One

Of the 3,102 inmates, some were now off hazing newcomers, others were hanging around the recreation area, and a small number were working out in the fitness equipment zone. No one seemed particularly interested in reading.

That made Li Shutong, Lin Xiaoxiao, and Ye Wan seem especially different.

Lin Xiaoxiao squatted on a chair with a mischievous grin, barefoot, his shoes tossed beside him.

Ye Wan stood properly behind Li Shutong, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the surroundings.

Lin Xiaoxiao looked delicate and clever at a glance, while Ye Wan was more powerfully built, with a greater air of resolve on his face.

One looked more like a page boy, while the other looked more like a bodyguard.

Seeing that Li Shutong had finished reading the news, Lin Xiaoxiao said, "Boss, that kid didn't help any of the other newcomers."

Li Shutong nodded. "It's only normal that he didn't. When he played chess, he was decisive and ruthless. He could even sacrifice an arm to save himself—let alone other people."

"Chess is chess. I'd dare sacrifice pieces on the board too... Boss, are you still going to play chess with him tomorrow?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked after thinking it over.

"Of course," Li Shutong said with a smile. "If I don't play with him, should I play with you two lousy chess players instead?" In the reading area, Li Shutong sat beside a long wooden table, carefully reading a brand-new e-reader in his hand. It displayed all kinds of news from that morning.

The enormous cat had once again sprawled across the table and fallen asleep, as though the meaning of a cat's life was to sleep in different places.

The reading area was like a small library, except there were no paper books on its "bookshelves," only e-readers charging in slots.

There were dozens of long tables among the bookshelves, enough to seat nearly a thousand people, yet they were completely empty at the moment.

The inmates in the prison fortress

Ye Wan said from the side in a deep, heavy voice, "I'm a little better than Lin Xiaoxiao."

"But not by much." Li Shutong looked at Ye Wan and tapped the news on his e-reader with a finger. "Do you remember that Guo Huzhan Chen's Group captured? The trial process has been completed. He should be transferred to Prison No. 18 in the next few days. Get in touch with him when he arrives."

Ye Wan nodded. "I dealt with him once before. He isn't easy to get along with, but at least he can communicate."

"Mm." Li Shutong nodded, then turned to Lin Xiaoxiao. "What do you make of that boy's breakdown this morning?"

"I watched him for a long time, and something felt off," Lin Xiaoxiao analyzed. "He looked like he was babbling nonsense after breaking down, but when he mentioned Luocheng and Yongli Group, he was clearly extremely certain, as though it had really happened."

"His background?" Li Shutong asked.

"I checked. Outside, he was just an ordinary drifter who dropped out of middle school. He worked with the Black Tiger Organization in City No. 18, dealing in mechanical prosthetics. He was suspected of illegally seizing mechanical prosthetics, but there was no evidence, so they eventually sent him here for tax evasion. Every part of his past can be traced, but there's really no way to find out anything about the Luocheng and Yongli Group he mentioned," Lin Xiaoxiao said.

No one had seen Lin Xiaoxiao investigate anything, yet he seemed to have thoroughly dug up everything about that boy in only an hour.

That was the most astonishing part.

Li Shutong said, "Keep watching him. There must be something else wrong with that boy. Also, what's the situation with the one who played chess with me?"

"You only just finished that game, Boss. I haven't had time to investigate him yet. I'll have an answer for you before the lunch break," Lin Xiaoxiao said.

"Good." Li Shutong nodded as he continued browsing through the e-reader.

Lin Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at Li Shutong and suddenly realized that his boss had taken an interest in that boy.

Just as he was about to say something more, Lin Xiaoxiao turned toward the outside of the reading area. Qing Chen was slowly approaching, carefully and meticulously observing his surroundings.

Qing Chen first glanced toward Li Shutong's group, then carefully pulled a PAD-like e-reader from the "bookshelf" and pressed the power button.

Qing Chen stared at the screen.

If there was any way to quickly understand this world, it had to be by reading this world's books.

He had not expected paper books to have been eliminated in this world, leaving only electronic products.

Yet after the e-reader powered on, it did not display an interface, but a login screen.

Lin Xiaoxiao walked over and chuckled. "First time in prison, huh? If you want to use an e-reader, you first need to register an account with your inmate number. Once you log in, it'll show your recent reading history, your bookmarks, and your saved reading preferences, like font size."

This thing is pretty user-friendly, Qing Chen thought.

"Oh, right. It also has built-in Artificial Intelligence voice assistance. Call its name, and it can help you find whatever you're looking for. Like this." Lin Xiaoxiao pulled out another e-reader and said, "One."

"I'm here," a pleasant female voice sounded from the e-reader. Qing Chen recognized that voice. It was exactly the same as the one used to announce meal times in the prison fortress.

Its tone was formal, yet it did not sound stiff.

Lin Xiaoxiao said to the e-reader, "Help me find the book titled Brown."

"Okay, I've found Brown for you," the Artificial Intelligence, One, replied.

"See?" Lin Xiaoxiao handed his e-reader to Qing Chen. The book called Brown was already open.

Qing Chen glanced at the number on his prison uniform: 010101.

After registering, Qing Chen looked at Lin Xiaoxiao. "Where can I read the news? The kind that man has."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked back at the e-reader in his boss's hands, then laughed. "Don't even think about it. Your e-reader account doesn't have internet access. Not even mine does."

Qing Chen understood. It seemed that Li Shutong's status in this prison was indeed extraordinary.

Just like how he could keep a cat in prison.

He said nothing more. After thanking Lin Xiaoxiao, he lowered his head and began reading the content on his own e-reader.

Lin Xiaoxiao returned to Li Shutong's side, casually observing Qing Chen.

But then he suddenly noticed that Qing Chen was turning pages incredibly fast!

Normally, an e-reader page contained eight hundred words. Even an average person would need at least a minute to read one, right? Yet Qing Chen was turning pages every two seconds!

Lin Xiaoxiao whispered to Li Shutong, "Boss, he isn't reading the e-reader seriously at all. Maybe he just wanted to get close and find an opportunity to spend time with you."

"Don't meddle." Without even raising his head, Li Shutong said, "Don't underestimate another person's desire to survive. If you and he switched places, you might be even more desperate than he is. Xiaoxiao, learn to see things from another person's perspective."

Lin Xiaoxiao grinned mischievously. "I know, I know."

Qing Chen found a seat and sat down. He constantly memorized the contents of the e-reader, then rapidly turned the page. He read like that for more than three hours without even changing his sitting posture.

For others, reading might have been an after-dinner pastime, but for him, it was one of the ways to understand this world and survive in it.

The content on the e-reader had clearly been carefully selected. There was almost no important information. An astonishing ninety-five percent of it consisted of philosophy and inspirational platitudes...

But that was fine. Right now, any information was important to him.

Qing Chen had always been someone who treasured opportunities.

As lunchtime approached, Li Shutong finally put down the e-reader in his hand and logged out of his account.

Ye Wan immediately understood and took the e-reader from him, returning it to a charging slot on the bookshelf.

Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao were like Li Shutong's closest attendants.

As Li Shutong stood, he glanced at Qing Chen. Something felt off to him. The boy was so absorbed in reading that he did not even seem to notice him getting up. It did not look like an act.

He suddenly asked, "What was on the third line of the previous page?"

His voice was warm and refined, making one feel as though they had suddenly entered an antique tea room and were listening to an elder's earnest teachings.

"When order becomes chaos, chaos must be used to maintain order and save the law," Qing Chen replied, raising his head.

Ye Wan took the e-reader from Qing Chen, opened the previous page, and said, "Boss, he's right."

At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly saw Big Cat open its eyes on the table. He could clearly sense the surprise in its gaze as it looked at him.

It was as though... it had always been able to understand everyone's conversations, and was equally astonished by Qing Chen's memory.

After hearing Ye Wan's confirmation, Li Shutong froze for a moment. Then he called to Big Cat and left with a smile. "This just got more interesting. Come on, it's time to eat."

For some reason, Qing Chen felt that even Li Shutong's walk carried a unique presence. As his loose white training clothes swayed, he looked as though he were walking on clouds.