The caravan of five slaves and two overseers set off on their journey. For safety reasons, all the slaves had their hands and feet bound with sturdy ropes, which were tied in a way that connected one slave to the next. The ends of the ropes were held by the two overseers.
Before setting out, the overseers were also given backpacks with food supplies in case they needed to stay longer than planned.
At present, they trudged across the barren hills, trying not to stumble. The sun blazed mercilessly, and sweat trickled down Sam's face, leaving his throat parched and uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Sam felt a gentle nudge against his back. Trying not to alter his pace, he glanced over his shoulder. Number 44, the octopus, followed behind him and looked exceptionally pale. The poor creature must have been in pretty bad shape after that shock hit—Sam thought briefly before the octopus spoke.
"Listen, kid… I see you've been here for a while. You're pretty well-known among the other slaves. In fact, I'd say the overseers know you quite well too—tell me, is there any way to escape from here?" the octopus whispered, occasionally glancing back.
Sam was once again astonished that he understood non-human speech. It was one thing with the Rhino—it hadn't been too noticeable—but hearing it from a walking octopus, one that he used to eat in his past life, was a shock for the umpteenth time.
The reason behind this was a special chip implanted in everyone's brain. Even the slaves had the luxury of an auto-translator. This chip could translate the speech of any sentient being into the native language of the wearer. It was a convenient and useful tool, the only real advantage Sam had gained from the slave camp.
Shaking off those thoughts, he focused back on the conversation.
"Well… Actually, there is," he said with a slight smirk.
He could see a spark of hope ignite in the octopus's eyes. The tentacles hanging from its face twitched, giving him clear confirmation of his guess.
"Seriously?!" the octopus said with eager excitement, forgetting that they might be overheard.
Immediately, everyone felt their hands and feet pulled back slightly. The octopus overseer who had been walking behind them spoke loudly for everyone to hear.
"Quiet, shrimp! No talking, or you'll get a smack!"
The octopus seemed slightly embarrassed but soon resumed walking at the same pace as before. Sam then spoke quietly to him.
"Don't yell like that, or not only will your plans be ruined. Look to the left."
The octopus quickly shifted his gaze to the left, where he saw an approaching storm.
"Well… A storm, yes… And what about it?"
A faint smile appeared on Sam's face as he also looked at the approaching storm.
"When a storm comes, our fancy collars and shackles start malfunctioning… Which gives us a chance to escape."
Without waiting for the octopus's response, he looked ahead again, seeing the green back of 34 and its four long arms.
'If only we can survive a minute of electric shock to the whole body.'
This was one of the problems Sam faced during his last escape attempt. While the shackles nearly malfunctioned completely during storms, once the storm passed, they restored their full functionality. And a long jolt of electricity lasting a full minute was an undeniable obstacle to escaping.
The hardest part was the first 10 seconds when you couldn't even move. Your whole body convulsed uncontrollably, and your thoughts vanished from your mind. But the following 50 seconds were like a walk in the park compared to those first 10.
This was also designed to allow overseers to catch up and subdue the rebellious slave. Fortunately, this time Sam knew what to expect once the storm subsided.
'Everything is going just right; I have every chance to escape. Now, we just need to reach the complex, and that's where the real fun begins.'
He pondered the worst-case scenarios in his head, but in all of them, he had a plan that would allow him to escape. His plan was laughably simple. The key was to be inside the complex when the storm hit, as it would provide him with a chance to hide within its walls and escape in time. Right now, he was trying to figure out how to break the shackles on his hands and feet.
'Maybe I should try to convince the others? I'm sure no one wants to stay in slavery.'
Although it could also be argued otherwise. Sam wasn't the first to want to escape; he wouldn't even be the first to actually succeed. A fair number of slaves before him had managed to do it.
But why did some not want to escape if others had succeeded?
The answer lay all around Sam. The desert.
The desert was merciless. Besides needing provisions, protection, and ideally, transportation, the desert also had what made escaped slaves return.
The cause was anomalies. That's what they were called, at least. Previously, the planet had been a thriving world of an ancient civilization, whose name was lost to time. The ancient civilizations were collectively known as the "Predecessors."
For reasons unknown, cosmic battles between another civilization of predecessors had raged in orbit around this planet. As a result, the desert planet was covered in an immense amount of expensive steel. What surfaced, as some senior slaves said, was only a tiny fraction of what lay beneath the sand.
Even now, the planet was home to numerous underground complexes of these predecessors, containing an abundance of valuable items.
From hydroponic farms that grew food to weapons with technology that even the most advanced states couldn't replicate, it was all astonishing to Sam.
He learned all this from various seniors, who had earned their title not without reason.
The seniors were the oldest slaves in the camp, but that wasn't the most significant thing. They were the ones who had been enslaved not on this planet. They knew what existed in space, the history of the world, different types of planets, the geopolitical arena of space, and many curiosities they had discovered throughout their lives. Most importantly, they had the experience gleaned from their travels.
They were the most valuable slaves, even prized by the overseers, as many of them were born slaves on this planet. Like Sam, they didn't know their parents, so they had no real family. The seniors replaced them, providing invaluable information about the wondrous world of cosmic adventures.
This was why Sam had decided to escape. Although he remembered his past life, he also remembered one simple thing that had haunted him this life. He had enjoyed himself, done what he wanted, achieved everything through his own efforts, and overcome every barrier surrounding him to reach the heights.
So why should Sam from this world be any worse than the one from his past?
He too would reach the top, and the first step would be his escape, where he needed to focus all his attention.
As Sam contemplated many things, they had reached what was considered the entrance to the complex. He was pulled from his thoughts when he collided face-first with 34's back, having been so absorbed in his musings.
34 didn't react, merely standing silently.
The monkey's voice came from the front.
"Alright, we've arrived. We'll untie your hands and feet now, but don't even think about running—there's no chance you'll succeed."
A few minutes later, they stood before the so-called entrance to the complex, rubbing their wrists from the painful ropes.
The entrance was a small, slightly rusted structure, resembling a parking guard booth but with doors that lacked any windows or openings.
The octopus overseer tried kicking the door open but had little success. Then, the monkey called over Number 5, who began working on the door since she was the only technician among the team.
Sam tried not to show how he watched the approaching storm, though he couldn't shake off a sense of unease. More accurately, it all seemed a bit strange.
Sam knew the overseers weren't blind, so why did they send them to the complex precisely when a storm was approaching? Didn't they know that the chances of the slaves escaping would be higher?
He frowned deeply, wondering if today was indeed the day of the escape.
It seemed the monkey noticed his expression and approached with a smirk.
"So, as soon as the door opens, we'll all head inside the complex. There shouldn't be any dangers inside, as this complex is classified as 'Safe.' Most likely, it contains hydroponic farms or something like that; I have no idea. But I have some news for you!" the monkey said, theatrically raising a finger.
Sam's frown deepened at her words, and his sense of anxiety took on new dimensions.
"We'll stay here for one night to ride out the approaching storm!"
'Damn it, so that's their plan. How did I not figure this out sooner?'
Naturally, no one was foolish enough to give slaves a chance to escape. They would enter when the storm was raging on the surface and wouldn't leave the shelter for the entire day. This meant that immediately after inspecting the complex, there would be no chance for anyone to escape, and they would simply wait inside.
'Why am I such an idiot? It was so obvious.'
The monkey seemed to relish the reaction of everyone as their faces changed during her announcement. Especially, she enjoyed seeing Sam's smile disappear entirely, replaced by a look of anger.
After a moment, there was a click. Everyone immediately noticed and saw the door slowly creaking open. It turned out that the slave technician had managed to open the door to the underground complex, hammering another nail into the coffin of Sam's escape plan.
"Well then, dear slaves, you go first," said the monkey, stepping aside with a grin.
But Sam did not despair. He still held onto hope for the mysterious complex.
'If necessary, I'll grab a nano-shovel from this complex and smash your skull...'
Soon, they all entered the underground complex