The warden came before Qin Hao with a dagger in hand, but she did not speak. She merely looked at him.
However, to her surprise, Qin Hao neither cried out nor made a fuss, nor did he become hysterical. Instead, he revealed a faint smile.
The warden glanced at him in astonishment and asked, “Are you not afraid of death?”
Qin Hao shook his head. “I am.”
“Then why are you smiling?” the warden asked.
Qin Hao smiled again. “Because I know crying is useless.”
“I have seen all kinds of reactions from people facing death. Someone as calm as you is exceedingly rare.” The warden praised him, but then her tone turned cold. “However, that cannot change the outcome of your death.”
As her voice fell, a cold glint flashed. The sharp dagger was already pressed against Qin Hao’s throat, and a thin line of blood trickled down the blade.
Just as the dagger was about to pierce farther into his throat, Qin Hao suddenly spoke:
“Indeed, my life and death are in your hands, but I can help you achieve redemption.”
The warden’s hand stopped. She looked at Qin Hao and asked coldly:
“What did you say?”
Qin Hao looked at her with a smile. “You appear tough and vicious, but your soul is fragile.”
“Bullshit!” the warden shouted.
The smile on Qin Hao’s face grew wider. “Your soul is telling me that it is filled with pain, anger, guilt, regret, and deep-seated hatred. You have a past you cannot bear to recall. On the surface, you appear calm and unconcerned, but your soul has been suffering in an endless abyss of agony.”
As she listened to him, the warden’s hand began to tremble slightly. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth as she growled:
“Who are you, exactly?”
Qin Hao gazed into her eyes and said gently, “I am just a pitiful person like you, someone destiny has toyed with. We are not enemies. In fact, we can even become friends, because we share the same suffering.”
“You know mind-reading?” the warden asked coldly.
“I really do not know mind-reading.” Qin Hao shook his head.
“Do you think I will believe your nonsense? You were sent by the Qin Family, weren’t you?” the warden demanded harshly.
Qin Hao smiled. “If I were a member of the qin family, would I tell you my surname was Qin? If I were a member of the qin family, would I disguise myself as a death-row prisoner to deal with you? How would that be any different from seeking death? Even if I wanted to disguise myself as a prisoner, I would at least make the camouflage convincing. I would not simply ‘drop in’ like this, would I?”
The warden fell silent at his words. It had to be admitted that Qin Hao’s reasoning made sense.
She took a small device from her person and scanned Qin Hao. However, the result was:
No such person found.
He had no criminal record whatsoever. In other words, he was innocent.
Qin Hao looked at her and continued, “I do not know you. I do not even know where this place is. To you, I am merely a passerby. Although your heart is filled with hatred, you have not been blinded by it. Killing an innocent person cannot lessen the pain in your heart.”
“After saying all that, aren’t you still only trying to stay alive?” the warden barked.
Qin Hao smiled. “What is wrong with wanting to live? I told you, I am afraid of death.”
“Your life is in my hands. Why should I let you live?” the warden said coldly.
Qin Hao stared at her and said seriously, “Although your heart is filled with rage and hatred, you have no clue and no direction. You have nowhere to vent it. But I can help you—give you direction, give you ideas, and even help you achieve your ultimate redemption.”
The warden fell silent once more. A trace of struggle flashed through her eyes.
Qin Hao said nothing, merely waiting quietly for her decision.
After a moment, the warden’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and she said coldly:
“I do not believe your honeyed words! Go to Hell!”
Qin Hao gave her a brilliant smile. “In that case, I wish us a pleasant cooperation. I hope you take your revenge soon!”
“Are your ears defective? I told you to go to Hell!” the warden shouted.
Qin Hao smiled. “All right, stop acting. Hurry and untie me. The ropes are too tight, and my hands have gone numb.”
“You!” The warden froze. “How did you know I would agree?”
Yes, she had agreed. Qin Hao had convinced her, and she could not bring herself to attack him.
“From the moment you hesitated, the outcome was already clear.” Qin Hao smiled.
Seeing his smile, the warden withdrew the dagger. But in the next moment, she threw a punch at his eye.
Qin Hao’s eye socket immediately turned black.
“You did not expect this punch, did you?” the warden asked with a cold laugh as she looked at his black eye.
Qin Hao blinked with difficulty. “I expected half of it, I suppose. I thought you would stab me, but I did not expect you to merely punch me. It seems you are a little kinder than I thought.”
Throughout their conversation, she had been suppressed at every turn. Although he had ultimately persuaded her, she could not help feeling resentful.
This punch was her way of venting that resentment, as well as a way to restore the balance in their relationship.
The warden glanced at him, then used the dagger to cut through the ropes binding him.
“Still, I have to thank you for your kindness. It was the main reason you chose not to kill me.” Qin Hao stretched his hands and feet.
“Kindness? You had better not use that word to describe me. I did not kill you simply because I find you interesting and want to see whether you can bring me a surprise. If you disappoint me, I will personally Send you to Hell.” The warden cast him a cold glance.
“You will not be disappointed.” Qin Hao smiled at her. “What should I call you?”
“My name is Wang Ling. Call me whatever you like, but here, you had better call me warden,” Wang Ling said indifferently.
Qin Hao nodded. “All right, Sister Wang. How do you plan to arrange things for me? Will you keep me locked up, or let me out?”
Hearing Qin Hao call her “Sister Wang,” Wang Ling suddenly felt the urge to punch him again. But “call me whatever you like” had been her own words, so she could only restrain herself.
“This place is isolated from the outside world, so you cannot leave for now. You can serve as a guard here first,” Wang Ling said.
At that moment, Captain Li, who had previously escorted Qin Hao over, ran up. He looked at Wang Ling, then at Qin Hao, and asked in confusion:
“Warden, what is this?”
“I just confirmed his identity. He is not a prisoner, but a new guard sent by our superiors,” Wang Ling said indifferently.
Captain Li was stunned when he heard this. Wang Ling had just personally said she was going to kill Qin Hao, yet in the blink of an eye, Qin Hao had gone from being a death-row prisoner to a guard. This left him bewildered, but he understood that Qin Hao must have said or done something to move Wang Ling, causing her attitude to change.
He glanced at Qin Hao with a trace of hostility in his eyes. As the guard captain, he viewed Qin Hao’s becoming a guard in this manner as a threat. Wang Ling had the final say in everything here. Since Qin Hao could get close to Wang Ling, perhaps one day he might even replace him.
He extended his hand toward Qin Hao and said with a cold laugh, “I am the guard captain, Li Jun. Welcome aboard.”
Qin Hao smiled at him and shook his hand.
Just as the two of them shook hands, Qin Hao suddenly felt tremendous force coming from Li Jun’s hand. His palm instantly let out a strained creak:
Creak.