Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

184. Those who live near mountains live off the mountains; those who live near water live off the wa

Hearing that Zhou Hongyi would prepare a separate gift for him, Warden Liang Youde was very satisfied. He thought to himself that this Director Zhou was indeed a celebrity in the upper echelons of Shanghai's society. His methods and generosity were truly different.

Zhou Hongyi, however, keenly sensed something else in the warden's eyes.

Since he had already used the [Eye of Insight] today, although he couldn't see the words above the other person's head, after using the skill for a long time, even without activating the skill, Zhou Hongyi's observation ability was already much stronger than that of ordinary people.

He followed up on the other person's words and asked, "Warden Liang, may I ask why you summoned me up here?"

Liang Youde coughed a few times before realizing he hadn't gotten to the point, so he composed himself and said, "Actually, I just wanted to meet Director Zhou in person. Everyone says you're both scholarly and martial, and you're good at making money. I've been thinking that I need someone like Director Zhou by my side."

"Sigh~ Don't laugh at me, but our Takamori Prison is actually divided into an outer circle and an inner circle. As you've probably noticed, I'm the warden of the outer circle. The real power lies with the Japanese in the inner circle, so my authority is very limited. My brothers work hard for me, but they don't get much money at the end of the year. It's truly shameful."

Zhou Hongyi sneered inwardly. He could guess what the warden was up to with his bare hands. He just wanted him to make money for him; to put it bluntly, he wanted to ask him for money.

Adhering to the principle of "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," Zhou Hongyi nodded and said, "Warden, there are actually many ways for you to make money in this position."

Upon hearing that Zhou Hongyi was going to impart his business wisdom, Liang Youde immediately sat up straight and replied, "I am all ears."

Zhou Hongyi took a sip of his wine and, like a wise and enlightening teacher, began to speak:

"Warden Liang, you are the head of the prison. Although, as you said, this place is divided into an outer circle and an inner circle, from my observation, there are about five hundred prisoners in the outer circle alone. Although most of these people are repeat offenders, quite a few seem to have powerful connections. As the saying goes, those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water, so your path to wealth lies in these prisoners."

"Is the source of wealth the criminals?"

“That’s right. Warden Liang, you just mentioned that you’ve been to my Paramount, but due to different financial plans, you weren’t able to get to the VIP floor. Let’s think about it another way. Could we apply the Paramount’s business model to our prison? For example, we could set up simple cells, ordinary cells, premium cells, and special-grade VIP cells.”

When Zhou Hongyi uttered these terms, Liang Youde was completely bewildered, his face showing utter confusion.

Seeing the other person's blank expression, Zhou Hongyi put it more bluntly:

"Warden Liang, what I mean is, for those petty thieves who are penniless and habitual offenders, as soon as they come in, you should put them in the makeshift cells. Make a plan, for example, ten or twenty people per cell, crammed onto wooden beds. As for those who have slightly more respectable jobs, you can put them in regular cells, where there are a maximum of ten people per cell, with relatively more space and cleaner beds, but that's all."

Above that are the premium cells, where inmates with some wealth or those convicted of official misconduct are kept. They're generally willing to spend money to minimize their suffering in prison, so you should capitalize on this by providing them with two-person cells. These cells are not only spacious and clean but also equipped with sofas and bookshelves. Many economic criminals are educated; with just a few small changes, you can extract substantial sums from them—why not? As for the exclusive, top-tier cells I mentioned earlier, there's more to that than that.

Zhou Hongyi paused here, picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, still looking like he wanted more.

Upon seeing this, Liang Youde was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reacted, hurriedly uncorking the bottle and filling the glass for the "God of Wealth" in front of him. Then, like a primary school student eagerly seeking knowledge, he sat there blankly.

Zhou Hongyi found it amusing, but didn't tease the warden any further. He continued, "This type of cell must embody one word: 'special.' These cells are mainly for influential figures in society. Some are imprisoned because of misunderstandings, some because of political struggles, and a very small number are imprisoned to avoid trouble."

Director Liang, please don't deny it yet. I know there are indeed some people who, in order to distance themselves from trouble, will come up with all sorts of excuses to get themselves arrested and imprisoned, thus avoiding a greater crisis. Our philosophy for these people is to provide them with the best and most unique treatment, making them feel right at home.

The cells should be single rooms, of course, complete with sofas, wine cabinets, cigars, and soft beds. If possible, you could even let them take baths in their cells, and through your special channels, smuggle in some women to provide seafood feasts, fine wines, and cigarettes. Making money off these big shots is secondary; the most important thing, Warden, is that you can use this opportunity to make connections with them.

"Once you get on the good side with these people, even a small amount they squeeze into your business will make you incredibly wealthy. And you can do all this with the power you currently hold; there's virtually no risk involved—it's practically getting something for nothing, a guaranteed profit."

After Zhou Hongyi explained the differences between simple cells, ordinary cells, high-class cells, and special-grade VIP cells, Warden Liang Youde was dumbfounded. He stood there stunned, as if he had suffered a dimensional reduction attack, and it took him a long time to recover.

He slapped his thigh hard and shouted, "That's right! How could I not have thought of that? How could I not have thought of that? Director Zhou, Young Master Zhou, Brother Zhou! If you don't make money, who will? Tell me, if you don't make money, who will? This brain, this vision, oh my~~~ you really are a living god of wealth!"

Zhou Hongyi was startled by the other party's reaction and thought to himself: Do you have to be so excited?

The warden, as if he had obtained some business secrets and was afraid of forgetting them, hurriedly went behind his desk, took out paper and pen, scribbled down the key points, then folded them up as if they were precious treasures and put them in his pocket.

"Hehehe~~~ I'm so sorry to have disturbed Young Master Zhou's rest today. Here's the thing, I'll give instructions to my subordinates that you don't need to participate in the daytime work anymore. I'll arrange these things first. You're right, people live off the land and water. Where can a prison warden like me make money? Of course, from the prisoners. Ah, those words are a wake-up call. I must make the arrangements immediately; the sooner the better."

Seeing that the impatient warden was restless as if he had thorns in his butt, Zhou Hongyi stood up and said with a smile, "Since you have important business to attend to, Warden, I will take my leave now. If there is anything you don't understand in the future, you can send someone to call me at any time. I will definitely answer all your questions to the best of my ability and serve as Warden Liang's financial advisor."