At midnight, Alex finally experienced his first dinner inside Dragon Prison.He walked calmly in the middle of the line. His gaze was straight ahead, observing the vastness of Cell Block Seven. His breathing remained steady. Riko stood half a step behind him, his face tense, his eyes constantly darting around.Whispers began to spread.“That’s him…”“The one who beat up our guy?”“Yeah. They said Erwin’s arm was broken, and several bones in his face were crushed.”The stares changed. Some were curious. Some were afraid. Others were filled with ill intent.When they reached a slightly quieter dining area, the atmosphere shifted. Four men who had been standing near the far end of the room began walking toward them.Other inmates immediately stepped aside. Their builds were massive. Their gazes were cold. Their muscles were clearly not the result of ordinary training. On one man’s chest was a tattoo of a black dragon with bared fangs—the core symbol of Rey Sogun’s elite subordinates.Rik

The next morning.Sunlight pierced through the iron bars, spilling into the central yard of Block Seven. The air was still cold, but tension had already been hanging thick since dawn. The inmates stood in small groups, pretending to exercise, yet their eyes kept drifting in one direction.Alex.He was doing push-ups at a steady rhythm. His back straight. His breathing controlled. Every movement precise, as if his body were a tireless machine.Riko stood beside him, trying to imitate the motion. But sweat already soaked his forehead, his breathing uneven.“Slow down,” Alex said briefly without looking at him. “Control your breathing.”Riko nodded quickly.Then suddenly—Heavy footsteps echoed.DUM. DUM. DUM.They weren’t ordinary steps. There was weight behind them. The once noisy yard quieted instantly. Several inmates instinctively moved aside, clearing a path.Rey Sogun had arrived.His posture was firm. His muscles obvious even beneath the prison uniform. His gaze was fixed straigh

Alex fell silent for a moment. His finger tapped lightly against the table.Tok.Tok.His gaze lifted, piercing into Rey Sogun’s face without emotion.“You want to go out?” he asked flatly.Rey lowered his head even deeper. “With your permission, Sir. The black market isn’t a place where just anyone can move freely. I…”Alex stood up. His movement was calm, yet the air in the room seemed to grow heavier.“I’ll go with you,” he said shortly. “I also want to see the true face of Dragon Prison.”Rey was startled. His head snapped up. “Sir… it’s very dangerous. There are many spies there.”Alex gave a faint smile—the same one he wore before crushing Rey in the Block Seven yard.“That’s exactly why.”Riko instinctively stepped forward. “Alex…”“Guard Block Seven,” Alex cut him off without turning. “If anyone moves suspiciously, mark them.”Riko nodded firmly. “I understand.”*Midnight.An underground corridor opened behind what appeared to be an ordinary old wall. Two armed guards stood t

A special poker table was pulled to the center of the hall.The lights above it dimmed, leaving a single circle of illumination that made the table look like an altar of sacrifice. The crowd unconsciously formed a wide ring around it. No more careless whispers—everyone was holding their breath.Madam Liora’s personal dealer had taken his seat. His hands were steady, but the veins on the back of them were tense.“We begin,” he said.The cards were dealt.One.Two.Alex received his cards without expression. He didn’t even look at them right away. He simply held them between two fingers and placed them neatly in front of him.Yve, on the other hand—Her eyes moved quickly. Very quickly. Just a glance, yet enough to record every detail. Alex’s breathing. His blinking. The position of his shoulders. The tension in his facial muscles.She smiled faintly to herself.‘That calm face of his… why does it irritate me?’ she thought.Yve closed her cards and crossed her arms. “The bet?”“All in,”

The shop employee fell silent.Several seconds that felt like minutes passed before he finally moved. His hands trembled as he pressed the pricing panel. The transparent screens above the dull-stone shelf lit up one by one, displaying the numbers.The prices were extremely low.Even compared to a single mid-grade energy stone on the main shelf, the entire rack of dull stones didn’t even reach one-tenth of its price.Rey swallowed.“Sir… the total is only… this much?”Alex glanced briefly at the numbers on the screen, then gave a small nod.“Reasonable. Things that aren’t understood are always undervalued.”He did not choose randomly.Alex walked slowly along the shelf, setting aside several stones that were truly dead—empty vessels with nothing inside. Then he selected only specific ones. Similar crack patterns. Silent energy pulses. Subtle vibrations that were almost imperceptible.One.Two.Seven.Twelve stones. No more.“That’s enough,” he said at last.Rey fell silent.“But Sir, e