```
[Room 625, Level Six, Kolev.]
Who's this?
Yang Ming had no recollection of this person and calmly tore up the note, soaking it in his vegetable soup.
Regardless, having a target was better than being like a headless fly.
The medicine Doctor Lina had brought could sustain Yang Ming for several months, giving him enough time to find this Kolev before the next trial session.
Regrettably, despite a week's efforts, Yang Ming still hadn't met the man in person, but he had learned a lot about Kolev.
This was an infamous space pirate, who had roamed the starry skies for over forty years and single-handedly created the powerful Black Dragon Pirate Group, wanted by dozens of nations.
Listen, a great pirate!
What does a pirate live off?
A warp-capable pirate ship!
Even if the old pirate was now behind bars, he surely knew some black market intel and must possess channels to get a ship!
The moment Yang Ming heard that Kolev was a pirate leader, he had already affectionately named his future private vessel.
The week Yang Ming spend searching for Kolev also came with other amusements.
The officials from 'Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau Division Twelve' had returned.
They didn't all show up on the same day and were all aware of the other two 'imposters.'
All three groups of Intelligence Officers emphasized that they were the real deal and the other two were frauds but offered Yang Ming no further substantial information.
In fact, before taking the capsules from Lina, Yang Ming had pretty much figured it out.
The first group of Intelligence Officers Yang Ming saw that day were from the Sherman Empire.
They kept stressing self-sacrifice and the glory of the Empire, and their language carried an arrogance of a superior toward a subordinate.
The meaning of the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau was for Yang Ming to stay put here, and during the second public trial, he was to deny the existence of the Valkyrie Plan and insist it was a slander made by the New Federation against the Empire.
How very Imperial.
The second group of Intelligence Officers from that day likely came from another major power, probably the New Federation.
Their conversation focused on the 'Valkyrie Plan' and 'Kigrov's experiments,' clearly more interested in information related to the Valkyrie Plan, seeking to extract intelligence from Yang Ming.
The third group of Intelligence Officers included Doctor Lina.
Indeed, Lina, in Yang Ming's judgment, did not come from the camp of the Sherman Empire, as there were too many inconsistencies.
First, Lina knew he was a transformed person but offered to keep his secret; after learning that the research vessel was destroyed by a Valkyrie transformed person, Lina's reaction was unusually calm throughout.
Second, Lina easily procured a genetic stabilizer and appeared before him with two 'Imperial Intelligence Officers;' yet in the Empire, she was only a common doctor with marginal military association.
Third, Lina's demeanor the moment she took off her lab coat was irresistibly charming.
During those two encounters, the crow's feet by Doctor Lina's eyes had vanished, and she looked as if she had become a decade younger, exuding a woman's allure.
This change was actually quite abrupt.
If Yang Ming's speculation was correct, what Lina was scheming for was his body.
To be precise, she wanted the remaining fruits of the Valkyrie Plan, hoping to fish him out and continue the gene fusion research.
She may come from the New Federation, possibly the Free Federation, or maybe the Guel Alliance...most likely one of the four major forces in the Milky Way.
For the intelligence organizations of the various nations, the existence of the Valkyrie Plan was no secret; otherwise, the Human Council's investigation ship wouldn't have been involved. It was quite normal for there to be a spy or two from other powers aboard Kigrov's ship.
'First, let's find the great pirate Kolev.'
Yang Ming pulled out the medicine Lina had given him and swallowed the third capsule.
Lina aimed to secretly take him away, definitely without causing him to lose control and rampage; these capsules at most contained some location tracking substances, but their effectiveness was guaranteed.
"Hanton..."
Suddenly, his elderly cellmate spoke up, approaching Yang Ming with a somewhat solemn expression, whispering a few words.
"Mr. Bairin wants to see you; remember to meet with Mr. Bairin during yard time this afternoon."
"Bairin?"
Yang Ming felt a bit apprehensive.
He had disciplined a troublemaker for Bairin, and Bairin had given him Kolev's name and cell number. Wasn't their deal squared away?
"Ah," his cellmate A sighed softly, "kid, Mr. Bairin is not someone to mess with; I hope you won't have any conflicts with him."
"Thanks for the warning," Yang Ming smiled, "I have great respect for Mr. Bairin."
Verbal respect.
...
In the afternoon, Yang Ming found old Bairin enjoying a delicious steak.
"It's not easy to get in touch with Kolev."
Bairin wiped his mouth, the indistinct sauce staining his beard made him look somewhat comical.
Yang Ming, sitting beside him, raised an eyebrow and declined the soda offered by a burly man, quietly watching Bairin.
Old Bairin chuckled:
"Kolev is seen as this prison's bottom-of-the-box prisoner, a pride of the prison administration—you might think of it that way.
"He's on the innermost part of Level Six, in a fully enclosed solitary cell, and he has yard time in the morning with the officials from Level One."
```
"However, I can help you, Captain Hanton."
Yang Ming immediately became extremely vigilant.
Unsolicited help often spells trouble—either deceit or theft.
This old fellow in front of him was no philanthropist; securing such an exalted position in prison, he must be ruthless.
The fact that Bailin was offering to help him likely meant he had ulterior motives; although Yang Ming could also achieve his goal—when push comes to shove, he could resort to force—it would inevitably take more time and involve more complicated risks.
"What do I need to do for you?" Yang Ming asked.
"This time, you don't need to do anything for me. A friend has entrusted me with a task that promises considerable income. In fact, I invited you here just to let you know that I have exerted some effort in this matter," Bailin said with a smile.
Yang Ming's smile gained a hint of amusement. "What about your rules?"
"My bottom line has always been flexible. You'll soon be arranged to go to the cell next to Kochef," said old Bailin. "Don't worry about the other things. The common friend of ours has already arranged everything. He hopes you can leave here safely."
A common friend? Was Lina planning this?
Yang Ming quickly realized that he had been somewhat prejudiced, and Bailin's words contained a certain amount of inducement.
"Then I'll wait for the good news."
Yang Ming said calmly, and while getting up to leave, he couldn't help but slightly twitch the corner of his mouth.
He sensed a conspiracy.
More than one conspiracy was slowly unfolding around him.
Three batches of Imperial Intelligence Officers with questionable authenticity;
Old Bailin, whose attitude had subtly changed;
The old pirate who was delivered straight into his hand;
What next?
Yang Ming decided that, no matter what trick they were up to, he would use their arrangements to his advantage and see the infamous Kolev first.
He always held an ace up his sleeve.
—A Secondary Ancient God Life Form.
...
Old Bailin's information was indeed well-informed.
Yang Ming had just finished his walk and hadn't yet had a chance to pack up his simple belongings when Chief Gulipa's shiny forehead appeared outside the four-person room.
"Captain Hanton, I believe you deserve better living conditions."
Chief Gulipa said warmly,
"I didn't carefully read your file before. Only this morning did I discover that you were not here to serve a normal sentence but came from the Human Council's care home to experience the actual life in Cole Port Prison, right?"
Yang Ming glanced at his Imperial military uniform, which he had never changed, and said with a smile, "Yes, Chief. I was supposed to be in the Human Council's care home, sleeping on a soft single bed, eating delicious meals with both meat and vegetables every day."
"Look at the mess I've made," Gulipa said warmly, "fortunately, there's still time to fix it. Come with me, Captain, you will receive the respect due to an Imperial soldier."
Yang Ming could only nod his thanks while silently cursing to himself:
'Damn, a bunch of two-faced people.'
Chief Gulipa, along with several guards, escorted Yang Ming, who was handcuffed and shackled, toward room 624 on the sixth floor.
Gulipa smiled and said, "You're looking for Kolev, aren't you?"
"Yes," Yang Ming said calmly, "Do you have any advice, Chief?"
"Kolev is an extremely dangerous individual," Gulipa whispered, "You're thinking correctly. I've been under some pressure and had to make the current arrangements, allowing you to enjoy a private cell next to Kolev. That's how the Interstellar Court works. The powerful Sherman Empire can directly influence our proceedings, but still, I must advise you... it'd be better if you stay away from Kolev. That's all."
Yang Ming looked at Gulipa's profile.
The Chief's well-maintained face showed no unnecessary expressions.
The sixth floor of Cole Port Prison had a structure similar to the fifth floor, with neatly arranged prison cells like square containers on a transport ship.
In a corner of the sixth floor were two rows of single cells reserved for special prisoners, each nearly fully enclosed, with thick alloy doors.
Yang Ming made a rough calculation...
Breaking those doors would take minutes;
But tearing through those thin metal walls would only take seconds.
Quite a brilliant design.
As Bailin had mentioned, he had been arranged into room 624, which was separated by a single wall from room 625.
This was a single-person cell of about fifteen or sixteen square meters, with living conditions that were even better than his quarters on the research vessel, complete with a single bed, a bookshelf, a desk, a toilet, and a showerhead at each corner, plus ventilation systems installed in the wall cracks.
"The conditions are really not bad," Yang Ming commended.
"I'm glad you're satisfied. Enjoy your stay,"
Chief Gulipa said with a smile, and just before leaving, he paused and turned to look at the door the guards were about to close.
"Captain Hanton, just to be safe, I'd like to ask you one more thing... You will repeat your previous answer at the next trial, won't you?"
Yang Ming thought for two seconds and then replied sternly, "I will swear to defend the Empire's honor to the death. That is my bottom line as an Imperial soldier."
Gulipa instantly smiled with relief, his fingers in white gloves lightly gliding as the guard pushed the thick alloy door closed.
At the instant the electronic lock displayed "closed," Gulipa's smile quickly vanished, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.