Spy-x-War Showdown-Chapter 56 - 55 Day 1

56: Chapter 55 Day 1

56 -55 Day 1

“Name.”

“Benjamin.”

“Take off your clothes, put your hands on your head, open your mouth, squat down, and jump.”

Yang Yi, naked, had his mouth and hair checked, then squatted down and jumped like a frog several times before the prison guard in charge shouted, “Alright, get out.”

Yang Yi exited the medical examination room, letting out a sigh of relief, when an expressionless guard outside said, “Sign your personal property list.”

Having handed all his belongings over to Danny, Yang Yi was left with only the clothes he had come in, so there was nothing to inspect, and he signed the list with the name Benjamin Park.

Dressed in prison garb and having collected his bedroll, Yang Yi ignominiously became an official inmate at Pelican Bay Prison.

The prison uniform was blue because Yang Yi wasn’t a felon, so he didn’t get to wear the orange uniform reserved for felons at Pelican Bay Prison.

On the blue uniform, there was a white tag over the left chest, inscribed with 3387

Taking a stained blanket, Yang Yi followed a guard towards the cell block.

Passing through one iron gate and then another, they arrived inside the cell area.

Above their heads was a wire mesh, and on both sides were iron bars, behind which was pair after pair of indifferent eyes.

In the prison’s extremely oppressive environment, being watched by so many eyes made Yang Yi’s skin crawl, but he remembered Danny’s advice.

In prison, if you don’t want to be constantly bullied, it’s best to act tough.

Being tough didn’t mean purposely causing trouble, but at least one needed to ensure they didn’t look like an easy target, a little lamb anyone could bully.

Picking on the weak is a universal human tendency.

Maybe a tough person can’t stand up against a bunch of equally tough people organized together, but at least they won’t be trampled by just anyone.

Yang Yi held his head high, trying to appear fierce—although he wouldn’t make eye contact with the inmates on either side, he walked in front of the guard with his head held up, chest out, and lips tightly pursed, like a belligerent rooster.

“Stop, face the cell.”

Yang Yi halted, faced the cell, his hands holding his bedding, and stood still.

There was already someone in the cell, a white man who looked in his thirties, sitting on the bed.

He glanced up at Yang Yi but then lowered his head again.

“Cell 356, open the door.”

The guard took the walkie-talkie pinned to his chest and said a word, and at once, the iron gate before Yang Yi buzzed open.

“Go in.”

Yang Yi stepped forward into his cell, and then the guard shouted loudly, “Cell 356, close the door.”

The door closed, and Yang Yi didn’t feel anything in particular.

Right now, Yang Yi wasn’t particularly worried about his safety.

Although his cellmate didn’t seem very friendly, he was a misdemeanor offender and new; the prison wouldn’t pair him with an especially violent cellmate.

So even if his cellmate didn’t seem friendly, he wasn’t likely to be physically aggressive towards him.

There were two beds in the cell, and naturally, Yang Yi placed his things on the unoccupied one, made up the bed, and sat down.

Then he softly said to his cellmate, “Hi, I’m Benjamin.”

Slowly raising his head, his cellmate gave Yang Yi a cold glance and then lowered his head again, completely ignoring Yang Yi.

Yang Yi didn’t expect a kind response, so he started surveying the cell he would live in for a long time.

Two iron beds, but one side of each bed was fixed to the wall, with only two legs firmly attached to the floor.

There were no tables and no chairs, just one toilet.

The ceiling light was enclosed with wire mesh, the holes so small that a finger couldn’t be poked through.

Prison isn’t a place to enjoy, don’t expect any good treatment, so everything was within expectations.

Yang Yi had a purpose in being in prison, so after he was locked up in his cell, he hadn’t yet felt the pain of losing his freedom, nor the discomfort of being confined.

On the contrary, he felt quite secure because while the cell confined him, it also isolated him from danger.

Yang Yi sat for a while, pondering how he could find Zhang Yong as soon as possible, but he had already thought about this problem for a long time.

The next step was to put it into action, so soon Yang Yi felt there was nothing left to think about.

Finally, he started to feel bored.

The white man was still sitting on the bed, maintaining a fixed posture without moving an inch.

Boredom, coupled with an uninteresting roommate, made Yang Yi think that life ahead would indeed be very dull, but having a silent and reticent roommate was actually not bad—it meant at least no one would bother him.

But the more bored he was, the slower time seemed to pass, and, without any kind of watch to check the time, it wasn’t long before Yang Yi lay down on the bed.

That’s when the white man finally spoke.

“What crime did you commit to end up here?”

Yang Yi didn’t initially realize the question was directed at him, but he quickly caught on and promptly answered, “Drunken driving, hit and run, intentional injury.”

“How many years are you serving?”

“Five years.”

“First time in prison?”

“Yes.”

The white man asked these questions without even lifting his head, and only after he finished did he finally look up at Yang Yi and said in a deep voice, “The rules of this cell are simple, don’t bother me, don’t annoy me, don’t make noise when you use the toilet, got it?”

“Got it.”

The man lowered his head again and said, “Good.”

It was just a few simple sentences, and then the man went silent again.

Yang Yi couldn’t help but say, “I’ll follow the rules.

My name is Benjamin, can you tell me your name?”

“Chris.”

Yang Yi smiled amiably and said, “Nice to meet you, Chris, it’s good to see you.”

Chris replied coldly, “I’m not good.

If I were good, I wouldn’t be here, and I don’t see anything to be pleased about in meeting you.”

After that, Chris lowered his head again, sitting immobile on the bed as if he had turned to stone.

Yang Yi came away rebuffed, but it wasn’t enough to provoke a fight with Chris, so he lay back down.

Everything seemed peaceful, and as long as he could find Zhang Yong, it seemed the rest of his time in prison might not be so hard to endure.

As Yang Yi started to imagine what his future studies would be like, a bell suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing it, Chris immediately stood up and walked over to the bars.

Yang Yi asked reflexively, “What’s that?”

“Dinner time.”

After giving Yang Yi a brief response, Chris said gravely, “Come over and stand properly, and remember, it’s best to remain quiet during meals, and better not look around like a curious baby; it’s not good for you.”