The more closed an ecological environnt is, the harder it is to hide secrets, especially in a high-pressure, enclosed environnt like a prison.
Secrets seem to grow wings of their own, constantly circling and flying within the high walls lined with electric nets, over and over, until the echo of their flapping wings can penetrate every corner and reach the ears of every living being.
The eting was held in the afternoon, and by dinner ti, the entire prison was filled with whispering discussions, from the guards to the prisoners; even the deaf and mute were gesturing to discuss it.
In short, the [last place elimination system] took the top spot on today's hot search list in the Second Prison, with the suffix [explosive].
Listening to Wang Cong's machine-gun chatter in his ear while he patrolled the cells, it seed like he had been awakened by this bombshell, as if his drowsiness from days of all-nighters had been dispelled, and he couldn't stop talking.
Feng Mu squinted his eyes as he listened, secretly alard in his heart:
"For the news to spread so quickly, if it weren't for Warden Qian Huan's deliberate leaks and covert promotion, I could take my head off and kick it like a ball."
Feng Mu slightly raised his eyebrows, catching a glimpse of Wang Cong's extrely excited expression, and couldn't help but shake his head in his heart.
He knew that this fool probably hadn't realized just how terrifying an earthquake this news would stir up in the Second Prison.
To put it bluntly, after half a year of this earthquake, it's uncertain whether even half of the people in the Second Prison would survive.
Feng Mu wasn't as naive as Zhou Hu thought; he thought further and didn't favor one side over the other. His concept of "half" didn't just refer to the prisoners; it also included the guards.
"Implenting a last place elimination system in prison to compete for revenue, tsk tsk, looks like his uncle's death completely blackened this warden, huh—"
Feng Mu internally disapproved of Qian Huan's revenue plan. In his view, this approach was akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, which was intolerable for soone who treated the prison as his ho.
"But chaos is a ladder to climb, and I can catch the wind on the fast boat the warden built."
It must be said, Feng Mu's bottom line was quite flexible. In the long term, he didn't agree with Qian Huan's thods, but in the short term, he was willing to join forces and seize the bloody profits brought by the chaos.
Feng Mu interrupted Wang Cong's untily excitent and calmly asked:
"Are you this excited because you've already thought about how to extract more benefits from the prisoners? Or are you planning to make a mark in Monday's eting to get a higher ranking and replace Captain Tian Tao?"
Wang Cong was startled, frantically looking around, and only let out a sigh of relief when he saw no one was eavesdropping: "Don't talk nonsense, I don't have that kind of idea, I just, just, just..."
Wang Cong stamred, while Feng Mu finished his sentence: "Gloating, you hope soone else can replace the captain, you're looking to watch Tian Tao's fall?"
Wang Cong gave an embarrassed smile as his thoughts were seen through.
Feng Mu looked seriously at Wang Cong and said, "Since you hope so much for soone to replace Tian Tao, why not go for it yourself? The last place elimination system is in your favor."
Wang Cong widened his eyes, waving his hands in panic: "I, I can't do that."
Feng Mu encouraged: "You can do it. Think about it—you're already at the bottom, which ans your potential for upward movent is greater than anyone else's, and I will help you."
Wang Cong swallowed his saliva, feeling deeply conflicted inside. Each ti Feng Mu encouraged him, the more guilty and struggling he felt inside.
Several tis, after eting Feng Mu's sincere and caring gaze, Wang Cong wanted to reveal the truth to him, but every ti he got to the point where the words almost left his lips, he swallowed them back down.
Just as Feng Mu said, he was also unwilling to remain at the bottom of the mire. He also wanted to climb up. Yeah, who wants to stay at the bottom of the mire all their life?
Wang Cong looked down to avoid Feng Mu's sincere gaze, murmuring softly, "Feng Mu, stop it. I know my limits, I can't do it. I just hope that if there's a change in the captain, maybe life would be a bit better for ."
Feng Mu had to extinguish Wang Cong's unrealistic fantasies. He said, "How do you know the new captain replacing Tian Tao would be better? The possibility of being worse and even more severe is much higher."
Wang Cong's face turned instantly pale. He understood that Feng Mu had a point. After all, soone who could replace Tian Tao was likely to be even more ruthless and vicious; otherwise, how would they step over Tian Tao?
Feng Mu patted Wang Cong's shoulder, earnestly saying, "Never put your hopes on others. As long as you're alive, you must rely on yourself."
Wang Cong bit his teeth but remained silent.
Feng Mu lowered his voice and insidiously suggested, "Think about how they treated you in the past. Now, imagine if you beca the captain and rose above them, what that would look like... Doesn't it make you feel full of strength?"
Wang Cong still said nothing, only clenching his jaw tighter, with fiery flas rolling in his eyes.
Feng Mu's mastery of the "heat" was becoming more refined, evidenced by the constant pop-up reminders on the retina before his eyes.
[Life is a culinary feast where everyone is a unique ingredient. The flavor they emit when served depends on how exquisite your culinary skills are.]
[Your cooking skills have been honed. Culinary Skill 2]
[Your mastery of timing has improved. Culinary Skill 3]
[Culinary Skill 1]
[….]
As a sincere friend, Feng Mu would never force Wang Cong. He wanted to leave plenty of retreat paths and choices for his friend. He just calmly and gently shared his genuine life insights from the past:
"I'm not forcing you; I'm just telling you that life is composed of a few critical choices, and right now, this fair upward chanism offered by the warden may well be the only chance in your lifeti to change destiny, and you should seize it at all costs."
Wang Cong's clenched jaw slightly loosened, and he nervously asked, "Seizing it at all costs, doesn't that an we might die?"
Feng Mu shrugged his shoulders, indifferently responding: "What's the difference? For people like us without any background, isn't life the only remaining, cheapest bargaining chip we have?"
Wang Cong widened his eyes, staring intently at Feng Mu, his heart beating wildly.
At that mont, he suddenly realized that this newly-arrived prison guard wasn't rely the gentle, kind, helpful, and dutiful image he showed on the surface.
Beneath Feng Mu's calm exterior seed to lie sothing he couldn't quite reach but deeply desired.
That sothing was called—a fearless and mad soul; also—a timid yet vicious beast!
…..
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