"Alright, that's enough of the game." The previous young prison guard saw that there was no longer any suspense. He shrugged, threw two pieces of cheap black bread into the prison cell, and said to Dudian, "Eat up, little guy."
Dudian let out a sigh of relief and was just about to go over and pick up the bread.
Suddenly, the chubby middle-aged man let out a roar, pounced in the direction of the voice, groped around on the ground, picked up the two pieces of bread, and stuffed them into his mouth haphazardly.
"Shut up, you bastard!" The young prison guard suddenly became angry and roared.
The chubby middle-aged man ignored him and desperately stuffed the bread into his mouth.
"Fatty, you're courting death!" One of the prison guards was enraged. He took out the key, opened the prison cell, pulled out a torture stick from the cart, and lashed it hard on the chubby middle-aged man's back and head. He didn't care at all where the fatal spots were and lashed out furiously.
The chubby middle-aged man winced in pain and let out a few screams. He threw away the crushed black bread and desperately shrank back.
"Let you eat, let you eat!" The two prison guards lashed out with the torture sticks and kicked the chubby middle-aged man in the face and chest. Seeing them beating the chubby middle-aged man, the people nearby were too terrified to make a sound and kept retreating, not daring to get close at all. In this prison, the prison guards were the supreme beings, holding their lives and deaths in their hands, and they could make them suffer a fate worse than death.
Under the continuous beating of the two prison guards, the chubby middle-aged man let out screams and howled in pain, "I won't do it again, I won't do it again. Spare my life, sir..."
The two prison guards ignored him. After a flurry of punches and kicks, seeing the chubby middle-aged man lying on the ground in a pool of blood, barely alive, they finally stopped. They spat twice on his face and turned to leave the prison cell.
Dudian looked at the crushed bread on the ground that had been kneaded by the chubby middle-aged man. He had originally wanted to say something to the two prison guards, but after hesitating for a moment, he didn't say anything. He silently picked up the bitten and crushed bread on the ground and started eating it bit by bit.
In the detention center, he hadn't eaten for six or seven days and was already exhausted from hunger. At this moment, he could even gnaw on tree bark - if there was any.
The two prison guards pushed the cart and continued to distribute food to the people in the other prison cells behind. After leaving, they pushed the empty cart away, laughing as they walked and chatting about the food they planned to order in the cafeteria later.
The people in the surrounding prison cells heard the words "roast chicken", "steak", "foie gras" and other words coming out of their mouths, and they gulped audibly.
Everything seemed to return to peace again.
The people in each prison cell ate the bread they had snatched as quickly as possible and then chatted listlessly with each other.
They talked about women, the scenery outside, and the glorious things they had done in the past.
After Dudian silently finished eating the bread, he felt that the burning hunger in his stomach had subsided a little, and his body had also regained some strength. Although these two thin pieces of bread were far from enough to fill his stomach, after being hungry for so many days, eating too much at once would instead harm his stomach and intestines. The two pieces of bread were just enough for him to digest.
Leaning against the prison cage, Dudian closed his eyes halfway to rest and regain his strength.
The others looked at Dudian cautiously, then at the chubby middle-aged man lying in a pool of blood and groaning from time to time, and didn't dare to get close. You know, Dudian wasn't the only one who had been pierced with steel nails. Every criminal would receive this "treatment" when they were imprisoned here.
The only difference was that they had already gotten used to it. The steel nails had grown into their flesh. As long as they avoided strenuous activities, they wouldn't feel the stinging pain of the steel nails. This was another reason why it was difficult for them to surround and subdue the wounded Dudian.
"Little guy, what crime did you commit before? Tell us about it," a voice came from another prison cell at this time.
People in other prison cells immediately echoed, "Yeah, yeah. You haven't introduced yourself since you joined our happy little family."
Dudian slowly opened his eyes, gave these people a cold glance, and said, "I'm different from you trash. I didn't commit a crime."
Hearing his words, there was a burst of laughter from the other prison cells.
"Little guy, don't tell me you were wronged?"
"Haha, everyone who just comes in cries out for injustice just like you. But in the end, they will all happily integrate into this little family."
"Let me ask, who wasn't wronged? Raise your hand."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an immediate response from the other prison cells.
Dudian frowned slightly and didn't say anything more. He closed his eyes.
The people behind cautiously approached. When Dudian opened his eyes and stared at them, one of them forced a smile and said, "I didn't mean to offend you. I just saw there was still some crumbs here." After that, he tentatively reached out and picked up a piece of bread crumb on the ground. Seeing that Dudian didn't react, he slowly put it into his mouth.
Dudian saw this scene and suddenly realized that he had been a bit wasteful. However, he didn't say anything and closed his eyes halfway to rest quietly.
In the evening, the two prison guards pushed the cart over again. As soon as they entered the corridor, one of them said loudly, "I'll give you a bonus today. There's a piece of steak. Who wants it?"
Hearing his words, the originally quiet prison cells suddenly erupted in an uproar.
"Me!"
"I want it!"
"Give it to me, sir!"
The prison guards were very satisfied with such a enthusiastic response. They raised their hands and slightly pressed down, saying, "There's only one piece of steak, and there are so many people who want it. Do it according to the old rules. You know what to do, right?"
Hearing these words, the responses in each prison cell immediately died down.
Leaning against the prison cage, Dudian watched silently.
In two of the prison cells, one person in each cell said, "I want it."
The two prison guards took a look and were a bit dissatisfied, saying, "It seems you're all very full. Is it just these two people?" After that, seeing that there was still no response from each prison cell, they snorted coldly and said, "Then you can fight for it."
After that, they opened the locks of these two prison cells.
One person stepped out from each of the two prison cells. One of them was the "Black Scar" young man who had previously said he wanted Dudian.
"Black Scar, don't compete with me!" A young man with blond hair stepped out from another prison cell and said gloomily.
Black Scar sneered and said, "It's up to our own abilities!" After that, he made the first move.
Dudian watched silently. After a few minutes, the two of them decided the winner. The winner was Black Scar. He had been punched in the face and it was a bit swollen and red. Panting, he stepped forward and said, "Sir, I won."
"I know." The prison guard handed out the steak.
When Black Scar reached out to take it, the prison guard let go in advance, and the steak fell to the ground. There were several rows of bite marks on the steak, obviously it was a piece that had been eaten before.
The prison guard spat and said in disgust, "You're getting worse and worse at fighting. You still want to eat steak? Do you think I don't know that you're deliberately acting?"
Black Scar's face changed slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "How dare I? I wish you could drag him out and skin him."
The prison guard sneered and said, "Then as you wish."
Black Scar's eyelids twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.
The blond young man who had been beaten to the ground behind him roared at Black Scar, "Damn beast, I curse you to die a miserable death!"
After Black Scar picked up the steak, the prison guard locked him in the prison cell. Then he continued to push the cart to distribute bread to the other prison cells behind. After all the bread was thrown out, he left with the cart and dragged the blond young man away by the way.
When the sound of the door upstairs being locked came, the heavy atmosphere in the prison cells on both sides of the corridor was immediately relieved.
"Those two damned beasts!"
"Poor Old Jin."
Indignant and sighing voices came from each prison cell.
Dudian picked up the four pieces of bread thrown at the door of the prison cell. He turned around and looked at the hungry eyes of the people in the darkness behind him. He said coldly, "Does anyone want to come and grab them?"
When those people saw Dudian's smooth movements of picking up the bread, they didn't dare to compete with him for food anymore and quickly shook their heads.
One of them flattered, "From now on, you're our boss. Just give us any orders. We'll follow you."
Dudian had already sensed the survival rules in this prison. He didn't say anything. He broke the bread apart and slowly ate it. After eating two pieces at once, he stuffed the remaining two pieces into his arms, planning to eat them in the second half of the night.
Those people looked envious but didn't dare to step forward and grab the bread. They could only keep flattering Dudian.
Dudian was indifferent. He had already understood that no sweet words were more important than his own strength.
At this time, Dudian noticed that the young man named "Black Scar" in the nearby prison cell didn't eat the steak but hid it in his arms. A trace of longing flashed in his eyes.
Black Scar noticed Dudian's gaze and smiled, saying, "Little guy, everyone here calls me Black Scar. What's your name?"
"Dudian." Dudian replied. This person's previous attempt to save him made him have no ill feelings towards him, but he didn't have a good impression either.
Black Scar nodded and smiled, saying, "Were you a hunter before, or a Tribunal Knight? Couldn't you be a Light Knight, could you?"
Dudian frowned slightly and didn't answer.
Black Scar seemed to realize that this was a bit of a privacy issue. He smiled and didn't say anything more.
Dudian asked, "Why don't you eat it?"
Black Scar knew what Dudian meant. He sighed and said, "Old Jin has suffered this time. This is for him."
Dudian knew that "Old Jin" was the blond young man who had been dragged out. His eyes flickered slightly and he said, "Were you acting?"
Black Scar looked at him. After considering for a while, he nodded slightly and said, "That's right. These bastards will occasionally 'be kind-hearted' and give us something good, but every time they want to see us kill each other. So we've agreed that we just put on a show. There's no need to fight so desperately every time. After all, the injuries we suffer are really not worth it compared to this little thing."
"Originally, this was supposed to be mine. But these two bastards hurt Old Jin, so consider it as compensation for him."
Dudian looked at the other prison cells and said, "Did the others agree?"
Black Scar nodded slightly and said, "If no one competes, these two bastards will deduct the food of all of us. So, we have to put on a show."
Hearing his words, Dudian fell silent.
More than an hour later, the blond young man was dragged back by the two prison guards. He was covered in blood and on the verge of death. He was thrown into his own prison cell and lay on the ground without moving for a long time.
After the two prison guards left, Black Scar called out "Old Jin" twice. Seeing that he responded, he threw the reserved steak over and said, "I saved this for you. Eat it. I'm sorry you suffered today."
The blond young man got up with the help of the people behind him, turned around, and difficult to say,"It's nothing. One day I'll stab these bastards..."
Black Scar sighed and shook his head.
In the blink of an eye, it was the second half of the night. Dudian finished eating the remaining two pieces of bread and then closed his eyes to continue resting.
Not long after he fell asleep, he suddenly felt a very soft sound approaching. He immediately opened his eyes and saw a thin young man among those people tiptoeing over.
Seeing Dudian suddenly open his eyes, the thin young man was startled. He didn't expect that such a slight movement would alarm Dudian. He quickly waved his hands to explain and apologized again and again.
Dudian didn't say anything and closed his eyes again.
The people in the other prison cells who had already fallen asleep were woken up by this person. They looked up and took a glance, then understood what was going on and fell asleep again with a snore.
The next day.
Dudian felt that the pain in his body had been reduced a lot. The wounds had already scabbed over. The steel nails in his shoulder blades still feel a dull pain,and it seemed that they were inflamed. There was a slight ulceration at the wound site.
However, there were no knives or first aid supplies around. He could only apply saliva, which had a very slight effect.
The prison provided two meals a day, at noon and in the evening.
Three pieces of bread were thrown in at noon. This time, Dudian didn't take them all for himself. He ate two pieces and threw the remaining one to those people. After all, a cornered dog will jump over a wall. He just wanted to recover from his injuries as soon as possible and didn't want to tear the wounds again.
Although it was just one piece of bread, those people didn't fight over it. Instead, each of them divided a small piece.
Dudian saw this and understood that although there was no one here worthy of trust, at least a kind of tacit understanding had been built among them. Only with such a tacit understanding could they survive.
Just like Black Scar and Old Jin.
Just like the other people in the prison.
And the result of breaking the tacit understanding would inevitably be the demise of someone, just like the chubby middle-aged man.
Under Dudian's action of gouging out his eyes and the beating by the prison guards, the chubby middle-aged man was completely finished. His body was seriously injured. There was no care or treatment here. Being injured meant that his status would drop rapidly. Unless, like Dudian, even if he was injured, he could still intimidate the others.