Chapter 4: Submission

Scar did not die in the end, but he was crippled, destined to spend the rest of his life bedridden.

Chen Xuewen’s prison sentence was doubled.

However, Chen Xuewen did not care in the slightest. After being held in solitary confinement for half a month, he was returned to his cell. This time, the guards were more cautious; they placed him directly back in his cell and tightened the security.

Chen Xuewen sat in his cell while the other seven inmates sat on the opposite side, watching him with terrified expressions. These seven were all Scar’s underlings, but now, not one of them dared to speak of avenging their former leader.

Chen Xuewen sat for a while before suddenly standing up and looking at the seven men. "I heard you wanted to kill me to avenge Scar?"

The seven men were startled and began waving their hands in unison. "No... no, absolutely not!"

Chen Xuewen’s expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept across them. "You must have heard about my situation. My parents died because of me, and I have no intention of living anymore. But dying alone is too lonely. If I can take a few people with me before I go, then my life won't have been wasted, right?"

The group turned deathly pale. Faced with a madman who was actively seeking death, what did their numbers matter? They couldn't kill Chen Xuewen, as they still hoped to finish their sentences and walk free. But Chen Xuewen was different; he had no interest in ever leaving. If he managed to seize an opportunity to strike, none of them could handle it. Scar was the perfect example.

One of the quicker-witted men offered a fawning smile. "Brother Wen, you... you misunderstood. That bastard Scar bullied everyone, and we’ve long since despised him. You taking him down was a favor to us; we couldn't be more grateful. From now on, you are our boss. Whatever you say, we do. Isn't that right, everyone?"

The others nodded fervently, calling out "Boss" to Chen Xuewen.

Chen Xuewen spat at them and cursed, "A bunch of cowards! Get lost!"

They dared not voice their anger, huddling together with their heads down, not even daring to rest on the beds. From that moment on, Chen Xuewen became the undisputed leader of the cell. Moreover, his aura of menace far surpassed that of Scar; a single glance from him was enough to make the men in the room tremble.

The next morning, at breakfast, Chen Xuewen walked into the canteen carrying his tray, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Scar had thirty or forty underlings in the prison. While the men in Chen Xuewen’s cell were cowed, those from other cells glared at him with murderous intent.

Ignoring them, Chen Xuewen fetched his food and walked directly toward a table occupied by Scar’s other underlings—men not from his own cell. Previously, these men had constantly bossed him around and beaten him. Now, Chen Xuewen stood before them, his eyes cold and predatory.

The men were instantly enraged. One burly man glared at him and shouted, "You son of a b—"

Before he could finish, Chen Xuewen struck. He flicked his right hand, and a long, thin stone dropped from his sleeve. He had picked it up while out on labor duty and ground one end to a razor-sharp point. Ever since he had blinded Scar, the prison had banned chopsticks, forcing him to find other weapons. During his time in the infirmary, he had studied medical texts, memorizing the most lethal points on the human body.

Stepping forward, he plunged the stone into the burly man’s neck with lightning speed and slashed. Blood erupted from the man’s throat, and he collapsed, convulsing on the floor.

The others were stunned, but Chen Xuewen did not hesitate. He grabbed another man by the neck and thrust the stone at him. The man reacted quickly, desperately trying to block, but the stone pierced through his palm, eliciting a shrill scream.

"Help! Help me!" the man shrieked.

Only then did the others snap out of their shock and rush to surround Chen Xuewen. Chen Xuewen fought back decisively, shielding his head with one hand and stabbing at the others' thighs with the stone. Though he took several hits in the chaotic brawl, the other men suffered far worse.

Eventually, the guards arrived and subdued Chen Xuewen with batons. The captain of the guards rushed over, his veins bulging with fury. "Chen Xuewen, do you really not want to live anymore? I’m going to write a report to the higher-ups and detail everything you've done! At this rate, you’re looking at a death sentence!"

Chen Xuewen gritted his teeth, blood trickling down his forehead, and said, word for word, "Then you’d better hurry. If you aren't fast enough, I will kill every single one of them!"

Seeing the ferocious look in Chen Xuewen's eyes, the other men recoiled in fear. As for the inmates in his cell, they felt a profound sense of relief that they hadn't provoked him.

This incident landed Chen Xuewen another half-month of solitary confinement. However, the battle made him a legend, a madman in the prison whom no one dared to touch. On his first day out of confinement, Scar’s remaining underlings approached him, apologizing and begging for mercy. Knowing he was a man who wanted to die, none of them dared to cross him.

After subduing the prison population, Chen Xuewen sought out Old Du again.

"Old Du, I survived. Now, are you going to tell me how to get out of this prison?"

Old Du looked at him with a faint, satisfied smile. "You’re not bad, kid. You exceeded my expectations. Very well, since you’ve proven your worth, I shall keep my promise."

Old Du pulled a diagram from his clothing and handed it to Chen Xuewen. "This is a map of the prison sewers. The width is sufficient for a person to crawl through. Follow the sewer for about five kilometers, and you’ll reach a nearby river. Once you hit the water, you're out."

Chen Xuewen studied the map and frowned. "The sewer entrances all seem to be outside the prison walls."

To prevent escapes, the sewers had indeed been designed with entrances outside. Inside the prison, there were only narrow pipes, roughly the width of a basketball—far too small for a person to navigate.

Old Du chuckled. "There is one large entrance in the kitchen. I’ve measured it; it’s wide enough. I’ve already tampered with the grate. As long as you can find a chance to slip into the kitchen, you can crawl out."

"What kind of chance?" Chen Xuewen asked.

"A chance that throws the prison into chaos," Old Du replied. "As long as it’s chaotic enough to draw the attention of every guard, you can slip into the kitchen and escape." He patted Chen Xuewen on the shoulder. "The task of creating that chaos is yours. You provide the chaos, and I will get you out!"

Chen Xuewen pondered for a moment and gave a slow nod. "Fine. I’ll get it done."

As Chen Xuewen turned and walked away, Old Du watched his retreating back with a playful, enigmatic smile.