kvmb 188. Recruiting the prison warden
188. Recruiting the prison warden
Zhou Hongyi found it amusing to himself, but outwardly maintained a compassionate demeanor, saying, "Warden, you've helped and taken care of me so much, I, Zhou Hongyi, am a grateful person and naturally won't put you in a difficult position. So, do you have any information on special prisoners, or information on people you're unsure about or find suspicious? Give it to me. I'll contact them as a prisoner, and no one will suspect anything. Of course, you should also provide me with some appropriate assistance."
The warden nodded hurriedly and said, "Director Zhou, don't worry. As long as you're willing to help me, I'll definitely cooperate fully. To be honest, I don't want to keep this warden position for even a day longer. But there are Japanese devils watching me from above, so I have no choice but to keep doing it."
The warden then shared with Zhou Hongyi the information he knew about the ordinary prison wards.
Based on the intelligence provided by the warden, and combined with the information he gleaned using his Insightful Eye, Zhou Hongyi had already sorted out the interpersonal relationships involved, as well as the hidden "rats."
First, Zhou Hongyi was certain that the prison warden, Diao Zhen, was connected to the underground Communist Party members he was tasked with rescuing; Diao Zhen had become his ally. On the other hand, Zhu Qingfeng, a former secret agent, was likely incarcerated under orders from Li Shiqun or Ding Mocun. The person he needed to approach was none other than Song Guotao, the Kuomintang special envoy Zhou Hongyi was supposed to rescue, who came from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong). However, Zhou Hongyi hadn't yet encountered this envoy. Had his identity been exposed and he been moved to the high-security prison?
In addition, Zhou Hongyi specifically noted a few people who required special attention, namely the Japanese ronin Kuki. Kuki appeared to be a ronin imprisoned for committing crimes, but in reality, he belonged to the Mei Agency and was also placed in prison with the goal of getting close to someone. The Mei Agency was likely investigating Song Guotao. Given the current situation, Zhou Hongyi's access to intelligence in the ordinary prison ward was extremely limited; he had to find a way to infiltrate the high-security prison ward.
That night, Zhou Hongyi lay alone in his spacious cell, plotting his next move. Outside, led by the blind man, the Razor Gang committed several more murders. However, these victims seemed insignificant compared to their previous gang leaders, utterly untouchable. They didn't even make the next day's newspapers, only a few tabloids reported on them. The reason the Razor Gang did this was because Manyu had uttered a phrase from Zhou Hongyi: "Plan B."
Long before Zhou Hongyi was imprisoned, he had already devised several escape routes. The so-called Plan B was based on the people he encountered and the events that unfolded in his cell. If things went smoothly, Plan B would be implemented; if not, Plan A would be executed. The people eliminated in Plan B were all connected to Liang Youde, the warden of the ordinary prison ward. Zhou Hongyi had already thoroughly investigated this warden, and this plan was intended to fuel the fire, giving the already uneasy warden more leverage to defect.
As expected, the day after the blind man made his move, Warden Liang approached Zhou Hongyi again. This time, his face was deathly pale, and he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Director Zhou, something terrible has happened! Last night, the people who helped me exchange the small yellow fish, the spies I did, and the Japanese spy were all killed! Do you think it's that Four-Faced Buddha who's been after me? What should I do? What should I do? Did the information I told you yesterday even help?"
Zhou Hongyi hurriedly comforted him, "Warden, please calm down. Since the people hiding in the shadows haven't directly approached your family, it means things haven't gotten that bad yet. We can still choose sides now. But to be honest, the intelligence you gave me yesterday was very limited and didn't touch on any core interests. I wonder if Warden could find a way to send me to the high-security prison? I heard that there are quite a few underground members of the Kuomintang and the Red Party there."
"This one……"
The warden hesitated for a moment, his face showing difficulty. "Director Zhou, you are unaware of this. The serious offender ward is controlled by the Japanese. The warden of the serious offender ward is named Fuma Kojiro. He is insidious, ruthless, and extremely cunning. Every time I meet and speak with him, I feel like I'm being watched by a venomous snake. If I get bitten, I'll either die or be crippled. Sending you in shouldn't be a big problem, but if you want to get out..."
The warden didn't finish his sentence, but Zhou Hongyi understood his meaning: going in was easy, getting out was difficult; the only ones who could be seen coming out were probably the corpses pulled out and buried through that side door. However, when he heard this name, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him: Fuma Kojiro. This person also had a code name, Kirigakure Saizo. He was also a student of Colonel Shimazu, one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and a classmate of his predecessor, Zhou Hongyi.
"Warden, how about this? I think the good-behaved prisoners in our regular wards can get some relatively easy, free, and lucrative jobs in the prison, such as kitchen staff or cleaners. If I remember correctly, the guards in the regular wards and the hardened prison wards share the same canteen."
Upon hearing Zhou Hongyi's point, the warden frowned and pondered. After a moment, he clapped his hands and said, "That's right, Director Zhou! You've hit the nail on the head! I can transfer you to the kitchen because of your good performance. That way, you'll have some contact with the guards in the serious offender ward. Sometimes they need someone to deliver meals, and that task can be given to you!"
“Excellent, Warden! That’s a brilliant plan! Let’s do it this way. Once I enter the hardened prison area and make contact with underground members of the Communist Party or the Kuomintang, I will find a way to send their messages back. At that time, these messages will be your best bargaining chip for your safety and security.”
Liang Youde excitedly shook Zhou Hongyi's hand and that very evening arranged for him to help out in the canteen as an outstanding prisoner.
"Boss Zhou, what are you doing inside? We should be doing this kind of rough work. How can we let you get us food?"
The next day at lunchtime, the prisoners were shocked to see that Zhou Hongyi was serving them food. Monkey, in particular, immediately flattered him, claiming he wanted to be replaced by Zhou Hongyi.
"Hehe, it's more free in here, and it won't be so boring. Come on, brothers, I'll give you an extra spoonful of food. We only have this much power right now, so don't let it expire."
As Zhou Hongyi spoke, he called over all the prisoners who used to share a cell with him, giving each of them an extra spoonful of food, which made the prisoners beam with joy. It felt so good to have someone protecting them; even after they got out of prison, they would immediately try to find any gangs or businesses related to Zhou Hongyi and ask to join them.