"Beaten So Bad He Couldn't Even Get Out of Bed"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The soundproofing in the odd-numbered cellblocks was nowhere near as good as that of the special interrogation rooms.

The irregular, sometimes rhythmic impacts coming from inside the cell made everyone outside shudder at once.

"What's going on?"

"Did Warden Lu get into another fight with the First Commander?"

The two prison officers who had been following Lu Mi these past few days exchanged a terrified look.

"What do you mean, 'another'? Didn't you see the five energy restraint rings on 0456? How could he possibly fight our warden?"

"Just from the sounds, it's obvious Warden Lu is giving the commander a one-sided beating, okay?"

Vicks's expression changed dramatically!

"That won't do! If this keeps up, will Yu Tu even survive?"

Vicks raised a hand and knocked on the door.

"Warden Lu! Warden Lu! It's Vicks! Open the door, hurry and open the door! Warden Lu, listen to me! Yu Tu merely refused to wear his prison uniform—it's not a crime worthy of death—"

Bang!

An even more terrifying impact came from behind the door, and the sheer force made it tremble violently!

Vicks staggered back a step in fright. "Something terrible will happen if we wait any longer! Open the door!"

Before the prison officers behind him could step forward, Lu Mi's deep, suppressed roar came from beyond the door—

"Shut up!"

"I'm violently suppressing 0456! Anyone who disturbs me dies! Ngh!"

Rete suddenly understood.

He abruptly recalled that kiss between Lu Mi and Yu Tu in the infirmary.

Seeing that Vicks still wanted to say something, he hurried forward and dragged Vicks backward.

"Inspector Vicks, don't worry. Warden Lu won't harm Commander Yu Tu's life."

"But in there—"

Rete said solemnly, "You just witnessed Commander Yu Tu's temper firsthand. It's normal for the battle to be intense when Warden Lu uses violent suppression. Don't worry. Commander Yu Tu isn't an ordinary serious criminal—Warden Lu knows what he's doing."

Behind them, a prison officer stepped forward.

"That's right, Inspector Vicks. Warden Lu truly has no intention of taking Commander Yu Tu's life. He just upgraded the treatment level for Cell No. 5."

Vicks's expression eased somewhat, but he was still uneasy.

"I'll stand guard here. If anything happens, I'll call for Warden Lu."

The bang bang bang impacts continued.

Not a single person stationed at the door left. Watching the cell door tremble from time to time, their expressions grew exceedingly grave.

"As expected of the First Commander!"

"Even with five energy restraint rings on him, he can still battle Warden Lu to this extent!"

"My god, in all of First Prison, aside from Warden Lu, no one can suppress Commander Yu Tu, right?"

"That's terrifying! No wonder he was personally appointed as the First Commander by His Majesty!"

The prison officers chattered away, and Vicks was no idler either.

Whenever the bang bang bang sounds inside eased even slightly, he would press himself to the door and howl—

"Warden Lu, are you all right?!"

The good news was that Lu Mi answered every time.

The bad news was that Vicks got cursed out every time!

"I'm perfectly fine! Vicks, are you trying to die?"

"I'm fine. Vicks... get the hell out of here!"

"...I'm all right. Vicks, I really want to kill you!"

At last, the impacts stopped.

Everything returned to silence.

Rete checked his watch.

A full four hours had passed.

After everyone waited quietly for a while, Vicks rose and pressed himself against the door again. "Lu—"

The door opened.

Lu Mi appeared before them with his clothes in disarray, his face and neck covered in scratch marks, his expression dark.

His short boot stepped outside, and his hand, wearing a ruined leather glove, quickly shut the cell door.

Everyone fell silent at once.

For some reason, the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

Since Lu Mi had become warden of First Prison, no one had ever seen him in such a bedraggled state.

It was as though he had been repeatedly run over by a vehicle.

Even the belt around his waist had snapped into two pieces, hanging there pitifully.

Vicks swallowed and asked with difficulty, "Warden Lu, how is Commander Yu Tu?"

Lu Mi gave a derisive laugh. "How else could he be? I beat him so badly he couldn't even get out of bed."

"As expected of Warden Lu!"

Lu Mi calmly accepted the prison officers' praises.

Then his icy gaze settled on Vicks's face.

"Inspector Vicks, I'll give you one chance. Tell me honestly—what did you do to 0456?"

After Yu Tu fell asleep, Lu Mi had checked the entire cell.

There was no shortage of water, and there was enough food.

On top of that, he had just fed Yu Tu full once. In this environment, the conditions for Yu Tu's dehydration-induced agitation simply did not exist.

Lu Mi narrowed his eyes.

"Of course, you can play dumb. But if I find evidence in the surveillance footage, I'll send you to your grave immediately."

Only Lu Mi, the warden of First Prison, had the authority to access surveillance footage from the odd-numbered cellblocks.

Vicks's handsome face stiffened, then he helplessly spread his hands.

"Warden Lu, you're impressive. You even noticed something so minor. Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it..."

Lu Mi stared at him without speaking.

"Warden Lu, you know I was transferred here from Blue Star. I'd met Commander Yu Tu a few times before...

"But just now, I noticed that, well, he seemed not to remember me?"

As he spoke, Vicks took a photograph from his breast pocket.

"Then I showed him this, and he kicked me flying."

Lu Mi lowered his head, his face darkening.

The man in the photograph had the classic brow-over-eye look, deep-set features, and an expression that was neither quite a smile nor not one. His aura seemed to hover between righteousness and evil.

Blue River's current emperor, Lan Xiao.

The man who had personally promoted Yu Tu to First Commander, then personally condemned him.

Lu Mi looked away. "Take your photo and get lost."

Lu Mi strode off in the opposite direction. "No one is permitted to visit or interrogate 0456. Any further violators should resign voluntarily and get the hell out of First Prison! Also, Rete, come with me."

Rete hurried after him.

Lu Mi went straight to the infirmary.

The moment he entered and the door shut, he could no longer endure it. He raised a hand to support his waist and nearly limped to a bed before sitting down.

That damned old bastard Yu Tu had thoroughly ravaged him.

He was covered in injuries.

Of course, that was not why Lu Mi had come to the infirmary.

The important thing was—

"Rete, do you have any good remedies? Prescribe me something."

"What kind of remedy?"

Lu Mi closed his eyes.

Wonderful. Forty percent dead while still alive.

"To replenish yang."

"..."

!!!!!!!

Rete was completely stunned!

"So, Warden Lu, you and Commander Yu Tu were indeed, um... doing that just now??????"

Lu Mi shot him a sinister look.

"What else? Did you think I could really bear to hit him?"

Lu Mi pressed his lips together.

Back then, Yu Tu had stabbed straight through him, yet he still could not bear to hurt Yu Tu even once.

Rete: "..."

Rete: "But that shouldn't be possible, Warden Lu. Your annual examination reports are all excellent, and I'm certain you have no problem in that department either. You shouldn't be all show and no substance—how could you be so useless?"

"...Shut up."

Lu Mi gritted his teeth.

"Has it occurred to you that maybe Yu Tu is just too strong?!"

Rete: "..."

Rete's expression as he looked at Lu Mi became even stranger.

Warden Lu... was actually the one on the bottom?