Chapter 104 – Pieces of the Puzzle #1

There was a newcomer arriving on a boat.

The prisoners doing their exercises started to talk with a shine in their eyes.

“It seems like a Korean is entering."

"I hope he is a Chinese."

The reason why they were keen on getting a newcomer was simple. Depending on the nationality, the power structure inside the prison would change.

Blue Dragon was unusual in that it was a foreign correctional facility as well. Foreign inmates were confined by nationality and religion. Of course, the Korean criminals were the most abundant, but the ratio of foreigners had begun to increase lately.

Here, there was power in numbers. There were no idiots that would face off against a larger force.

“I saw the latest news that a Chinese killer was caught. Surely he isn't that bastard?"

"I thought he died."

"No. Caught."

"Really?"

“Fuck, we shouldn't have any more Chinese…"

Since a few years ago, the number of Chinese criminals started to increase tremendously. Most were death penalty cases, making it hard to send them back to their homeland. So the number of Chinese inmates in Blue Dragon Prison grew steadily.

But if a new Chinese killer entered? The power structure inside the prison could completely reverse.

One criminal with exceptional eyesight raised his hand.

“The newbie is entering!"

The eyes of the criminals turned towards the barbed wire near the port.

“Doesn't it seem to be just one person? Uh, isn't that the warden?"

"…Does that mean he is big enough for the warden himself to go collect him? Maybe it really is that killer…"

The criminal in charge of cleaning the inside of the prison said,

“I was working near the General Affairs Department yesterday and heard something. The person entering today is Korean."

There were sighs of relief from the people who were in opposition to the Chinese.

One of the guards, keeping an eye on the criminals in the area, yelled,

“Is this a zoo? Don't crowd around. If there is one more problem then there won't be exercise time this week."

“Yes~”

The gathered prisoners answered before scattering, but their eyes were still following the newbie. In the end, they were able to see the newbie going through the entrance with a detective.

Someone muttered,

“I don't want to say this, but he looks like a fucked-up bastard."

The prisoners listening nodded in agreement.

@

Tae-hyuk and Kang-suk arrived at Blue Dragon Prison and were talking to the warden.

The warden emphasized it again.

“I will tell you a few times, but you have to be very careful. There are many dangerous people in this prison. If they find out that you are an investigator who infiltrated in order to get information, your life will be in danger."

Tae-hyuk laughed.

“Don't worry about it."

He looked relaxed like he was returning to his home. 

The warden said in an impressed voice,

"You are really an investigator right? You seem to be very used to a place like this. I've seen a lot of investigators who infiltrated here. It is the first time I've seen one like Kim Cheol-su."

He looked like a criminal hiding his identity.

Kang-suk interrupted the conversation between Tae-hyuk and the warden. There wasn't much time left until the transport departed.

“Warden-nim, I’ll go first. Thank you for doing me this favor."

“Thank you for coming such a long way. Then the guard will guide you out."

Kang-suk handed over the documents he brought to the warden and whispered to Tae-hyuk.

“Then I wish you luck."

Tae-hyuk just smiled instead of answering. In the end, Kang-suk left and there were only two people remaining in the room.

The first one to open his mouth was the warden.

"Cheol-su. Welcome to Blue Dragon Prison. I couldn't tell you properly while the detective was here. There are a few things I would like to ask you.”

"Do it."

At that moment, the eyes of the warden shook,

“Aren't you overacting this? We are the only ones here."

"Acting? I am originally like this."

The warden felt the breath clogging in his throat. He didn't know where Cho Kang-suk found Kim Cheol-su, but he really seemed like a criminal. It seemed like the warden wouldn't have to worry about him.

"Cough. I understand. You'll be put in straight away so don't relax. By the way, I didn't tell you when Detective Cho Kang-suk was here, but you should be careful."

The warden didn't like the man called Kim Cheol-su in front of him, so the warden decided to scare him a little bit.

"Be careful?"

"Yes. All the prisoners here are bad guys. Don't forget that you will never be safe as a spy planted by the police. Ah, don't you already know up to here? But so far, all the spies planted here have been killed or disfigured. Cheol-su is only protected during the day. At night, you’ll have to hold out alone among the beasts."

There was a smile of satisfaction as the warden finished his story and looked at the other person. He thought this would be a suitable warning.

“Warden-nim doesn't need to worry about me.”

"C-Cough! Cheol-su. As warden, I can't take care of you. Here I am the law. Even if you don't know that now, you will soon find out. Then I hope you stay safe."

Tae-hyuk laughed as he watched the warden's face reddening. Unfortunately, this level of provocation wasn't enough to faze him at all.

“Stop chatting and get to the bottom line."

“Shall I put you in Park Sung-yul's sally?  Ah, this prison is American style so I used words that aren't common. Sally is…"

“It is referring to the same room mate. I know that much."

“Oh, you must've studied a lot beforehand. There are only one or two people per room. It is different from other prisons, where people are gathered together."

Tae-hyuk felt like he had come home after entering this prison.

“Put me in with Yoo Cheol-ho."

The warden's eyes widened with surprise as Yoo Cheol-ho's name came out of Tae-hyuk's mouth.

“Y-Yoo Cheol-ho?"

"Yes."

"His room is empty. Can I hear why? Didn't you come to get information from Park Sung-yul?"

Tae-hyuk looked at the warden with a disbelieving expression.

“He will be suspicious if a guy, who is suddenly roomed with him, is asking him questions. Rather, it is better to get information from the people around Park Sung-yul."

"Ah…"

The warden nodded. He had thought that Cheol-su was just a brat, but he seemed surprisingly good at spying. The warden called the guards and ordered them to put Kim Cheol-su as Yoo Cheol-ho's cellmate.

“Oh, keep this in mind. Don't get involved with foreign inmates. Anyway, isn't it enough to get information from the Koreans?"

“I will take that into account if possible."

“It is Kim Cheol-su's life at risk. Please be careful."

After waiting a while, a patrol agent in blue clothing came into the room. He looked straight at Tae-hyuk and said,

"Come this way."

Tae-hyuk followed the guard and muttered,

"But don't you want to do more?"

@

There were many foreign residents in Blue Dragon Prison. Most of them were in a hostile relationship with each other, so several doors with bars on them had to be crossed to enter another area. Breaking through the barrier was necessary to get what he wanted.

Before entering the prison, the guard stripped Tae-hyuk of his clothes. It was because there was a chance he was concealing something like a weapon in a secret place.

"Um. There is nothing. By the way, your body is quite small compared to the size of your head. Huhu… Then you can wear these clothes here. Your clothes will be put in a box and kept in the storage room. You will receive them again then they are released. Any questions?"

Tae-hyuk shook his head without saying anything and put on the clothes that inmates wore. Now he was a perfect member of Blue Dragon Prison.

Once he was ready, the guard took Tae-hyuk to a general cell. It was the A-1 zone that had the most inmates.

“Number 1047, this is where you will live starting from today."

Tae-hyuk was wearing a nametag with a number on it. Starting today, it would be Tae-hyuk's default title. The guard went into the deepest part of the cell and knocked on the iron door with a grate.

"Number 747. Have you been bored due to being alone? A roommate has come.'

There was a sink and toilet, a small table, and bunk bed where two men could sleep. Inmates spent more than half the day in the cells.

"Number 747…! Hey, Yoo Cheol-ho!"

"……"

There was a bump on the bed where someone was lying.

However, the guard didn't hesitate to call out. In the end, the guard opened the door with a key and entered.

"Hey, you son of a bitch. You must be crazy."

The guard pulled out the club he was wearing at his waist and tried to hit Yoo Cheol-ho. At that moment, Yoo Cheol-ho stretched out his hand from the futon and grabbed the guard's arm.

"This bastard…!"

Next, the face popped out.

“Huhu. Guard-nim. I'm not feeling well. Check with the doctor."

“Fuck, then say that! And how long will you hold my arm? Do you want to go to hell?"

"Aigoo, I'm sorry. I unconsciously did it.”

"Leave it."

"I will."

Yoo Cheol-ho smirked and released the hand holding the guard's arm. The guard gestured to Tae-hyuk to come in.

"Number 747. Take care of this newbie. Don't tell him anything strange."

"I understand. Huhu."

Yoo Cheol-ho grinned and sat up on the bed.

“Ah, unlucky child."

The guard spat at the entrance before closing the cell door and disappearing somewhere. Only Tae-hyuk and Yoo Cheol-ho remained in the room. Yoo Cheol-ho smacked his lips like a person deprived of snacks and said,

“The guards here are very tough. They are so cute that I am going crazy. Hey Newbie, do you know who I am?"

“Well, I don't know very well."

"Ohuhu… Your face looks like you've eaten a lot of boiled rice. In any case, don't ask for age here. All prisoners are the same. Looking at your face, you were in a different prison for a while."

Tae-hyuk shrugged instead of answering.

“This is a special prison for heinous criminals like me, so the guards are very rough. If there is even the smallest gap then they will try to half kill a person. Huhu… But you know what? No matter how strong someone pretends to be, they are fresh and white once they take off their clothes. Tearing that to shreds…"

Tae-hyuk smiled and summoned the iron pipe with the Violence skill. Then he struck Yoo Cheol-ho's head.

"Kuheok…"

Yoo Cheol-ho's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lost consciousness.

“You talk too much."

Tae-hyuk carefully covered Yoo Cheol-ho with a bedspread.

“Keep occupying this bed. You have a cold."

He had entered Yoo Cheol-ho's room as planned. He told the warden that it was to investigate the people around Park Sung-yul. However, Tae-hyuk’s purpose was something else.

“Let's see how the mole dug his tunnel."

Tae-hyuk laughed as he looked at Yoo Cheol-ho.

He was a criminal who had already successfully escaped from prison. After becoming aware of his future memories, the first thing Tae-hyuk did was catch Yoo Cheol-ho. It was a really old bond.

Yoo Cheol-ho was trapped in this place, that was several kilometres away from land, so that he wouldn't try to escape again. However, Yoo Cheol-ho once again succeeded in breaking out. He gained the nickname the 'King of Escape' after that. Tae-hyuk knew the method that Yoo Cheol-ho used for his second escape.

‘If I want to find the gold, I need to be able to roam around the prison freely. To do that, I need the tunnel created by Yoo Cheol-ho.'

Tae-hyuk used Spying to identity nearby features.

‘There really is a tunnel. I'd like to draw a picture of it.'

However, he had no paper or pen. Yoo Cheol-ho's escape started behind the sink. He needed a few things in order to use it.

“First, I need to put a drug in Yoo Cheol-ho's cup…"

He couldn't make Yoo Cheol-ho unconscious every time with the iron pipe. However, he didn't plan to escape from jail with Yoo Cheol-ho. Tae-hyuk brought everything he could use inside the prison. Of course, a small tool was needed to get them out.

“You didn't think I would bring it in this way, did you?"

Tae-hyuk laughed as he recalled the guard who body-searched him. The guard could never find the hidden things. Tae-hyuk stared at his bulging body and touched something firm.

"I brought it inside my body."

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