Kapitel 2: The Punishment

"He was captured?! For real?! Are you sure you're talking about Yu Weimin?!" asked a man in his fifties as he stood on the street filled with commoners.

All the flying cars had halted as they stood in their respective positions, staring at the prison's main gate. Several police cars had stopped in front of the prison gate, ensuring the area was secured. The officers in their navy blue uniforms stood there with their laser guns in position to stop anything terrible from happening.

So much security only for one person….

Another guy clicked his tongue. "I don't think Yu Weimin was all that great. Wasn't he just a star pirate?"

"Star pirate, you say?!" exclaimed the first one. "You've just arrived in Bellona, haven't you?"

Bellona was the name of this planetary system. After the Earth was destroyed a couple of centuries ago, a lady named Bellona saved everyone using her cultivation skills. She made eight different planets out of the shattered pieces of Earth. The new planetary system was thus named after her.

It was just that she had to give up her life for this. For the past century, Yu Weimin, a star pirate, the leader of the faction called the rogue cultivators, had been a pain in the *ss for the entire government. Unless they were a visitor from another galaxy, everyone in this star planetary system was aware of this.

That gang of rogue cultivators murdered many officials, destroyed their homes, stole treasures, and committed massacres in the palace. Although they never hurt the commoners, they were still too dangerous for the government. They had even attacked the Emperor directly!

Now, the leader of that horrendous group, Yu Weimin, had finally been caught after a long struggle. No one knew his appearance or how long he had been the leader. For the past century, everyone had been hearing only one thing whenever a crime occurred in the palace—

Yu Weimin's minions massacred again.

The same person was captured alive and brought here. After explaining these things, the first guy relaxed his shoulders.

"We can finally breathe. Serves him right to be captured!"

The second guy said nothing. He just stared at the fanfare of the police officers standing there and frowned. A person was missing here….

"Who captured him, though?" He asked out of curiosity.

The first person's eyes doubled in surprise. "God, you just came here, didn't you? How do you not know that?"

The second man rubbed his bald head and blushed in embarrassment. "You're right. I spent several years in Angelo Galaxy before returning to my home country. I landed not too long ago. Still, I heard a lot about the things going on here. So, who is he?"

"Ah…. Wait a bit. You'll know."

The two continued to talk when a hover car flashed over and stopped in front of the prison gate made out of pure steel. The car was also bigger than average, having four gates and a bus-like structure.

One of the front gates opened as two officers jumped out with their laser guns. The villain they were all waiting for finally showed his face.

Yu Weimin walked out of the hover car with his head lowered. He didn't want to see anyone or anything at the moment. Since he was caught, he would face his punishment. He was very cool about this.

Still, the officers had to push his limits. The person behind him pushed him hard, making Yu Weimin stumble forward. The cold, metallic cuffs clinked against his hands, making a clattering sound.

Yu Weimin still kept his cool . He just glanced at the officer coldly without saying a word.

Would these people dare to mess with him if not for these cuffs suppressing his cultivation?

"Wh-What are you looking at?!" The officer's neck was covered with a layer of cold sweat.

"Get moving!"

Yu Weimin turned around and continued to walk.

"You swine!!!!" One of the commoners scolded the man in cuffs. "You deserve this! You killed my uncle! I can't forgive you for this!!!"

"You're not alone, my friend!" Another person behind the safety barricades that the police had installed said, "My relative working for the government was also killed. I'm very glad that this villain has finally been caught."

"Let's throw shoes at him! Serves him right!"

Just as that person was about to pull out his shoes, the officer near him used a stick and hit it on the barricades. He glared at the commoners.

"No throwing things! Behave!"

Yu Weimin sneered and continued to walk forward without saying a word.

"Marshal's really made us proud! He captured this person, finally!"

"Yeah, I want to worship the Marshal!"

Yu Weimin's footsteps paused upon hearing that title. His eyes flickered as a layer of frost covered them. He gave a sideways glance to that commoner, making the latter shiver from head to toe.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Do you want to die?!" The officer, who noticed Yu Weimin glaring at one of the common people, pushed Yu Weimin roughly.

The latter said nothing and simply lowered his head. Long hair fell in front of his face, making it hard for others to see his expression.

"Ah, I wish I could see what he looked like."

"Same here. I wanted to create art, make a 3D model, and destroy it!!!!"

"Ah, it would feel so good!"

Yu Weimin ignored those comments and walked inside the prison without reacting to anything. The front gate was closed with a thud. The police relaxed, and the fanfare finally ended.

The commoners breathed a sigh of relief, but some were still unsatisfied.

"Where's the Marshal?! We want to see him!"

"Yes! We want to meet him!"

"AHHHH…. My young Marshal!!!!"

"Hey, Marshal and Yu Weimin must be of the same age, right?"

"That's true. I've even heard that they used to be in the same school when they were younger, about ninety or so years ago!"

"Wait, Yu Weimin actually attended school? That's the first time I've heard about it."

People continued talking, but the officers were in no mood to celebrate. That was because the Marshal that the people were so fondly talking about, the person who had finally been able to capture such a powerful enemy, wasn't there yet. He was late for some reason, and only their chief seemed to know why.

There was a reason why the Marshal was given so much credit for this. Yu Weimin wasn't just a normal criminal. He was a cultivator who had been following the meditation process for years, so he still looked young, just like a twenty-year-old guy. His power, though, ranked at the SSS level, meaning he could destroy the entire planetary system if he self-destructed.

And unfortunately, the only person who could match his level was the Marshal. Not even the Emperor was close enough to go head-to-head with Yu Weimin.

Everyone cleared the way and entered the prison for further formalities. The chief officer who managed the prison walked inside the cold and dark building. He looked like a middle-aged person who hadn't slept much. Dark circles were visible beneath his eyes, and a deep red scar covered his left cheek, making his fair face look strikingly fierce.

"Clear the way!" yelled an officer as the group of soldiers dragging the prisoner entered the corridor.

"Where's Marshal?" An officer asked with a worried expression.

At this time, Yu Weimin couldn't hear their conversation. If only he had his cultivation….

The chief shook his head. "I can't say yet…. What about the prisoner?"

"Ready to be executed."

"Wait. Don't execute him yet."

"Why?"

The chief frowned as he walked through the corridor. "He'll be useful. Let's send him to the virtual punishment center."

The officers were shocked. They all exchanged glances, but no one dared to say another word.

Virtual punishment center?! That was meant for the criminals who still had hope to turn over a new leaf! It was a setup with virtual worlds where the criminals were thrown inside to live as the main characters. Essentially, they would live tragic lives while performing good deeds for millions of years.

Yu Weimin was the kind of criminal who was supposed to be executed. There was no hope for him. So why throw him into such a system? Even the Emperor agreed since he was the one who had ordered the execution. Then, why was he being sent to the virtual punishment center?!

"Ch-Chief…. Why do you want to save this criminal? Have you forgotten what he has done?!"

"Yeah!" Another officer voiced out in confidence. "We have to kill him!"

"It's treason against the Emperor! Hasn't he ordered us to kill him?!"

"Shut up!" The chief couldn't take it anymore, so he turned around and glared at his subordinates, making them tremble. "Do as you're told. I've already talked to His Majesty."

After that, he didn't linger there any longer. He simply called one of his subordinates.

"Prepare the punishment procedure."