wouldn't he be able to fly? Furthermore, the skill could continue to be upgraded. He was still over six thousand experience points away from the next level; he couldn't wait to see how powerful the "Ultimate" version of "Swallow-Stepping Micro-Steps" would be!

Having gained a new skill, Lin Yun was all smiles. The gloom he felt earlier at losing his "experience farm" had vanished entirely. This Ma Wanli had died well—he should have died sooner to provide this prize.

After testing his new skill, Lin Yun acted as if nothing had happened and continued distributing the meals.

In one cell, a prisoner stared at the floating vegetable leaves in his bowl, his gaunt face filled with disgust: "What kind of pig swill is this! Drinking this stuff every day, my bones are melting! When will this ever end!"

Lin Yun, who had just set down the bowl, sneered: "Old Man Yang, you should be grateful you have anything to eat at all. Plenty of people would kill for this soup."

"If I brought you roasted chicken and fine wine tomorrow morning, would you dare to eat it?"

Old Yang shrunk his neck at these words, his face breaking into a fawning smile: "Officer Lin, you're joking, just joking..."

Roasted chicken and fine wine—that was the "last meal" for those on death row! If that were ever placed before him, he would be at death's door. Lin Yun’s reminder sobered Old Yang instantly; he suppressed his nausea, gulped down the bland vegetable soup, and didn't dare to complain another word.

...

It was Lin Yun’s tenth day working in this superpowered prison.

He moved with agility and a steady gait, carrying his bucket through the dim corridors—gone was the sickly, frail appearance from before. No one knew that Lin Yun had been reborn, becoming a Tier 9 beginner-level esper. Surging power flowed through his body.

If anyone asked why he had suddenly become so robust, Lin Yun already had his excuse ready. He would just laugh and say: "The food in the prison is good, my appetite has returned, and I found an old miracle doctor to treat me. Look, now that the illness is gone, I've started putting on weight!"

After all, with his current strength as a beginner-level esper, it was impossible to tell just by looking at him unless he actually used his powers. However, he didn't yet know what changes might occur once he advanced to an intermediate-level esper.