There wasn’t the slightest hint of fear on Know-it-All’s face—he just raised an eyebrow, completely clueless about what illness this old man had suddenly caught.
Besides... he really didn’t rember the Warden ever saying anything like that...
“Oh?” Lu Ce’s face stayed dark and expressionless. “Well, I’ve said it now. So now you know.”
Know-it-All: ...
He could tell right away—the Warden was here to pick a fight.
Usually, they stayed in their own lanes and had no dealings with each other.
So why was he suddenly showing up today, of all tis?
Honestly, Know-it-All didn’t even have a clear impression of the Warden.
“You ca to today—what for exactly?”
He pulled out a chair, stood up, and casually poured himself a pot of tea, taking a small sip.
“What’s this about nothing escaping your eyes? Did sothing happen recently?”
His voice was calm and firm. Unlike the guards, he wasn’t technically under the Warden’s authority.
“I said you’re not being honest.”
The Warden, a.k.a. Lu Ce, narrowed his murky old eyes, a sinister glint flashing in the gray depths—oppressive and ominous.
“The prison’s been restless lately. Or rather, starting today, sothing’s gone wrong.”
“So interesting people have shown up. So interesting things have happened. You aware of that?”
Know-it-All went silent for a few seconds, clearly deep in thought. Then he replied coldly:
“I’m not sure. Shouldn’t you be asking the guards about that?”
“I barely ever leave my room. Whatever happens in the prison should be your job to handle, no?”
“Yeah, you don’t go out. But people co to see you.” Lu Ce’s voice grew darker.
“Want to jog your mory? Maybe you t soone you shouldn’t have?”
Know-it-All’s face didn’t change, as if those words hadn’t hit ho at all.
But his fingers trembled ever so slightly—unconsciously.
“What do you an, soone I shouldn’t et? Is there anyone in this prison I can’t et?”
“As long as they want to co, I’ll et them.” Know-it-All said calmly.
“Is that so? Then maybe you took sothing you shouldn’t have?”
“You still gonna try and lie to my face?”
As he spoke, Lu Ce took a step forward, closing the distance with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Know-it-All’s pupils finally contracted, his body tensing for a split second.
He was shaken.
Extrely shaken.
Inside his own room, he thought he could do whatever he wanted—no one in this prison had the right or the ans to stop him.
Not even the Warden.
But now, sothing felt off—how did he know about this?!
“You’re spying on ?” Know-it-All said coldly, refusing to back down. “How?”
Lu Ce didn’t say a word.
He simply extended his withered, gnarled hand—his transford hand—and held it out.
“Give it.”
His tone was flat. Undeniable.
Know-it-All froze at first. Then his face twisted into sothing ugly—real ugly.
So the Warden did know everything that had happened today.
He couldn’t figure it out—how the hell was this possible?!
More than that, he hadn’t expected the Warden to completely tear away the thin veil of civility between them.
“Heh!” Know-it-All let out a furious laugh. “You’re pushing it.”
“I’ve pulled plenty of bold sh*t in this prison, you think—”
“Enough!” Lu Ce suddenly shouted, making Know-it-All flinch hard. He didn’t even know how to respond for a second.
“Do you even know what you’ve done this ti?”
“Have you forgotten your duty here!?”
Know-it-All: ?
What did I do? What duty?
“In the past, we turned a blind eye to what you did.”
“Helping with escapes, smuggling contraband, even supplying weapons to stir up riots...”
Of course, all of this was made up by Lu Ce on the spot. But honestly, it sounded pretty plausible.
“But none of that mattered! Because it was all just a ga—it didn’t change anything.”
“But now? Sothing serious might be happening. Do you get it? Soone very dangerous... has arrived at our prison.”
“She—he—what did they give you?”
Lu Ce, disguised as the Warden, nailed the performance. Especially those eyes—murky and yellowed, but sharp enough to pierce bone.
Staring into them, Know-it-All started getting goosebumps.
“I...”
He’d been so confident just a mont ago. But now, he felt like he might’ve seriously f***ed up.
Yup. Just act righteous enough and the other side will start doubting themselves.
The two stared at each other for a long ti. Eventually, Know-it-All gave in.
“Sothing did happen. Soone weird ca to today and asked to hold onto sothing.”
“As for that woman... her appearance and personality were both pretty recognizable.”
“What about her? I didn’t think she was all that extraordinary.”
Lu Ce’s face turned darker—not faking it either. Under the Jealousy Mask’s effect, his expression had never looked pleasant.
“Let guess... what did she give you? Forget it—just tell directly.”
Know-it-All thought for a mont, then flipped his hand and pulled out a pair of headphones.
Lu Ce instantly recognized them—Xie Antong didn’t let him down.
He reached for them imdiately.
Forceful seizure—no talk of paynt or deals.
Know-it-All flinched and pulled his arm back, hiding the headphones behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“What are you doing!?” Lu Ce’s voice was even louder.
“Hand it over!”
Know-it-All: ?
“Says who? You know I have a reputation in this prison—I keep my word!”
“It’s just a pair of headphones, you...”
Lu Ce imdiately put on the pained, disappointed act.
“You ever wonder—why she gave you one headphone instead of two?”
Know-it-All looked confused. Like, was that sothing he was supposed to think about?
“You definitely didn’t think about it, did you?”
“Have you forgotten your identity? Do you even know the kind of responsibility you carry? The mission on your shoulders?”
“Have you forgotten your original purpose for coming here?”
“Huh?” Know-it-All was totally lost. “What kind of bullsh*t are you talking about? I run a gray market in prison, what ‘original purpose’ could I possibly have?”
“Shallow!”
“Your rise is tied to ours. If the prison falls, you think you’ll be spared?”
“When it cos to the greater good, what’s a tiny sacrifice like this? Especially when you were the one in the wrong to begin with—do you even realize the ss you’ve made?”
“You know how serious things are right now? This is a situation we’ve never seen before. Everything might hinge... on this very headphone! And you still want to cling to it!?”
“Think of the bigger picture, young man.”
Know-it-All: ......
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