Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 99 - 98 Instant Noodles

Chapter 99: Chapter 98 Instant Noodles

When Yang Yi was heading to the dining hall, he walked with a limp.

Every prisoner looked at Yang Yi with that "I know what you did" look, and those who were familiar with Zhang Yong gave him a knowing smile.

Yang Yi really wanted to say it wasn’t what they thought, he had just pulled a muscle, just pulled a muscle.

But there was no need to say it; it seemed nobody would believe him anyway.

He had made his bed, now he had to lie in it with tears.

Yang Yi, holding a tray, stood in front of the person distributing the food and said helplessly, "Please, can I have a bit more?"

After dolloping a spoonful of meat sauce onto Yang Yi’s plate and seeing his pleading and helpless gaze, the Mexican server gave him a sleazy smile and added another half spoonful of sauce.

Yang Yi sat next to Zhang Yong and began to eat the disgusting-looking food in front of him, not leaving a single bit.

When Yang Yi was almost done eating, Zhang Yong finally said slowly, "Finished eating? See the white guy over there?"

"I see him, what about him?"

"His name is Michael; he’s the merchant here. Go over and tell him you want to buy instant noodles, ask if he has any. If he does, he can bring them for you by dinner. Got cigarettes?"

Yang Yi immediately replied, "Got them, I’ll go ask."

Yang Yi stood up and tried to walk with a more normal gait towards the white man, and then said in a low voice, "Hi, Michael."

The prisoner next to Michael immediately moved away with his plate, making room for Yang Yi to sit down.

Michael, who looked to be in his fifties, smiled at Yang Yi and said, "Hello, my friend, what do you need?"

Yang Yi whispered, "Do you have food? High-calorie, high-energy stuff would be best, instant noodles would be perfect."

Michael paused for a moment and said, "Aren’t you here to buy ointment?"

Seeing Yang Yi’s face fall, Michael patted him on the arm with a smile and said, "Just kidding, alright, the food you want, no problem, I’ve got it—chocolates, and of course, instant noodles."

"How do we trade?"

"Two packs of cigarettes for a bar of chocolate, the small packaged ones, and instant noodles for two packs as well. Or, if you have money, you can use cash—it’s twenty US dollars each."

The price had gone up more than tenfold—but this was prison.

Yang Yi said in a low voice, "I’ve got forty packs of cigarettes on me, I want ten bars of chocolate, ten packs of instant noodles."

Michael’s eyes lit up and he said, "Sure, we can trade, but we have to do it gradually, otherwise, it’s too conspicuous."

Yang Yi handed over four packs of cigarettes to Michael under the table and whispered, "Can you bring it this afternoon? Two packs of noodles."

Michael took the cigarettes with a smile and said, "Sure, come get them at dinner."

Yang Yi nodded and returned to his own table, where Zhang Yong asked expressionlessly, "Did you make the trade?"

"Yeah, I got it, I’ll pick it up at dinner. Brother Yong, I think we’ll still need cash, do you know how to get cash in here?"

Zhang Yong laughed and said, "Don’t call me Brother Yong."

"Ah?"

Zhang Yong looked at Yang Yi and laughed, "Have I ever asked for your name?"

Yang Yi was startled and said, "Right, you haven’t called me by my name... uh, do you know my name?"

Zhang Yong shook his head and said, "Clearly, I don’t. No matter the business, if someone doesn’t introduce themselves, we absolutely do not ask. So, you’d better call me ’Landmine,’ and as for you, whatever you prefer."

Yang Yi let out a sigh and whispered, "My name is Yang Yi, my real name."

Zhang Yong said with a helpless expression, "Damn, I didn’t ask for your name, why are you telling me your real name?"

Yang Yi whispered, "I just felt like I should tell you, uh, my fake name is Benjamin, you can call me Ross too."

"Don’t just go around giving out your fake name either. What about your nickname?"

"My nickname is Little Egg..."

Zhang Yong took a breath and said, "Little Egg? That nickname is really something..."

"I want to change it, so let’s change it."

"No, Little Egg is pretty good"

Yang Yi sighed in resignation once more, and Zhang Yong laughed, "It’s just a nickname, you can change it later if you want, don’t worry about it. I’ve had many nicknames, I change them every once in a while, it doesn’t matter. But this Little Egg nickname, it really doesn’t have any intimidation power, haha."

Yang Yi said listlessly, "Your nickname is Landmine, is it because you explode on contact?"

Zhang Yong nodded and said, "Exactly, that’s the idea. I got this nickname after I was put in prison, and I think it’s pretty good. I might just keep this nickname in the future."

"Then why are you called Earthworm?"

"Because it hides well, and, don’t you think an earthworm is incredibly tenacious?"

After a laugh, Zhang Yong clapped Yang Yi on the shoulder and said, "Come on, don’t get caught up in a nickname. We change names more often than we change clothes, why bother about it?"

Yang Yi got up and muttered, "You guys might change names often, but I can’t keep changing; I need to properly build up a nickname in the future."

"So you’ve decided on Little Egg?"

"Don’t joke, I don’t want that crappy name. In the future, I will definitely come up with a fierce and intimidating nickname."

The two continued their conversation as they returned to their cell, and then, after eating his fill, Yang Yi began his strength training.

"Push-ups, twenty in a set. Let’s start with a hundred."

Yang Yi wasn’t very heavy, and he was still young, so although a hundred consecutive push-ups were somewhat tiring, it was much easier if he split them into five sets.

By the time Yang Yi finished his push-ups, Zhang Yong immediately said, "Squats, let’s start with two hundred. Still, twenty in a set. Start."

Whenever Yang Yi’s movements were off, Zhang Yong would correct him, and Yang Yi didn’t need Zhang Yong to repeatedly teach him; usually, after one or at most two explanations, he could perform the exercise correctly.

After two hours of continuous exercise, Yang Yi felt his muscles sore and his hands trembling, his body dripping with sweat as if he had been fished out of water.

"Alright, stop there, that’s enough for today."

Yang Yi panted heavily and said, "I can hold on; I’m fine; I can still keep training."

"No more training. Too much of a good thing can be bad; this is a long-term process, you can’t rush it. It would be bad to injure yourself. How are you feeling now?"

"Hungry. I’m already hungry, and I want to take a shower..."

Zhang Yong laughed and said, "No chance for a shower. Wait for the sweat to dry off a bit and then just use some cold water to wipe yourself down."

Compared to when he made Yang Yi do splits, Zhang Yong was now much gentler, not forcing Yang Yi to keep training nonstop.

After waiting for Yang Yi to dry off and wipe down, while he was getting dressed, an eager Zhang Yong called out urgently, "Come on, come on, now we can start playing poker. Tell me, how did you win against me?"

Yang Yi hesitated briefly, then he spoke in a low voice, "Uh, you have to first observe your opponent, watch their expressions, pay attention to their little gestures, but the most important, uh, is you need to remember their cards..."