Chapter 1 Mr. Dominik Gilbert

Phantom Prison...

In this prison, the world's most notorious and vicious criminals were locked away, each infamous for a lengthy and daunting list of crimes.

Special agents who had stolen national secrets, assassins responsible for the deaths of presidents, and warlords who had massacred tens of thousands were all here...

Dominik Gilbert, dressed in the attire of a prison guard, was in his father Cormac Gilbert's study writing with precision and force in each stroke of his pen.

"Mr. Gilbert, there's a problem. Grimslayer and Greedfang are fighting..." A guard burst in, breathless and clearly panicked.

Dominik nodded and casually tossed a note to him. "Take my message and tell them to clean the toilets for three days. If they don't comply, I'll personally stuff their heads back in the toilet."

"Yes, Mr. Gilbert!" The guard hesitated briefly, then snatched the note and dashed off.

Grimslayer was notorious as the king of killers in the assassin world, jailed for the assassination of the president of Mordona.

Greedfang led a vast underground organization and was behind bars for trafficking in nuclear warheads.

"Mr. Gilbert, there's more bad news. Butcher complained about the cafeteria food and started a brawl, injuring several men!" Another guard rushed in, flustered.

Dominik raised an eyebrow and handed over another note. "Tell him to wash dishes in the kitchen for a month. Let him know that if he refuses, I'll personally hang him in the square for three days and nights."

The guard accepted the note and left in a hurry.

Butcher, a terror warlord who had slaughtered over ten thousand prisoners, viewed human life as disposable.

Dominik slapped his forehead and muttered a curse. "So many problems in this little prison. It's been three years since my dad left with no news, and it really bothers me!"

He exited the study and checked the time, heading to the yard for his usual inspection.

When Dominik appeared in the yard, the inmates immediately stood at attention, their heads bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Mr. Gilbert..." A wealthy businessman from Sruburgh, found guilty of serious monopoly crimes, bowed deeply.

"Hey, Mr. Gilbert!" greeted the former head of the Mordona Military Intelligence Agency, notorious for selling national secrets.

None of the prisoners here were ordinary. Each one had a reputation that could shake a region.

Yet, at this moment, they all bowed their heads and addressed Dominik with deep respect.

"I'm not in a good mood lately. I hope you all behave yourselves," Dominik declared.

"Uh... yes, yes!" The prisoners were taken aback, quickly agreeing.

No sooner had Dominik returned to his office than a guard rushed in urgently. "Mr. Gilbert..."

Dominik frowned, displeased. "What's wrong now?"

"Well... this time it's not the inmates causing trouble. There's a general outside escorting a prisoner here, and she's a very beautiful female general," the guard explained with a grin.

Dominik nodded in acknowledgment.

"This female general asked to see you specifically, claiming she knows your father!" the guard added.

Dominik was surprised. "Knows my dad? Let's go take a look..."

Outside the prison, dozens of soldiers stood guard, overseeing a cage where a gloomy man was imprisoned.

"Ha, when I get out of here, you'll all pay, one by one. None of you will escape!" the man threatened, his voice dripping with menace.

The soldiers around him shifted uncomfortably, wary of becoming targets of his wrath.

Standing beside him, a woman radiated authority. Her uniform bore two stars on her epaulet, signaling her high rank. She was tall, her presence commanding attention with each poised step.

This was Sylvia Hewitt, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Hewitt family from Frutshire.

She watched as Dominik emerged from the prison. His attire was a simple prison guard uniform, lacking any hint of vigor, which she found distasteful.

"You are Dominik Gilbert, aren't you?" Sylvia asked, looking down at him. The golden stars on her epaulet caught the light, underscoring her superiority.

Annoyance flickered in Dominik's eyes as he met her gaze. "Who have you captured?"

"The Dreadlord of the Four Kings, Whisker. The higher-ups have ordered his detention here." Sylvia stepped closer, extending a document to Dominik.

He signed it with a nonchalant flick of his pen and looked up. "What do you want from me?"

"I am Sylvia Hewitt," she stated flatly. "I am here to remind you that our worlds are vastly different."

Dominik's expression tightened at her words.

Sylvia's indifferent eyes scanned the two small white stars on his badge, signifying his low rank as a second-level prison guard.

"I have decided to call off our engagement," she declared, her voice devoid of emotion. She looked at him, pity in her eyes for Dominik. As the son of the Gilbert family's master, he was now reduced to guarding a dilapidated prison.

"Do you object?"

Without waiting for his response, she produced an engagement contract and tore it in half, the sound sharp in the quiet. The soldiers behind her exchanged looks, their disdain for Dominik clear.

How could a mere prison guard deserve to marry Silvia? She was already a major general. Thinking of this, the soldiers sneered.

Sylvia sighed, her expression softening slightly. "I know this is hard for you, but it's clear we're not meant to be."

Her eyes shifted pointedly from the insignia on her shoulder to his.

Dominik remained silent.

"As compensation for the broken engagement, here's my business card," Sylvia continued, offering him the card. "You can call on me to do two favors for you. As the former heir to the Gilbert estate, I suggest you leave this place soon. Maybe there's still a chance for you to reclaim your former stature. I'll leave Dreadlord to you. Make sure he stays in the cage, or else many people will die. To capture him, our military lost many elite soldiers, and I even sustained a slight injury."

After delivering her instructions, Sylvia turned briskly and climbed into her car. She did not wait for Dominik's response but immediately directed her team to depart.

"Ever since he left the Gilbert family, he has completely deteriorated. Guarding in such a hopeless place; no matter his past talents, he's bound to become just another mediocrity. I spoke to him, and he didn't even bother to reply. Clearly, he recognizes the disparity between us," she thought out loud with a soft chuckle. If Dominik used the business card she had given him, she might offer him a chance to leave the prison and possibly join the military, potentially restoring some of his former status.

Watching Sylvia's car pull away, Dominik appeared stunned. After a moment, he crushed the business card in his hand.

"What's wrong with her?" Dominik muttered under his breath as he casually unlocked the large cage.

The Dreadlord immediately pushed the door open and grinned sinisterly at him. "Kid, you should take that woman's advice! I can't believe you're involved with Sylvia, the Goddess of War in Sruburgh! You're pitiful, getting dumped by her... Tsk, I feel so sorry for you that I can't bear to kill you..."

Without hesitation, Dominik delivered a sharp slap across the Dreadlord's face, knocking the notorious criminal unconscious.

"I'm not in the mood for chatter," Dominik snapped irritably, then grabbed the Dreadlord by the ankle and dragged him back into the prison, treating him like a lifeless object.

"Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Gilbert, your mail!" a mailman called out, rushing over and thrusting an envelope into Dominik's hands. He cast a casual glance at the new prisoner, who lay on the ground like a discarded doll.

Eagerly tearing open the envelope, Dominik extracted a letter. "My dad's letter!"

He quickly scanned the contents, then his expression changed suddenly. "Wait, is he asking me to marry Ruby Harper again?"