Heroes' Prison

Chapter 234 - 229 Lei Shen’s Identity

Yun and Xiao Chunzi each chose a room as their own dwelling, settling down temporarily. Afterwards, he logged off and returned to Rose Prison.

Having washed up, Huang Yi headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

At this moment, the criminals were chatting while eating just like any other day, living their ordinary lives without passion, completely unaware of the huge surprise that was on its way.

Their long-suppressed talents and abilities were about to find an outlet.

Huang Yi quickly finished his breakfast and spoke to a few key inmates, instructing them to notify everyone to gather as there would be an important announcement soon.

Soon, the entire Rose Prison was abuzz with news of Huang Yi’s impending announcement, everyone curious and speculating about what it could be that warranted such a fuss.

Huang Yi made his way to the largest cell, the very cell where he had first encountered Lei Shen when he came to the communal cell. It served as a gathering place within Rose Prison. Only a few had the privilege to enter this cell, while most of the other criminals were confined to their own cells.

All the criminals had finished their breakfast and returned to their respective cells in small groups while the core members gathered in the large cell, waiting for Huang Yi’s important announcement.

"Ah-Yi, what is this important matter?" asked a bald man in his thirties, curious. His name was Wang Jin, one of the minor prison overlords, with a status similar to Huang Yi’s.

"You’ll know soon," Huang Yi replied with a slight smile.

"Ah-Yi, it’s rare for you to assemble us," Lei Shen’s voice rang out as he strode in from outside.

"There’s good news to announce," Huang Yi said, turning to look around.

By now, almost everyone had arrived and was quietly watching him while the rest had returned to their cells, silently waiting for him to speak.

"Gentlemen!" Huang Yi called out loudly, his voice clearly resonating through every cell from the first to the fifth floor, "We are locked in here without daylight, without freedom, and this life is set to continue for a lifetime, something undoubtedly unbearable." Huang Yi said, glancing at Lei Shen, "Brother Lei and I have talked before, and he has expressed a strong hope that you all could attain another kind of freedom, which is the freedom of consciousness. I am sure you have all heard of The Second World."

"Hmm? What about it?" Lei Shen suddenly asked, his expression turning serious.

The other inmates couldn’t help but become more curious, sensing from Huang Yi’s tone that there might be good news regarding The Second World. They all stared at Huang Yi with eager anticipation.

"Brother Lei wants every single person in the prison to be able to enter The Second World, and frankly, so do I. To that end, I have made efforts and finally gained this opportunity," Huang Yi dropped the bombshell.

"Hmm? What?!" Lei Shen exclaimed in shock, "How did you get this opportunity? Haven’t you been locked up here all this time? How could you possibly have such a chance?"

"Yeah! We’ve wanted to enter The Second World, but we have no way to contact the outside world. Even if we could make contact, it would be very difficult to get the virtual devices in here! How did you manage to get this chance?" Voices of confusion also emerged from the crowd.

Huang Yi looked around at everyone, reached into his pocket, and pulled out an object.

It was a ring glittering with golden light, shining brightly before everyone’s eyes.

It was like a star, twinkling amidst the darkness of the prison, illuminating the eyes of everyone deprived of freedom and lighting up every heart decayed by the darkness, becoming the focal point of everyone’s attention!

"Golden Ring!" Suddenly, Lei Shen exclaimed, incredulous as he stared at Huang Yi, murmuring, "Ah-Yi, could it be that you, too, can enter The Second World?"

"What do you mean ’me too’?" Huang Yi looked at Lei Shen, slightly puzzled.

Taking a deep breath, Lei Shen also reached into his pocket and pulled out an object.

It was a Silver Ring, gleaming with a silver radiance, shining in the dark prison, reflecting off Huang Yi’s Golden Ring as if they were two stars.

"What? You have one too?!" Now it was Huang Yi’s turn to be surprised!

He knew all too well how difficult it was to get a virtual device into Rose Prison; their organization had gone to great lengths to get the ring inside, and yet, Lei Shen also had one! However, Lei Shen’s Silver Ring was far less advanced than his Golden Ring and was much cheaper.

The surrounding people were all shocked. They had never imagined that these two, who lived and interacted closely, each possessed a virtual device that could access the wonderful world of The Second World.

"What’s your name in The Second World?" Lei Shen suddenly stared at Huang Yi and asked.

"Instakill," Huang Yi uttered two words, "And you?"

Lei Shen was momentarily stunned, as if he had lost his soul. After a long while, he finally uttered two words, "Thunder God."

Suddenly, the two fell completely silent, just quietly looking at each other, their gazes so complex it was as if every past confrontation was playing out between them.

Two figures, nearly archenemies, were now facing each other in a peculiar way within the dark confines of a prison cell.

The whole world was discussing these two men, believed to be incompatible as water and fire, yet they had always been under the same roof, unavoidably intertwined—brothers when the prison door was opened, but sworn enemies once it closed.

They shuttled back and forth between two worlds, embodying two different identities.

"I never imagined I’d been competing with my own brother all along!" Lei Shen said with a shake of his head and a smile

"I also never imagined that one day we would meet in such a way," Huang Yi responded with an air of deep emotion.

"But in the end, you still bested me, delivering that final blow when it mattered most! Though losing to my own brother doesn’t feel unjust." Lei Shen said, his tone light, dispelling the gloom that had settled in his heart. Since the award ceremony, his mood had been very low. Failing to receive the Best Newcomer Award, his dream had been completely shattered, but now the tables had turned!

Running his hand over his chin thoughtfully, Huang Yi mused, "Could it be that you wished to win the Best Newcomer Award and ask Mr. Huang Sha for a favor, allowing the brothers of Rose Prison to enter The Second World?"

"Yes!" Lei Shen nodded. "I’ve put in a lot of effort for this, just to get ahead of you, but every time I achieved something, you surpassed me, and that put tremendous pressure on me. I can’t afford to relax. These past few months, I could not even sleep at night. I’d often go out for a smoke, and I’ve seen you a few times, probably just back from The Second World yourself! I thought this award was in the bag, but in the end, you snatched it away with an instakill."

"Brother Lei, Ah-Yi, what are you guys even talking about?" At that moment, Wang Jin asked with burning curiosity. His question echoed what everyone was thinking, for none of them understood what was being discussed, foggy in their minds.

"It’s like this!" Huang Yi looked around and announced loudly, "Era of Corporation organized an annual festival for The Second World, awarding those who performed exceptionally. Brother Lei and I were the top two contenders for the Best Newcomer Award, and I ultimately won. The reason we were fighting for this award is that after winning, you get to make a wish to Mr. Huang Sha, CEO of Era of Corporation. The reason I called you all here today is related to this wish." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "The wish I made was for every criminal in the world to have the right to enter The Second World. Mr. Huang Sha agreed to fulfill this wish and has decided to carry it out in the coming days, sending each of us a set of virtual equipment. From now on, everyone will be able to enter The Second World!"

When Huang Yi’s words finished, the room went silent, as if everyone was still processing the news.

Then, in an instant, the prison from the first to the fifth floor erupted with uncontrollable shouts of surprise!

"That’s amazing!"

"Am I dreaming?!"

"We can actually enter The Second World, that paradise?!"

Everyone was hysterically cheering! Some even pinched their thighs, doubting they were not dreaming.

At that moment, the long-suppressed hearts of the thousands of criminals imprisoned sprang free! A sense of liberty instantly permeated the prison. They could finally frolic in the beautiful confines of The Second World, no longer having to endure a monotonous existence day after day!

This joy was akin to being gifted a new world!

"Ah-Yi, thank you!" At that moment, Lei Shen’s eyes moistened slightly as he walked over and gave Huang Yi a heartfelt embrace, "I never thought my dream would ultimately be realized by you!"

"Ah-Yi, I really can’t thank you enough!" Wang Jin also walked over, excitedly hugging Huang Yi.

"Brother Yi, well done!"

Then, the other prisoners started shouting loudly, thanking Huang Yi with the warmest cheers.

"Everyone quiet down and listen to me for a bit more," Huang Yi gestured for silence and continued, "We should take this opportunity to strive for our freedom. Now, the World Federation is a huge mountain pressing down on us, and we can’t just remove it, but we can use The Second World to influence the economy, culture, and public opinion of the real world. When we can shake these foundations, the World Federation will naturally collapse. Don’t think entering The Second World is just for leisure and sightseeing; we have a purpose, a mission!"

"Exactly!" Lei Shen also nodded, addressing everyone, "This is our only chance. The reason I wanted us to enter The Second World was also for this reason. Compared to our crimes, the World Federation’s are much deeper. We must try to eliminate them. Whatever Era of Corporation doesn’t handle, we will; if they don’t intervene in this world, then we must light the hope in our hearts and fight bloodily for the world."

————

Most people probably guessed that Thunder God was the foreshadowing for Lei Shen! It’s easy to tell from the name. Some say this foreshadowing is too obvious, making it somewhat awkward. Here’s my explanation for writing it this way.

Given my limited writing skills, how do I draw readers in to keep reading? I need something that the reader can guess, allowing them to keep reading to see if their guess is right.

For instance, with Thunder God, if the reader can’t guess, they might think the book has no future and drop it, whereas if they can guess, they’re driven by the desire to see if the story unfolds as they predicted, and they end up reading dozens more Chapters.

Foreshadowing isn’t about preventing the reader from guessing; sometimes it’s precisely about getting them to guess so they continue reading.