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Sometimes Dan Heng wondered If it was just his continuous bad luck or if it was the result of karma from his past life. Not long after being exiled from his so called "home", he was attacked by a mad man infected with mara, forcing him to run away and ended up entering a strange portal that appeared out of nowhere. However, as if fate was playing with him, the portal took him to the past, specifically a planet used by IPC as one of their prisons for criminals hundred Amber Eras ago. Dan Heng was freed from a prison he was raised in since birth just to be trapped into another one.
Why? What is my fault that such fate befalls me?
Dan Heng took a long sigh while trying to disperse those thoughts yet again. He reckoned it should be around a year already since he was trapped on this planet, and he learned quite a lot of things about this prison and the planet itself. Wiping off his sweat, Dan Heng stacked the last two remaining crates and brought them out of the storage room.
This planet was called Penacony, a once uninhabited planet with its entire surface covered by deserts. Upon further exploration by the IPC, they found a colossal pit with an unknown depth which was surprisingly full of various life forms and valuable minerals, almost as If it was cut out from the deserts outside. Something called memoria was also found deep in the pit, though Dan Heng didn't particularly understand what it was other than it was related to a faction called Garden of Recollection. Following the discovery, the IPC, with their capitalist mind, built a factory alongside a prison and basically forced the prisoners to work there. All of the prisoners were only allowed to do manual labor while the administrations were handled by the IPC staff. The prisoners were paid by 'Crest', the currency IPC made for this planet. Dan Heng had heard the name Penacony once some time ago and he clearly didn't expect the so called festive planet was once this horrible place.
The raven haired man was about to sigh for the second time before he started coughing loudly after inhaling a huge amount of smoke. Amidst his coughing, he spotted a worker just turned on a rusty looking machine which in return produced so much smoke. The worker in question, who's wearing a gas mask, looked behind in surprise and immediately turned off the machine.
"Oh shit, sorry boy! This thing should have been thrown to the dumpster ages ago. Can't believe those IPC freaks told us to use this junk to work. Heck, even the machines in my home world were a lot better than this, and that was over 10 years ago!" the old worker grumbled while smacking the rusty machine with his metal hand. "Where's your mask by the way? Thought you never take it off."
"Oh, it broke." Dan Heng answered, still coughed loudly while trying to maintain the balance of the crates on his hands.
"I see. Wish I could give you one, but this is the last spare I have. Mine just broke as well." The old man pointed to his own gas mask. He sighed as he turned back to the worn-down machine. "Run along now boy. I'm 'bout to start this thing again."
"Thank you." Dan Heng gave the old man a quick nod before storming off.
One good thing about this place was that some people were nice, mostly the old folks who were tired and just wanted to live quietly. Still, he could never get used to the polluted and dry air. The heavy smell of smokes coming from the worn down machines and robots here and there, along with the rusty smell coming from them and honestly everywhere as the walls and floors were mostly made out of metal. Not to mention the body odor as a bath was a luxury in here. Without proper maintenance, as IPC ain't gonna spend a single Credit to a place for criminals despite forced employing them at their factory, it was only natural for this place's condition to have gone downhill. Albeit according to what he had heard, the layers below where the hunting and mining activities were done had an even worse work condition and safety for the prisoners wasn’t guaranteed. Not to mention he had witness several people got light amnesiac or went crazy after being sent to the infamous 5th layer where prisoners were tasked to retrieve memory bubbles. Perhaps Dan Heng should be grateful that he managed to find a work in the factory sections. The IPC had divide the pit into several layers based on their ecosystem with the first layer where the factory and housing for prisoners built marked as the safest layer.
Dan Heng sped up his steps and immediately put down the crates once he reached the front room. The nasty smells finally got to him and he just sat down on the floor while trying his best to cover his nose. He couldn't care less to report to the IPC staff at the moment as he started to feel too light headed.
"Don Don Don! Delivery for Mr. Cold Dragon Young~ sorry for being late."
While massaging his head, Dan Heng slowly looked up to find a young grey haired boy with golden eyes wearing a gas mask which only covered the lower half of his face. Despite that, Dan Heng could still somewhat guess the boy had a cheeky grin on his face and held out what seemed to be a brand new gas mask.
"Oh, thanks Qiong.." Dan Heng gladly took the gas mask and hastily put it on. He took a really long breath, feeling relieved. Now, it felt slightly better for him to breathe. "I'm surprised you can actually find it, and a new one also. Where did you find it?
Qiong then put both of his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "Of course I can! As your number one fan, Mr. Cold Dragon Young, I have to always give you the best!" he claimed proudly.
Dan Heng couldn't help but cringed hearing the boy's remark. "Please stop already with that nickname. It sounds weird.”
“Well, you never told me your name, so I just called you with the one you used in the Colosseum back then.” Qiong just shrugged and Dan Heng could clearly see a smirk behind the cheeky boys' mask.
“That’s the announcer’s idea not mine... but I guess you're right...” Dan Heng just sighed defeatedly. Aside from working for the IPC, prisoners could earn Crest by participating in a fighting tournament held in a place called Colosseum in the fourth layer. Back when he was just stranded in this planet and needed quick money, he throwed himself into the Colosseum despite all the warnings that came with the information he got cause the fourth layer was where a laboratory to research the pit also built. Since he refused to give out his name during the registration, the staff there just shrugged and slapped a random nickname they thought would suit him.
The raven haired man winced at the memory. “Anyway, I hope this way of yours isn't another fight. We don't need a visit from those thugs again..." Upon closer look, Dan Heng just noticed how disheveled and dirty Qiong's clothes were than usual. "Qiong, did you go into the dumpster again?"
"Eh, what?! of course not!" Qiong immediately denied while shaking his head. "I might not have look like it, but I’ve learned my lesson. I ain’t breaking any rules again…” the boy just laughed weakly
Dan Heng sighed as he let out a chuckle. "Really? And who's the one that said 'Rules are Made to be Broken' again?" he couldn't help but tease the boy a bit.
Qiong staggered back before muttering a reply, "Well... I mean... rules are made to be broken yes, but maybe not all rules and definitely not the one where they’ll send you to the lab…”
“Yes, yes…” Dan Heng unconsciously let out a smile behind the mask while watching Qiong’s antics. Honestly, it was still weird for him to be able to casually joke around with another person like this considering his... upbringing. Perhaps because Qiong was also another victim of the strange portal, he felt a bit at ease knowing there was another person from his era. Which beg him the question of whether there were other people who also got stranded in here.
“Skipping work again, eh?”
The two jolted in surprise and quickly turned to their side and saw a bulky man with four arms carrying 2 sacks in each of his arm looked at them while smirking. Dan Heng slumped his body in relieve while Qiong was ready to throw some hands, jokingly of course.
“Uncle! Don’t scare us like that! I thought we get caught by a staff…” the boy shivered at the thought and Dan Heng couldn’t agree more.
The man in question just laughed. “Then go finish your work before taking a break. You know how all those IPC staffs are all always nitpicking on us. Guess they don’t see us as another human being, eh? Well, see ya two later.” The man walked off while waving his hand. Dan Heng's eyes lingered on the man for a bit. It still amazed him no matter what to see the various difference of people's body from other planets compared to his birth place.
Dan Heng then stood up as he dusted off his clothes. Not that it would clean much, but he remembered how the staff supervising his section hated dust to the bone. “I’ll go and report first. Have you finish your work?”
“Yep!” Qiong answered brightly.
“Then, let's go and grab dinner at the canteen after this.” Perhaps he could get them a decent meal with the Crest he got today.
“Dinner!!!” Qiong jumped around happily. “Then, it’s my treat cause I got lots of Crest today!”
Before Dan Heng could ask, the grey haired boy already plastered his face with a device which displayed the number of ‘300.000 Crest’ on its screen. And of course, Dan Heng’s eyes widened instantly in full surprise. Those numbers were impossible to achieve in a day unless you enter the Colosseum or did works for 10 people.
“This- This is even more than you gain last week. Don’t tell me you enter the Colosseum-”
“Nope! That’s because I’m Mr. Cold Dragon Young’s number one fan!”
Dan Heng stunned at the sight of the usual cheerful Qiong before shaking his head off. “…Honestly, please drop that nickname already, Qiong.”
“Nope, it’s funny~ Ah, the granny next to our room also start to call you that y’know?”
“Heh…and whose fault is that?”
“Hehehe~”
It quite ironic. This place was supposed to be a prison with a horrible working condition and yet living here... wasn’t so bad after awhile, compared to the hell he endured alone in the cold dark cell in the past. Some people were kind unlike the Guards who always spat out nothing but mockery to him, and as long as he did his work good, the IPC staffs would leave him alone.
Then there’s Qiong, a teenage boy who started following him out of nowhere after he won the newcomer tournament in the Colosseum, claiming that he was his fan. At first, the boy annoyed the hell out of him with his loud voice and constant chattering. After some time though, Dan Heng could say that having a cheerful companion who always stayed positive in this prison was quite enjoyable. The first friend he ever made, he could say. Albeit, he still wondered how Qiong could obtain so many Crest and things normally prisoners couldn’t get easily or even who he was actually aside from the fact he came from the same era as him. All those things were the reason why he was still reluctant on giving him his name. Nevertheless, that was a question for another day as Dan Heng still wanted this little quiet life to last a little longer.