Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

Anning looked at the vibrant green catnip in the paper bowls scattered on the ground, then looked up at the little female in front of her who was still clapping the dirt off her hands. A thoughtful look flashed in her amber eyes.

She has lived for nearly 150 years and has seen countless geniuses, but only this one could restore five orcs with a collapse value of over 85 to below the safety line within a month.

So what if one has dual F-level mental strength? The Empire's mental strength rating system may itself have blind spots.

"Miss Ye Tang, would you be interested in joining the research institute?"

Ye Tang was squatting on the ground, straightening the last paper bowl, when she heard this, her fingers froze, she looked up, and her expression was just like a student being called on by the teacher to answer a question.

She shook her head vigorously, her ponytail swishing loudly behind her. No way, absolutely not. What kind of place was the research institute? It was the top academic institution in the beast world, the place where workaholics like Anning had spent their entire lives, a concentration camp for the Rolling Kings whose cultivation rooms could even kill catnip.

In her past life, she worked as a slave in an internet company for seven years, working overtime until the early hours of the morning every day. She suffered from cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, and osteoporosis, and was already quite old at a young age.

I finally managed to become a high-paid, low-stress prison warden, waking up naturally every day, only needing to cook for my furry friends and pet the big cats, dogs, fish, and birds. Even a god wouldn't trade this life. Joining a research institute? What's the difference between that and going back to 996? Even a dog wouldn't do it.

"No way. I think Prison Zero needs me more," Ye Tang said righteously, her back ramrod straight.

An Ning wasn't in a hurry when she heard this. She slowly pushed up her reading glasses, as if she had expected her to refuse: "Join the research institute, register as an SS-level therapist, and enjoy a monthly therapist allowance of 300,000."

Three hundred thousand. Ye Tang's eyelashes trembled. She frantically pressed the calculator in her mind—the warden's monthly salary was fifty thousand, and selling catnip was a one-off business, but this three hundred thousand was a fixed income every month.

No, no, she can't let money corrupt her. She has 50 million in savings; she's already financially independent. She can't go back to a life of hardship for a mere 300,000.

"Dean An, I'm just an FF-level mental strength, I can't be an SS-level therapist!" Ye Tang tried her best to make her voice sound firm and sincere, but in her heart she was already wailing - Jing Yao, Han Zhou, Zou Di Ji, do you know what I gave up for you!

An Ning smiled kindly, her eyes, which had seen through the world, revealing a calm "you keep making things up while I listen" attitude: "If you can't be an SS-level therapist, then the entire empire will have no therapists left."

She herself is an S+ level healer, the only one still existing in the empire. Five irreversible cases with a breakdown value of over 90 that even she couldn't handle were cured by this little female with roasted meat and catnip.

She paused, her tone carrying a perfectly seductive undertone. From Lu Yu's report, she had already figured out the weakness of the little female in front of her.

"Miss Ye Tang, are you sure you want to give up? The allowance is just an allowance, not a salary. With your abilities, joining the research institute will guarantee you at least one million per month. You'll also enjoy the benefits of the Imperial Medal of Honor, a private car for transportation, and free medical care—"

Two little figures were already locked in a fierce battle in Ye Tang's mind. The one on the left, clutching a gold brick, shouted, "Millions a month! Medals of honor! Chauffeured around! You toiled your whole life for barely a pittance!"

The little figure on the right hugged the furry creature and cried out, "If you leave, who will grill meat for Jingyao! Who will make sweet and sour pork for Hanzhou! Who will argue with Lingshou! Who will rescue Cangming!" The two little figures went back and forth, and the battle was at a stalemate.

"...No, Dean An, I won't consider it." In the end, a sliver of reason prevailed—or rather, not reason, but her protective instincts towards those people in Prison Zero. More importantly, she knew all too well the weight of the adage "the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow."

As a lone female of the double F-rank, with no family background and no combat power to rely on, she only managed to live comfortably in Prison Zero thanks to the protection of Youlie and Jingyao. Once she stepped out of this protective circle and was exposed to the gaze of various forces in the Empire, how many days could her life remain peaceful under the halo of an SS-rank healer? "I understand the principle that the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow."

An Ning looked at the girl in front of her, whose eyelashes were trembling with excitement, yet who still gritted her teeth and refused. The admiration in An Ning's eyes deepened even more than before.

She had lived for nearly 150 years and seen countless geniuses, but those who could maintain their composure in the face of immense temptation were extremely rare. This self-control was more precious than her talent. She didn't press the matter further and changed the subject:

"Okay. But can your catnip be sold exclusively to the research institute?" She paused, then added candidly, "The cause of the deaths this time hasn't been fully determined yet. If subsequent breeding fails again, the research institute needs a stable supply. In exchange, the research institute will sign an exclusive purchase agreement, with the price increased slightly, and each purchase will be paid in advance."

Ye Tang thought about it and realized that this offer was a pure win for her—she didn't know if the research institute could support her, but since her spiritual fields were growing like weeds anyway, even if the research institute bought them and they all died, she could just sell them again.

She glanced quickly at An Ning with the look of someone eyeing a sucker, then at the hundred disposable paper bowls on the ground. If they kept killing plants that only needed watering, they'd have to buy them from her every time, and she'd be the one making the money.

"Okay," Ye Tang agreed readily.

An Ning acted swiftly, immediately instructing her deputy to draft a contract. Moments later, an electronic contract titled "Exclusive Supply Agreement" appeared on the screen, its terms clear and concise—the Imperial Research Institute would exclusively purchase catnip from Ye Tang at a price of 500,000 star coins per plant, with a one-year term and automatic renewal upon expiration. The Institute was prohibited from reselling the catnip to any third party, and Ye Tang was also prohibited from selling it to any other institution. Both parties signed, confirmed with fingerprints, and underwent iris scanning; the contract then became effective.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Miss Yetang." Anning extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Dean An." Ye Tang grasped the hand that was covered in fine lines but still strong, her smile obedient and radiant.

The hovercar exited the research institute's security gates and smoothly merged into the main thoroughfare of the capital's central district. Ye Tang leaned against the window, watching the city rush past—towering alloy towers, crisscrossing sky bridges, and energy curtains flowing across building facades. She had spent a full month in Zero Prison, her days filled with forests, courtyards, kitchens, and observation corridors, almost forgetting the bustling side of the Beast World. The balance in her account gave her confidence, and she began to plan for a major life event: buying a house. In her previous life, her biggest obsession was owning her own house, but after seven years of saving, she could only afford a 35-square-meter studio apartment in the suburbs. This time, with over 60 million star coins in her hands, she had to at least get a decent place in the heart of the capital, right?

"Boss Lu, how much does an apartment in Beijing cost?"

Lu Yu was processing the data entry documents for the research institute's batch of catnip on his computer when he heard this, his fingers paused slightly.

He turned his head, a pause flashing in his light amber eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "I don't know."

Ye Tang turned her head from the car window, her eyes widening slightly in surprise: "You don't know? Why?"

She thought to herself, what kind of answer is this? Lu Yu is, after all, an Imperial Colonel and the de facto administrator of Prison Zero. He's worked in the capital for so many years, and he doesn't even know about housing prices? Don't the people of the Beast World care about these kinds of livelihood issues?

Lu Yu met her puzzled gaze, his tone as steady as ever: "The houses in the capital are all private properties of various families, and are also part of the dowry of male beasts. They are almost never sold to the public."