“What, surprised?” Wang Ling glanced at him.
Qin Hao nodded. “Indeed. Shouldn’t the female prisoner area be supervised by female guards?”
“There aren’t enough female guards, so some vacancies have to be filled by male guards.” Wang Ling offered a casual explanation.
Qin Hao spread his hands. “That’s fine, then. It counts as relatively easy work.”
Wang Ling sneered at that. “If that’s what you think, then you’re not far from death.”
“How so?”
“Do you know what these female prisoners hate most?” Wang Ling asked.
Qin Hao raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me it’s men?”
“What do you think?” Wang Ling countered.
Qin Hao sighed softly. “It should be. Since they became serious offenders, most of them probably just had bad luck with the men they met.”
“So you’d better be careful. A single finger with a sharp, well-kept fingernail might be enough to take your life.” Wang Ling warned him coldly.
Qin Hao nodded. “Thanks for the warning. So, when do I start working?”
“Now.” Wang Ling spoke indifferently. “You have one minute to change clothes.”
Qin Hao looked at himself, then at her. “You’re going to watch me here?”
“What? Do you think I care about that?” Wang Ling’s face was full of disdain.
Qin Hao smiled shyly. “But I’ll be embarrassed.”
“You have forty seconds left.” Wang Ling remained completely unmoved.
Qin Hao helplessly shrugged, then hurriedly turned around to change. Fortunately, the clothes here were similar in style to those on Earth, so he wouldn’t be unable even to put them on.
A moment later, he had changed and turned around.
“How do I look? Handsome?”
Wang Ling glanced at him, then turned and walked outside.
Qin Hao followed behind her, carrying his suitcase. “What should I do with these things?”
“Once you reach the female prisoner area, someone will arrange a dormitory for you.”
“Then how long is my probationary period?” Qin Hao suddenly asked.
Wang Ling stopped and looked at him. “What probationary period?”
Qin Hao asked, “The probationary period for becoming your friend or accomplice, of course. I can’t spend the rest of my life working as a guard here, can I?”
Wang Ling gave him a deep look, then suddenly turned around again and continued walking.
“Obtain 150 merit points within three months.”
“150 merit points?” Qin Hao asked.
“An ordinary guard can earn five merit points by working for a month without making any mistakes.” Wang Ling explained.
“Ten times more than an ordinary guard? That’s rather interesting.” Qin Hao smiled.
Wang Ling said nothing more.
After walking for a while, the two passed through several heavily guarded areas and eventually arrived at a separate building.
As soon as he entered, he saw many women dressed in prisoner uniforms.
Those women saw him as well, and each regarded him differently.
Some were indifferent, some disgusted, some hostile, and some carried murderous intent.
Qin Hao responded to all those gazes with a smile.
Wang Ling did not stop, leading him into an office.
There, Qin Hao saw a woman as imposing as a mountain.
Her build was enormous, like a small hill. In Qin Hao’s experience, perhaps only the basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal could compare with her.
“Warden!” The woman greeted Wang Ling when she saw her.
Wang Ling nodded and pointed at Qin Hao. “This is the new guard assigned here, identification number: 9527.”
Then she said to Qin Hao, “This is the female guard captain, Chen Shengnan.”
“Hello, Captain Chen!” Qin Hao greeted the female guard captain.
Chen Shengnan glanced at him and complained to Wang Ling, “warden, why did you send a little bean sprout here? Those madwomen will tear him apart like a toy.”
“Little... Bean Sprout?” Qin Hao was speechless. He was nearly 180 centimeters tall, and this was the first time anyone had described him that way.
Wang Ling said indifferently, “He isn’t combat personnel.”
Chen Shengnan sighed. “Fine, I suppose that’s the only option. What is he good at?”
Wang Ling glanced at Qin Hao and replied, “He is quick-witted, eloquent, and skilled at seeing through other people’s minds.”
Chen Shengnan initially looked disappointed, but then her eyes lit up.
“That’s not bad. The psychological counselor here was beaten to death a few days ago, so we happen to be short-handed.”
“A psychological counselor?” Wang Ling frowned slightly and looked at Qin Hao. “Do you think you can handle it?”
In the end, she had treated Qin Hao differently. What she meant was that she wanted him to make the choice himself.
Qin Hao glanced at her and smiled. “It sounds interesting enough. What is the job’s objective?”
“Provide psychological counseling for the prisoners, eliminate their negative emotions as much as possible, correct their erroneous ideas, and guide them toward a positive outlook,” Chen Shengnan said.
“That sounds very positive.” Qin Hao nodded. “So, how many people need psychological counseling?”
Chen Shengnan gave him a “sweet” smile. “All of them.”
Qin Hao shook his head and laughed. True enough, most female prisoners who ended up here probably weren’t in a good mental state.
“What about safety?” Wang Ling asked.
“Don’t worry, warden. I personally installed additional protective measures over the past few days. It’s very safe. As long as he doesn’t go looking for trouble, nothing will happen.” Chen Shengnan patted her chest, producing a thunderous boom.
“What do you say?” Wang Ling asked Qin Hao.
Qin Hao nodded. “No problem.”
Wang Ling nodded at Chen Shengnan. “In that case, I’ll leave him to you.”
Chen Shengnan once again gave Qin Hao a “sweet” smile. “Don’t worry, warden. The psychological counselor is a treasure here. I’ll definitely take good care of him.”
Wang Ling gave Qin Hao a deep look, then turned and left.
She had taken only a few steps when she heard Qin Hao’s voice.
“Warden, stop taking sleeping pills. If you can’t sleep, you can come talk to me.”
Her footsteps paused briefly, but in the end she did not turn around and left directly.
Chen Shengnan looked at Qin Hao in surprise. “How did you know the warden takes medicine?”
Qin Hao smiled at her. “I guessed, of course.”
“Little bean sprout, you seem to have some ability. I have high hopes for you, so work hard.” Chen Shengnan patted Qin Hao on the shoulder.
Qin Hao felt an immense force weighing down on his shoulder, nearly making him drop to his knees.
This gave him a much more direct understanding of Chen Shengnan’s strength. Indeed, compared with her, he really was little more than a bean sprout.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the psychological counseling room,” Chen Shengnan said.
“Shouldn’t we go to the dormitory first? I’m still carrying my things,” Qin Hao asked.
“A psychological counselor is different from other guards. The psychological counseling room is your dormitory. You work there, and you rest there.”
“Captain Chen, don’t tell me I have to receive prisoners all day, at any time,” Qin Hao couldn’t help asking.
Chen Shengnan praised him. “You really are clever.”
Qin Hao: ...