The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign
Chapter 135

Lu Yu realized he might have said something wrong and quickly changed the subject: "What happened after you were taken away?"

But Niu Xi, for all his good qualities, had a habit of digging to the root of things and completely ignored Lu Yu's follow-up question.

Instead, he pressed on: "Boss, what did you mean by 'also humiliated'?"

"Don’t tell me the warden humiliated you too? When did it happen? She’s only been here two days, right? Was it during the carpentry work yesterday morning?"

"What did she do to you? What was her excuse? It doesn’t make sense—you’re so smooth-talking, you could charm anyone. How could something like this happen?"

"Was it because the carpentry work wasn’t done well?"

Niu Xi’s relentless barrage of questions stabbed at Lu Yu’s pride. Why were his subordinates all so oblivious to social cues?

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yu forced a smile and said, "No, I was just guessing based on how you looked earlier."

"So… you weren’t actually mistreated?"

Niu Xi shook his head. "Not at all. The warden didn’t punish me for inciting the riot. Instead, she praised me for doing a good job and even rewarded me with some time in the simulation pod."

Lu Yu’s eyes flickered. "She didn’t hold you accountable? What’s she planning?"

Then he gave Niu Xi a once-over. This didn’t look like the usual post-simulation behavior.

Most people emerged from the simulation pod feeling lighter, their long-suppressed emotions released, though tinged with a hint of melancholy.

But Niu Xi looked like he’d been thoroughly messed with.

Lu Yu suspected Niu Xi was lying to save face—just like he would.

"So, you’re sure she didn’t do anything to you?" Lu Yu asked. "The moment I entered this prison, I swore I wouldn’t let our kind be oppressed again. Not even the warden can humiliate or trample on us."

"If she really did something to you, don’t worry about my position. I’ll find a way to make it right."

He expected Niu Xi to dodge the question, but to his surprise, Niu Xi didn’t see much reason to hide it.

Blushing, Niu Xi mumbled, "It wasn’t a big deal. The warden rewarded me with a… physical experience in the simulation pod."

"Sure, it was a little forced, and I’m not really into vines, and yeah, it was kinda embarrassing with her watching, but the process was—"

Niu Xi swallowed hard and admitted, "Pretty intense."

Lu Yu was stunned. How the hell was that not being messed with?

He stared at Niu Xi’s expression—equal parts shame and smug satisfaction—and swayed slightly on his feet.

"You really think that’s fine?" Lu Yu asked, exasperated.

"You think she was just watching you… enjoy yourself?"

Niu Xi: "Well, yeah. What else would she be doing? It’s not like she could mess with me from outside. And I didn’t feel anything off when I woke up."

Seeing Lu Yu about to argue, Niu Xi grew suspicious again. "Wait, boss, why are you so sure the warden was out to get me?"

"That guy yesterday was bragging everywhere about how you charmed her with your carpentry skills, how impressed she was with you."

"But you don’t seem like someone who’s earned her favor. What really happened?"

"Did she do something to you?"

Niu Xi had always been sharp, and Lu Yu found himself cornered.

He stiffened and retorted, "No. I don’t need to wait for someone to make a move to judge their character."

Niu Xi: "Fair enough. But you still seem kinda tense."

"Even if the warden’s a pervert, I wouldn’t be her first target."

"I’m rough around the edges. You, on the other hand, are in real danger."

Lu Yu wanted to strangle this idiot.

He gave up trying to convince Niu Xi that he’d been tricked and moved on to business.

"What else did she say to you?"

Niu Xi sobered up. "She ordered me to follow her instructions for future riots—no more acting on my own."

"Otherwise, she’d come after you."

Lu Yu’s face flushed, his voice rising slightly. "What else does she want?"

Niu Xi said gravely, "It’s bad. She threatened that if I keep causing trouble under your orders, she’d lock you in solitary confinement for a hundred years."

Lu Yu actually sighed in relief and snorted. "At least she’s got some humanity left."

Niu Xi looked at him like he’d lost his mind. "Boss, a hundred years in solitary is torture beyond human endurance, and you’re calling that humane?"

"What did you think she’d do to you?"

Lu Yu flushed with anger. Of course he knew how inhumane that threat was—he’d just been relieved it wasn’t like the last one and hadn’t fully processed it.

After hearing Niu Xi’s report, Lu Yu decided to cooperate fully with the Crown Prince and Lien.

He immediately shared the intel with them.

"Following her orders to incite riots? Does she want the prison to descend into chaos?" The Crown Prince leaned against a wall, arms crossed.

Across from him, Lien was deftly assembling a mech core. His dessert quota for the day was high, so he couldn’t slack off.

But he still chimed in while working: "Maybe she’s using the riots to eliminate certain people?"

He glanced at the Crown Prince. "If the Crown Prince were to die in a prison riot, she’d take the blame, but she could also distance herself from it."

"After all, the inmates here are the worst of the worst—more dangerous than any other prison. And she was practically forced into this position."

"If something major happens now, the people who recommended her for the job would bear more responsibility than her."

The Crown Prince frowned. "Doesn’t add up. She’s too blatant about it. She didn’t even hide her words from the robotic guards or forbid Niu Xi from leaking the info."

"Given Niu Xi’s loyalty to Lu Yu, he’d obviously report everything, letting Lu Yu decide how to proceed."

"If this was all to kill me, it’s way too conspicuous. Unless she plans to slaughter everyone in the prison and destroy the system afterward."

The three of them debated but couldn’t figure out the warden’s game.

What they didn’t expect was that she’d reveal her plan herself—at dinner.

Just before the meal began, the warden made her usual grand entrance on the second floor of the dining hall.

Scanning the crowd, she announced, "I have unfortunate news. Due to today’s violent incident, three inmates have succumbed to their injuries."

"Those who were among you this morning are now cold corpses. How tragic, and yet, how unpredictable life can be."

"None of them could have imagined their lives would end today."

The prisoners watched her feigned grief with disgust. This psycho had practically been munching popcorn while watching the chaos unfold earlier.

But given her volatile temper, no one dared to mock her openly.

Shen Ying didn’t need anyone to prompt her. She continued, "I know that violence will never cease, and the protective measures in this prison will never guarantee everyone’s safety."

"Many of you, in my eyes, are irredeemable, yet still possess considerable value."

"Among you are top experts from various industries, as well as geniuses who have honed certain skills to perfection. Though you’ve ultimately failed to contribute to society, I don’t wish to see that value go to waste."

"Therefore, I’ve decided to prioritize the protection of this group during emergencies."

"In other words, when large-scale, indiscriminate violence becomes unavoidable, these individuals will be the first to be relocated to a safe zone by the robotic prison guards."

Her words sent a ripple of shock through the prison. Not everyone here possessed formidable combat skills.

Take, for example, the white-collar criminals—many of them were physically weak. The only reason they could carve out their own faction in prison was due to the privileges afforded by their wealth and the hired muscle they’d bought off.

These enforcers ensured the comfortable lives of the criminals’ families on the outside, while the criminals themselves repaid the favor by securing their loyalty within the prison walls.

Under normal circumstances, this arrangement worked. But once mass violence erupted, there simply weren’t enough enforcers to protect everyone—especially since they often became primary targets.

Like the three who died today—two of them belonged to this very faction.

One was a financial fraudster who’d swindled billions, and the other was a former planetary governor from the aristocracy.

And just like that, they perished in the chaos.

This group was the most in need of security guarantees. So the moment the warden finished speaking, someone immediately asked, "Warden, how does one apply for this priority protection status?"

Shen Ying replied, "Contribution points—points earned by contributing to the Sky Prison."

"Working hard to generate wealth for the prison earns contribution points. Improving the prison’s shortcomings and reducing operational costs earns contribution points. Even sponsoring the prison earns contribution points."

The moment she said this, everyone understood exactly what she meant.

Lien marveled, "Damn. She didn’t mention money once, yet every word was about money."

He glanced at the Crown Prince and added, "Isn’t this just bribery? Making those fat cats pay for their lives?"

No one doubted Shen Ying’s ability to collect. If someone refused to pay, she could just have Niu Xi stir up a riot and eliminate a few troublemakers.

In fact, they wouldn’t be surprised if she already had a complete list of every inmate with outside assets. Anyone who dared defy her would quickly find themselves coerced into compliance.

Her announcement, however, came as a relief to the powerful factions with outside connections. They’d long wanted to secure better treatment and safety by sponsoring the prison, but the previous warden had been incorruptible, forcing them to resort to roundabout methods.

Now that the warden was openly demanding money, it was actually a blessing.

So one by one, they began voicing their support.

Watching this unfold, the Crown Prince was furious. "This degenerate is nothing but a parasite on the Empire."

Just as he was about to signal Secretary Zhu to intervene, Lu Yu spoke up beside him. "No, this is a good thing."

Lu Yu turned to the Crown Prince. "If I recall correctly, Your Highness has supreme economic oversight authority, correct?"

"The Sky Prison doesn’t have a sponsorship account. Any money transferred would have to go somewhere—and if the warden intends to move public funds into private hands, she’d likely have to route it through the central banking system."

"Your Highness only needs to log into your monitoring system to trace the prison’s sole external transaction pathway."

The Crown Prince nodded. "If she really uses the system for financial operations, no one else could track it—but I can."

Because he had the highest authority, and he was already inside the prison.

Lien frowned. "That brings us to the real question: how do we get him to log into the monitoring account? Every operation in this prison is under her watch."

Lu Yu smiled faintly. "It is. But if we can divert her attention, she likely won’t backtrack unless something seems off."

The Crown Prince frowned. "To avoid triggering the system, this will take time."

He’d need to disappear from the prison long enough to input complex commands that the system would register as a secure operation.

Lu Yu asked, "How long?"

The Crown Prince answered, "An hour."

Lien shook his head. "Too long. An hour? Unless she’s blind."

"That woman might seem careless, but she keeps a close eye on us."

The Crown Prince added coolly, "An hour is an hour. Even if we rush, the baseline won’t shrink much."

"If we’re using this route to locate the prison, then you’ll have to buy me that hour."

Lu Yu and Lien exchanged a glance. Lien had no ideas.

Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure what Shen Ying was up to. According to intel from the Crown Prince’s lackeys, she spent her days lazing around.

But the moment he’d stolen something, she’d immediately caught him. Someone like that couldn’t possibly lack control over the prison.

But then Lu Yu gritted his teeth and said to Lien, "Actually, there is a way."

"She enjoys toying with attractive people. You could seduce her into punishing you."

Lien instantly flushed red, looking like a cat with its tail stepped on. "What the hell?! Why don’t you do it?"

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