Exile Star, Chayang Prefecture, POW Camp No. 1.
The POW camp was converted from a massive circular stadium, with prefabricated buildings expanded several stories around the perimeter, all painted white. From a high altitude, it resembled a cluster of snow-white origami houses. The sky was filled with surveillance drones, like a flock of motionless strange birds. Nearby, over a dozen machine gun turrets were erected, equipped with six-barreled energy cannons and one-and-a-half-meter-long sniper rifles. Manned by the most elite veteran sharpshooters, they could gun down any prisoner attempting to escape.
The outermost layer of barbed wire and walls was being reinforced. The labor was carried out by prisoners, disheveled and mud-caked, wearing uniforms of various city defense forces. They panted like beasts, hauling bricks and coils of wire under the guard of mechanical soldiers.
It had snowed the previous night. According to the prefecture's climate, today was "Minor Cold." The prisoner laborers worked, shivering, their boots crunching on the slushy snow.
Suddenly, a completely different set of footsteps approached. The sound was short, precise, and heavy, reminiscent of a marching army formation.
The machine gun turrets blared a piercing alarm. All the busy prisoners immediately stopped working and stood at attention to show respect. This alarm was exclusively for high-ranking inspections; only very senior officials warranted such a signal.
The prisoners all glanced sideways.
Soon, a line of neat mechanical soldiers appeared, each armed with assault rifles and possessing retractable long blades on their mechanical arms. Some prisoners' faces immediately turned pale. They had witnessed these mechanical blades on the battlefield; a single swing could cleave a person in two, a brutal and terrifying sight.
After the first rank of mechanical soldiers passed, another line of human soldiers emerged, all wearing sunglasses and scanning their surroundings vigilantly, clearly bodyguards. These individuals exuded a palpable bestial aura, their movements and presence akin to wild animals.
The prisoners were secretly astonished. While several high-ranking officials had inspected before, they had only brought a handful of escorts. Who was this dignitary arriving with such a massive display?
Finally, the person being protected by layers of security revealed himself.
It was a very young man, appearing utterly ordinary.
The prisoners stared blankly at the man. He wore no military uniform, making his rank and status impossible to discern.
Jiang Ye surveyed the POW camp construction, his brow furrowing slightly. It was too hastily built, the environment visibly poor.
He noticed a group of disheveled prisoners standing at attention by the wall under construction, looking over with curiosity.
Jiang Ye walked towards those prisoners.
Before he reached them, he caught a foul odor. It was remarkable to be so pungent in the dead of winter. Many prisoners' overcoats were torn, revealing stuffing, and were stained with paint, dirt, blackened blood, and suspicious oil marks. Their faces were even dirtier than their clothes, layers of skin peeling like an onion, indicating they hadn't washed their faces in at least half a month.
"When was the last time you bathed?" Jiang Ye asked.
"About... a month ago," the tallest prisoner replied.
"Was it due to lack of facilities, or something else?" Jiang Ye inquired.
The prisoners exchanged glances, remaining silent.
The reason for their silence was simple: although they didn't recognize Jiang Ye, they could sense his high rank. Such high-ranking inspectors typically visited briefly and departed, preoccupied with pressing matters, quickly forgetting the place. However, the lower-ranking officers managing the POW camp directly dealt with all prisoners. If they spoke ill of the junior officers now, they might face execution after Jiang Ye left.
Che Zhen, in plain clothes, approached Jiang Ye and explained softly, "Many prisoners are contaminated with biological weapons and various pathogens. We dare not let them use the same bathhouse for showering, fearing cross-contamination."
"This situation cannot continue," Jiang Ye stated. "If they remain so dirty and smelly, with bacteria multiplying uncontrollably, infectious diseases will inevitably break out. Then treating them one by one will be costly and harmful to their bodies. We treat prisoners humanely, not as breeding grounds for human cultures. How can we not allow them to bathe for a month?"
Che Zhen nodded repeatedly. "I've already summoned the officer in charge of this POW camp; he'll be here shortly."
Soon, an officer arrived, panting, and saluted Jiang Ye. "Report, Commander, I am Tu Yuhuan, the officer in charge of Chayang Prefecture POW Camp No. 1!"
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. How could this man's name be so imposing?
"How many people are currently in the entire POW camp?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Report, 335,000, and the number is still increasing!" replied Officer Tu.
"Build one bathhouse for every thousand people, and arrange for them to shower in rotation. Everyone must shower within a week," Jiang Ye instructed. "For those with biological weapon residue, treat them promptly. For fungal infections, spray them with medication. Trim their beards and messy hair; make them all clean and tidy."
"Yes!" Officer Tu quickly agreed.
Jiang Ye shifted his gaze to the prisoners. "How is the food?"
This time, the prisoners nodded in unison.
"The food is very good," the tallest prisoner spoke again. "We eat our fill at every meal, and there's a night snack for those working at night."
"What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the night snack?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Breakfast is canned meat and sausages, lunch is chicken legs, beer, rice, and ribs, dinner is duck legs, eggs, and pork intestines, and the night snack is usually canned meat," the prisoner replied.
"Why is the food so greasy?" Jiang Ye frowned. "Doesn't it make you feel sick?"
The prisoners fell silent again.
They dared not hope for anything more; being able to eat their fill was already a great fortune. Before the war began, few low-ranking soldiers on Exile Star could eat their fill.
Officer