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

178. Who educates whom?

"Hey, hey, hey, that new guy, he just went in and started provoking Bai Laoliu, is he tired of living?"

"He used to be the police chief, so he's used to being bossy. He can't switch roles right away. He'll learn his lesson after a while."

"Police chief? Bah! We've imprisoned plenty of ministers and directors in this jail, but who's as clueless as him? I bet he'll be played to death by Bai Laoliu in less than a day."

While the other prisoners were still discussing, they heard a "crack" sound coming from cell number 44, like something breaking, followed by Bai Laoliu's scream, which sounded like someone suffering from severe pharyngitis.

"Ahhhhh, my finger!"

"Crack!"

"Ahhhh, my nose!"

"Crack!"

"Ahhhhh, my legs!"

It turned out that just as Bai Laoliu reached out to grab Zhou Hongyi's head, the latter struck first, grabbing Bai's index finger and snapping it outwards. Bai's thick, fat finger was bent 180 degrees.

Zhou Hongyi wasn't going to tolerate these notorious criminals. He also knew that in prison, especially when you first arrive, you absolutely couldn't back down. If you did, with his good looks, he didn't know how badly he'd be bullied. So, he had to give these guys a hard time from the start and let them know who the "boss" was here.

After snapping the fat man's fingers in one swift motion, Zhou Hongyi then forcefully pressed down on the man's little finger. The fat man cried out in pain, bent his arm, and knelt on one knee on the ground.

Looking at the other man's howling fat face, Zhou Hongyi felt inexplicably disgusted. He slammed his right elbow down, breaking the man's nose and silencing his horrible screams.

The chubby man's right index finger was bent at a 180-degree angle, and his nose was also broken. Filled with pain and rage, he abruptly stood up, about to retaliate, when Zhou Hongyi sidestepped and delivered a low sweeping kick to the chubby man's right shinbone. With another "crack," the chubby man's physical strength was no match for Director Zhou's. The impact of their legs caused his right leg to bend forward at a 90-degree angle, breaking the bone. The pain nearly made him faint.

"Ah? Sixth Brother!"

The other prisoners only realized what was happening at this point, and one by one they rolled up their sleeves and rushed towards Zhou Hongyi, wanting to help.

But Director Zhou wasn't about to let them get away with it. He tossed the fat man aside, dodged a prisoner's punch, reached out and shoved the man hard in the face, sending his head crashing into the wall with a thud, and he fell into a deep coma.

Then, raising his left arm, he grabbed another man's fist, lifted it upwards, and with a "crack," dislocated the unfortunate fellow's shoulder. Afterwards, he delivered a chop to the throat of the prisoner who was about to scream. Had Zhou Hongyi not held back, the man's throat would have been completely shattered.

This handsome, fair-skinned Director Zhou was surprisingly ruthless in combat. In just a few moves, he crippled the three most capable fighters in cell number 44, including their cell boss, Bai Laoliu.

The other prisoners, seeing this, became somewhat guilty and hesitated to move forward. But Zhou Hongyi had no intention of stopping. He took a step forward and delivered a powerful front kick to the stomach of the man standing at the front, causing him to bend over and kneel on the ground, vomiting bile.

Seeing this, the others tried to run away, but Zhou Hongyi grabbed the two men by the collar and pulled them together, causing their heads to collide violently with a thud.

Zhou Hongyi was ruthless; none of the prisoners he injured could stand up. They were either left with broken arms or legs, or bleeding profusely from head wounds—the scenes were exceptionally cruel. Those who knew him understood that Zhou Hongyi was imprisoned there to serve his sentence; those who didn't might have thought he was abusing his power to torture these prisoners.

"Sir! Sir! Someone's been killed! Someone's been killed! Help!"

The prisoner with the pointed face and monkey-like features kept banging on the gate, pleading with the guards for help.

Two prison guards blew their whistles and opened the cell door. But when they saw the scene inside, their expressions froze. What the hell? They had only turned around to send other prisoners into their cells, less than ten minutes had passed, and now all the prisoners in cell number 44 were crippled?

"Damn it! Prisoner 0434, are you looking for death? Get out here and go to solitary confinement!"

Even the seasoned prison guards had never encountered such a powerful newcomer before. Zhou Hongyi held multiple identities outside: he was the police chief, the brother-in-law of the head of the 76th Inmates' Unit, and a teacher to a Japanese colonel. He was extremely influential in both the underworld and legitimate society of Shanghai. The fact that someone like him was imprisoned was itself a novelty to them. They had initially thought that once stripped of his worldly aura, Zhou Hongyi would become an ordinary prisoner's plaything, but they hadn't expected this seemingly refined young master to be so ruthless. Was he perhaps a specially trained assassin?

Zhou Hongyi looked at the prisoners lying on the ground, groaning in pain, smiled contemptuously, clapped his hands, and leisurely walked into the solitary confinement cell under the watchful eyes of several prison guards.

Confinement did him no harm whatsoever; it was a good opportunity for him to catch up on sleep.

But the inmates in cell number 44 were in for a treat. Except for the weasel-faced inmate who had initially warned Zhou Hongyi, every single one of them was dragged to the infirmary. They were either put in casts, splints, or had their heads wrapped up like dumplings. When the Second Precinct Chief was released from solitary confinement and returned to his cell, these inmates who had been shouting earlier stood obediently beside him, chanting "Boss!"

Zhou Hongyi waved his hand, leaned against the bedding and said, "Go away, stay away from me. Go do what you're supposed to do. I'm not your boss. Just don't mess with me."

The criminal with the pointed face and monkey-like features, nicknamed "Monkey," was standing nearby, chuckling as he said, "Yes, yes, Boss Zhou likes peace and quiet. Let's all keep our distance, keep our distance."

These prisoners, some with their heads wrapped in bandages and others with their arms in slings, couldn't be more willing to stay away from Zhou Hongyi. They tucked their tails between their legs and hid in a corner, not daring to provoke this fierce "police chief."

As a result, the prisoner who bet that Zhou Hongyi would cry on his first night in prison lost everything, while those who had heard of the Second Precinct Chief's reputation won a fortune.

The things prisoners use to gamble are very simple. A lunch, a cigarette, a photograph—anything can become their stake. Cigarettes, in particular, are hard currency, almost like gold, in prison.

Zhou Hongyi had just entered prison when he was locked in a small solitary confinement cell for three days. After being released, he was somewhat unaware of the commotion he had caused. Now, a prisoner nicknamed "Monkey" approached him with a fawning expression: "Boss Zhou, Director Zhou, would you like a smoke?"

Zhou Hongyi was quite surprised, but he still accepted the cigarette offered by the monkey, tossed it lightly, and put it in his mouth. The monkey then pulled out half a matchbox and a small match from somewhere and carefully lit it for Zhou Hongyi.

"Cough cough cough~~~ What kind of lousy smoke is this? It's so pungent!"

Zhou Hongyi took only one puff before throwing the cigarette on the ground. Monkey, looking nervous, picked it up: "My dear Director Zhou, we're prisoners now, we don't have such good conditions. These cigarettes are mostly homemade, the highest grade being something like 'Da Qianmen.' You have to have a good relationship with the prison guards to get those kinds of cigarettes."

“I usually smoke ‘Sanpaotai’ and ‘Camel’, or cigars. I don’t need these cigarettes, so I’ll give them to you.”

Zhou Hongyi generously offered the homemade cigarette to Monkey. Monkey's eyes flashed with a hint of envy, but he quickly smiled and said, "Boss Zhou, you're a big shot, so the cigarettes you smoke are naturally beyond our reach. But conditions in the prison are limited. If you don't smoke, I'll save it for you. You can ask me for it whenever you feel the urge."

Zhou Hongyi glanced at the man again, thinking that this guy called Monkey was quite clever, so he beckoned to him and said, "Tell me, what kind of people are locked up in Gaosen Prison? Is there anyone I need to pay special attention to?"