Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

Back in his office, Lu Yu pulled up the electronic contract on his personal terminal and projected it onto the desktop. Ye Tang glanced at it briefly—position: Warden, monthly salary 30,000 star coins, room and board included, one-month probation period, job duties: fully responsible for the daily management of Prison Zero.

This includes, but is not limited to, the daily living arrangements and mental state monitoring of detainees. She noticed that the contract did not mention any requirement for emotional support, which was different from what she had expected. But that was fine, since she didn't really know how to provide emotional support anyway; all she knew was cooking and petting furry creatures.

"Sign here." Lu Yu handed over an electronic pen.

Ye Tang signed the contract decisively.

"Where am I staying?" She had barely put down her pen when she started asking about her accommodation.

"Come with me." Lu Yu stood up, led her out of the office, through another corridor of the main building, through a security gate, and into the living area behind the prison.

The living quarters were much warmer than the previous detention area. The corridors were carpeted with light gray carpets, and several landscape paintings hung on the walls. The air was also free of that heavy sense of oppression.

At the end of the corridor, Lu Yu stopped in front of a door, pushed it open, and stepped aside.

Behind the door is a small, gray-white detached house, two stories high. Although it's not large, its layout is exquisite. Upon entering, you'll find the living room, with beige floor tiles, a sofa, coffee table, and bookshelves—all the essentials. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto a small courtyard.

The kitchen is open-plan, with a pure white marble countertop and an induction cooktop that appears to be electromagnetic.

The bedroom was on the second floor. Lu Yu didn't take her up there, but the mere sight of the first-floor furnishings was enough to make Ye Tang's eyes light up like a hunter eyeing roasted meat.

She wrote code on Earth for seven years, rising from an intern to a senior engineer. Her seven years of savings were only enough to buy a 35-square-meter studio apartment in the suburbs. On her first day in the Beast World, she actually moved into a detached house.

"This is the warden's residence. Your predecessor left in a hurry and didn't have time to pack his things, but the room has already been cleaned." Lu Yu handed her the key card, then, as if remembering something, added, "Your job description is clearly stated in your contract. You are mainly responsible for their food and lodging management. The Imperial Logistics Department will send nutrient solutions over every day. You just need to deliver the nutrient solutions to the various observation areas on time."

"Do you need me to cook?" Ye Tang asked.

Lu Yu's expression froze slightly, as if he had heard a very strange word. He glanced at Ye Tang through his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes filled with a pure, undisguised astonishment: "Cooking? Warden Ye, hasn't your family given you any nutritional supplements?"

Ye Tang then realized what was happening.

She searched through the original owner's memories and quickly found information about the food culture of this world.

The food of ordinary people was very simple—meat was boiled or roasted over a fire and sprinkled with coarse salt; this was the most common way of cooking.

Well-off orcs would cook a pot of soup, add some edible plant roots and stems, and that would be a sumptuous meal.

The nutritional supplements provided by the empire to the nobility and elites were highly concentrated nutritional products. A small vial could provide the calories and trace elements needed for the whole day. Although the taste was bland and even a little bitter, it was highly effective and convenient.

In the original owner's mind, only poor commoners who couldn't afford nutritional supplements would cook meat and soup by themselves. Being able to eat nutritional supplements was a symbol of status—it meant that you were entitled to enjoy the efficient resources provided by the Empire, instead of wasting time on primitive cooking.

Of course, the Ye family wouldn't give the original owner any nutritional supplements.

Ye Tang shook her head: "Colonel Lu, you know I'm a double F-level, why would they give me nutritional supplements?"

Lu Yu was silent for a moment. He didn't press further, nor did he show any sympathy or pity; he simply nodded to indicate that he understood. But his fingers rubbed the temple of his gold-rimmed glasses—a habitual gesture he made when thinking.

He changed the subject, took a black card out of his pocket and handed it to her. The card had the emblem of Prison Zero printed on the front and a gold code on the back.

"This is your access card. You can use it to enter all areas of the main building, including the security door in the observation area. But remember—if you want to live to receive your first paycheck, don't enter the observation area while any of the detainees are conscious. Use the teleportation tunnel to deliver nutrient solutions; the supply delivery point is in the lower right corner of each observation wall."

Ye Tang took the card, examined it carefully in her palm, nodded solemnly, and then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, boss, you just said that mermaid's name is Cangming, right? He hasn't surfaced for eleven days?"

Lu Yu's expression became more serious when she asked him this question: "Yes. Mermaids need air above the water surface to maintain normal lung function. Although the physique of the Sea Abyss royal family is stronger than that of ordinary mermaids, their lung tissue will suffer irreversible damage if they do not breathe for more than fourteen days."

"The previous warden tried to get close to him in the water, but he was repelled by his mental field before he could even get near. He spent three days in bed recovering afterward. You don't need to force yourself; this isn't your responsibility—"

"Yes, boss, I guarantee I'll complete the task." Ye Tang straightened his back and spoke in a loud voice.

Lu Yu's remaining words were cut off. He looked at the spirited little female in front of him, remained silent for a moment, and decided to temporarily set aside the logical contradiction of "how could a double F-level mental strength approach an SS-level mermaid." Perhaps when she actually stood by the pool and felt that oppressive aura, he would back down.

He pressed a button on his personal terminal, and a few minutes later, a guard brought over two sets of warden uniforms. The dark blue uniforms were simple and neat in design, with the emblem of Prison Zero embroidered on the shoulders. The fabric was crisp and felt quite heavy. Lu Yu handed her the uniforms: "Get familiar with the environment first. You'll officially start work at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Ye Tang hugged his uniform, happily touching the badge on his shoulder, already planning in his mind how to get closer to those five people when he met them tomorrow.

Lu Yu turned around, ready to leave, and then faced the silver-gray giant wolf squatting at the door, which hadn't uttered a sound from beginning to end.

The hunter's grey-blue eyes were staring coldly at him, a gaze not that of a "sled dog"—sharp, restrained, carrying a clear warning and hostility, as if to say, "Were you trying to scare her away just now?"

Lu Yu met those wolf eyes for a second.

Then, without changing his expression, he turned to Ye Tang and said in a calm tone as if he were just instructing her on something trivial: "By the way, Warden Ye, take good care of this... um, sled dog next to you."

"A sled dog?" Ye Tang glanced at You Lie and smiled. "He's not mine. I found him in the forest, and he insisted on coming with me." She squatted down and ruffled You Lie's neck fur. "But don't worry, Colonel Lu, he's very well-behaved. He can even hunt, so he won't cause any trouble for the prison."

Youlie squinted for a moment when she rubbed his neck, but when he met Lu Yu's gaze, his gray-blue eyes regained their cold warning.

He spoke slowly, word by word, his lips silently uttering a single word—a precise lip movement that only Lu Yu could see, hidden by Ye Tang's head.

"Shut up."

Lu Yu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. The curve was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, but it was definitely there.

Without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the room. His white military shirt stood tall and composed under the corridor lights, and the shadow of his antlers was stretched long by the light, reflected on the wall like two delicate tree branches.

The door closed behind me.

Ye Tang threw her uniform onto the sofa, turned around and pounced on You Lie, hugging his fluffy wolf head and rubbing it hard several times: "Big dog, did you hear that! I have a job! A monthly salary of 30,000! We won't go hungry anymore!"

Youlie's wolf face was distorted from her rubbing, but he didn't pull away. He was thinking about something else—Luyu knew his identity, but he chose to keep it a secret from Yetang.

What exactly is this white-tailed deer up to? But right now, there's a more pressing issue. His gaze swept over the direction where Ye Tang had just signed the contract, then returned to her excitedly flushed face.

This silly female, does she even know what kind of people she's going to be taking care of?