Li Ban touched his right eye.
The previously detached soft tissue had disappeared, and his eyelid felt full but painless.
He blinked and opened his eyes again.
Everything before him was remarkably clear.
So clear it was like upgrading from standard definition to high definition.
His dizziness had mostly faded, leaving only slight weakness.
Li Ban exhaled deeply. "Luckily this is a virtual world, otherwise this eye would never recover so perfectly. And this Superhuman Vision is quite a useful passive ability in this dark Death Prison."
This virtual world somewhat resembled a game. Li Ban tried summoning character stats or game interfaces, but nothing appeared.
Only the cold female voice of the system in his mind.
The system in his consciousness remained silent.
Li Ban pushed himself up from his knees, his limbs still weak from exhaustion.
He looked at the pile of ashes before him.
The "fire" had burned extremely thoroughly.
Not even large bone fragments remained in the ashes.
Yet strangely, the wooden gallows showed no signs of burning, merely slightly blackened.
"You should be completely decomposed now, right?" Li Ban murmured.
He hadn't immediately processed the former jailer's final words.
Only after recovering physically and mentally did he realize - the former jailer might have been another undercover agent sent by the laboratory.
A colleague of sorts.
That person had also been on a mission in Death Prison, but for unknown reasons ended up hanged on the gallows at the prison entrance.
He likely faced the same problem as Li Ban.
Failed logout after death.
Thus, this unfortunate colleague had remained trapped in his hanged corpse for who knows how long.
Li Ban thought if he became a corpse too, he probably wouldn't be as powerful as the former jailer.
Who could not only speak but also kick away anyone coveting his eyeballs.
"I wonder if he succeeded in returning?"
"But someone that capable must have had a good plan. If I face death again, I could also have someone burn my corpse. Though in this fire-prohibited Death Prison, who could I ask?"
Everyone he'd met so far seemed colder and crueler than the last.
Li Ban sighed.
He wasn't sure how to explain the ashes either.
Though the flames had burned fiercely, they'd also been extremely fast, making little noise.
Thus attracting no attention.
The slave girl might have seen through the window, but her decision not to report it spoke volumes.
She wanted no trouble.
As for the young slave who nearly ruined everything - Li Ban wouldn't let him off!
Though currently lacking the ability to kill him.
But with his Superhuman Vision, Li Ban would surely find a way eventually.
Regarding the former jailer's corpse...
If the tree-person jailers asked, Li Ban would claim he desperately placed embers on the corpse, which somehow ignited.
Since the corpse could move and speak, surely it could manage to catch fire from those embers?
Having temporarily resolved his survival crisis, troubles remained plentiful.
Especially with the tree-person jailers who would surely watch him closely now.
Remembering the jailer's order to deliver food promptly, Li Ban decided to work first.
A slave who couldn't work held no value.
And worthless people died easier.
Li Ban's mindset had shifted somewhat.
Entering Death Prison weakly, he immediately appreciated his new eye's advantages.
What was once barely visible now appeared as bright as under incandescent lights.
Every detail stood out sharply.
Especially when using only his right eye - his vision far surpassed normal humans.
"Hah, I've acquired premium quality equipment!" Li Ban thought, finding humor in hardship.
After his life-and-death struggle, returning to the storeroom, Li Ban looked at the mimic rat with calm eyes.
"The Witch World is a dangerous, dark game. Li Ban, abandon your naivety!"
Holding a cleaver in one hand and rope in the other, Li Ban remained uncertain whether transporting the mimic rat was necessary for feeding prisoners.
Though fast, the mimic rat wasn't particularly strong - manageable.
Since it dared not move in its iron cage, he could tie it through the bars before delivery.
Pushing the heavy metal cart through darkness, Li Ban advanced until encountering another glowing stone.
Likely Death Prison's primary light source.
He tentatively named it illumination stone.
Beneath it was carved a large "1".
The path forked here.
One paved with white stones, the other black.
This must be the black path and white path the tree-person jailer mentioned.
White path for food delivery.
Black path for waste removal.
Li Ban lacked the perverse inclination to mix food with excrement.
He dutifully pushed the mimic rat cage down the white passage.
Both floor tiles and walls were white here.
Small stone lamps appeared every hundred meters, marking cell locations.
Looking ahead, Li Ban counted about twenty lamps.
Beyond lay darkness even his right eye couldn't penetrate.
Perhaps leading to the second underground level.
The first floor remained eerily quiet.
Only the cart's wheel sounds accompanied Li Ban's progress.
Approaching the first stone lamp revealed the initial cell.
Resembling ancient prisons from his knowledge.
Thick wooden bars spaced barely a fist-width apart.
Most notably, Li Ban saw no proper door - just a small window-like opening secured by a copper lock.
Keeping his distance, Li Ban hugged the opposite wall while pushing the cart.
Passing the cell, he peeked inside while feigning disinterest.
This glance brought relief.
The first cell stood empty.
Its furnishings were sparse:
A straw mat on the floor.
A discolored blanket.
Wall-mounted shackles.
And a waist-high enclosed latrine.
Applying more force, Li Ban accelerated slightly, covering the next hundred meters to the second cell.
Oddly, this one was also vacant.
As were the third, fourth...
Up to the twelfth cell.
Meaning the thirteenth housed today's recipient - the cat-woman.
Nervousness crept in.
He still hadn't identified the food delivery point.
Releasing the mimic rat in the passage was unthinkable -
Who became food then would be anyone's guess.
With trepidation, Li Ban finally reached the thirteenth cell.
His target came into view - a pair of furry cat ears first catching his eye.
Not atop her head, but where human ears should be.
Occasional twitches made them appear soft and cute.
Yet their owner was neither.
The cat-woman's neck and limbs bore shackles that had chafed her skin red-black.
Long chains permitted limited movement.
When Li Ban arrived, she leaned against a corner wall.
Eyes closed, head back.
One leg extended, the other bent with hands resting on that knee.
Despite grimy prison garb, bruised face, and emaciated frame...
Nothing could diminish her icy, formidable pride.