The Hullsperk Correctional Facility stood isolated, a monolith far removed from the bustling heart of the city.
The landscape here was stark; there were no residential structures to be found, only a dense, unnatural fog that seemed to constrict the entire region, creating an impenetrable “End Boundary”.
Beyond this boundary, situated on the edge of a desolate sea, loomed a massive fortress—a place designed not just to rehabilitate the city’s criminals, but to serve as the final stage for those condemned to death for their heinous transgressions.
“That is a massive structure, isn’t it?” Sunny remarked, his voice barely cutting through the oppressive silence of the area.
“It is,” Yuxuan replied, his gaze fixed on the imposing perimeter.
They parked their vehicle in front of the fortress’s primary entrance, a gate constructed from thick, menacing iron rods.
Four guards in blue uniforms stood watch, their presence as rigid as the bars they guarded.
Sunny approached them and presented his identification card; one of the guards stepped forward, unlocked a small, secondary gate, and retrieved a key from his ring to grant them access.
“You may proceed,” the guard stated.
“Thank you,” Sunny replied.
They moved past the outer perimeter into the fortress’s interior.
The space was relatively sparse, dominated by a towering structure that rose far above the facility’s outer walls.
They navigated toward a more modest interior entrance and once again presented their IDs to gain clearance.
Upon entering, they approached an employee to inquire about the Warden’s location.
The employee, pointing toward a document on his desk, explained, “The first individual you encounter at the end of the hall is the Warden; his name is explicitly inscribed on his door”.
“Thank you,” they replied, following his directions.
Sunny knocked on the door, and a voice bellowed from within: “Yes, come in!”.
They entered to find an exceptionally large man seated at a desk, wiping sweat from his face with a stained handkerchief.
“Well?
What is it?” the man asked.
Sunny presented his ID once more and declared, “We are private detectives, here to conduct an investigation regarding a specific case”.
“Fine, fine.
Sit down,” the Warden said, wiping his forehead again.
As they settled into chairs, Sunny urged, “Please, we must speak with inmate number 489 immediately.
We are short on time”.
“Sure, sure.
But why the rush?” the Warden asked.
“You should be able to tell by looking at me why we need to be quick,” Yuxuan said, speaking for the first time.
The Warden furrowed his brow, then wiped his face again and chuckled, “Haha!
It is amusing to see such a person.
Remember, youngster, sooner or later, you will find yourself face-to-face with an unavoidable problem”.
“But to call a consequence ‘foreseen’ is simply foolishness”.
The Warden shouted in frustration, though he quickly forced himself to remain calm, likely due to his excessive corpulence.
“Steady, steady.
My apologies, this is just how I am,” Sunny interjected quickly.
“Very well,” the Warden stood up, “follow me”.
They walked to the door of inmate 489, which was painted a distinct blue.
As the Warden unlocked it, Sunny leaned toward Yuxuan and whispered, “I noticed you usually don’t say much, but when you do, it hits like a bullet.
Haha!
You don’t even need a gun”.
“Stop the nonsense, Senior Sunny,” Yuxuan replied.
“Aw!
How rude,” Sunny feigned hurt.
“If you are finished talking, you may enter, Gum-shoes,” the Warden remarked, finally pulling the door open.
Inside, they found a man dressed in a ragged blue uniform, his hair disheveled, frantically mumbling to himself in the corner.
His left foot was bound by an iron ball and chain, and the room was barren—no bed, no furniture, only a small window protected by a metal grill.
A single pipe was connected to a sink, which was stained with dried blood, while the walls were splattered with dark, ominous crimson marks.