Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

Lu Yu sat in the central observation room, his finger swiping across the quantum computer screen, bringing up Ling Shou's latest mental strength assessment report. The collapse value was 69, stable for over forty-eight hours, the mental domain structure was intact, there were no signs of agitation, and no risk of berserk transformation.

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, read the report twice to confirm the data was correct, then opened the communication channel and formally submitted the release notice to the Skyfeather Falcon Clan.

Less than half a day after the message was sent, a sharp whooshing sound came from above Prison Zero. It wasn't the roar of an aircraft engine, but the sharp sound of the wings of some kind of large raptor tearing through the air as it swooped down at high speed.

Ye Tang was squatting in the yard pulling weeds when she heard the sound and looked up. She saw a dark brown shadow slash down from the horizon and land outside the prison gate.

The air currents created when the newcomer landed sent the pebbles at the entrance tumbling several times. The two guards were thrown back half a step by the air currents and quickly stood at attention and saluted.

Ling Lan. The current chieftain of the Skyfeather Falcon Clan, and one of the few female orcs in the Empire to have awakened her combat abilities.

Her dark brown leather armor still bore the frost flowers that had condensed during her flight, and the Skyfeather Falcon Clan emblem was branded on her right shoulder. She was a full head taller than the average female, with broad shoulders and strong, muscular arms. Standing on the gravel road at the prison gate, her aura was so overwhelming that the guards around her dared not even breathe.

Her features bore a striking resemblance to Ling Shou's, with sharp, angular eyes and silver-gray pupils. While Ling Shou's pupils conveyed a cold and arrogant air, hers exuded an imposing presence. A simple, antique-style hunting knife hung at her waist, the leather strap around its hilt worn smooth and shiny.

Linglan strode down the prison corridor, her leather boots tapping a steady, powerful rhythm on the metal floor. She clutched her personal terminal, the screen still displaying Lu Yu's release notice. She had checked the message at least ten times, almost deleting it as a scam.

Ling Shou was her most talented son, and also the one who caused her a long period of heartbreak after being declared "irreversible." In just over four months, her mental breakdown level dropped from 88 to 69, and she still can't believe it's real.

It wasn't until she stood at the entrance of Observation Zone No. 3 and saw her son standing on the perch through the glass wall, his silver-gray wings intact, his eyes clear and sharp, and his spirits as good as when he first came of age, that her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for more than four months, finally settled down.

"Mother, why are you here..." Ling Shou transformed into human form and jumped down from the perch, his expression still showing a hint of bewilderment. He had indeed envied Chi Heng for being able to fly freely and burn down the gates of the Ye family, but when it was his turn to leave, his legs felt as heavy as lead.

"I've come to pick you up. Have you gone mad from being locked up?" Linglan looked him up and down, making sure her son was unharmed and in better spirits than she could remember. Her tone was light and teasing.

"Oh..." Ling Shou drawled, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the end of the corridor. Ye Tang was pushing a food cart from the living area, looking down at some message on her personal terminal, completely unaware that a formidable female had appeared in the observation area.

When Ye Tang looked up, the first thing she saw was Ling Lan. Then, she subconsciously measured the height difference between Ling Shou and his mother in her mind. An inappropriate image from her previous life flashed into her mind: the female eagle was a size larger than the male eagle, standing on the branch like two different-sized specimens.

She didn't feel particularly shocked when she saw it on a screen, but now that a living example is standing in front of her, she truly understands what the diversity of species means.

Standing next to Ling Lan, Ling Shou appeared much smaller, both in shoulder width and height. Ye Tang recalled the wilderness survival documentaries she used to love watching on Blue Star. If she were stranded in Ling Lan's tribe and went hunting with the chief, she would definitely not go hungry.

When Ling Shou saw Ye Tang approaching, his movements suddenly slowed considerably. He didn't have much luggage to begin with: a few changes of short robes, a perch hook that had been polished to a shine, and a few pieces of beef jerky that Ye Tang had roasted for him, packed in a small cloth bag. With just these few items, he folded and unfolded them over and over again, as if he were learning how to pack for the first time in his life.

"What? Why are you dawdling? Don't you want to leave?" Ling Lan crossed her arms and watched her son fold the same short robe three or four times. A meaningful glint flashed in her silver-gray eagle eyes.

Ling Shou's gaze secretly slipped to Ye Tang, then quickly returned to his own: "Go, want to leave..." As he said he wanted to leave, he unfolded the short robe in his hand and folded it again.

"Then hurry up." Linglan's tone was slightly teasing.

Ling Shou's movements slowed down even more under his mother's urging. Why didn't this little bean sprout try to stop him at all! He had lived here for so long, argued with her dozens of times, and contributed so much to her food expenses. Shouldn't she at least say, "Don't go, you free-range chicken"? Instead, she just stood there, tilting her head and watching him dawdle, with a smile he knew all too well on her face.

"What's wrong, young clan leader? Are you reluctant to part with me?" Ye Tang leaned against the armrest of the food cart, the curve of her lips clearly intentional.

"Who says this young master can't bear to part with you!" Ling Shou's thoughts were exposed, and he bristled twice as fast as usual. He grabbed everything and stuffed it into his storage ring, his movements so fast it was like a military competition, his silver-gray ponytail almost hitting his face.

Seeing her son's blatant attempt to cover up his misunderstanding, Linglan almost burst out laughing. She hadn't seen her son so energetic in a long time.

The surveillance video that Lu Yu sent her was taken from the day her son went to prison. She fast-forwarded through the footage from the first four months. Ling Shou lay on the perch, refusing to eat or drink, and refused to take human form. The light in his eagle eyes dimmed day by day, and his breakdown level rose from seventy-nine to eighty-eight.

She knew that state all too well. Her father, her brother, and her husband, whom she had personally signed off on sending to Zero Prison, had all slowly withered away in that silence, eventually becoming mindless, fallen beasts. She couldn't bear to watch, so she skipped straight to the last month.

Then she burst out laughing. Her son was not only out of prison, but he was also thriving and had a rosy complexion. Every day he would argue with the young chief of the Vermilion Bird Clan next door in all sorts of ways, from being a "weakling" to being a "free-range chicken". He had transformed from a pitiful little boy who couldn't even take nutritional supplements into a spirited young man who could curse people like shrewish women.

All of this was thanks to the tiny, double-F-cup female in front of her, who wasn't even as tall as her shoulder. Ling Lan looked at Ye Tang with a gaze even more affectionate than she would towards her own daughter.

"Warden Wild, thank you for taking care of our Ling Shou during this time. The Sky Falcon Clan will always welcome you." Ling Lan's voice was not loud, but every word carried the solemnity of a clan leader.

When she said "You are always welcome," she slightly raised her right hand, bringing her index finger and thumb together in front of her chest. This was an ancient ritual performed by the Skyfeather Falcon Clan for over a thousand years, used only when treating the most distinguished guests.

"She doesn't care about anything, hmph, she's a little money-grubber! She favors Round Hair!" Ling Shou had already reached the corner of the corridor and thought he had lowered his voice, but in fact, all three orcs standing in place heard him.

However, while Ye Tang didn't hear it, Ling Lan heard it clearly. She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She also wanted to see how long her son, the most stubborn man in the entire body, could hold out before admitting it.

"Come visit often when you have time. I'll have Ling Shou pick you up then." Ling Lan led Ling Shou out, deliberately speaking slowly and clearly when they reached the door, her voice so loud that it could be heard at the end of the corridor.

"Who wants to pick her up! Humph!" Ling Shou's voice came from afar, carrying his usual arrogance.