A dozen or so seconds later, the mushroom seemed to have grown quite a bit. It emerged from the White Lion’s head, its color turning red, perfectly blending in with the White Lion’s blood-soaked fur.

It swayed unsteadily on the White Lion’s head, its body wobbling as if drunk. Then, specks of green fluorescence emerged from it, gradually seeping into the White Lion’s body.

At the same time, the frenzied White Lion’s crimson eyes slowly regained some clarity, gradually turning blue.

But perhaps from the blood loss, He Hanshi felt his head spin. In the blink of an eye, his massive, heavy beast form crashed to the ground. The red mushroom on his head was caught off guard and flung several meters away.

It rolled over on the ground, dizzily shook its mushroom cap, then, its good deed done, quickly slipped away through the wall.

The sound of the White Lion collapsing boomed like muffled thunder in the spacious prison cell. Jiang Xia was so scared his fur stood on end. He couldn’t help but cover his eyes and cry out, "Mu Tangfeng, how is He Hanshi?"

He didn’t dare to look. Given the severity of He Hanshi’s spiritual power collapse, this episode had made him lose all reason. A tragic outcome was almost predictable.

Ye Ming and Yan Huoshui were still calm. None of the three had a clear view of cell number one. Only Mu Tangfeng, whose cell was directly opposite He Hanshi’s, could see the situation most clearly.

So, although the two of them said nothing, they perked up their ears at Jiang Xia’s words and silently paid attention to He Hanshi’s condition.

Mu Tangfeng hadn’t dared to look much earlier either, but he immediately turned back upon hearing the sound of the White Lion falling. He didn’t know if it was because of the sheer amount of blood in cell number one, but he felt as though a red shadow flashed before his eyes as well.

He blinked, his gaze fixed on the White Lion as he called out nervously, "Vice Admiral He?"

"Vice Admiral He, can you hear me?"

Mu Tangfeng was born into a noble family of the Empire. He had a difficult personality and rarely admired anyone, but He Hanshi, who came from the slums, was his first idol. Even though his spiritual power had now collapsed, in Mu Tangfeng’s heart, he was still the most revered god of war.

His eyes were glued to the White Lion lying on the floor of the opposite cell. The once clean, white fur was now stained with mottled red marks; its entire back was almost completely soaked in red.

The White Lion had become a red lion. One could only imagine how severe He Hanshi’s injuries were.

Mu Tangfeng, frantic with worry, called out several times, but He Hanshi gave no response. He stared fiercely at the robotic butler huddled into a ball in the corner of cell number one and roared angrily, "Number One, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and heal Vice Admiral He."

The robotic butlers here were named after their cell numbers and were multi-functional.

Upon receiving the command, Number One’s mechanical eye blinked. It rolled over to the White Lion’s side and nudged it gently.

The White Lion didn’t react. After monitoring and confirming that the other’s spiritual power had temporarily stabilized, it felt safe enough to return to its original form. Its mechanical arms then easily lifted the massive White Lion into the room’s healing pod.

"Number One, is Vice Admiral He... still alive?"

Mu Tangfeng choked out the words. Just now, when the White Lion was lifted, blood was still dripping from it, leaving another winding trail of blood on the floor.

A video of He Hanshi fighting a thousand members of the Insect Clan by himself was once used by the Imperial Military for training drills and to inspire students. It could be said that 80% of the Empire’s population had seen this video, and Mu Tangfeng himself had watched it over a hundred times.

In the video, He Hanshi initially wore Battle Armor. The armor was nearly five meters tall, but the swarming Insect Clan members completely engulfed it. He used the armor’s weapons to clear a path, annihilating a large number of them, but many still remained.

The cumbersome Battle Armor made it difficult to move swiftly through the dense swarm. In the end, he shifted into his beast form and weaved through the Insect Clan horde. A fierce wind rose wherever he passed, and members of the Insect Clan would be wretchedly thrown to the ground or dismembered. Relying on the power of his beast form, he reaped the remaining survivors.

That time, even covered in the green blood of a thousand Insect Clan members, He Hanshi had not been stained with as much red as he was now.

This was, one could say, the first time Mu Tangfeng had ever seen He Hanshi in such a pathetic state.

After asking the question, he didn’t even dare to hear the answer. The others also seemed to be holding their breath in unison, waiting for the robot’s reply.

Number One’s eyes flickered, and its cold, mechanical voice carried a hint of human-like relief. "The Major General’s injuries are severe but mostly external. He’s still alive."

At these words, a few sighs of relief could finally be heard in the prison, where the atmosphere had just been nearly frozen.

Mu Tangfeng’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and the tension in his heart eased slightly.

However, he knew that at the rate of Vice Admiral He’s spiritual power episodes, death was only a matter of time.

At this thought, his mood sank again. Watching Number One begin to clean and tidy the cell, his gaze fell on the red button by the door, and he pressed it.

「In the Prison Director’s office.」

Shi Lan was sleeping soundly when a piercing alarm suddenly rang out. Her heart skipped a beat. Jolted from her dream, she shot upright, dragging the administrative manual she’d been using as a pillow down to the floor with her.

[Attention Prison Director: Emergency Bell activated in cell number two. Please arrive within 5 minutes.]

As the mechanical voice sounded, Shi Lan clutched her wildly pounding heart. She looked at the red alarm bells in her office; the second one was flashing a brilliant red, and her mind instantly cleared.

Although she didn’t know what had happened, she still hurried toward the prison cells.

The prison was large, but thankfully the Prison Director’s office wasn’t too far from the high-security section. She arrived on time.

At this moment, cell number one was still a complete wreck. The robotic butler, Number One, was moonlighting as a repairman, restoring things one by one. There were still unwiped bloodstains on the floor and furniture.

Shi Lan was startled by the sight. ’How did it get like this in such a short time?’

She ignored the Emergency Bell from cell number two and peered into cell number one, but she didn’t see the White Lion.

’Oh my god, don’t tell me someone escaped on my first day on the job?’

No matter how she looked at it, the scene before her looked just like a prison break.

There was a verification lock on the outside of the cell door that only the Prison Director could open. Shi Lan remembered what was written in the administrative manual and what the former Prison Director had told her: Never, ever open the cell doors.

Because not only could the inmates escape, but a sudden worsening of their spiritual power collapse could cause them to go berserk and attack people.

Shi Lan cherished her own life. After observing that the reinforced door seemed perfectly intact, she temporarily suppressed her anxiety and walked toward cell number two. "Sir, what can I do for you?"

When her gaze fell upon him, a stunned and amazed look flashed in her eyes.

She hadn’t expected Mu Tangfeng to be able to take human form. His looks were already stunning in his Bird of Paradise beast form, but as a human, every one of his features was exquisite. His face shape was on the delicate side, but he didn’t look effeminate. Instead, he had sharp, phoenix-like eyes and a head of orange-red hair that screamed flamboyance and pride.

But right now, in addition to arrogance, his eyes also held a trace of disgust and coldness.

Shi Lan immediately snapped out of it, feeling puzzled. ’When I delivered his meal a little while ago, he just seemed a bit ill-tempered but didn’t show this much displeasure. Why now...’

When Mu Tangfeng saw her staring at him with the same dazed expression as all the other females in the Empire, the disgust in his face deepened. He ordered her around imperiously, "Go open cell number one and help the robotic butler clean up."

Hearing this, Shi Lan almost laughed out of anger.