I was originally a small policeman in the country. A few days ago, the Superior Officer directly told me to take part in the interview and examination of the prison guards for Absolute Wing Hall. That was actually a very strange thing. I didn’t know why the chief above wanted me to participate. Besides, I’m just a little inconspicuous ignorant policeman who didn’t even know what kind of place Absolute Wing Hall was. At first, I was suspicious about this, and I was a little afraid of being called to do thankless work. (Note: This paragraph was really repeated.)
However, the exaggeratedly high salary of the prison guards in Absolute Wing Hall is higher than the average high ranking policeman’s already high salary. My family is in a bad situation, and I have a college sister to raise, so I still obeyed my Superior Officer’s words to take the exam. The interview and examination process was not smooth, but I received the admission notice two days ago. I don’t know if I was too lucky or a miracle happened? Anyway, I took this job and moved to live in the Hall today, because according to the request of Xue Luoyi, the Highest Curator and Warden of the Absolute Wing Hall, the prison guards of the Absolute Wing Hall need to live inside in order to watch the prisoners 24/7.[1]
The sound of my leather shoes stepping on the marble floor echoes loudly in the quiet hallway.
The appearance of Absolute Wing Hall is a bit similar to Gothic Architecture, but not entirely. It is mixed with some styles that I can’t tell. The exterior walls are painted with pale color, and the ceiling is dark grayish blue. Being surrounded by deep forests, the climate here is cold and humid, and often carries a white mist, which makes the Hall even more gloomy.
Although the appearance is attractive, it will definitely not make people feel comfortable.
I follow Cang Wu, his wide back figure is obviously slightly taller than mine. I am not short, but considered tall among ordinary people. Cang Wu’s physique is also very good, and may be on par with me. I stare at the back of his head. His short black hair is somewhat similar to mine, but longer than mine.
I can hardly imagine his positive expression. When we shook hands just now, I had actually taken a closer look at his appearance. Cang Wu has a very clean face, full of heroic spirit, with silver framed glasses on his face with an ascetic color, and like Xue Luoyi, they are all classified in the category of “good-looking men”. However, the difference between Cang Wu and Xue Luoyi is that compared to Xue Luoyi who loves to laugh, Cang Wu is more like me, has a poker face and is always stiff.
After we come out of the Curator’s office, Cang Wu first shows me our dormitory.
The interior of Absolute Wing Hall does not look complicated. It consists of four buildings arranged in a square, with a large space in the center. The front half of the spacious center is filled with wooden chairs and tables made of sandalwood. And the second half is a low building.
Cang Wu told me that underneath that low building is the kitchen, and above it is a specially set up medical room. The tables and chairs in the front half are the places where prisoners usually eat, which is the so-called ‘Dining Hall’.
And our dormitories are located at the bottom of the four square buildings. There are four dormitories in total. In other words, including me and Cang Wu, there are only four prison guards in Absolute Wing Hall──this is a very strange thing. Although there are not many prisoners in the Absolute Wing Hall, the ratio of prison guards to prisoners is quite different. This is something I have always been confused about.
“Mr. Ye ShiJiu, the building of the dormitory we are assigned is our area of responsibility, do you know this?” Cang Wu suddenly turns his head to me as he leads me upstairs.
“I know.” I nod.
“The floors above the dormitory are all prison rooms. It has a total of nine floors. According to the level of the floor, the number of people decreases inversely. The second floor has the most prison rooms and the third floor slightly decreases… By analogy, the ninth floor has the fewest prison rooms, with the number being only one.” Cang Wu explains as he steps forward.
“Why is it divided like this?” I ask.
Cang Wu pauses, and under the pale light that passes through the window that is covered by a thin mist, I couldn’t clearly see his expression when he turns to look at me.
“Aside from the recorded rate and number of crimes committed, there is also the status of the prisoners in the building.”
“Status?” My brows furrow slightly.
“Mr. Ye ShiJiu, you will gradually know the status of the prisoners in the future, don’t worry.” Cang Wu slightly lowers his cap and continues to move forward as I wonder why the prisoners here still have status?
“Cang Wu… Sir?” I call out to him.
“What’s the matter?”
“Just call me Ye ShiJiu or Wolf. I’m not used to Mr. Ye ShiJiu.” It’s as awkward as asking me to call the officer’s name directly.
“So… Ye ShiJiu, just call me Cang Wu.” His tone is still emotionless, like a robot.
“Okay, Mr. Cang Wu.” As I am still adapting, Cang Wu lifts his dark pupils and stares at me, which seems a little strange.
Cang Wu takes me to an area next to us, which is where another prison guard lives.
“That kid Teal only knows to be lazy.” Cang Wu mutters.
Teal should be the guard in this building. We haven’t met him all the way. I also haven’t seen him yet, and I don’t know what kind of person he is.
Cang Wu only stops slightly at the foot of every stairs. He doesn’t take me to inspect the cells. But every time we reach a floor, there will be whispers from the prison cells. The prison cells are not well-equipped soundproof rooms. The mixed and low voices transmitted through the jail’s iron railing form a buzzing bass, but I can’t clearly hear what they are talking about.
Cang Wu walks me floor by floor, and the higher the level of the floors, the better the equipment and the degree of old and new things I see. I can tell even if I am just watching from a distance at the foot of the stairs. Is this the difference in ‘status’?
My brows couldn’t help but tangle again.
When we reach the eighth floor, because the number of prison cells drops sharply, I can no longer hear any of those buzzing whispers. The higher the floor, the quieter it gets, and it’s even a weird kind of silence.
I continue to follow Cang Wu. But before we climb the stairs to the ninth floor, the electronic watch on Cang Wu’s wrist suddenly beeps. This watch is responsible for receiving the warning when something went wrong—I guess. Because I have not been assigned properly, so I don’t know how that device operates.
“So he went back to his room and waited for me….” He mumbles.
Cang Wu’s expression becomes serious and a little hurried as he pats me on my shoulder.
“I’ll deal with things first, you wait and finish touring around. Remember! Just like what I showed you just now, don’t go deep into the floors, no matter what.” His eyes are strict, with a very strong warning.
Standing at the top of the stairs, I look into the long corridor. The pale light penetrates a little from the window, and the rest of the hallway is dark. The ninth floor is so quiet to the point that you will clearly hear the sound of a needle falling on the ground.
I have to admit that human beings are rebellious. When others stop you from doing something, your rebellious heart will drive you to disobey other’s warnings, even if the other party has good intentions.
I step forward involuntarily and walk on the ninth floor. The sound of my leather shoes on the floor creates a resounding echo in the corridor.
It doesn’t matter, I’ll just go in a little bit. Anyway, I am also a prison guard, so there shouldn’t be any serious problems.
While comforting myself, I walk to the only prison cell inside. From a distance, I can see how big the ninth floor’s prison room is. To be precise, the ninth floor’s prison room is about the size of five prison rooms on the second-floor.
Suddenly, I hear a low whimper-like cry. The whimper contains forbearance, pain, and a trace of despair. My heart becomes a little startled, and my eyes widen.
What happened? Curiosity instinctively drives me to move forward.
Perhaps the sound of my footsteps is heard, and the sobbing stops abruptly. Then, a young boy’s whimper suddenly and faintly floats out, “Help me!”
I am taken aback for a moment, and the sentence “Save me” follows from the cell. The supposed to be next “Help me” disappears and is replaced by a loud noise, like the crash of a person being thrown to the ground.
I suddenly realize that it’s supposed to be a one-person cell, but there’s not just one person inside right now.
I hurriedly grab my baton and run to the prison cell.
[1] 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; all the time.