To be honest, it had been a long time since Bian Yiqiu had been in a fight, and even longer since he had felt this good. There were no weapons in the detention center, so it was just bare-knuckle combat. Each punch he threw was packed with the kind of power that would leave a person unable to get back up. The sounds of shouting, screams, and the dull thuds of flesh meeting flesh mixed with the growing smell of blood, creating an overwhelming desire for violence. The anger that had been simmering inside for days turned into a wild beast, roaring to tear apart the chains and shackles in front of him, releasing all the frustration and pent-up rage that had built up over time.

No matter how indifferent or unconcerned he appeared, everything he had gone through during this time had left a deep impact on him. No one knew how scared he had been when Ke Mingxuan, covered in blood, closed his eyes in front of him. No one knew how helpless he felt when he tried everything but still couldn’t get any news about Ke Mingxuan. No one knew how miserable he felt when he finally saw him through the car window, only to find that his arm couldn’t move properly. And no one knew how furious he had been when the Jiu’an Group, which Old Master Jiu had worked for over a decade to cleanse, almost crumbled in his hands.

But there was nothing he could do. His power was as insignificant as an ant under the crushing weight of the Ke and Feng families’ overwhelming influence. He was at the end of his rope, desperate and helpless, with someone tightly gripping his throat. That person was still Ke Mingxuan’s father, and he couldn’t even find a reason to hate him. But now, all that fear, helplessness, misery, and anger finally found an outlet.

Bian Yiqiu was like a mad lion, his eyes bloodshot as he repeatedly raised his fist and slammed it down again and again. He didn’t even bother to distinguish whether the people he was hitting were from Zone A or Zone C. If anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed that many of the prisoners from Zone A were knocked to the ground, unable to move.

The sharp sound of a whistle quickly echoed across the entire field. The brawl lasted only two or three minutes before a large group of prison guards, armed with batons, charged in. At the same time, a squad of armed police entered, surrounding them on all sides.

“Stop! Everyone, stop! Get down on the ground, hands on your heads!”

Bian Yiqiu threw a punch at a prisoner’s eye socket, and was about to land another when Qian Ying grabbed his arm and pulled him back behind two prisoners who hadn’t figured out what was going on yet. They obediently crouched down.

“Fuck, that felt good,” Qian Ying wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then turned to Bian Yiqiu. “Now I get why people on the streets say you’re heartless and ruthless. This isn’t just a fight; you’re trying to kill someone.”

Bian Yiqiu expressionlessly raised his hands and placed them behind his head. “Since we’ve started, it’s a waste not to make them submit.”

Qian Ying chuckled a couple of times, then watched as a few prisoners who were too slow to stop were mercilessly beaten by the guards. The titanium-alloy stun batons slammed down on them, leaving even the big, burly prisoners crying out and rolling on the ground.

The cross-district brawl caught the attention of Director Yu, who was about to finish his shift. Furious, he rushed to the scene, and when he saw the prisoners sprawled on the ground, howling in pain, he nearly had a stroke from anger.

“None of you want to get out, huh? You love prison life so much? I don’t mind filing a report and getting the court to sentence you to a few more years. You’ll get a good taste of what hard labor’s really like! A bunch of fucking assholes. Sending you scum in here is a waste of the country’s food. If trash like you can be reformed, even pigs would be able to climb trees!”

Director Yu had been in the prison system for over twenty years and had seen all kinds of prisoners. To use a popular phrase, he was someone who specialized in dealing with those who wouldn’t bow down. His temper was like a ticking time bomb—just a little heat and it could ignite, let alone if someone provoked him. So, when he started yelling, he went on for over half an hour. All the prisoners had no choice but to stay in their positions, squatting with their hands on their heads, listening quietly. Even those who were injured and couldn’t get up, as long as they weren’t dead yet, no one dared to help them.

Don’t underestimate the position of squatting with both hands on your head. Most people couldn’t last even ten minutes without moving, let alone half an hour. Those who could were true warriors—of course, Director Yu did this on purpose.

When he finally finished ranting and felt satisfied, he summed it all up with one sentence: “Lock them all in the solitary confinement.”

One of the guards from Zone A quietly reminded him, “Director, we don’t have that many solitary cells.”

Director Yu shot him a dissatisfied glare. “Who started the fight?”

The guard replied, “Xiong Jiang and Liu Zhi from Zone C.”

The guard from Zone C wasn’t happy. “Why don’t you mention Bian Yiqiu and Qian Ying from your Zone?”

“Bian Yiqiu and Qian Ying were just playing ball, they didn’t mean to cause trouble. Your people lost and couldn’t take it, so they threw the first punch. The surveillance cameras have it all recorded. Go check it yourself.”

Zone C was clearly at fault, and their guard couldn’t argue back. All he could do was grumble in dissatisfaction, “Calling that a fight? Bian Yiqiu was practically trying to kill someone with the way he was hitting.”

The Zone A guard sneered coldly, “Your guys started it and couldn’t win, so now you’re blaming him for hitting too hard?”

“You—”

“Enough! Both of you, shut up!” Director Yu was on the verge of losing it. “Xiong Jiang and Liu Zhi, who started the fight, will be locked in solitary for half a month. Bian Yiqiu and Qian Ying will clean the field for half a month.”

“Director, isn’t half a month in solitary a bit too long?”

“Oh, so you think the punishment is too light, huh? Fine, then both of your zones will have their meat ration canceled this week. Looks like they’ve been eating too well and have too much energy to burn.”

After delivering this with a flourish, Director Yu turned and walked off, leaving the two guards staring at each other. If they’d known no one would benefit from this, why bother making things worse?

The Zone C guard led his people back, helping those who could walk and escorting those who couldn’t under the supervision of the prison guards and armed police.

Thanks to Bian Yiqiu and Qian Ying, Zone A didn’t have as many injuries. However, due to Bian Yiqiu, anyone who ended up on the ground was injured much more severely.

The guard instructed a few prison officers to take the injured to the infirmary, then walked up to Bian Yiqiu and muttered, “Why the hell were you hitting your own people?”

“We’re all wearing the same damn prison uniforms—how the fuck was I supposed to tell the difference?!” Bian Yiqiu snapped, lowering his hands and standing up. But as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through his right ankle. Coupled with the numbness in his legs from squatting so long, he almost collapsed.

Qian Ying quickly steadied him. “Don’t tell me you’re this weak. Squatting for a bit, and you can’t even stand straight?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Bian Yiqiu barked, spitting at him. “I’m injured, damn it!”

Compared to the countless injuries Bian Yiqiu had sustained over the past thirty years outside, this barely qualified as a wound. When Xiong Jiang rammed into him from behind, he slipped and twisted his ankle. At the time, he didn’t feel much, and during the fight, he was so focused that he didn’t notice anything wrong. It was only now that he realized his ankle had swollen up like one of those giant steamed buns from the cafeteria.

Bian Yiqiu declared matter-of-factly, “Guard, look at how badly I’m hurt. There’s no way I can clean the field.”

Qian Ying immediately chimed in, “Bian Yiqiu, hurry up and hit me too! I want to get injured so we can share the pain and the perks as true brothers in misfortune!”

The guard, looking utterly exasperated as if dealing with hopeless idiots, drew a deep breath and barked a forceful, “Get lost!” He waved them off, telling them to go cool off somewhere else.

So, Qian Ying took it upon himself to escort Bian Yiqiu to the infirmary. With so many injured, the on-duty prison doctor was completely swamped, and a line had already formed outside. But the moment they saw Bian Yiqiu, the others quickly stepped aside, giving him priority to go in first.

The prison doctor was busy treating a prisoner with a head wound and didn’t have time to deal with him. Bian Yiqiu sat down on a nearby chair and casually picked up a newspaper from the desk, flipping through it.

Qian Ying was about to ask the doctor for some ice to help with the swelling when he turned around and saw Bian Yiqiu suddenly leap up from the chair. Without a word, he stormed out of the infirmary, exuding an unmistakable aura of menace.

“Bian Yiqiu!” Qian Ying called out, quickly chasing after him.

Bian Yiqiu was striding briskly, almost like he hadn’t been hurt at all. If not for the slight awkwardness in the way he put weight on his right leg, no one would have guessed he was injured.

During the free activity time after dinner, as long as they stayed within the surveillance range of the cameras, prisoners didn’t need guards following them everywhere. Qian Ying chased after Bian Yiqiu as he left the infirmary, crossed the basketball court, and headed straight for the main gate. Alarmed, Qian Ying’s heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward to block him.

“Bian Yiqiu, what are you doing?!”

“Move.”

“You can’t go any farther!” Qian Ying didn’t step aside. Instead, he grabbed Bian Yiqiu’s arm and yanked him back. “Are you insane? Even if you’re planning to break out, you can’t just charge out the front door like this!”

“I’m getting out.” Bian Yiqiu grabbed him by the collar of his prison uniform, spitting out the words through gritted teeth.

“And how exactly are you planning to do that?” Qian Ying retorted, his voice rising. “Fingerprint, iris scan, and facial recognition—three layers of security. Infrared fence alarm systems. Smart high-voltage pulse electric grids. The entire zone under 24-hour surveillance with no blind spots. Not to mention dozens of armed patrol officers with machine guns, ready to put a bullet in you the second they even suspect you’re trying to escape. Kill you, cripple you—perfectly legal. You tell me, how are you getting out? If it were that easy, I’d have been long gone!”

“Do you need me to teach you this stuff?” Bian Yiqiu shoved him away, his eyes bloodshot. “When I was locked up in Tongshan, you weren’t even weaned yet! I have to get out. I must get out! Move aside!”

“Bian Yiqiu, calm down and listen to me. If we’re going to get out, we need a plan, not just charging in recklessly…”

“What are you two doing!”

Qian Ying’s words were cut off by a harsh shout. Both of them turned around to see a guard from Zone C approaching with a dark expression.

Shit, of all the bad luck. The people from Zone C, whether inmates or guards, had always had a grudge against them.

“Nothing’s going on. He’s injured, and I was just about to take him back,” Qian Ying quickly explained.

“Back?” The guard from Zone C glanced at Bian Yiqiu. “This doesn’t look like the way back to Zone A.”

“We just came from the medical room, taking a little detour for a walk,” Qian Ying replied smoothly, sounding perfectly believable.

The C Zone guard looked skeptical, but seeing no obvious cracks in Qian Ying’s expression, and with Bian Yiqiu saying nothing, he couldn’t find any grounds to challenge them. He just muttered a few words of warning and let them go.

However, the appearance of the guard helped Bian Yiqiu regain some composure, pulling him out of the earlier frenzy. He knew Qian Ying was right—there was no way he was getting out now. Even if he risked his life, it wouldn’t change the reality he had just seen.

“What’s the date today?”

“Huh?” Qian Ying didn’t immediately catch on.

“What’s the date?” Bian Yiqiu asked again, this time with more patience.

“Uh… the 8th, I think.”

“The 8th, the 8th…” Bian Yiqiu muttered to himself, a dazed look on his face as he turned and started walking toward Zone A. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow? What’s going on?” Qian Ying was confused. He couldn’t understand how a trip to the medical room could have such a big impact on him.

“Ke Mingxuan is getting married tomorrow.” Bian Yiqiu slammed the crumpled newspaper he’d been holding into Qian Ying’s chest, then grinned viciously. He turned and punched the hard wall with such force that Qian Ying could almost hear the cracking of bones. He didn’t look back as he strode toward his cell.

Qian Ying stood frozen for a long time, stunned by the news. He glanced at the bloodstains on the wall, then at Bian Yiqiu’s back, which tried to appear strong but was clearly strained. Quickly, he lowered his head and began unfolding the crumpled newspaper he had been handed.

Due to the political backgrounds of the Ke and Chen families, the newspaper didn’t make a big deal of the marriage. It was only mentioned in the financial section, where it reported that Ke Mingxuan, the CEO of He Sheng Media, would marry Carina Chen, the CEO of the U.S. Oz Group’s China division, on the 9th of this month. The report didn’t even dare to write the bride’s full Chinese name, but it did offer some speculation on the impact the wedding would have on the business world and He Sheng’s upcoming international development strategy, along with a close-up photo of Ke Mingxuan and Miss Chen.

Qian Ying stared at the photo, where Ke Mingxuan’s handsome, radiant smile seemed to shine with a brilliance that could stir both envy and fury. The only words he could think of to describe how he felt at that moment were “Fuck!” He honestly couldn’t find any other words to express the overwhelming feeling of being trampled by ten thousand angry wild horses.