The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign
Chapter 139

As they had anticipated, headquarters had indeed decided to dispatch an investigation team.

Ever since the Crown Prince was confined to the Sky Prison, this most enigmatic fortress of incarceration had drawn the attention of various factions.

When Shen Ying took custody of the Crown Prince, she immediately severed all communications—not just to prevent his escape, but more importantly, to shield him from the prying eyes of the outside world.

The Imperial Crown Prince was a figure of immense interest. Countless factions, from rival political groups to vested interests, were watching him closely. Even ordinary individuals, given the chance, would eagerly seize the opportunity to catch a glimpse.

Occasionally, Shen Ying browsed the dark web’s intelligence exchanges, where bounties for the Sky Prison’s coordinates were rampant.

Thanks to the exorbitant rewards, interstellar drifters had become unusually active lately.

What if they stumbled upon it? It would mean an unimaginable windfall.

Headquarters had been caught off guard by Shen Ying’s abrupt communication blackout. Now, her private accounts were flooded with massive, suspicious transfers.

As a result, they bombarded her with daily connection requests.

Finally, on the eighth day, Shen Ying accepted the request. After a brief exchange, she granted the investigation team permission to enter.

The ease of it all felt almost unbelievable.

Secretary Zhu arrived at the docking bay, his heart pounding with excitement.

At last, they could reconnect with the outside world. The days of Warden Shen’s unchecked authority were finally over, and the Crown Prince would soon regain his freedom in practice.

Just thinking about the short but oppressive period under the warden’s iron rule nearly brought Secretary Zhu to tears.

The moment the investigation team stepped out of the spacecraft, he rushed forward eagerly to greet them.

"Old Yan, it’s you!" Secretary Zhu grinned. "I had a feeling I might see a familiar face, and here you are."

The investigator called Old Yan was the team’s lead—a man in his forties with a sharp, no-nonsense demeanor. Clearly acquainted with Secretary Zhu, he returned the smile.

"Old Zhu, so this is the secret mission headquarters assigned you—a transfer to the Sky Prison."

"How’s it been working here?"

Secretary Zhu’s smile faltered slightly. He deflected the question. "Warden Shen is waiting. Let’s focus on business first."

Team Leader Yan walked alongside him, lowering his voice. "How is the Crown Prince holding up?"

"The outside world is desperate to reach him. Regardless of Warden Shen’s motives—whether for his safety or something else—cutting off all contact was reckless."

Secretary Zhu shook his head. "Tell me about it. But the previous warden died suddenly, and the access protocols were never transferred."

"She’s the only one who can keep this prison operational."

Team Leader Yan wasn’t interested in excuses. "Has Warden Shen already—"

He didn’t finish, but Secretary Zhu understood. The unspoken question was whether the warden had defected to an opposing faction.

Otherwise, why would she isolate the Crown Prince so completely?

Secretary Zhu replied, "The Prince doesn’t think so. Her stance is... hard to pin down. But I believe His Highness shouldn’t stay here any longer."

As they reached the office, Secretary Zhu knocked, and the door slid open automatically.

The sight inside nearly made him leap out of his skin.

In the short time it took him to fetch the team, Warden Shen had gone back to playing video games in her office.

Couldn’t she at least slack off discreetly? They were in the middle of an investigation!

Secretary Zhu forced an awkward smile. "Warden Shen—"

Shen Ying tilted her head slightly, signaling for him to stay quiet.

Watching the 9D projection, the opponent was in the middle of a ranked match, which would end in just a few dozen seconds.

Team Leader Yan was about to speak when Secretary Zhu abruptly covered his mouth.

Team Leader Yan glared at Secretary Zhu, finding his cowardice utterly baffling.

Hadn’t Warden Shen only taken office less than a month ago?

Amid his displeasure, Shen Ying finished her game, dismissed the display interface, and turned her gaze to the investigation team.

"Good day, everyone. I’ve been expecting you."

She could’ve at least closed the game first.

Team Leader Yan snorted. "Warden Shen’s work flexibility is impressive. Even during office hours, with the investigation team present, you stubbornly cling to your entertainment."

"Even the Governor-General at headquarters probably doesn’t enjoy as much leisure as you do."

Shen Ying stood up with a smile. "Consider it compensation for enduring the loneliness of drifting through the stars. I’m sure the Governor wouldn’t mind."

Team Leader Yan had no intention of dwelling on trivialities and scoffed. "Warden Shen, you must already know why we’re here."

"We’ve discovered substantial funds flowing into your personal account—most of which were transferred by inmates from your prison."

"The remaining anonymous accounts, when traced, are also inextricably linked to the prisoners here—"

Before he could finish, Shen Ying interjected, "Did you investigate those unregistered accounts further?"

Team Leader Yan frowned. "What?"

Shen Ying replied lazily, "As far as I know, many convicts’ ill-gotten gains couldn’t be recovered during sentencing, right?"

"Now that they have secret accounts, surely you followed up on them?"

"Don’t tell me you dismissed the victims’ losses as unimportant?"

Team Leader Yan faltered before retorting, "Naturally, that’s being handled by another department. It’s not within my jurisdiction."

He fixed Shen Ying with a stern look, scrutinizing her as if interrogating a bribery suspect. "But that’s hardly Warden Shen’s concern either."

"Right now, the only thing Warden Shen should be worried about is explaining these massive financial inflows."

Shen Ying answered matter-of-factly, "It’s simple—I accepted investments and sponsorships for the prison."

Team Leader Yan countered, "But the Sky Prison has never accepted sponsorships."

Shen Ying shrugged. "That was my father’s personal principle, not a legal requirement."

"I merely broke from his operational philosophy. Is that a problem? Imperial prisons are legally permitted to receive donations."

"Moreover, I can assure you that I’ve never granted special privileges to inmates in exchange for donations, nor have I disrespected the sanctity of criminal law. That’s why I’m unafraid of this investigation."

Team Leader Yan’s smile turned icy. "Under Imperial law, prisons are indeed allowed to accept donations."

"But when those funds are deposited into Warden Shen’s personal account and then claimed as public funds, it’s hardly convincing, is it?"

Shen Ying waved a hand dismissively. "I was only prioritizing the Sky Prison’s security."

"Who knows if fluctuations in the prison’s account might be tracked? As far as I’m aware, His Highness the Crown Prince has the authority to monitor all Imperial accounts."

Team Leader Yan’s expression darkened. "Warden Shen, do you realize what you’re implying?"

"You’re treating His Highness as a suspect. That’s the gravest insult to the Crown Prince."

Shen ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍Ying thought to herself—she’d committed far greater insults before. What was this in comparison?

So she opened the prison’s system panel, executed a few commands with her highest-level access, and displayed the results to the investigation team—

The screen clearly showed the prison’s account was under surveillance.

The investigation team’s faces stiffened with awkwardness.

Shen Ying smiled and said, "It seems the Crown Prince's reverence for the law isn't as trustworthy as Team Leader Yan claimed."

"Oh, and let me remind Team Leader Yan once again—His Highness the Crown Prince is now a felon. There’s no reason to treat him as above suspicion."

Team Leader Yan had assumed this task would be straightforward. No matter how the other side defended themselves, the fact that they used a private account to collect money was a glaring conflict of interest, impossible to justify.

But he hadn’t expected such stubborn resistance.

Taking a deep breath, Team Leader Yan held firm to his strategy, targeting a weak point.

He said sternly, "The Crown Prince’s misconduct—"

Shen Ying corrected, "Crime."

"Though His Highness hasn’t been stripped of his title as heir, his executive authority has been revoked. He no longer has the right to oversee anything."

Gritting his teeth, Team Leader Yan replied, "I will report the Crown Prince’s illegal actions. The law will deal with him."

"But that doesn’t justify Warden Shen’s use of a private account to receive funds."

Truthfully, Shen Ying quite liked this prison. Here, she could indulge in food, drink, and luxury without spending a single coin of her own.

Even if she were to leave one day and explore the world, she had the means to secure wealth elsewhere.

So once the money entered her account and became hers, the system would recognize it as part of her accumulated fortune. What she did with it—whether she spent it or left it behind—didn’t matter.

For instance, in previous worlds, Shen Ying had undoubtedly left behind substantial inheritances, but that didn’t reduce the wealth she’d amassed in the system.

So she said, "What’s the issue? I’ll accept an accountant assigned by headquarters and draft a commitment—and a will—declaring that every cent in that account will be used for the prison."

The moment she spoke, Team Leader Yan showed no reaction, but the system practically coughed up blood in despair.

Shen Ying brightened. "Oh, System, you’re here?"

The system was indeed present—but barely hanging on. This time, the sum Shen Ying had siphoned was astronomical.

If she succeeded in legitimizing it, the game would lose so much it might as well go bankrupt.

The system hurriedly objected, "This violates the rules. If money simply flowing into your account counts as wealth, then players could just shuffle funds between accounts without doing anything meaningful."

Shen Ying reassured, "Relax. The Sky Prison is running smoothly—why would I casually spend that money?"

"At most, I’d use one percent for appearances. The rest stays mine. Let them audit all they want."

"Besides, I’ll find a way to fully privatize it later. No need to worry."

The system still didn’t grasp Shen Ying’s full intent, too preoccupied with the impending losses.

And of course, Team Leader Yan wasn’t convinced by such a simple arrangement.

Shen Ying remained unruffled. Her proposal might sound straightforward, but executing it would involve a complex, professional process.

Team Leader Yan insisted, "No, it’s not about the process being cumbersome. I simply cannot acknowledge the legality or legitimacy of Warden Shen’s actions."

Shen Ying’s gaze deepened with implication. "You will."

Team Leader Yan stiffened. "Are you threatening me?"

Shen Ying glanced at Secretary Zhu. "I’d like a private word with Team Leader Yan. Please escort the rest of the investigation team to take a break."

Secretary Zhu hesitated but didn’t dare refuse. He had been confident this would be an easy victory, yet now they were stuck in a deadlock.

Team Leader Yan frowned at Shen Ying’s request but maintained his composure.

With the discussion at an impasse, it was indeed difficult to proceed. So he made a demand of his own: "First, I’d like to visit His Highness the Crown Prince."

Shen Ying didn’t hesitate before refusing: "That’s out of the question. The Crown Prince is currently serving his sentence."

"Team Leader Yan is not a member of the royal family, and even if he were, the Sky Prison doesn’t offer visitation privileges."

"You—" Team Leader Yan was furious. Did this woman not realize how precarious her position was?

Whether she faced disciplinary action rested entirely on his whim, yet she still dared to block him from seeing the Crown Prince.

Secretary Zhu quickly interjected: "Warden Shen, if visitation isn’t possible, perhaps you could at least invite Team Leader Yan and his group for a tour of the prison?"

"Letting Team Leader Yan witness the impeccable order of the Sky Prison might help clear up any misunderstandings. After the tour, I’m sure he’ll come to appreciate your thoughtful considerations."

"Then the two of you can talk things over."

Shen Ying nodded. "Fine. I’m only following regulations, but I don’t want to be accused of being unreasonable."

"Though you can’t meet the Crown Prince, I can show you his working environment."

She checked the time. "I wonder what His Highness is doing at this hour."

Unbeknownst to her, the Crown Prince was seated in a corner behind her desk at that very moment.

His movements were restrained, his mouth fitted with a gag, but a holographic projection concealed his presence.

In other words, he had heard every word of the conversation in the office.

The Crown Prince seethed with rage, uncertain what that woman was scheming.

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