Inside Jiangnan City Prison, the night followed its usual rhythm.
*Bang!*
The sound echoed sharply within the cramped prison cell.
Ye Chen’s fist slamd against the iron bars, leaving behind a visible dent. The tal trembled slightly before settling, the faint vibration traveling through the cell’s structure like a suppressed warning.
"B-brother Chen... are you alright?"
Lu Shixun’s voice carried both concern and disbelief.
He had seen it clearly. That wasn’t normal strength.
In the past few days, the two had grown sowhat close. What started as simple coexistence had slowly turned into familiarity. But the more ti Lu Shixun spent around Ye Chen, the more he realized sothing was... off.
Not just Ye Chen himself and his absurd strength, but the way others treated him.
Trouble kept finding him. Not directly, but very persistently.
Food being tampered with. Subtle provocations. Silent hostility from inmates. Even the guards—the way they treated Ye Chen was way harsher, and deliberate indifference to the trouble being caused to him.
Tonight, soone had gone too far.
A dead rat was placed inside his food tray.
Ye Chen slowly withdrew his hand from the iron bars. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.
"Do you know who those two were?" he asked.
His voice wasn’t loud. But it carried weight.
Lu Shixun hesitated for a mont before answering.
"I... only know that they were convicted of attempted bank robbery. Recently, they’ve been following Du Wuchen."
"Du Wuchen..." Ye Chen repeated the na, his brows knitting slightly. "Is he the central figure of that group of annoying insects?"
Lu Shixun’s lips twitched.
He didn’t know how to respond to that.
"...You’re probably thinking of the right person."
Ye Chen fell silent for a mont.
Then he spoke again.
"What do they want?"
This was what bothered him the most.
If it had been a direct confrontation, he wouldn’t have cared.
But this constant, aningless harassnt was irritating.
And most importantly, distracting him, which interfered with his plans.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts shifted.
’I’ve already gathered enough information about the prison layout... the guard rotations... and the blind spots.’
’If this continues... it will affect my escape plan.’
A faint killing intent flickered in his gaze.
’Maybe I should just clean them up.’
He exhaled slowly.
’As for the guards... I’ll endure them for now.’
’If I act against them, they’ll beco cautious. That would only complicate things.’
Lu Shixun watched him carefully before speaking again.
"Brother Chen... do you have any vendetta against Du Wuchen?"
Ye Chen shook his head.
"I don’t think I’ve ever t him."
"Then... why not just ask him directly tomorrow during break ti?" Lu Shixun suggested. "With your strength, I don’t think you have anything to fear from that group."
His words were sincere.
To him, Ye Chen was already soone extraordinary.
A man who could dent iron bars with a single punch, what was there to fear about a group of thugs?
Ye Chen nodded slightly.
"That was my plan."
He sat down on his bed, his posture relaxing slightly.
"After tomorrow... things should quiet down."
His tone was calm. That was his confidence in himself.
But what he didn’t know was that soone else already had plans regarding him.
And that decision did not include letting him see tomorrow’s sun.
Lu Shixun said nothing more. The cell fell quiet again.
Outside, footsteps passed and faded, the faint clink of keys marking the rhythm of the night.
---
After midnight, the prison settled into a deeper silence.
Most inmates were asleep. The lights remained on, dim and indifferent, casting long shadows across the floor and through the bars.
A guard walked along the corridor.
His steps were steady, unhurried. The keys at his waist gave a faint sound with each movent.
He passed several cells without pausing, only giving a brief glance for inspection.
Then, near the end of the second floor, he slowed.
His steps stopped.
For a mont, he stood there, listening to the prisoner’s breathing rhythm.
Then he moved closer to the bars.
The keys in his hand tapped lightly.
Once.
Then again.
Inside the cell, a figure stirred.
Du Wuchen opened his eyes and sat up, his gaze sharpening almost instantly.
The guard didn’t speak.
He simply slipped a small set of keys through the bars, letting them fall quietly onto the floor.
Du Wuchen looked at them, then back at the guard.
By then, the guard had already turned away.
No words were exchanged.
The corridor returned to silence as if nothing had happened.
---
A few minutes later, Du Wuchen’s cell was no longer quiet.
Figures gathered one by one, their movents were careful, their voices low. No one rushed to speak, but waited for everyone to co.
"Brother Du..." one of them asked softly. "Is it tonight?"
Du Wuchen sat against the wall, one knee raised, his arm resting loosely over it. He didn’t answer imdiately. His gaze moved across the small group, calm yet serious.
"In the past few days," he said at last, "I’ve been watching him."
His tone was calm, but it carried a certain weight that made the others listen more carefully.
"His movents aren’t like those of an ordinary murderer."
Soone frowned slightly. "You an... trained?"
Du Wuchen tilted his head a little.
"I an control over the body," he said. "There’s a difference."
He lifted his hand and gestured lightly toward the cell’s bars.
"The bars of his cell are dented. The wall near his bed has cracks."
He let his hand drop.
"That kind of damage doesn’t co from ordinary force without losing control."
"There has been no sign of him being taken to the dical room. Which ans he was in control and is holding back when he punched those bars and walls."
A brief silence followed.
"That ans... his strength is real," one of them muttered. "Is that why none of us were allowed to fight him directly?"
Du Wuchen nodded slightly. "Yes, that was a good decision. Now the target is only guarded against pranks, not actual attacks on him. So tonight, we finish him."
"Brother Du, what’s the plan?" Another man asked.
Du Wuchen’s voice tensed. "The Chief Jailer has done his part," he continued. "From two to five in the morning, the inner area of the prison will be... easier to move."
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