Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

[Arya, this place is related to someone named Arya. Strange, it's a normal English name, why is it written in such a strange language?]

He thought to himself, and then he immediately realized something even more unusual.

The wall with the writing was at least twenty meters away from him, and the lighting was so poor that even high school seniors who would study by moonlight during a power outage before the college entrance exam would find it unbearable. But he could actually see the words on the wall, and they were very clear!

"My eyesight shouldn't be this good." Luo Gandao gritted his teeth slightly. He soon discovered that his strength and physical abilities had increased significantly. Although he was still not strong enough to break or deform the shackles, he could clearly feel the tingling and itching as his wounds healed.

My body is recovering rapidly...

Luo Gandao subconsciously recalled the things he had seen on the computer screen at the very end of his memory.

—Do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly...live?

He closed his eyes.

Either I've been captured and researched by some strange organization, or... I've been transported to another world.

[Damn it, while I'm certainly not entirely satisfied with the real world, it's not to the point where I want to time travel! The meaning of life... to live... well, I admit this scene does fit that description quite well.]

But I'm not going to die so easily!

He suddenly opened his eyes, his mind filled with what he thought was a complete understanding of the present moment, which fueled his determination to fight. Just then, he heard heavy footsteps.

—Someone's coming.

Chapter Twenty-One: Isn't it good to be alive?

[Two people, weighing around 140 kilograms each. If they're not extremely obese, then they must be carrying heavy objects... Wait, there's a metallic tremor in their footsteps. Is it armor? Have I stumbled into the Middle Ages?]

Luo Gandao squeezed the metal bars on the iron cage. He was certain that his grip strength was at least twice as strong as before. Even with modern technology, a chopstick-thick alloy steel should be able to bend slightly under full force. However, the dull gray iron cage in front of him was extremely sturdy. Even with his knuckles cracking, it did not budge an inch.

[Advanced smelting technology...]

I'd better not think of it as a typical medieval world. With good luck, or with bad luck... I'll probably end up in a fantasy medieval alternate world.

[Of course, it would be even better if I were actually just dreaming...]

Luo Gandao sighed inwardly, but his body instinctively crouched down. He lowered his stance and shifted his gaze as much as possible. He carefully observed the other cages on both sides, searching for more living people while also mimicking their movements and expressions to avoid leaving any loopholes in his own ranks.

He succeeded. In the brief instant that the two footsteps stopped at the warehouse door, and the heavy thud of the door opening rang out, his gaze caught at least ten poor souls like himself, locked in cages. Then he held his breath, trying his best to appear as if he were one of them.

Weak, humble, and powerless.

'豱辘辘达达......'

The loud bang of the gate seemed like a significant signal. Logan noticed that in that instant, many of the caged people trembled with fear, accompanied by muffled sobs and an indescribable stench. But the commotion abruptly ended when the gate was fully open, and the light streaming into the warehouse illuminated two long, narrow figures.

The visitor is not good.

After entering the prison, the two wicked individuals closed the door behind them.

Logand noticed that they were wearing armor of an indiscernible material, but it appeared to be a composite of metal and chainmail. They were not wearing helmets, but rather bird-beak masks typical of medieval doctors. They were completely covered from head to toe, and although their silhouettes suggested they were two men, everything else about them was firmly confined within the fully enclosed body armor.

A bad feeling crept into Luo Gandao's mind.

The era can be roughly determined. Even if this isn't the Middle Ages, it's a derivative world based on the Middle Ages. Judging from the metallurgical technology and full-body coverings, while this world's technology has its unique aspects, it can still be referenced using medieval historical documents from Earth. However, the bird-beak mask signifies a terrible fact.

Disease, plague, and death.

In the Middle Ages, only plague doctors wore bird-beak masks. So…

Suddenly, Luo Gandao felt a burning sensation in his throat, and his lungs and stomach ached terribly. He realized that the wounds on his body, besides being caused by torture, could also be from the festering wounds of an epidemic. And the latter meant he was doomed!

dead……

No... I don't want to die...

I don't want to die here... so young, without having accomplished anything!

I'm just an ordinary college student, I have nothing of value... Why have I fallen to this state?!

No...no...no!

His breathing became increasingly rapid as he pondered, his gaze shifting between unfocused and focused. He watched as the two armored men wearing bird-beak masks patrolled the warehouse. Though they carried no keys, they held sharp steel forks. At each iron cage, they would casually poke the cage with their forks, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily, until the creature imprisoned inside let out a painful howl or they confirmed it was completely dead before slowly moving away.

Luo Gandao raised his arm and bit his left forearm hard.

The excruciating pain instantly gave him a clear mind, and before the other person walked towards the iron cage where he was, he forced himself to calm down and think carefully.

Whether I've contracted the plague or not, I must leave this place. Being confined here means certain death, but once I'm free, even if I contract a serious illness, I'll be able to find treatment.

[We must take the risk...]

The options of enduring hardship and begging for mercy flashed through his mind. But he quickly realized that was impossible. This wasn't Earth; judging from the surroundings, there was no law or reason to be heard here. Even if he used his identity as a transmigrator as leverage, the so-called advanced knowledge on Earth might not be useful in this fantasy world.

More importantly, I might be suffering from a serious illness. If I don't take the risk now while I'm still physically strong, it will be difficult to take risks once my strength is depleted...

Moreover... he didn't really look forward to the feeling of having his life and death in the hands of others.

Playing dead is impossible. The fact that the rotting corpse in the cage next to me hasn't been dragged out means they won't take it away. Since this place is named "Arya's Playroom," it implies that the woman named Arya is very likely the owner of this warehouse. These two are just low-level members responsible for routine maintenance; they don't have the authority to unlock the locks, and perhaps not even the authority to kill the people in the cages.

However, there is a possibility that they might be carrying a key...

[I understand. The only hope is to lure them over, seize their weapons when they poke me with their forks, and then kill them in return. And I must kill both of them at once...] His gaze shifted downwards, focusing on the dagger at the armored man's waist and the point where the mask and neck met.

[Snatching the fork won't help, but I can use it to pull one of them down. Then I can grab the dagger from the first man's waist, slit his throat, and kill the second man with a throwing knife... I'm crazy to even think of something like this. But I have a feeling I can actually do it...]

[That's it. If I fail, I'll surrender, sell my secret as a transmigrator to the master of this place, and then see if I can find another way to survive...]

Logan closed his eyes, then opened them, then closed them again, then opened them again.

After several cycles, he felt his mind and energy had reached their optimal state. All that was left was to wait.

The nearest person is about five meters away from me...

He lay in the cage, calmly watching one of the two armored men walk to the third cage between him and gently poke a corpse inside with a fork.

Three meters...

The armored man placed a marker outside the iron cage where the living creature inside was dead. Then he moved on to the next one, and after the latter let out a soft scream, he slowly moved away towards the newer target.

One meter...

A faint wail echoed from the cage next door. And what's next...?

【zero.】

Luo Gandao lay motionless on the ground inside the cage.

The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his calf...

He suddenly sprang up!

"Come here!"

Luo Gandao roared, a sound he swore he had never uttered in his life with such power. In the instant he sprang forward, some almost instinctive mechanism propelled him into the most advantageous position for exerting force, and the next moment he reached out and grabbed the steel fork the armored man was clutching!

The latter collapsed with a thud, and he could even glimpse the utter horror in the other's eyes through the bird-beak mask! Without further hesitation, he reached out and snatched the dagger from the other's waist, slashing upwards. Immediately afterward, he felt warm blood splatter on the back of his hand!

This is the first one, so there's a second one left.

He saw another armored figure suddenly turn around, the tip of his bird-beak mask slightly raised. His chest armor also bulged slightly, as if he were about to let out a scream!

"Come--"

—The screams stopped abruptly.

The moment he uttered his first sound, a dagger appeared against his throat. Logandau's throw, from over ten meters away, had driven the dagger into the joint between his hood and armor. And with his fall, the silent prison warehouse instantly erupted into chaos.

Luo Gandao ignored them, firstly because he couldn't understand them yet—although he had acquired knowledge of the language and writing of this world, that knowledge hadn't yet translated into practical, mature experience. Just as someone who had never fished before would easily make many small mistakes on their first try even if they memorized the entire fishing manual, he couldn't possibly discern precise meanings from the noisy chatter of the language he had just learned.

Secondly, it's because he's too lazy to pay attention to other people.

My own life is the most important thing; let others go.

With that thought in mind, he reached out and felt around the armored figure beside him, specifically at the area that looked like a protective covering. And just ten seconds later, he obtained what he needed.

Two keys. One to unlock the shackles, the other to open the iron cage.

More importantly, all the locks in this warehouse are of the same model.

Excellent.

A smile crept across Luo Gandao's lips. He reached out, removed the restraints from his body, and easily opened the iron cage door. Then, he held up the keys to the other cages and made a 'shh' gesture.

"Do you want freedom?" he asked in perfect, standard Mandarin.

"If you want it, stay calm. I'll let you go one by one."

"Rogan said softly," and then he saw the dozens or hundreds of iron cages that had been noisy like beehives quickly quiet down.

Minutes later, a riot broke out.

................................................

Alice blinked and looked at herself in the mirror—she found herself shorter and smaller than before. Her hands and face were also more slender and delicate. Although her hair and eye color remained unchanged, she was completely different from how she had been before.

Very good, the arrival went very smoothly.

She recalled the bet she had made with Esdeath.

She and he would fight without any external force or object. They would have a fair and square battle. The arena was chosen by themselves, a virtual space simulated by the Transformers universe's supercomputer, Display One, based on Esdeath's memories of her homeland. Both of them would only invest a wisp of their spirit into this virtual world, covering one character within it, and then compete for victory from a completely fair starting point.

Esdeath will undoubtedly overwrite her memories of herself, so she will be a top powerhouse in this world from the very beginning. As the price for this advantage, she will block all memories from her past reincarnations, only remembering that she has Alice as an enemy to defeat. Alice, on the other hand, will leave everything to chance, randomly choosing a character to control in this world.

The new recruits were considered mere filler, and even if all that remained was their brains, Esdeath could see right through them. She guessed that Alice intended to use this opportunity to hone the newcomers, so after gaining some advantages in the battle, she acquiesced. She knew the newcomers wouldn't be of much use in this battle, and the enemy she needed to defeat from beginning to end was only one.

This world doesn't support magic, and its rules forbid the use of powers or knowledge outside of its worldview. To call this a fair fight is something even Esdeath herself might not believe. But she knows this is all she can do, and she knows she must win this battle.

“What a pity,” Alice said softly. “Victory was in my hands from the very beginning, and soon, even the victory you perceive will be taken away.”

She gently closed her five fingers. Even though she was only a mortal, she could clearly sense the countless resentments and curses emanating from this body. These curses had even manifested as semi-solid black smoke, swirling around her and poised to lead this body to its death at the opportune moment—clearly, the body she currently occupied was not as pristine as it appeared. Although she appeared to be only a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, the blood on her hands was likely hundreds, even thousands of times more tainted.

"Is this body named Arya? It does sound a bit like me, but it's not a coincidence... Hmm, not bad." Alice sensed her new body, chuckled, and nodded, then quickly began to deduce her strategy.

First, directly contacting Esdeath in this timeline is unwise. We would be utterly outmatched, both intellectually and strategically. Therefore, we must initially remain patient and bide our time. We should only act after acquiring sufficient power to secure victory.

Secondly, Esdeath's blocked memories only included those from the cycle of reincarnation. In other words, if the current point in time wasn't the point in time she left this world, then she should know the future direction of this world. She would consider herself a reincarnated person and then carefully compare the world's development with the abnormal parts of her memories. Therefore, if this body of hers was an important figure in her perception, then any abnormalities in her would be immediately noticed by her.

We need to avoid major events...

Alice thought to herself that those who enter the cycle of reincarnation must be driven by despair for the real world. And for a warlike individual like Esdeath, who was already a top-tier powerhouse before entering the cycle, the only thing capable of driving her to despair was probably invincibility. But to be invincible, one must conquer the entire world, and to conquer the entire world, the world must descend into chaos.

[War will inevitably follow, along with far-reaching conflicts. Only in this way will true power emerge, and only then will the undisputed strongest emerge. What I must do is stay as far away from the vortex of conflict as possible until then…]

She thought it through and quickly sketched out seventeen or eighteen strategies in her mind. Just as she began to gather information about this world to make these strategies practical, a commotion suddenly broke out outside her room.