Chapter 21

A rush of thoughts flashed through An Xiaohai’s mind in an instant! He was no longer the naive college student he once was and had zero trust in the entire system at the First Prison.

Despite his heightened alertness, An Xiaohai didn’t dare to show any sign of suspicion. He nodded and continued walking forward. Playing dumb was the only way to lull his opponent into a false sense of security; if they sensed he was prepared, they would respond with even more covert methods.

Turning a corner, a dim hallway appeared before him. In these times, video surveillance was still prohibitively expensive, so even in a prison, coverage was limited. Sure enough, there was no surveillance in this hallway outside the fixed zones.

Without monitoring, there would be no evidence. Whatever happened here could be impossible to explain without clear proof. The dark hallway felt like a beast lying in wait, ready to devour him as soon as he stepped in.

An Xiaohai furrowed his brows. *“Could they have seen through my plans? Or did I underestimate their brazenness?”* He rapidly assessed the situation in his mind.

An Xiaohai had maneuvered to get himself transferred to Area A, partly to throw off their plans and partly to distract his enemies. Area A was where the most vicious criminals were kept; for a college student convicted of accidental manslaughter, this was like throwing a lamb among wolves.

Typically, they’d wait to see if he would meet his own downfall or slowly slip up before taking him out legally. This would give him a breather, some time to brace for the endless challenges and persecution ahead. But surprisingly, they were clearly in no mood to give him any such chance. Only a month had passed, and already a new wave of trouble had arrived, swift and unannounced.

In a split second, all these thoughts rushed through his mind, though time had barely moved. An Xiaohai continued walking, though at a slow pace, without pausing.

The best way to avoid this crisis was to turn back and make the guard escort him to the inspection room. But An Xiaohai decided against it. If he did that, they would realize he had uncovered their scheme, and the situation would escalate further.

They were probably doing all of this for profit. If they suspected he was on to them, their first instinct would be to get rid of him as quickly as possible! Only by silencing him completely could they keep their dirty secrets hidden.

An Xiaohai steadied his breathing, his muscles tensed, ready for action. This threat had to be faced directly, but he had to make it appear as if he hadn’t recognized their intent. Only then could he buy himself some time.

Now he fully understood that even though he was a reborn man who had endured thirty years of agony, he was still far too kind. He had overestimated the enemy’s limits. To defeat the devil lurking in the shadows, he would have to be even more ruthless.

Despite his injuries, An Xiaohai continued forward, slowly untying a portion of the bandage on his right arm and slipping out a small wooden splint to hold in his hand as a makeshift weapon.

With each step, the 20-meter hallway felt endless. As he approached the final few meters, An Xiaohai suddenly leaped forward, covering nearly two meters in an instant. A figure hiding around the corner shuddered; he clearly hadn’t expected An Xiaohai to make such a move at the last second.

An Xiaohai took a quick glance at his would-be assailant, noting his stance. The man was waiting to ambush him, a sharpened metal spoon glinting ominously in his hand.

Realizing he was exposed, the man said nothing and rushed at An Xiaohai. Rather than calling for help, An Xiaohai focused entirely on the attacker. Calling for help would be useless. They had set this up; by the time anyone arrived, he could already be down, mortally injured.

Instead, An Xiaohai flung the wooden splint at his face with all his might. Caught off guard, the man took the splint squarely in the face, momentarily freezing his actions.

“Help! Murder!” An Xiaohai shouted, landing a solid kick to the man’s stomach. The man grunted in pain but charged again, undeterred.

An Xiaohai felt a sinking dread; he was too slight to effectively injure his opponent, who was much stronger. If this man managed to land a hit, An Xiaohai knew he wouldn’t survive. As the man lunged, An Xiaohai jumped and threw a punch towards his face.

The man grinned darkly, raising the sharpened spoon and stabbing toward An Xiaohai’s right arm. The sharp spoon hit the splint on An Xiaohai’s arm, cracking it, before plunging into his arm.

Ignoring the pain, An Xiaohai pulled the loosened bandage from his arm, quickly wrapping it around the attacker’s head and neck as they both crashed to the ground.

The guard who had escorted An Xiaohai arrived just then, with another officer from the inspection room. But instead of helping, they merely pointed their batons at An Xiaohai, ordering him to let go.

An Xiaohai ignored them, tightening his grip on the bandage and squeezing his legs around the man’s neck. He couldn’t afford to let go until other guards arrived.

“I said let go!” the older guard shouted angrily, striking An Xiaohai on the head with his baton.

Blood streamed down his face, blinding him. But the sharp pain kept him alert. Looking up, An Xiaohai saw fear in the guard’s eyes.

“An Xiaohai! What are you doing? Let him go!” A familiar voice, Liu Cong’s, finally rang out.

An Xiaohai let out a faint smile, knowing he was finally safe. The tension released, and he lost consciousness as his body went limp on the ground.