In this age of high technology, package delivery was incredibly fast. Even when shipping across multiple planets, the package Shi Lan ordered yesterday was ready for her to sign for today.

She was picking flowers in the prison garden at that moment. After receiving the notification, she hurried out and saw a robot standing at the gate, holding a large box and waiting for her.

Shi Lan signed for the package following the standard procedure. After sending the robot off, she tucked the large box into her Space Bag.

The Space Bag looked much like a small pouch. It didn’t weigh much when carried on her person, and for convenience, she always kept it with her.

Back in the Prison Director’s office, Shi Lan put down her flowers and eagerly began to sort through her snacks. She set aside a portion to share with the prisoners, keeping the rest for herself.

She kept telling herself not to get too attached to them, but the thought that they would be dead soon made it hard to remain indifferent.

As she rummaged through her purchases, she suddenly spotted the ball of pet-friendly yarn she’d bought. It looked completely out of place among all the snacks.

The ball of yarn was about the size of her fist, a little smaller than it had looked in the pictures online. Shi Lan toyed with it in her hand, dangling it by its string in front of her as she wondered who to give it to.

But she quickly made up her mind.

In fact, she had been thinking of Jiang Xia when she bought it. She chose a ball of yarn because she’d once bought one for a friend’s cat, and Jiang Xia reminded her of a big, round, brownish-white kitty.

Besides, considering the beast forms of everyone in the prison, only Jiang Xia was a suitable fit.

With that thought, Shi Lan immediately gathered her things and headed for the prison cells. It wasn’t long after breakfast, the perfect time for a post-meal snack.

Having just finished breakfast, the inmates were all busy with their own affairs.

To accommodate their needs, the various facilities in the prison had been customized according to each inmate’s preferences.

He Hanshi’s cell had plenty of exercise equipment. As a Major General, his military life had instilled in him the habit of disciplined training, and his daily workouts were essential.

Mu Tangfeng was rather vain, so his cell was filled with mirrors. He even had a comb and a robot to groom his feathers every day. Occasionally, he would read books on mechanics, and when he got bored, he’d take apart the No. 2 robot for fun.

Ye Ming had night vision and preferred to stay in his dark cell to read. He often kept up with the latest on the Star Network, but since the accounts of all the inmates were temporarily suspended, they weren’t allowed to post any information online. They could only make video calls or browse.

Jiang Xia’s needs were simpler. He had been a pampered young master from a wealthy family, so all he required was good food, good drink, and good fun. He also preferred cold environments and loved lying in the snowdrifts inside his cell.

Yan Huoshui had been a Space Star Thief and lived many nail-biting days. Now that he had free time, his priority was comfort. Soaking in hot springs, disassembling flowers, having a robot brew his tea—he indulged in whatever luxuries he could.

Of course, even with all the amenities, choosing to be a homebody and being forced to be one were two different things. Moreover, the inmates had been locked up for over two years; their day-in, day-out existence was still undeniably boring.

Jiang Xia did a roll in a snowdrift and sighed. "I really want to get out of here."

He hadn’t thought about it that much before, but now, knowing Shi Lan was on the outside, he really wanted to go play with her.

Mu Tangfeng was inspecting a few of his feathers that had come off on the robot’s comb. He gathered them up, annoyed. Already in a foul mood, he couldn’t help but scoff at Jiang Xia’s words. "Keep dreaming. In your current spiritual power state, you can forget about getting out."

Jiang Xia wasn’t happy about that. He couldn’t resist activating his chip to check. His collapse value was at 68%. It hadn’t gone down; in fact, it was a few points higher than two years ago.

At this rate, it really would be impossible for him to leave this place.

Realizing this, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Mu Tangfeng and buried himself back in the snow, becoming a lonely Pallas’s cat once more.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside the cells. The Pallas’s cat’s golden eyes instantly brightened. He quickly shook the snowflakes from his fur and sat properly on his Snowfall Chair.

Mu Tangfeng immediately hid his feathers and comb. It wasn’t a good look for a male to be seen molting.

Shi Lan walked in with a smile, announcing cheerfully, "I brought some new snacks for everyone today."

"Snacks?"

Jiang Xia could barely stay in his chair. He couldn’t help but walk up to the protective barrier of his cell, craning his neck to see. But Shi Lan was still too far away; he couldn’t see anything, only hear her voice.

Shi Lan took the snacks out of her Space Bag to pass around. He Hanshi climbed down from his wall and walked to the entrance of his cell, her reflection caught in his ice-blue eyes. His gaze was gentle. "Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you."

He didn’t particularly care for snacks, but after more than two years without any treats from the outside world, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

The prison had seen several Prison Directors come and go, but only Shi Lan had ever thought to do something like this.

"It’s no problem."

Shi Lan smiled. Gazing into his eyes was like looking into an ocean, vast and deep, filled with a softness that could easily pull you under.

She blinked, feeling a little flustered, too shy to meet his gaze directly. She quickly turned to cell number two.

Mu Tangfeng eyed the bag of snacks and couldn’t help but ask, "You bought these on the Star Network?"

"Mhm, I did. Why?"

Detecting a strange note in his tone, she asked with a hint of confusion.

"It’s nothing."

A flicker of something passed through Mu Tangfeng’s eyes, but he just shook his head.

At cell number three, Shi Lan passed the snacks through an opening. She peered into the pitch-black interior and heard a "Thank you" spoken right next to her ear.

She looked up and saw that Ye Ming had actually come to the front of the containment barrier on his own.

This was only the second time since their first meeting that Shi Lan had gotten a clear look at him.

A faint, ethereal blue light illuminated the Black Panther’s body, casting an enormous shadow behind him. His glowing green eyes, seemingly devoid of emotion under the cold light, were still enough to make one’s skin crawl.

But perhaps because they had been interacting for over a month now, the involuntary fear that rose in her heart had lessened considerably. She even dared to stand her ground and stare at the Black Panther, though goosebumps still prickled on her arms.

It couldn’t be helped. People are naturally more wary of creatures that dwell in darkness; they always seem to hold a greater, hidden danger.

Ye Ming’s long tail twitched twice. He glanced up at Shi Lan before silently melting back into the darkness.

Shi Lan let out a quiet sigh of relief and moved on to Jiang Xia’s cell.

In stark contrast to the darkness of cell three, cell four was dazzlingly white. The room even had an automatic snow program, and the robot in the corner had a finger-thick layer of snow piled on its head.

In such an environment, it was easy to miss Jiang Xia if you weren’t looking carefully. Fortunately, he left very clear paw prints wherever he walked.

Shi Lan looked toward the entrance, her gaze meeting his through the protective barrier. It was like looking at a big, fluffy, adorable cat, and her heart couldn’t help but melt.

The ’big, fluffy cat’s’ whiskers twitched, and his mouth stretched into a grin, a clear, pleasant, boyish voice emerging. "Shi Lan, you bought us snacks?"

"It’s been so long since we’ve had any."

Jiang Xia sighed wistfully. Snapping back to the present, Shi Lan crouched down. Her voice, when speaking to the ’kitty,’ was even gentler than it had been with the others. "Mhm, and not just snacks. I also bought you a little toy."

A little toy?

Hearing those three words, all the inmates in the prison silently perked up their ears, and even Ye Ming, hidden in the darkness, was no exception.

As for Yan Huoshui, his expression was one of someone settling in to watch a good show.