Chapter Eighteen: The Duo Dining on Prison Fare

Before the two had even finished speaking, several guards entered the restaurant, weapons raised as they shouted, "Nobody move! Anyone who threw a punch, step forward now!"

"Boss Qiang, these two troublemakers attacked people in our restaurant. That knife is the weapon!" someone from the restaurant immediately jumped in, trying to stir things up.

"Shut your mouth and pull up the surveillance records. Chief Zhong will judge the matter himself."

"Chief Zhong is here in person?"

A ripple of agitation spread through the crowd; all eyes turned to the last law enforcement vehicle, its doors still closed.

It was a somber, striped vehicle, lights flashing.

An elderly man, his hair silver and face deeply lined, opened the door at a deliberate pace and stepped out.

His name was Zhong Ang. He had joined the city-state when Southport was first founded, initially serving in an administrative role. Later, due to a notorious miscarriage of justice, he’d been imprisoned in the guardhouse for years. When the verdict was overturned, it coincided with the completion of New Southport City, just as every department was desperate for personnel.

When asked where he wanted to be reassigned, he surprised everyone by choosing the guardhouse.

Chief Zhong’s gaze swept the room before settling on Ji Cheng and Su Yi.

Another pair of monsters, he cursed inwardly.

Zhong Ang was someone incompatible with the gene prototype—in other words, no matter how wealthy or powerful he became, he could never receive the genetic injection, never become an ability user, doomed forever to remain ordinary. This was a bitter torment for him, especially as age crept up.

He despised ability users, and by extension, everyone who had received the genetic injection. He told his children they were monsters, unworthy of being called human.

"Is it gene prototype injectees causing trouble?" Zhong Ang rasped, his voice like an old bellows.

According to Southport law, the procedures differed depending on whether a case involved only ordinary citizens or anyone injected with the gene prototype.

The restaurant owner, who had been waiting anxiously by the side, immediately stepped forward. "Yes, Chief Zhong, you see clearly. Our customers were attacked, and that man injured several of our security staff."

To his mind, since the incident involved a gene prototype injectee, his statement was perfectly correct.

"Release the others. Arrest the two gene prototype injectees making trouble," Zhong Ang ordered.

"But, Chief—" The man started to protest, but a guard pressed down on his shoulder, giving him a cold, warning look.

Stay out of this.

He watched, bewildered, as the guards led Ji Cheng and Su Yi away. The car's lights vanished into the night.

"What’s happening to this city?"

Gray Zone City Guardhouse, Chief's Office.

"You can't find anything? What do you mean, you can't find anything!"

Zhong Ang thundered, his furrowed face twisted in rage, papers flying everywhere.

He’d wanted to check the backgrounds on those two little monsters, but this was the answer his subordinates gave him.

One guard stammered, "We found the woman—she’s a wealthy merchant’s daughter, fairly well-known in Southport. Some busybodies even named her one of the city’s ten most beautiful women."

"A merchant? That means nothing. Send both of them over." Zhong Ang snorted in disdain.

The guard paled. "Think carefully, Chief. That merchant knows a lot of important people and has business with LaserEye Corporation."

"LaserEye?" Zhong Ang frowned. "That new, aggressive cybernetics company?"

"Right. Rumor has it their mysterious backer is a certain Ability Lord."

"An ability user. Always an ability user." Zhong Ang brooded for a long moment, his interest waning. "Release the woman. As for the man, if there’s no record, he’s probably an unregistered vagrant. Send him over."

If she were merely a rich merchant’s daughter, as the chief of the District One City Guard, he wouldn’t give her a second thought. But the slightest suspicion of ability user involvement meant nobody dared take chances.

No matter how much he loathed them, it was a gap in status that could not be crossed.

"Chief, we’ve already sent three batches of gene prototype injectees this month. Isn’t that enough?" The guard's tone was tinged with uncertainty.

"Send them anyway. If there are too many, just kill the excess. They’re all vermin," Zhong Ang replied indifferently.

He'd been chief of the Gray Zone Guardhouse since New Southport’s founding, overseeing security for a district of over ten million residents.

After eight years, making people disappear was child’s play.

"Yes, sir." The guard departed.

…

"I never imagined it was my sister who sent you to flirt with me, causing all this mess." Ji Cheng was exasperated, embarrassed by the situation.

He’d expected some kind of conspiracy or secret, but it turned out to be Luo Rao playing matchmaker for her own amusement, which led to this misunderstanding.

As for why Su Yi claimed she wanted to beat him to death, he understood now—it stemmed from something he'd said during the mining exam.

The seductive and lively Su Yi was now deathly pale, her eyes brimming with grievance.

"I don’t blame her…"

"Such a pushover."

Ji Cheng rubbed his face, bemused. Luo Rao—the real instigator—was untouched, while he, relatively innocent, and poor Su Yi, completely blameless, were the ones imprisoned.

Now they were locked in a cell, awaiting interrogation at any moment.

Thinking of her predicament, Su Yi’s eyes filled with tears. She choked, "I’m so wronged… Once you’re in a place like this, you never get out the same."

Ji Cheng pondered. "Isn’t your family pretty well-off? Can’t you call someone to pull some strings?"

It was a while before Su Yi could speak. "My father is just a businessman. He’s got some money, knows a few people, but his influence doesn’t reach here."

She added, "The City Guardhouse is under the direct command of the City Defense Bureau—immense power. Minister Zeng himself warned everyone: anyone who tries to meddle with the guardhouse will have their hands cut off. Nobody dares test the tiger’s whiskers. Once you’re inside, ordinary connections are useless."

Though her family was wealthy, they were still commoners—no match for the City Guardhouse, and the Defense Minister was a figure far beyond her reach.

"No wonder you look so grim," Ji Cheng realized.

Su Yi corrected him, "It’s not just about looking grim. The real question is: what do we do now?"

"It’s not that bad, don’t worry." Ji Cheng suddenly chuckled. "Though this cell is pretty basic. At least they should give us separate rooms, right?"

Su Yi glanced at Ji Cheng. Under the harsh, cold spotlight, his sharply defined features were cast in shadow, exuding an indescribable charm.

She sighed, her breath soft and warm against his neck. "I really regret this."

Ji Cheng asked casually, "Regret what?"

"If I’d known, I’d have just agreed to Luo Rao. Now we’re in deep trouble." She looked on the verge of tears again. "Who knows, maybe they’ll beat us next…"

Seeing her so aggrieved, Ji Cheng tried to comfort her. "Wearing so little, getting beaten would hurt even more."

That sent her into deeper despair; she collapsed against his shoulder, sobbing softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Why am I this sharp-tongued, even under hypnosis…"

Ji Cheng was at a loss. In his previous life he’d been a recluse, and aside from Luo Rao, had never been this close to a girl.

He let Su Yi cling to him, her cheek pressed against his, his ears filled with her delicate cries and his nose with her faint fragrance. He felt heat rise within him.

He took a deep breath. "Don’t worry. We won’t be eating prison food for long. This is really all my sister’s fault; you’re an innocent bystander. Once I’m out, I’ll find a way to get you out, too."

Of course, whether he could actually manage that was another matter.

"You’re sure you’ll get out?" Su Yi stopped crying, looking at him in surprise.

"Absolutely certain." Ji Cheng recalled what had happened at the Parliament Building that day. Since Councilor Zhou himself had promised him that "spot," it counted as a protective amulet.

Hurting a few ordinary people was nothing. For an ability user, it could be settled with a single word.

"Then you must remember to get me out of here. It stinks," Su Yi said, glancing at the filthy bedding and the floor awash in dirty water. "You’re the only thing here that smells decent."

"Mm," Ji Cheng replied, noncommittal.

Su Yi leaned in, her face nearly touching his. "Promise me. If you lie, you’re a little dog."

Just then, a metallic click echoed from the dim corridor outside—the passage door had opened.

Footsteps followed.

Ji Cheng said lightly, "See? They’re here to let me out."

"Don’t forget about me," Su Yi whispered.

A guard peered through the observation window in the cell door. "Su Yi, come out. You’re being released without charge."

Ji Cheng was stunned. So was Su Yi.

"What about me?" Ji Cheng asked quickly.

The guard sneered, "You? You can rot in here."

What? He’d only hit a few people—this wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Ji Cheng couldn’t help protesting, "Are you sure it’s not Ji Cheng being released and Su Yi left behind?"

"Enough nonsense! Su Yi, move it."

Su Yi, in disbelief, stood up and cast Ji Cheng a complex glance.

Didn’t you say you were absolutely sure you’d get out? What’s going on now?

Ji Cheng: "You’ll find a way to get me out, right?"

Su Yi: "Mm."

Ji Cheng: "Promise."

"Enough already," the guard snapped, losing patience. As soon as Su Yi reached the door, he slammed it shut.

Bang.

Dust drifted down. The cell fell back into silence.

What on earth was going on?

Or rather, what should he do now?

Everything seemed to be going completely contrary to his expectations.

Ji Cheng sat on the floor, racking his brain for a solution.

Locked up in here, cut off from all help—was he really going to rot away in prison?

He wondered when he’d be interrogated the next day. Maybe then he could try to contact Brother Lu.

At least, he thought, he still had a tenuous connection to someone above.

Night deepened. The spotlight went dark, plunging the cell into pitch black, with only a faint glow coming from the corridor beyond the cell door.

From the next cell, the sound of snoring arose—the hour for sleep had come.

"What’s that smell?" Ji Cheng’s keen nose suddenly caught a strange scent.