Wuxing actually wanted to know more information so it was fine that he found someone talkative. Each element that could ruin his chances of escaping from here was important for him. He had contact with similar ankle monitors back in Seven Stars, so he had some vague knowledge about them.
Based on what the man said, he could guess that the model the prisoners use here was the latest version provided by Seven Stars which could automatically adjust its size based on the prisoner's ankle. Initially, he planned to use his new ability to take it off by shrinking his bones, but in this situation, it wouldn't work.
"I get it. Thanks." Wuxing thanked the man this time as his knowledge actually helped him.
"No problem! I can give you more tips after you…" the man exclaimed before continuing with happiness only to be stopped by the guards who cried from up the gate.
"What are you standing there for?! Come here and get your bracelets checked before you start with your work!"
The two of them had finally reached the front of the queue and didn't realize that it was finally their turn. There were four lines and four guards were individually checking each prisoner's ankle bracelets before letting them go through the small door on the side. Wuxing still wondered what could be inside there that needed such a huge wall around it with an even bigger metal door as the entrance.
He approached the gate and a skinny guard said, "Quickly show me your bracelet. Don't hold the queue."
"I am new here, so I don't have a bracelet yet," Wuxing replied calmly while lifting his pants, showing his naked ankle.
"Oh, it's you! There is only one person coming outside of the weekly transport so it has to be you." The skinny guard changed his rude attitude after realizing Wuxing's identity. "Were you really from Seven Stars? It would be a pleasure to guide you today!"
He checked his touchpad excitedly for additional information, but then he frowned.
"Someone already assigned you another guard to explain your duties, so he should be here in a bit to pick you up... " the guard informed him with a confused look on his face. It was the first time he heard of someone having such special treatment. He was also sad that he lost an opportunity to ask various questions to someone from the Seven Stars Special Forces. After all, joining Seven Stars was a dream for him.
"Okay, show me your leg."
He quickly took a monitoring bracelet before sticking it above Wuxing's ankle. It closed itself before tightening to match the leg's size. When the skinny guard was just about to stand up, he glanced to the side and frowned once again seeing who was coming.
He pretended he was still checking the bracelet and said quietly, "Try not to talk too much to him." He then beckoned the next prisoner in line.
Wuxing had not yet even processed the message the skinny guard left him when he heard someone calling out from the side.
"You are Prisoner Number 42960? Follow me!"
Wuxing turned and saw the back of a man in military clothing who didn't even wait for him to confirm his identity. The man had a massive build with abundant muscles but he noticed that some of the man's short brown hair had turned grey already. He was definitely a veteran as the passing guards greeted him respectfully.
Having no other choice, Wuxing followed the man towards the door leading inside the hidden place. As the door was open, even from a distance, he could already see what was inside.
"What the f—"
Wuxing wanted to curse but his words got stuck at the back of his throat.
The military veteran heard Wuxing's disbelief and he turned around before calling out to him with a cheeky smile, "What? Surprised? There are many secrets that only high-ranked Seven Stars agents know about. You shouldn't be that shocked."
Wuxing looked at the man's face for the first time and then back at the scenery in front of him. His brain was working hard, trying to recall the information about this, but he couldn't find any. He had never been interested in where the criminals are imprisoned to after agents deliver them to the headquarters.
In front of him, there was a giant mine with hundreds of prisoners working inside the endless hole. When they passed through the small doors, he could already see various levels of the mine. The Badu Island was only a few tens of kilometres in diameter so it made sense that they were digging downwards.
"Is this Ethernum?" Wuxing asked, seeing the purple crystal being mined by the prisoners. Only earlier this month had he heard about the mines being discovered all around the globe which contained unknown purple crystals. It was said that these purple crystals were filled with highly concentrated energy that could actually be used by various industries.
Having unlimited resources, Seven Stars had long been buying out all the Ethernum mines even though there was yet to be any product or technology made with the use of these crystals.
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However, this information was never released to the public. He only learned of the existence of Ethernum by chance from a mission.
He would have never thought that one of those mines was situated in the middle of the Badu Island Prison.
"I don't like people asking questions so just listen to me. And yes. This is the only Ethernum mine that is not yet owned by Seven Stars but I suppose they will soon buy this one as well." The middle-aged veteran moved forward. "Follow me."
His guide looked to be around fifty years old and had the bearing of an army veteran which Wuxing was familiar with, as sometimes he had contacts with them. His guide also had bushy eyebrows and long moustache which looked like the man greatly cared for.
"Many people outside the world think this is just a high-security prison, but in reality, it's a high-security mine. You are sent here for your crimes but instead of being unproductive, you are given a chance to contribute to society. Do you probably wonder why we would keep prisoners even in times when resources are scarce instead of killing them? The answer is this mine," the veteran explained as they walked towards the metal net in front of the enormous hole.
"You would also ask, why would criminals obediently work in the mine and not revolt? Well, the answer is easy this time. Freedom. We propose something they want. With each kilogram of Ethernum a prisoner mines, his or her sentence will be cut by one day. Even those with life sentences would have a deduction based on their life spans. Who wouldn't want to leave prison earlier and return to a free life?"
'Now, it makes sense. No wonder they increased the rewards of bringing the criminals in one piece… they are using them to mine Ethernum. I guess It would be extremely costly to hire miners to here so they decided to use prisoners as free labor,' Wuxing thought.
He noticed that there were much more guards in the mine supervising the work compared to the actual prison above. It seemed that those in charge were more scared someone would steal some Ethernum crystals more than anything else.
The veteran looked at the young man listening silently to his explanations. He continued talking, satisfied. "I know you were from Seven Stars so you probably know about those ankle bracelets. The truth is, they contain more information than what many think. Not only do they keep data of your locations but also monitor body functions and your actions. If we spot anything suspicious, the central will definitely catch that."
"Why are you telling me this?" Wuxing asked, knowing that what this man told him definitely wasn't included in the standard guide. He bet that even the man with a crow tattoo didn't know anything about this.
The veteran shrugged and admitted, "Well, I have read your case files and I know that you are innocent. I have been alive for too long and have interacted with people from all walks of life that I can smell it when there is a scheme involved. However, it doesn't change the fact that you are here already and placed in my jurisdiction. Innocent or not, you won't be able to escape from here. I have noticed that you are always checking out your surroundings as if searching for something. I advise you to not try anything stupid. I respect Seven Stars agents and their skills but that doesnt mean I can neglect my duties."
Wuxing smiled as he looked at the distance and thought, 'We will see about that.'
He was slowly forming an idea of what this place is like and had already began planning his escape. Only, there was one aspect of his plan that didn't depend on him and Wuxing needed to use someone else.
"To be honest—" the veteran began but stopped when he noticed people was coming towards them.
"Good morning, General."
The veteran responded with a nod at them. The guards saluted respectfully before continuing to lead a group of prisoners towards one of the caves. The prisoners looked at Wuxing curiously, wondering who was this young man in prisoner clothes talking freely with the General.
When they left, the veteran called General continued, "I was sent here by the Chief Warden to propose you something. He said that if you don't create any trouble during your stay, you will be granted another privilege. For each kilogram of Ethernum you collect, your sentence will be cut by two days, instead of one. The Chief Warden has such right, so I advise you to take this deal. It should only take you a few years and you will be once again free."
Wuxing thought for a moment. He suddenly remembered something. "I agree, but on one condition."
"Let's hear it," the veteran replied with raised eyebrows.
"You know that I am innocent. It shouldn't be hard for me to meet a lawyer who can represent me. The court session was staged, the accusations against me are false and the evidence was fabricated. Tell me, am I supposed to just stay silent and do nothing?" Wuxing asked as he presented his point of view.
"Sure, but I have no say in this as it is not under my jurisdiction. I can only pass your message to the Chief Warden. I hope you can avoid creating problems until you have a reply," the military veteran said as he nodded.
"As long as no one provokes me, I will not kill them."
Wuxing smiled and the veteran couldn't find a counter to that. He knew that this young man had the skills to do so.
Finishing their talk, they walked towards the main mining area. Basically, the whole process of mining was not as chaotic as Wuxing expected. The Ethernum crystals were too precious to be left only to newbies and inexperienced prisoners to mine, so there were also a whole bunch of professional miners acting as guides and helpers. They coordinated the whole work while the guards provided supervision support with their firearms.
The miners couldn't use automatic machines or vehicles to mine the crystals as the crystals were too fragile. They would be easily crushed if you hit them with a hammer. This was why everything had to be done manually using small tools with great care. The lucky thing was that the earth here under Badu Island wasn't too hard so the mining had been rather smooth so far.
The miners just needed to make sure that they didn't go too deep or else they would risk collapsing the tunnels. There were already tens of levels so it would be rather easy to cause a collapse if someone was careless or negligent enough. Fortunately, with the current technology, there were a few countermeasures available to prevent that or at least minimise the hazard.
The mine was already 300 meters deep even though the works only started a few months ago and every work was done manually. People had to use an elevator to get down to the deeper parts of the mine.
"Okay, I'm leaving you with this man. He is responsible for teaching the newbies," the veteran finally said after they arrived at the mouth of the central tunnel.
One professional miner looked up from the papers on the table and called out in happiness seeing Wuxing, "Oh, great! I need someone to take over one bastard who didn't show up as he claimed someone beat him up. From now on, you will take his work on the basic level."