Chapter Fifty: Temporary Measures (Part One)

Zhao Li had no idea how long the investigation would take. After the prison guards finished their questioning, the majors began interviewing the prisoners one by one, likely to gather detailed accounts of the incident.

The prisoners seemed uncooperative at first, forcing the old warden to step in. Only then did the unruly men quiet down considerably. Watching this, Zhao Li couldn’t help but wonder what special authority the old warden possessed to command such respect from these defiant characters.

Shortly afterward, the warden announced the decision regarding the handling of the incident. Given the urgency of the situation, neither the guards’ self-protective actions nor Zhao Li’s steadfastness were deemed wrong. Since the orders had been decided by vote rather than official command, Zhao Li was not accused of insubordination.

However, for Zhao Li’s pragmatic choice to hand over control of the flying craft to a prisoner without authorization, he received a formal reprimand. This was the first disciplinary mark he had earned since joining the military.

Of course, justice was served with both punishment and reward. In recognition of Sergeant Zhao Li’s outstanding performance—standing up during a critical moment, protecting all the prisoners, and safely escorting them to the military camp—an investigation confirmed the truth of these actions, leading to his exceptional promotion to Staff Sergeant. Across the entire Mountbatten planet, Zhao Li was one of the fastest to rise in rank.

“Congratulations!” Jiang Hao, who had always maintained a good relationship with Zhao Li despite making different choices during the incident, was genuinely happy for Zhao Li’s safe return and promotion.

“Thank you!” Zhao Li still seemed to be in a daze. He had expected the investigation to uncover some serious trouble, but in the end, it was surprisingly uneventful.

“Good job, kid!” The other prison guards admired Zhao Li and even felt a bit guilty facing him. After all, Zhao Li was the only one who made that kind of decision under such circumstances.

While feeling grateful, Zhao Li couldn’t help but admire those prisoners. Although their internal energy had been sealed, they managed to build a sturdy rubber raft in under fifteen minutes that withstood turbulence at altitudes of over a thousand kilometers without issue. They also quickly modified a single-person flying craft, removing unnecessary modules and effortlessly seizing control. Such feats were beyond the capability of ordinary people.

If any regular soldier had been in this situation, panic alone would have compromised the outcome. These prisoners’ mental resilience was extraordinary.

Even the ones Zhao Li considered relatively weaker, like Ban Yunchan, immediately blamed him for making a foolish choice. Professor Hans criticized his irrational behavior from a biological standpoint. Kang Hongyuan, though physically weak, bluntly declared that if Zhao Li went into politics, he would be doomed.

In the heat of the moment, there was no time to argue. Looking back, Zhao Li realized none of these prisoners were simple to deal with. Just considering Kang Hongyuan’s decisive ruthlessness, which faced no opposition, Zhao Li admitted he had seriously underestimated him.

He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now he saw that within a mere month, Kang Hongyuan had stopped the prisoners from bullying him and had quietly established formidable authority under their noses over the next three or four months. This was no small achievement. Compared to his own efforts during basic training to coax a few new recruits into training hard, Kang’s accomplishment was on another level. Zhao Li resolved to seek his advice when the opportunity arose.

That concluded the handling of the incident, but immediate arrangements had to be made for the prisoners. If they remained in the military camp, the constant tension and the camp’s atmosphere of wariness would be unbearable.

After all, this was not a professional prison and lacked specialized facilities, making management difficult. The prisoners were also quite dissatisfied, frequently causing disturbances whenever possible. Although the old warden’s firm suppression helped, problems persisted.

Fortunately, a temporary solution was quickly devised from higher up. The plan was to transfer the prisoners to another military prison as a stopgap, then build a higher-security facility at a suitable location. This would take a few months, during which the prisoners would have to make do with the slightly lower-grade prison.

The decision brought relief throughout the camp—finally, those troublesome inmates would be sent away. Once they were transferred, most personnel at the camp would be withdrawn. This camp was originally responsible for special prison logistics; with the prison gone, there was little reason to maintain a large presence. Its rank would be downgraded accordingly and serve as a subsidiary administrative center.

When the prisoners boarded the heavily guarded transport warship, the camp’s soldiers saw them off with a mix of relief and satisfaction. The disruption those prisoners caused in just a few days had made a strong impact. The soldiers expressed sincere respect to the guards like Zhao Li, who had to face such difficult inmates day after day.

It seemed the saying “each profession has its specialty” held true even in the military camp. Those without prison management experience found the work daunting, but Zhao Li thought it was not that bad—strict discipline and empathy when necessary. He almost forgot the fierce fight he had with Sanders at the beginning.

Though a prison guard, this was Zhao Li’s first time riding such a transport warship for high-risk prisoners. The security measures amazed him. Massive shackles were fixed to the seats, restraining prisoners’ hands and feet once seated. There were roughly two meters between each seat, separated by opaque partitions to prevent communication.

The entire journey was essentially solitary confinement for the prisoners, like being locked in a small dark cell. But they seemed indifferent to this, clearly accustomed to it.

Under the watchful escort of several accompanying warships, the transport warship carrying the dangerous inmates slowly landed at a large military airport. Then, with a sizable escort, each prisoner was individually transferred to the lower-grade prison.

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