Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1100 - 64 Visit the Prison

Chapter 1100: Chapter 64 Visit the Prison

Opportunities won’t come waiting, so Tang Zheng decided to take the initiative and walk around Black Fox Prison. Of course, to find a suitable excuse, he spent a morning using the police station’s internal network to check the records of the prisoners detained there.

"Chief, twelve media outlets have called asking if you have time, hoping to do a live interview with you!" The policewoman, holding a folder and standing in front of the desk, reported her work and didn’t forget to look at Tang Zheng with affection, sending him a few flirty glances. Her brother’s job was settled, and to consolidate her status, she wanted to suggest herself for a more personal favor, but unfortunately, he never took the bait.

"Decline them. I have no time. Take these documents to the printing room and get them out quickly. I need them immediately," Tang Zheng said, pointing to the LCD screen and making room for her to work.

"Okay, also there is a reporter named Christina who claims to be an acquaintance of yours. She wants to invite you to lunch," said the policewoman as she approached, faking a stumble and falling onto Tang Zheng.

"I’m sorry." The policewoman stood up, disappointed to see there was no additional reaction from him.

"Don’t know her. Decline it. Ten minutes—and have the documents printed," Tang Zheng didn’t want to entangle in clarity, "and get Sha Ou in here."

The policewoman worked efficiently and completed the task in less than five minutes. Tang Zheng took the documents from her, flipped through them, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done. The three of you, come with me." Tang Zheng handed the documents to Yu Manli and got up to leave.

Sha Ou and Tao Tao quickly followed; the former took charge of driving the police car, while the latter, utterly clueless, sat in the passenger seat, secretly sizing up Tang Zheng through the rearview mirror, unable to hide the unease on her cheeks.

"You need to learn to stay calm. Without a cool head, danger increases at least twofold during a crisis," Tang Zheng leaned back in his seat, eyes closed in rest, as he instructed Tao Tao, "Later I’ll find you a few sandbags. I want you to beat them into serious injuries."

"Beat people? I can’t do that." Tao Tao quickly nodded her head, not wanting to displease Tang Zheng, but on hearing about serious injuries, she quickly shook her head.

"Mud can’t support a wall. Tang Zheng is trying to train your courage," Yu Manli scolded. She felt that if Jing Xiang hadn’t been injured, Tao Tao would never have had a place here; this woman was destined to be cannon fodder from the start, doomed to die sooner or later.

"I know, but I’ve never hit anyone," Tao Tao wiped her reddened eyes, crying.

"Shut your mouth. Just do as I say, and don’t worry about anything else," Tang Zheng grew impatient, wondering why he had to deal with another timid girl; one Jing Xiang was enough to worry about.

Tao Tao bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed quietly.

"Tang Zheng is being good to you. Look at Teng Yuangxiang; she outperforms many men and is an absolute survival expert," sighed Sha Ou, knowing that with Tao Tao’s state, she was unlikely to survive.

Yu Manli curled her lip; she acknowledged Teng Yuangxiang was ruthless but believed she would have outdone her if she were a bit younger and more attractive.

Tang Zheng couldn’t be bothered with the chatter and closed his mouth; even if Jing Xiang was slow, at least she was more loyal than Tao Tao. He had not forgotten how that girl had fought for him desperately.

Yu Manli sneered internally. Tang Zheng’s silence confirmed to her that Tao Tao had already been abandoned, that this girl who only knew to cry had, without realizing it, lost her last lifesaving straw.

Black Fox Prison was situated on the furthest western outskirts of the city, having stood for a hundred years, marked with the long history and the vicissitudes of the City of God.

Even under the glaring midday Red Sun, the prison exuded a chill and sinister aura from afar. The isolation wall, thirty meters high and smeared with dropping grey, was laced with wire mesh and charged with high voltage. Some bird carcasses, electrocuted by accident, lay rotting on the ground.

After the police car turned a crossroad, Tang Zheng could see the castle-like structure. On the high watchtowers, policemen stood with loaded rifles, even outfitted with machine guns, and massive searchlights hung above, which would bathe the prison in light as bright as day at night. With such tight security, it made escaping from the prison harder than reaching heaven.

Twenty meters from the steel main entrance, a standing guard waved them to stop by the side of the road; had it not been a police car, they would have already been met with armed caution.

"You’re early; today isn’t visitation day." A policeman approached, tapping the glass, and after Sha Ou lowered the car window, he scanned inside the vehicle, his gaze unintentionally lingering on Tao Tao’s thigh.

Sha Ou was about to retort when the policeman spoke again.

"Though if you’re willing to pay a little tip, I can let you in; as to whether or not you can see anyone, that depends on your skills."

This guy brazenly demanded a bribe, leaving Sha Ou dumbfounded. Tao Tao looked to Tang Zheng, wondering what he would do, while Sha Ou was about to reach for his wallet, preferring to avoid making things complicated.

"Wait," Tang Zheng opened the car door and stepped out, standing at one-eighty-five, tall enough to look down on the policeman before him.

Yu Manli’s judgment was superior to that of Tao Tao; once the Group Leader got out of the car, she quickly followed, with documents in her hands, standing respectfully behind him. Unlike Tao Tao, who still stayed in the car, not knowing what to do.

"Beauty, are you interested in a drink tonight?" Seeing Yu Manli’s figure, the policeman whistled flirtatiously.

"I think you should find a job before you consider drinking." Had they not been slightly distant, Yu Manli would have lashed out already, "Don’t you recognize the new police inspector, or at least the epaulettes?"

"Who knows if it’s fake or not, I’m just doing a routine check," the policeman said, panicking and looking for excuses. The one beside him was much smarter, instantly standing at attention, retracting his rifle, and saluting.

"Good, I like people who are devoted to their duty." Tang Zheng nodded at his chin, then took a step forward and suddenly reached out, grabbed the policeman by the hair, and slammed his head onto the car roof.

With a bang, the policeman felt dizzy, his body going limp involuntarily, and blood from his nostrils traced a line on the car.

"My credentials, would you like to check them?" Tang Zheng took out a black booklet and handed it to the other policeman.

"No need, it’s definitely fine, I’ll go have them open the gate." Terrified of receiving the same treatment from Tang Zheng, the policeman saluted again and then trotted towards the Main Entrance.

"Let’s go." Tang Zheng kicked the policeman away and got back into the Police Car. Sha Ou was driving the car into the prison.

The Warden of Black Fox Prison was technically on the same level as Tang Zheng, but he managed far fewer people, totalling no more than three hundred prison guards. There were no conflicts of interest between the two, and there was no need to offend Tang Zheng, the rising star of the police force. There might be a time in the future when he would seek Tang Zheng’s help, so fostering goodwill was better than a cold shoulder.

"I’m here for some old, unresolved cases. I need to have a talk with these Prisoners," Tang Zheng handed the prepared documents to the Warden.

"Hmm, these guys are tough nuts to crack," said the Warden as he flipped through the papers, immediately lining up the numbers. He no longer doubted Tang Zheng’s purpose, sensing that this man was power-hungry, eager to achieve and climb ranks quickly.

"So, I’m going to trouble you with something else. I don’t want to interrogate them in the Interrogation Room. The information obtained there might be flawed. Could I have a private talk with them instead? That would create a more relaxed atmosphere." The Prisoners were all handpicked by Tang Zheng. If not for the lack of the prison’s blueprint and specific locations of each Prisoner’s cell, he could have chosen individuals from every nook of the prison. However, seeing the Warden’s amicable attitude, he knew there was still a chance.

"That’s a bit difficult." The Warden wasn’t merely making excuses. According to regulations, they could not allow outsiders into the prison, even if the visitor was a policeman.

"You surely also hope to solve those cases and capture the fugitives at large, right?"

"That’s what you think," the Warden retorted, just wanting to mind his business until retirement. However, he quickly changed his mind upon seeing Tang Zheng pull out a thick envelope and place it on the desk.

"I just need one hour," Tang Zheng said, smiling and showing his eight white teeth, displaying his charisma.

"Alright, but try to be quick," said the Warden, changing his tune after spotting the US dollars peeking out from the envelope, all hundred-dollar bills.

"Find a guard to lead the way," Tang Zheng suggested, knowing the Warden would surely send someone to watch him. With this, the Warden completely lost any suspicion of Tang Zheng.

"How much yard time do the Prisoners get each day?" While walking through the prison, Yu Manli casually inquired to a guard about some matters and secretly handed him a red packet.

Tang Zheng mused that aside from Yu, a mature woman, others truly couldn’t handle such matters.

The prison was silent, the sound of their leather shoes clicking crisply on the floor. The keys jangled loudly on the prison guard’s belt as he walked. He opened an Iron Gate, and they entered, with an ear-piercing screech due to the age-old hinges lacking oil.

"The Prisoners here are quite temperamental, so be careful," the guard said, more politely after accepting the money and considering Tang Zheng’s status.

This was a two-meter-wide Passage; on either side were prison cells, each containing six Prisoners.

Deprived of seeing women, the Prisoners immediately started howling like hungry wolves upon spotting the two policewomen in Uniforms walking by, banging on their bunks and the Wire Mesh, creating all kinds of noise.

Tao Tao, looking at the men in their grey Prisoner uniforms, clung to Yu Manli’s Arm with a pale face frightened.

"Quiet down! Shut your mouths," the prison guard shouted, but sadly, his voice couldn’t overpower the howling of the Prisoners.