At the entrance to the toilets by the exercise yard
The place was already packed with people, yet the scene was terrifyingly quiet.
One of the prison guards even had pupils that were shrinking violently.
He was the guard Fat Dog had bribed.
He naturally knew a little about what was going to happen inside the toilet this time.
After all, he had been the one to get the table legs in through special channels. They had agreed that once the job was done, he would receive a substantial payment.
So even if the matter was discovered afterward and he was stripped of his uniform, he would not regret it.
However, considering the liability involved,
the guard had not dared to bring in anything too vicious. He had only passed in a few detached table legs and, at Fat Dog's insistence, gotten a burlap sack as well.
With such an arrangement, coupled with his deliberate leniency while on patrol, the outcome should have been obvious.
But reality made the guard feel cold all over.
Nearly everyone in Fat Dog's group had suffered serious injuries, especially Fat Dog, whose life was uncertain.
N-no way...
Cold sweat had already broken out on the guard's forehead. This was a huge mess!
Yau Kong Ngau furrowed his brows and stretched his neck in astonishment. He had never imagined the scene inside would look like this.
By now, Song Ren had withdrawn the icy chill from his eyes, and the violent emotions in his heart had been completely vented.
He dropped the table leg in his hand, raised a hand to wipe away the bead of blood at his brow, and revealed a faint smile.
Only then did he belatedly feel the swelling pain spreading through his body. He could not help hissing, breaking the silence. "Tsk... My whole body hurts."
The prison guard captain leading the team was the first to react. He immediately raised his baton and shouted sternly, "Get down! Put your hands behind your head!"
With that, he walked toward Fat Dog, who was kneeling motionless on the ground.
Song Ren obediently squatted down and clasped his hands over his head, but his tone was exceptionally calm. "Don't panic. He isn't dead yet."
The guard captain gave him a deep look.
Before long, news of the bloody incident in the toilets spread throughout Stanley Prison.
Compared with the previous bathhouse incident, this one was bloodier, more violent, and even more eye-catching.
Fat Dog was seriously injured and sent straight to the emergency room, barely surviving.
One man's hand bones had been broken, another had four fractured ribs, another had a cracked jawbone, and another had suffered a comminuted fracture of the shoulder bone.
The other minor injuries need not be mentioned.
And this was the result of one man fighting eight armed thugs with his bare hands.
It was almost unbelievable just to think about.
This fight truly made the prisoners in Stanley Prison recognize the terror of Song Ren's skills.
In Song Ren's district alone, practically everyone fell silent at the mention of his name.
Even the usually unhinged members of Zhong Yi Xin avoided mentioning him.
A Ji, the assassin who was about to be released, rather wanted to exchange a few moves with Song Ren.
But on the one hand, his release was imminent, and on the other, the short-blade combat he excelled at could not be displayed here at all.
So A Ji did not rush to stand up for the members of Zhong Yi Xin. Instead, he temporarily suppressed the restlessness in his heart.
Compared with the previous bathhouse incident, this one was even worse. The prisoners' injuries were more horrifying, and one of them had even nearly died on the spot.
However, the prison authorities chose to go easy on Song Ren, punishing him even more lightly than the one day he had spent in the punishment cell last time.
This was because the incident involved a guard abusing his authority, while the warden was also on the verge of being promoted. He could only do everything possible to suppress the matter.
Fat Dog's group had thoroughly offended the warden because of this.
The warden also knew some of the inside details. He gave Inspector Chan Kwok Chung a heads-up over the phone, intending to reduce the matter's significance and let its impact dissipate outside the prison so it would not affect his chances of promotion.
As a result, Fat Dog's group could only consider themselves unlucky.
The guard who had abused his authority was also privately given some arbitrary charge by the warden. He was stripped of his uniform and kicked out of Stanley Prison for good.
The incident caused a huge uproar inside the prison, but it did not create much of a stir outside.
Song Ren was merely arranged to hide in the infirmary for three days, while it was publicly described as his spending three days in the punishment cell.
Once the three days were up, he was quietly released and returned.
Only, the large cell he had originally occupied, with its full eight beds, now seemed much emptier.
Apart from those seriously injured and lying in the hospital, the remaining members of Fat Dog's group had been completely scared witless. One of them refused to return to the cell no matter what.
Out of humanitarian consideration, the guards arranged another cell for him.
The man had been beaten into severe psychological trauma. He would probably be ruined even after getting out.
Still, where some people left, others naturally came in.
Besides the two underlings of Fierce Ghost who had been transferred in as replacements, two other new cellmates had also arrived.
When Song Ren returned, quite a few prisoners in the prison were bowing and scraping to him.
"Brother Ren."
"Brother Ren, you're back."
"Good morning, Brother Ren."
The timid avoided him, while the bold ones took the initiative to greet him.
Their tones were mostly respectful, even carrying a hint of ingratiating flattery.
Even members of the Number Gang and Zhong Yi Xin, who were at odds with him, chose to go around him whenever they saw him in this district.
The previous bathhouse incident had already made him somewhat famous.
This time, his fight with Fat Dog had been even fiercer and more ruthless, completely establishing his reputation in Stanley.
A tall, thin prisoner with slender arms and legs came running over.
He glanced left and right, then, in a secluded corner, rummaged inside his clothes and dug out a crooked cigarette.
He handed it to Song Ren with an ingratiating smile. "Brother Ren."
Song Ren stopped and shook his head. "I don't smoke this stuff anymore."
In the past, when his craving occasionally came up, he would still smoke a little.
But after taking the Martial Arts Essence Pill, his constitution had been reforged, and his nicotine addiction had disappeared as well.
This stuff affected cardiopulmonary function and also had negative effects on reaction speed, motor nerves, and many other areas, even if only slightly.
But in Song Ren's eyes, which were already focused on pursuing the limits of human ability, cigarettes had long since been classified as forbidden.
Song Ren had no intention of beating around the bush. He said directly, "Something you need?"
The thin, tall prisoner looked full of admiration. "Hehe, I want to switch over and follow Brother Ren. You were really awesome this time!"
Song Ren glanced at him. "You are...?"
The thin, tall prisoner said, "My name is Chiu Chi Ming. Everyone calls me Siu Jai Ming. The boss I currently follow is Brother Chi of Zhong Yi Xin, also known as Suit Boy in this district."
"But I really admire you. You were so awesome, so I want to switch over and follow you."
Although Song Ren was unfamiliar with the ways of the gangs, he knew that switching allegiance was not that simple.
Although it was not as frightening as the legendary ritual of three cuts and six holes, wanting to transfer completely into another gang—
unless the original gang was willing to release him unconditionally, it was impossible.
Before you continue