Chapter Fifty: Temporary Measures (Part Two)

The damned place. What kind of dump is this? A pigsty?

The conditions here were far worse than in Mountbatten Prison, and the moment James walked in, he began to complain.

“Put up with it. Did you think every place could be like Mountbatten?” Zhang Yingzhan was also sizing up the place’s “primitive” conditions. There was nothing to be done about it. They had all been in single cells before, and now they had no choice but to share rooms two to a cell. This had originally been an ordinary military prison, and after so many high-security inmates were suddenly added, they had only managed to squeeze these arrangements out.

“Forget it. Not worth arguing over.” James kicked open the door and strode out into the yard. Zhang Yingzhan followed. The smell inside was terrible, so it was good to get some air.

Zhang Yinzhan was a martial arts expert. Like Sanders, he had once been an instructor in the special forces, though he had worked in the Asia region, while Sanders had been in Africa.

Although they had changed prisons and the conditions were poor, they still retained the freedom to move about in the open air. At the very least, the cells were not locked. This put the original prison staff in a very awkward position, but under the coordination of the old warden, the arrangement was still carried out.

There were many people in the yard. It seemed everyone was unaccustomed to the environment and had all gathered outside. Unfortunately, the yard was pitifully small. It had originally been a large prison, with a specially sealed-off section, and space was already tight; the area assigned to everyone was even smaller.

With this side able to move freely, the inmates over there immediately began to grumble. Fortunately, the old guards of the prison still had some authority; after a few sharp reprimands, they suppressed the uproar. Even so, all kinds of rumors and insinuations continued to spread.

These men who had been allowed out for exercise seemed not to care at all about the protests of the prisoners still locked up. Some of them even feared that the world was not chaotic enough, and deliberately went to conspicuous places to show off their muscles, clearly intending to provoke trouble.

Zhao Li and the others were, strictly speaking, only guests here, so they merely watched. As long as nothing erupted into an incident, everything would be manageable. It was only a temporary arrangement anyway; in a few months they would all be leaving, so there was no need to quibble with them.

Truth be told, if anyone was having trouble adjusting, Zhao Li was more uncomfortable than the rest. It was not that the living conditions were poor; on the contrary, the guards enjoyed far better treatment than the prisoners here. It was simply that Zhao Li had already grown used to his little pigeon coop of a room, and now that he had been moved to a larger place, he found it genuinely hard to adapt.

Ever since he had made a big splash on his own, Zhao Li had lately felt as though he had been silently pushed to the margins of the guards’ group. Outwardly, everyone still greeted one another and said what needed to be said, but he could always sense that subtle exclusion. Even when speaking with him, Jiang Hao seemed to carry a faint sense of distance.

Was it because he had stood out too much and separated himself from the group? Should these prisoners not have been saved? Since the military tribunal had not sentenced them to death, then they had a right to live. They should not have been abandoned in that situation without even being told what was happening.

Had he done something wrong? Zhao Li once again replayed that scene in his mind, especially the sight of the enormous wave crashing down and shattering the prison to pieces. With that memory, he became even more convinced that he had made no mistake.

Whenever he felt helpless, Sister Ban always seemed able to offer him some advice. This time, Zhao Li felt that sudden unfamiliarity from his comrades and could not help wanting to talk with her again.

Ban Yuchan should originally have been in the women’s prison, but this group could not be easily split up, and she was the only woman among them. After weighing the matter, they still arranged for her to stay together with the men. In any case, Ban Yuchan had means of self-protection and would not be bullied. It was only for a few months, so there should not be much trouble.

However, Ban Yuchan seemed rarely to speak with the others. It was unclear whether this was because of her gender or simply because she looked down on them. The only exception was Kang Hongyuan, who seemed able to get by anywhere and inspired great admiration in Zhao Li. As for Professor Hans, whenever he looked at Ban Yuchan, there seemed to be hatred in his eyes, which Zhao Li found very puzzling. It seemed the two of them had entered this prison together. If there was an opportunity, he would need to investigate what had actually happened.

It was as though merely walking to within a few steps of Ban Yuchan was enough to feel that serene and tranquil atmosphere. No matter how much anger or grievance one carried, there was suddenly a place where it could be soothed and calmed. It was truly wondrous.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Zhao Li come over, Ban Yuchan was not surprised at all. “You look a little unhappy. Are they bullying you?”

“Nothing much.” In the end, Zhao Li still did not bring up his troubles. No matter what, he was a man. A man could not easily show weakness before a girl just because of the consequences of his own actions.

“Then you’re tired. Tired in here.” Ban Yuchan’s quiet remark made Zhao Li feel as though he were standing completely naked before her, with even his heart exposed. It was an unsettling sensation.

“Am I very foolish?” Zhao Li asked, almost as if possessed.

“If you mean that decision that day, then yes, it really was foolish.” Ban Yuchan did not let the fact that Zhao Li had saved everyone’s lives alter her judgment of his actions that day. “That decision not only put you in danger, it also affected the cohesion of the entire team. When you don’t have absolute authority, that choice really was foolish.”

Her blunt assessment made Zhao Li feel like a failure. He lowered his head and reflected for quite a while. Ban Yuchan simply sat there in silence, watching him. Only when he looked up did she add, “But thank you.”

Those words of thanks immediately gave Zhao Li a reason to feel uplifted again. No matter what, his decision had saved dozens of lives. Compared with human life, what was the little grievance he had suffered?

“Congratulations on your promotion.” Zhao Li’s rank of sergeant was obvious to everyone, but Ban Yuchan was the only one who said it aloud. No one knew whether the others were pretending not to see it or doing so deliberately.

“Sister Ban, thank you.” Ban Yuchan had said almost nothing, yet she had lifted his spirits. In truth, Zhao Li was the one who most wanted to say thank you.

“Still, you do seem rather tired.” Ban Yuchan did not bother with what his thanks referred to, only said again, “If you’re still confused, go talk to Kang Hongyuan. That old man may not be much of a person, but when it comes to this sort of thing, he really does know his way around. You saved him, so maybe he can point you in the right direction with a word or two. That would be enough to handle this little situation.”

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