Why was the Crown Prince here? Logically, he should have entered even later than the Warden. After all, he had already been toyed with for quite some time—

Wait, was the time ratio still set at 2:1 as before? If not, there were many possibilities as to why the Warden hadn’t appeared before his arrival.

One thing was certain now—the other party must have tampered with the simulation pod’s code in advance.

But that didn’t make sense either. No matter what, the Warden couldn’t have altered the passwords and linked the two simulation worlds after they had already entered.

Lu Yu suddenly understood.

The coder—that guy had already been bribed by the Warden, or at the very least, controlled in this matter.

Recently, there had been no unusual movements from him, nor any noticeable contact with the prison management. The only one he interacted with frequently was Niu Xi.

Could that stupid, dark-skinned ox have been working for the Warden again? Lu Yu felt a headache coming on.

This wasn’t necessarily Niu Xi’s betrayal. Given the Warden’s persuasive tactics and Niu Xi’s instinctive, hedonistic straightforwardness, it was entirely possible that he had unwittingly done something difficult for the Warden.

For example, tweaking minor details in the code. If the Warden had ordered it directly, there might have been fierce resistance. But if Niu Xi, one of their own, suggested it, it was far more likely to be taken seriously.

Sure enough, the moment the Crown Prince appeared, the surrounding environment underwent significant changes.

The originally empty crystal palace, devoid of anyone but them, rose from the ground, expanding in scale to form a true royal palace.

All around, anthropomorphic deep-sea creatures came and went.

Shrimp-headed guards, crab-bodied sentinels, and beautiful maids with jellyfish lower halves gracefully carried trays as they flitted about.

An octopus with eight legs played elegant music, while a single fish simultaneously handled four or five instruments.

Lu Yu found himself seated on a throne, a crown now resting on his head. As a dominant ruler in his own right, the position didn’t seem out of place for him.

Shen Ying raised an eyebrow at the sight. "So when two worlds merge, even the environment changes?"

Lu Yu felt a chill in his heart but still explained, "Of course. The fusion of two simulation worlds isn’t just about World A capturing people from World B."

"Actually, this is quite dangerous. Fortunately, both simulation worlds had relatively romantic conceptions of the underwater realm. If the other side’s deep sea had been a hellscape, the fusion would have prioritized the most extreme parameters."

"We might have immediately found ourselves in a life-or-death battlefield."

Shen Ying shrugged. "So what? Worst case, I’ll just log out."

Lu Yu thought bitterly, You can exit anytime, but for those of us with fixed entry times, we can’t go anywhere until the external time limit is up.

At that moment, the Crown Prince landed before the two of them. He seemed to have lost consciousness, his eyes tightly shut, the usual arrogance on his face greatly diminished. His sleeping expression was elegant yet fragile, so much so that Shen Ying almost felt bad about waking him.

Just as she hesitated, his eyes suddenly flew open, landing first on the vaguely familiar young woman before him.

The Crown Prince bolted upright, eyeing Shen Ying warily. "Who are you?"

Before she could answer, his gaze shifted to the man seated on the crystal throne not far behind her.

It was a merman. Though his expression showed no aggression or threat, the Crown Prince’s instincts screamed that this was a terrifyingly powerful scoundrel.

So when Lu Yu opened his mouth to greet him, the Crown Prince instead pulled Shen Ying behind him, glaring at Lu Yu and warning, "Don’t be fooled by his appearance. Stay away from him—he’s no good."

Lu Yu: "…What?"

He didn’t need the Crown Prince to explain. At the same time, the merged world’s lore from the other simulation formed in his mind.

Turns out, in the Crown Prince’s simulation world, the underwater realm was a vast, perilous force. Shielded by the depths of the ocean, they possessed highly advanced technology—and insatiable greed.

Legend had it that merfolk loved keeping humans as pets, especially the exceptionally beautiful ones, whom they took great pleasure in tormenting and toying with.

The irony was that most merfolk were stunningly attractive, their voices bewitching. Many humans, even as prey, would fall under their spell.

Lu Yu: "…"

What kind of trashy setting is this? Did the coder plagiarize some third-rate dark erotica?

He and the Crown Prince were already in a tight spot, originally planning to work together to escape. But now, with his memories clearly suppressed and false lore implanted, the Crown Prince had instinctively marked him as the enemy.

Lu Yu massaged his temples, exasperated. Shen Ying, however, seemed delighted, as if suddenly enlightened. "Oh, is that how it is?"

"I woke up here in the ocean, and he tricked me into washing his tail for him. Two or three hours in, and he still claimed it wasn’t clean enough."

The Crown Prince’s expression darkened, his gaze at Lu Yu dripping with contempt. "You disgrace."

Everyone knew a merman’s tail was a weapon, a lure, and a symbol of mating. For this fish to deceive a woman into washing his tail was nothing short of shameless depravity.

Lu Yu couldn’t clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Seeing the Crown Prince’s state, he gave up on reasoning with someone whose memories were locked away and filled with fabricated lore.

With yet another plan exposed and thwarted by the Warden, Lu Yu briefly considered throwing in the towel.

Fine, let it be. Her punishments are predictable anyway. Maybe if she gets her fill here, she’ll go easy on us afterward.

Embracing the "misery loves company" mindset, Lu Yu relaxed entirely.

With a playful smirk, he taunted the Crown Prince, "Do you even know who you’re shielding?"

The Crown Prince glanced back at Shen Ying. That sense of familiarity was undeniable.

Moreover, the sight of her made his heart race, his blood surge, emotions violently stirring within him.

He couldn’t remember much, but if his instincts reacted this intensely, she must have been someone profoundly important to him.

Who is she?

Though burning with curiosity, he revealed nothing in front of Lu Yu.

Coolly, he replied, "She is a woman of my kind, not some plaything for you to manipulate."

Lu Yu nearly laughed out loud. Of course she’s not the plaything—we are.

Noting the Warden’s growing amusement, he didn’t expose the truth. Instead, he seized this rare moment of authority. "In my palace, she is mine to claim."

With a wave of his hand, Shen Ying’s body levitated, floating straight into his arms.

Lu Yu grasped her ankle, his fingers trailing up her calf with deliberate slowness.

His voice dripped with faux admiration. "Such beautiful legs. So different from a tail."

"Agile, flexible, capable of running freely on land." His slender fingers toyed with her toes.

"And so versatile—they can even substitute for hands, performing tasks only hands should do."

The Crown Prince watched as the woman was restrained and molested by the merman, an inexplicable fury rising uncontrollably within him.

The ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‍sight was unbearable, as if it violated some fundamental truth he knew deep down.

This woman shouldn’t be like this—absolutely shouldn’t be humiliated by a mere fish.

With that thought, the Crown Prince vaguely sensed something.

It seemed the other person truly mattered to him, so much so that even this situation felt unbearable.

Without hesitation, the Crown Prince punched a nearby shrimp’s head clean off, snatched the trident from its grip, and hurled it fiercely at Lu Yu.

The moment he moved, the surrounding guards sprang into action, but even underwater, the Crown Prince’s combat prowess remained formidable.

Even with his memories lost, his innate awareness of his own strength was etched into his instincts.

With a single slash, he severed a crab’s claw, used it to block an incoming spear, twisted, and struck again—claiming another weapon.

This time, he speared through the shrimp and crab soldiers one by one, their formation collapsing as he charged toward Lu Yu.

Lu Yu yanked the trident embedded in the crystal throne and engaged him in a fierce back-and-forth.

Shen Ying watched, thrilled. If not for the inappropriate timing, she would’ve asked the clam girl hiding nearby to fetch her a drink.

But the simulation pod’s realism lay in its NPCs’ advanced cognitive systems, ensuring no moment felt out of place.

Just as Shen Ying was engrossed in the handsome brawl, the giant octopus that had been playing instruments earlier suddenly lashed out with its tentacles.

One coiled around her body, another around her neck—holding her hostage.

"Human, surrender," it demanded.

The two fighters paused mid-action, their movements faltering to varying degrees.

The Crown Prince was somewhat restrained by the threat, but Lu Yu was purely stunned.

He couldn’t help but admire the octopus’s audacity—doing what he’d longed to but dared not.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Yu landed a solid punch on the Crown Prince’s face—a strike he’d been itching to deliver.

Sent flying, the Crown Prince was immediately subdued by reinforcements.

Shen Ying caught Lu Yu’s eye and signaled him.

Though resentful, Lu Yu yielded to the warden’s authority and ordered the shrimp and crab soldiers, "Throw these two humans into the dungeon."

A shrimp-headed guard seized Shen Ying, and a squad escorted her and the Crown Prince away.

They were tossed into a sealed cell, its walls impenetrable metal with no hope of escape.

The Crown Prince, having taken Lu Yu’s parting blow, sported a bruised face, his lip split.

Shen Ying helped him sit up, apologizing, "I’m sorry. I’m useless. You could’ve escaped easily on your own—you didn’t have to protect me."

But the Crown Prince brushed it off.

Here in the simulation, he was uncharacteristically candid. Gazing at Shen Ying’s face, his conviction grew stronger.

He touched her cheek. "The moment I saw you, I felt this familiarity—this unrest in my heart."

"Seeing you humiliated, seeing you helpless—it felt wrong. You must be someone irreplaceable to me."

Shen Ying understood instantly.

For the proud Crown Prince to tolerate her being subdued by others—after she’d defeated him repeatedly—meant he saw himself as lesser by comparison.

And if the sight of her stirred such turmoil, he must’ve been seething over her lately.

She played dumb, feigning confusion. "Really? But I don’t think we’re that close."

The Crown Prince wasn’t surprised. "So you do know me."

She’d said they weren’t close, not that she didn’t know him.

He smiled—a rare, dazzling sight from the usually icy heir, as if a radiant kingdom bloomed behind him.

"You must be the woman I’ve loved alone. Don’t worry. I’ll get us out of here."