006 episode. Prisoner hides power (2)
“You can sit comfortably. I’m just here to see if the prisoners are doing well.”
The director looked around the room slowly and said.
No one sat down at his words.
Cain, too, got up according to the mood.
“Are you studying the Bible well?”
The warden approached Igor, took out a small Bible from his chest pocket, and opened it. It was the only thing Igor was carrying around.
“Yes, we are continuing. It’s difficult, but I’m trying to understand.”
“Can you tell me what verse 1 is about?”
“Uh, um, in the beginning Teyumesa, the goddess of fertility, said, “In this land, there will be grain for the things of the earth to grow… … .”
Igor memorized a stuttering verse.
Actually, I didn’t really believe in religion.
Just to be seen by the director, who is a devout believer.
All the prisoners knew that.
“Great. Who would think of you as the same person you were three years ago?”
The warden patted Igor on the shoulder as if congratulating the ball, then turned around. And he stopped in front of Cain.
“You must be one of the new prisoners. What is your name?”
“This is Cain.”
A guard from behind came and whispered something in the warden’s ear.
“I went to a solitary room. It doesn’t matter.”
The warden continued, patting Cain on the shoulder as well.
“People don’t care about the past, it’s about the future. So I don’t ask the prisoners what they were doing outside.”
“… … .”
“Do you believe in God?”
The corners of Cain’s lips twisted slightly, but the small intestine didn’t seem to notice.
“I don’t believe it.”
“You can trust me in the future. Everyone is equal in the presence of Goddess, so if you work hard in your life of faith, you will become a new person and be saved.”
Cain stared into the warden’s eyes without saying a word.
I heard that there are religious events on the weekend.
Of course, I’ve never participated before, but if the director is a devout believer… … . This is not bad information.
“All right.”
Cain nodded his head slightly.
The warden smiled contentedly.
“The new interview will be held tomorrow. It’s late today, and I’m tired because I just got back from a business trip.”
* * *
the next morning.
Instead of working, I was called by the guards and headed to the warden’s office.
“Sit comfortably.”
The warden sat in front of a huge desk and greeted me.
I heard from Morphine what kind of person the warden was.
‘The original place of work was the capital. He said he came down for a smooth retirement rather than a political battle.’
He said he did not show much interest in running the prison. In fact, he handed over the entire operating power to the chief guard and said that he was only pretending to be a possessor.
‘Still, there is no change that the person with the greatest power in the prison is.’
“I heard you swallowed zirtonium, but shouldn’t you give up your life? Even though it is painful, our lives are also given by God.”
The small intestine’s story had no nutritional value.
Other than that, there are rumors that there are no inconveniences in life in prison, and that if you work hard, you can become a model and receive reduced sentences.
“Yes. I think I was foolish.”
As I listened to the story with one ear, I scanned the whole office with a squint.
Frames of past collectors hanging on the wall.
Bookshelves full of religious books.
Chess tournament trophies in a glass cabinet.
… … And thick pile irons piled up one after another.
Although they were far away, they were able to recognize the titles on the cover without difficulty thanks to their enhanced eyesight.
[Kentrack Prison Yearbook]
[Access and death status report]
[Design drawings and extension plans]
The glass door is firmly locked with a padlock.
“Finally, do you have any suggestions?”
“… … I would like to receive a Bible. I would like to read a little in my spare time.”
The principal smiled and nodded his head.
“haha! okay. well thought Let’s talk to Medical Officer Estelle. The last thing I had was the one I gave to Igor.”
The director said that the second interview would be held in a week.
* * *
My place of work has been turned into a factory again.
However, it was placed as a line for assembling objects by hand, rather than a line handling machines as before.
‘If you leave it in the mine, there is a risk of another suicide attempt, and if you get your hands on the machine, there is a possibility that it will cause a riot.’
I could feel the gaze of the guards watching me more than before, whether it was taken as a person of interest.
it doesn’t matter much
I don’t plan on making a fuss for a while now.
Tiling-
The bell rang announcing the end of the work.
The prisoners headed to the central vacant lot under the guidance of the guards.
Before dinner and autonomous activities began, all the prisoners working in the factories gathered here.
‘Nominally, it’s time for exercise or fitness.’
I saw prisoners training their bodies with equipment or starting an exercise similar to basketball in front of the goalpost.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to exercise.
Some people played chess on a flat rock as a table, or enjoyed a merry-go-round in a sunny spot.
I sat down on the steps leading to the warehouse door.
‘The entrance of the wire mesh is in Class B, and the lawn next to the watchtower is in Class C.’
The vacant lot was divided and occupied by the factions of each group.
Or, people who were in the same organization from outside are grouped together.
Here, the weak are good prey.
As long as there is no damage to the labor force, bullying continues persistently and persistently.
‘The protection cost of class A is 30%, and the other class is 20%. Kiftel went into solitary confinement and Igor said he raised the tax rate.’
Most of them pay the head of their class to receive protection. It’s money to be ripped off by anyone anyway, so that might be wise.
The reason why the guards condone the situation is simple.
Because that’s a more efficient way to manage prisoners.
Although all roads between locations are surrounded by high wire mesh, and prison personnel are stationed everywhere, it is impossible to achieve perfect surveillance 24 hours a day.
Therefore, the guards take care of the class leaders’ convenience.
In order to suppress the disturbance that may occur in life in advance, and to report the prisoner showing strange signs.
‘It’s like a symbiotic relationship.’
I got up from my seat and headed to the kiosk at the entrance to the vacant lot. In front of a window attached to a small container, prisoners were gathering to buy things.
“No, does it make sense that the cigarette I got in this morning is already running out?”
“The class leaders have a share that falls first, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Canteen silos.
He was appeasing disgruntled prisoners.
“Oh, you’re new here. Do you need anything?”
The other prisoners who saw me backed away.
If it had been the same before, I’m sure there would have been an argument.
Rumors spread throughout the prison.
He’s not afraid of being alone, and he’s a madman who doesn’t know what kind of sudden action he will commit.
It wasn’t a name I liked very much, but I was satisfied with the fact that the little guys didn’t stick to it.
Still, I can’t let go of the tension.
“If you want to buy something, tell me. New hires who have not yet received a salary can be credited. Of course, it will be automatically deducted from your paycheck later.”
I looked at the list of things on the container wall.
Daily necessities and simple snacks that are not likely to be converted into weapons were the main items.
“How much is the sentence reduction ticket?”
“uh… … . It’s reduced by one day per sheet and it’s 2000 shillings, but it’s meaningless to be a newcomer, isn’t it? I know the sentence is over 150 years.”
I have no intention of buying a ticket.
‘My salary is 5000 shillings. If the number of class members is 100 and the tax rate is fixed at 20%, a simple calculation shows that the class leader can reduce the sentence to less than a third.’
This was the reason the prisoners risked their lives to protect the position of class leader or to take it away.
However, those who are strong enough to rise to the position of class leader are more likely to have committed a greater crime than other prisoners from the outside.
Since they have been sentenced to at least several decades in prison, they have to hold the position of class leader for a formidably long time in order to cancel their sentence with a ticket.
‘Even if it’s expunged, it’s unclear whether the prison will keep its promise.’
Tickets are more of a device to get prisoners to watch each other, and to draw out vain hopes.
“A notebook and a pencil.”
“Come on, here. I’m going to put it on the outside.”
The pencil was much weaker than the normal one, so even a little force seemed to break it.
I put my notebook and pencil in my pocket and returned to my seat.
‘Tickets are not the way I can use them.’
I am confident that I will rise to the position of class leader.
But my sentence is 170 years.
No matter how much money is raked in, it will take at least several decades. There is no guarantee that the prison will keep its promise.
I looked around once.
Beyond the wire mesh, an elongated outer wall surrounded the space in Building 1.
The guards on the wall looked outside, and the guards in the watchtower looked inside.
‘Sometimes the work is done outside the wire mesh, so there is no problem getting close to the outer wall.’
If I had near-infinite mana like the main character in the second half of the novel, I could just blow up this prison itself without deep thought.
But now my mana amount is poor.
Because of the daily labor, the growth rate is limited.
I thought of a few possibilities.
Or dig a long tunnel from the room to the outside of the wall.
Cast stealth magic and fly through the sky.
‘… … It’s not impossible, but it’s taking too long.’
The best way is to get out through the front door.
The way in is the same as the way out.
But since I woke up in this prison, I didn’t know the structure of that huge office that served as the ‘front door’.
‘I didn’t set anything like that. How do you find out about the structure of a building? … .’
Maybe you can build the jailbreak in reverse order.
After thinking about it for a while, I remembered the ‘blueprint’ file in the director’s office.
‘If what I think is right.’
Thoughts created a chain reaction and painted the big picture.
‘Worth a try.’
I got up and headed towards the prisoners who were playing chess.
Those in their 50s or older were prisoners with a little age.
Two people were playing chess, and the rest were watching the game while surrounding them.
bum bum.
They recognized me and gave me a wary look. He is a person who is at the center of a commotion, so he probably doesn’t want to get too close.
“What’s going on?”
“… … get interested I’m thinking of doing a spectator.”
“Do you know how to play chess?”
“About the rules.”
The prisoners chatted among themselves.
“I don’t know what the plot might be. You might look like the boss if you just got along for nothing.”
“Still, the situation is pitiful. He used to be an executive in a large organization, but he became a crippled prisoner. The sentence is practically close to life imprisonment.”
As if they had come to their own conclusions, they opened their bodies to make room for me to come in.
“Just look, just look. Don’t think about what to do.”
It was a place where all the chess masters who were called the best in the class had gathered. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it seemed like money was coming and going as a bet.
“Checkmate.”
“Oh, this. I didn’t have enough.”
“Next time I will.”
I watched the game and read the flow of the game slowly. The rules are the same as in the real world. It’s true to say that I’ve never had one.
‘If the knight had moved to that position, it would have been possible to counterattack.’
But no problem.
Because Cain possesses the trait of “understanding,” which few have by setting.
Although he lacked force, he did not rise to the position of an executive for nothing.
I didn’t take my eyes off the chessboard.
In an instant, notations piled up in my head, and numerous cases were derived accordingly.
Shawnshank Redemption ?