in2ebook 179. Prison Power
179. Prison Power
The monkey was clearly a veteran of the prison, the kind of well-informed gossipmonger. Hearing the new "boss" ask him a question, he hurriedly offered, as if showing off his treasure: "Boss, you might not know this, but our prison is divided into sections. Our section is the regular section, where we hold ordinary prisoners. Besides work, we have a little time to go outside each day."
Further inside, a heavy iron gate separated the area from the main prison for serious offenders. The walls there were double-layered. I heard that it housed political prisoners and anti-Japanese activists. They had almost no time for exercise, and many were held in solitary confinement. When they went out to work, two people were chained together around their waists, and large stone balls were tied to their feet. I once saw this from afar; a slight misstep could result in being beaten bloodied and bruised by the guards.
There are four groups of people we need to be wary of in our prison, and they all seem to be at odds with each other. The largest group is led by Diao Zhen. Rumor has it he was a former soldier who later joined a gang and ended up in jail for taking the blame for a gang leader. He has powerful connections outside and is extremely arrogant. The other group is also quite large, and the only one that can rival Diao Zhen. Their leader is Zhu Qingfeng, who is said to have been a sailor before. He's ruthless and it's best to stay far away from him.
Besides these two families, there's also a young master Gao, formerly a wealthy heir. After his parents died, he quickly squandered his fortune. Later, he got into a gambling dispute, seriously injuring someone and was imprisoned. He used to spend money extravagantly and associated with many gang members, so he's always surrounded by a group of people since he got in. However, young master Gao doesn't like to cause trouble. In short, you should mainly pay attention to Diao Zhen and Zhu Qingfeng.”
Zhou Hongyi listened to the monkey's seemingly logical explanation, glanced at him, and asked, "How long have you been locked up in here?"
The monkey scratched its head sheepishly and said, "I'm not locked up for long, only a month or two each time. It's just that I come in quite often, so I'm quite familiar with it."
"Goodness, he's a regular customer. Alright, never mind, I'll ask you again if I remember anything else."
"Alright, oh, right, Boss Zhou, there's one more person you need to watch out for. He's a Japanese soldier, and the only one we've got in this prison who's a bit of a loner. He doesn't get along with anyone, and he's incredibly arrogant. Maybe because he's one of the Japanese, he has a special status in our prison. The guards don't really pay him any attention. He can even wander around the lobby while others are locked up. It's best not to mess with him."
"Okay, I understand. You can go and rest now."
Combining the information he had gathered before with what the monkey had said about the current situation, Zhou Hongyi quickly constructed a map of the power distribution in his mind.
Prisons are often small societies, and the interpersonal relationships inside are no simpler than those outside, and may even be more complex.
The identity of the Red Party comrade Zhou Hongyi was looking for was still unknown, while the special envoy from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) who had been arrested was named Song Guotao. This guy was easy to find, as the CBIS had already shown him his photo. However, how to infiltrate the high-security prison area? He still needed time to gather the prison secrets and the latest deployment map he was truly looking for. For now, he would try to adapt to this different kind of life.
As Zhou Hongyi lay there deep in thought, he heard a group of prison guards walk in, banging on the iron door of the cell with their batons and shouting, "Get up, everyone, get ready to work!"
Upon hearing the noise, the prisoners moved their injured bodies and got up from their beds, but none of them dared to move forward, waiting for Zhou Hongyi to make the first move.
"Why do we have to go to work? It's so troublesome."
Hearing Zhou Hongyi's question, Monkey hurriedly ran over to explain, "Boss Zhou, the prisoners all have to work. The Japanese can't just keep us locked up here, providing food and lodging but not letting us do anything. The Japanese army camp next door is building a warehouse, and our job is to move bricks, stones, and wood, breaking up the larger stones so the workers can use them. Some people also have to dig ditches, I heard they're building some kind of reservoir, but I don't know what kind of reservoir they're building here. Anyway, we have to work for several hours every day."
Zhou Hongyi inwardly cursed the inconvenience, but he also knew that this was an opportunity to interact with the other prisoners, so he stood up and stood at the door. Only then did the other prisoners dare to move and stand at a distance behind him.
The cell door opened, and the prison guard handcuffed Zhou Hongyi before pointing to the group beside him and saying, "Follow them and assemble outside. Don't wander off. The guns above your heads don't have eyes."
As Zhou Hongyi walked out of the cell, he saw other prisoners in shackles also lining up to move out. When he reached the door, a prison guard stopped him, wrapped another chain around his waist, and extended it behind him, binding it to the monkey's waist.
A chain is tied between each pair of people to prevent them from escaping and to facilitate management.
"Damn it, this is such a hassle," Zhou Hongyi cursed under his breath. But if he walked even a little faster, the monkey would be pulled along and had to jog to keep up, which was quite inconvenient.
“Sorry, sorry, Boss Zhou, you walked a bit too fast. Here’s another tip: you’d better not look too energetic. If the foremen see you like that, they’ll think you still have energy, or they’ll think you’re slacking off, or they’ll give you more work. You should do what I do: hunch your back, drag your feet, and keep your head down. That’s it.”
The monkey then began to demonstrate for Zhou Hongyi. To be fair, the guy's acting was quite good; he seemed to instantly get into character, becoming a chronically ill cripple. He dragged his feet, making a screeching noise as he walked, his steps uneven, his hands clasped in front of his chest, head bowed, and he coughed occasionally. If someone didn't know the truth, they would really think he was very ill.
Zhou Hongyi used to work in Hengdian World Studios, so this level of acting was naturally a piece of cake for him. However, he needed to maintain his domineering persona. How could the dignified director of the Jing'an Second Branch Bureau be faking illness here? It was all a joke.
"Huh? This way, don't look around!"
A prison guard standing next to Zhou Hongyi gave him a shove. Zhou Hongyi turned around and glared at the guard. The guard raised his baton, almost hitting him, but Zhou Hongyi quickly pretended to fall and apologized profusely to the guard.
“Boss Zhou, we’re in prison now, and we have to bow our heads when we’re under someone’s roof. Besides, a wise man doesn’t fight a losing battle. You’re probably not guilty of anything too serious, and you’ll be released once the misunderstanding is cleared up. There’s no need to go against them.”
Zhou Hongyi tilted his head back and said nonchalantly, "Hmph, I won't tolerate them. Try touching me and see what happens. My hundreds of brothers outside are not just for show."
The monkey gave a wry smile, thinking to himself: "Hundreds of brothers? In this world, who knows who? It's all the same as when the tree falls and the monkeys scatter. Who will risk their lives for whom?" He figured the reality in prison would soon make the police chief "face reality."