Undercurrents Stir, the Iron Curtain Stands Silent

Cell 107 felt as though it had been soaked in formalin, every sound and movement frozen in place. The bloodstain on the floor, still not completely wiped clean, was like an ugly eye, staring fixedly at every living thing in the cell and silently telling of the brutality and terror that had taken place not long ago.

Skinny Monkey's faint moans as he was dragged away still seemed to linger in the air. The few remaining inmates huddled in the farthest corner of the shared sleeping platform, breathing cautiously for fear that the slightest extra noise would bring catastrophe down on their heads. They no longer dared let their gazes stray, as if invisible nails had pinned them to the little patch of space in front of their knees. Whenever they lost control and glanced at the figure sitting upright, they would jerk their eyes back as though burned by a branding iron, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

Lin Feng sat on the bunk that had belonged to Scar, his back against the cold, rough wall and his eyes slightly closed. His face was expressionless, as calm as a pool of icy water with no visible bottom. The scar at his temple stood out sharply in the dim light.

But he knew everything had changed.

Zheng Qi had smashed the old order to pieces in the most violent way possible, while Qian Er had driven the wedge of fear into the deepest reaches of everyone's soul with a single vicious blow. Lin Feng had done nothing, had not even said a word, yet he had already become the undisputed, terrifying "king" of this tiny domain.

Absolute silence was a formidable power in itself.

After putting on that perfect act as a "frightened coward" and seeing the prison guards off, the newly arrived death warrior Qian Er had silently curled back up in his place, meek and submissive, as though he had not been the one who had suddenly attacked someone just moments before. Only on extremely rare, almost imperceptible occasions did his eyes meet Lin Feng's for the briefest instant, conveying absolute obedience and confirmation that the task was complete.

Through the link in his mind, Lin Feng could sense both death warriors' states at once. Zheng Qi was bored out of his mind in solitary confinement, more instinctively irritated by the cramped space than worried about his own predicament. Qian Er maintained his usual composure and concealment, like a drop of water that had blended into a pot of oil, waiting quietly.

That curious sense of control, like an icy warm current, seeped into Lin Feng's heart, which had long been scorched by hatred and humiliation. For the first time, he felt so clearly the sense of security that "power" brought, even if that power came from such a strange source.

It was time for exercise. The guard opened the door and surveyed the cell with a complicated look, letting his gaze linger on Lin Feng and Qian Er for a few extra seconds in particular, but said nothing more.

The inmates filed out. The process was utterly silent. No one jostled to get ahead, and no one whispered to anyone else. When Lin Feng was the last to stroll out of the cell, the inmates ahead of him instinctively gave him a wider berth, as though an invisible force field surrounded him.

In the exercise yard, the inmates from the other cells also seemed to have heard of 107's "fearsome reputation." The looks they cast over were filled with curiosity, awe, and a trace of schadenfreude. No one tried to approach the people from Cell 107. Lin Feng still found a corner to stand in, but he could feel that he was no longer someone isolated from the others. He had become a "symbol" set apart by fear.

It was the same at mealtime. The best portion of food was silently pushed in front of him. No one objected, and no one even looked over.

The guards naturally noticed the change as well. There were no secrets in the detention center. A succession of vicious fights in Cell 107 had left three people-Scar, Iron Head, and Skinny Monkey-seriously injured, and all of them clearly had countless ties to the newly arrived "molester" Lin Feng. This had already attracted the attention of the higher-ups.

The municipal bureau's criminal investigation division office.

Zhang Qian slammed a report just transferred from the detention center onto the desk with a smack, drawing the attention of several colleagues nearby.

"Look! Just look! I told you that Lin Feng was no easy customer!" Her voice carried barely suppressed fury and a certain vindicated "foresight." "How many days has he been in there? He's already turned a whole cell upside down! Three veteran inmates were beaten so badly they had to be sent to the hospital! Is that something an honest student could have done?"

A veteran detective picked up the report and scanned it, frowning. "Intentional assault? And one of them stabbed someone with a toothbrush? That is pretty vicious. But... what does this have to do with his case? Fights are all too common in detention centers. Most likely the cell bosses and prison bullies were picking on a newcomer and kicked an iron plate, that's all."

"Common? Kicked an iron plate?" Zhang Qian raised her voice. "Brother Wang, do you think this is normal? A college student goes in, and in less than two days he can get people to fight to the death for him? One of them takes on three old hands? The other is even worse-he pulls out a 'weapon' and stabs someone? There's definitely something behind this!"

The more she spoke, the more certain she became that her instincts were right. There was definitely something wrong with the way Lin Feng had looked at her at the end!

"What could be behind it?" The veteran detective was unconcerned. "Maybe those three thought he was easy prey, went too far, and pushed him into fighting back. Or maybe the two new inmates were trouble to begin with and wanted to take the chance to establish their authority."

"Establish their authority? Would they need to call him 'big brother' for that?" Zhang Qian pointed to a line in the report. "See that? The one who struck first, Zheng Qi, shouted, 'You dare talk to my big brother like that!' while he was beating them! And Qian Er, the one who stabbed someone, didn't say it outright, but his timing was so precise. He attacked just as Skinny Monkey was about to touch Lin Feng! Is that supposed to be a coincidence?"

The veteran detective put down the report and sighed. "Xiao Zhang, I know you've got a fire bottled up inside because of that case, and you think that kid isn't as simple as he looks. But investigations need evidence. You can't rely on instinct. In detention centers, forming cliques and acknowledging a big brother is perfectly normal. Maybe the turtle just met the mung bean, and they took a liking to each other."

"I don't believe it!" Zhang Qian stood firm. "I think there's definitely something fishy going on! It might even have something to do with his case! Is he trying to use this to challenge us? Or cover something up?"

The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. A powerful urge to tear away Lin Feng's disguise drove her on.

"No! I have to go ask them!" Zhang Qian sprang to her feet. "Those two new inmates, Zheng Qi and Qian Er-I have to meet them myself!"

The veteran detective tried to talk her out of it. "Xiao Zhang, that's against the rules. This isn't our team's case; it's the responsibility of the detention center and the on-site procuratorate office..."

But Zhang Qian had already grabbed her coat and car keys and rushed out of the office in a whirlwind, leaving only a few words behind. "I'm just going to take a look! What's wrong with asking a few questions?"

The veteran detective shook his head helplessly, at a loss with his impulsive and stubborn apprentice.

Zhang Qian sped straight to the City First Detention Center. Using her status as a criminal detective, she quickly completed the formalities and requested to question Zheng Qi, who had recently emerged from solitary confinement and was preparing to be dealt with.

The light in the interrogation room was deathly pale.

Zheng Qi was brought in with handcuffs on. An impatient look on his face, he lounged in the interrogation chair, tilting his head as he studied Zhang Qian and the other veteran detective accompanying her with his unruly eyes. Brother Wang had still been worried enough to come along.

"Name?"

"Zheng Qi."

"Sex?"

"Male."

"What were you locked up for?"

"Fighting. Beat someone a little too hard." Zheng Qi curled his lip, utterly unconcerned.

The veteran detective, Brother Wang, led the questioning while Zhang Qian watched coldly from the side.

"Do you know why we called you in?"

"Yeah. I got into a fight in the detention center." Zheng Qi rocked in his chair.

"Why did you fight?"

"Didn't like the look of that asshole." Zheng Qi's answer was crisp and direct.

"Which asshole? Be specific!"

"The one with the scar on his face, and that big guy. Oh, and that skinny monkey-looking fellow." Zheng Qi counted them off on his fingers, as though he were talking about cats and dogs.

"Why didn't you like them?"

"They were disturbing my sleep. Is that good enough?" Zheng Qi began arguing unreasonably.

"What did you shout when you attacked them?" The veteran detective got to the point.

Zheng Qi's eyes flickered, then he resumed his insolent manner. "Forgot. Who remembers what they shout when they're caught up in a fight?"

"Someone heard you shout 'big brother'?" Zhang Qian suddenly cut in, her voice cold.

Zheng Qi shot her a sidelong glance and sneered. "Officer, you must've misheard. Why would I shout 'big brother'? I'm the fucking big brother!"

"Who were you fighting for?" Zhang Qian pressed, leaning forward with a sharp gaze. "Did someone tell you to do it?"

The grin vanished from Zheng Qi's face. He stared at Zhang Qian, his gaze turning somewhat dangerous. "Tell me to? Who told me to? Was it you, then? Officer, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't say whatever you like. When I want to hit someone, I hit them. Why would I need anyone to tell me to?"

The veteran detective slapped the table. "Zheng Qi! Watch your attitude!"

Zheng Qi whipped his head around and roared at the veteran detective, "That's my attitude! What about it? Don't like it? I fucking want to hit you now too! Believe it or not?!"

The veteran detective's face darkened, and he slammed the table. "How dare you! Behave yourself!"

Zheng Qi panted heavily, his chest heaving. He seemed genuinely enraged, but in the end he spat viciously and said nothing more. A few seconds later, however, he suddenly raised his head and stared fixedly at Zhang Qian, who sat to the side, an utterly nasty and threatening grin twisting his lips.

"You're fucking impressive. Right now, you're the boss."

"But you can't be the boss forever."

"If you've got the guts," he said, enunciating each word in a low voice, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, "tie your parents and family to your belt and keep them there."

The air in the interrogation room instantly dropped to freezing.