The prison walls, made of thick concrete, appeared cold and devoid of hope. Iron-clad windows allowed only dim light to enter, creating a gloomy atmosphere in the narrow corridors. The sound of dripping water from a leaking pipe added to the eerie ambiance in the prison.
Under the dim lights, hundreds of inmates in orange uniforms were confined to 50-square-foot cells. Sometimes, you could hear whispers and murmurs among them. Some laughed, some taunted, and others were tormented.
"Argh!"
In one of the cells, a prisoner fell to the floor after getting a kick to his stomach. While the unfortunate man writhed on the floor, two other inmates continued to beat him.
"Please! Please! Please stop!"
Despite the man's pleas for mercy, his body continued to endure the blows and kicks. There was no trace of compassion from the inmates who were assaulting him. They seemed to relish it.
Prison guards, wearing dark blue uniforms with black armbands, walked along the corridor. They knew what was happening in that cell, but they pretended not to see. Even though they had the authority to intervene, they chose to stay out of the inmates' affairs.
Ninety percent of the prison population consisted of awakeners. The regular human guards dared not confront them, even though they were armed to the teeth. The only thing keeping the inmates from escaping this place was the [Orichalcum] bars that imprisoned them in their cells.
"Enough."
A deep voice halted the two inmates from beating the unfortunate man writhing on the floor. In a corner of the cell, a golden-haired man in a prisoner's attire sat on a bunk. His face showed boredom as he watched the scene of torture.
"He looks dead. Lift that man onto the bunk and let him rest. I need someone to clean the toilet for me."
"Yes, Boss Vincent!"
Among the many feared inmates in this prison, Vincent was a nightmare. All criminals knew who he was—a mafia hiding under the guise of a guild master. They regarded him as a king. Even the guards with their authoritative uniforms obeyed him like dogs. They knew that dealing with Vincent could lead to the worst possible outcome—death.
The battered man was one of his victims. He had nearly died for accidentally bumping into Vincent while he was eating. Unfortunately, they shared a cell. Vincent had quickly ordered two of his subordinates to beat that poor man.
"Damn. I'm so bored of this place," he muttered.
It had been three weeks since Vincent became an inmate. He had to share a cell with other inmates while the trial was ongoing. There wasn't strong enough evidence to imprison him, but imaginary witnesses had suddenly appeared to testify against him, extending his stay in jail.
Of course, Vincent had already ordered his subordinates to destroy the evidence and silence the actual witnesses. However, the Awakener Association and Governor Richard had pulled the strings in the trial.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
A guard struck his tonfa against the iron bars, getting the attention of the cell's occupants. With sharp gazes, the inmates seemed displeased by how they were being addressed.
"You bastard! Are you looking to die?" one inmate threatened.
The guard swallowed hard, realizing his mistake. "Sorry, hehe. I called you, but you didn't hear me."
"Don't make excuses, you—!"
"Shut up, Doug. You hurt my ears," Vincent snapped.
"Sorry, Boss!" the inmate replied. His mouth quickly shut.
Meanwhile, the guard trembled. Fear was written all over his face as he locked eyes with Vincent from a distance.
"Sir, there's a visitor who wants to meet you," the trembling guard said.
"I thought she didn't want to see me," Vincent grinned.
"I'm sorry, but your visitor is a man."
The smile faded from his face. Vincent had expected Liliana to come. Their relationship had been a secret for a long time, even before Robert announced his will. Besides being lovers, they also worked together on many fronts to achieve their goals, one of which was helping her son, Noah, secure the inheritance, despite it ending in failure. However, their relationship remained strong.
Their relationship was a secret. Therefore, during the trial, Liliana had instructed Vincent not to communicate. Still, he hoped that his lover would come, even in disguise.
"Who is it?" Vincent asked.
"Morgan."
Naturally, one of his eyebrows raised when Vincent heard that familiar name. Who would have thought his enemy would come to visit him?
"Interesting," he muttered.
The bars screeched as the cell was unlocked. Vincent stepped out before the guard could instruct him. The atmosphere changed as he walked through the corridor. Other prisoners who had been chatting or laughing with their cellmates fell silent and lowered their heads as Vincent passed.
Vincent had imagined a curly-haired man with tan skin, the face of the person who had killed his subordinates and looted his belongings. However, that image quickly disappeared when he arrived at the visitor's booth.
Behind a glass screen, a handsome young man with emerald eyes smiled at Vincent. The visitor who had come to see him was Klaus Lee.
"I knew it. Klaus Lee and Morgan are the same person."
Klaus smirked. "Normally, you should have known. It would be strange if you didn't."
Vincent settled into his seat, his gaze sharp on Klaus. In his mind, there were numerous questions. Over the past few months, he had been trying to eliminate Klaus, and he was certain that Klaus knew about it. Vincent couldn't fathom a reasonable explanation for why Klaus would come to visit him.
"Let's get down to business. Why are you here?" Vincent inquired.
"Well, I know you've been going through a rough time after a series of failed attempts to kill me. Because I'm such a good guy, I'm offering to help you get out of this damned place."
Naturally, Vincent was taken aback by what he had just heard. The person he had tried to kill not long ago was suddenly offering him a ticket to freedom? Of course, he knew this was a trap.
"Ha ha ha ha! You scoundrel, do you think I'm that foolish?" Vincent laughed for a moment. Then his laughter gradually turned into a threatening expression. "Kid, don't fuck with me. Just because I'm in prison, it doesn't mean I am hopeless. Do you think I'll rot in this fucking place forever? You're very naive."
There was no response from Klaus for a moment. Then, he simply pursed his lips. "Well, you're right. They can't hold you much longer. But what if they see this?"
Vincent raised one of his eyebrows as his face betrayed curiosity. Klaus took out a smartphone from his pocket and pressed it against the glass. In an instant, Vincent widened his eyes.
Bam!
Suddenly, a powerful blow landed from behind the glass. It was so strong that the corridor's walls shook. Even the guards standing outside could feel the vibrations.
"Kid... where did you get this?" Vincent seethed, his face flushed with anger.
What Klaus showed was a photo of a group of people loading wooden crates into a car. At first glance, it was an ordinary photo. But these wooden boxes actually contained illegal weapons.
For a moment, Vincent was shocked. He had ordered his subordinates to move all the illegal weapons to different locations as soon as he was arrested. If Klaus had this photo, it was not impossible that he also knew where the weapons were stored.
Thus, Vincent understood the direction this conversation was heading.
"You want to threaten me, huh?" Vincent snarled.
Klaus chuckled. "Of course not. I'm not that bad of a person. But it could end up in front of the prosecutor's house anytime."
Bam! Vincent struck the glass for the second time. Various curses spilled from his mouth. Klaus grinned wickedly in response.
"You bastard! How did you find this out?! Tell me! Tell me!" Vincent completely lost control.
No one knew the whereabouts of those illegal weapons except his trusted subordinates and Liliana. Vincent was certain they wouldn't betray him. His subordinates didn't have the courage to do so, while Liliana loved him deeply.
Vincent was completely clueless about who had betrayed him.
Klaus chuckled. "Well, it just so happens I have an acquaintance who used to work for you. And she was more than happy to spill the beans."
Vincent furrowed his brow. "She?"
Instantly, a name popped into his head. There was only one person who had worked very closely with him, knew all the critical details, and was capable of extracting information from others. That person was Zee.
She had worked for him for a long time. Vincent had given her various tasks, including eliminating witnesses. Whenever he ordered his subordinates to move weaponry or erase criminal traces, sometimes one or two people managed to escape. They were usually very skilled at hiding. To eliminate them, Vincent would send Zee, who was an expert hitwoman. He suspected that she had taken the time to extract information from them.
However, there was something odd. Even though Zee no longer worked for him, she was not the type of person who readily revealed secrets.
"You... how did you get information from her?" Vincent was genuinely furious. His hands were clenched, and his blood boiled.
Meanwhile, Klaus just chuckled slyly. "Well, I have many tricks up my sleeve. But more importantly, do you accept my offer or not?"
The room fell silent, but the tension in the air was palpable.
