Chapter 84
4.36 million. This shocking figure left Cen Xun silent for a full half minute before he slowly spoke, "How did you do that?"
The young man smiled bitterly and said, "I'd like to know, but I really can't remember."
Cen Xun: "You lost your memory too?"
"I only remember a small part," the young man said with a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "I have a younger sister and a few friends who shared life and death with me. I think they must be waiting for me to return."
Cen Xun really didn't want to pour cold water on him. It wasn't something a kind person would do, but he couldn't suppress the evil in his heart. "Are you so sure? Ten years have passed. If you think about it in the worst possible way, maybe they're all gone, or even forgotten about you."
The young man didn't get angry. He just whispered, "No matter whether they are still here or not, or whether they have forgotten me or not, I will find them. As long as I see them living well, I will be satisfied."
Cen Xun said calmly, "Really? Then I wish you success."
The young man was silent for a moment, looking at him through the two small windows, and suddenly said: "You are very different from the other prisoners."
"What's the difference?"
"You..." The young man couldn't find the right words to describe Cen Xun for a moment. After pondering for a while, he blurted out a sentence like squeezing beans: "You are not decent enough."
Cen Xun: “?”
"I don't mean to condemn you. I'm saying that compared to the other prisoners, you don't seem to have many positive emotions." The young man said thoughtfully, "When 0002 heard what I said, he was so moved that he cried all day. 0003 also cried and comforted me for a long time."
Looking at Cen Xun's attitude again, there is a world of difference.
Cen Xun didn't understand: "Is crying because you're moved a positive emotion?"
The young man said: "At least it shows strong empathy and compassion."
Cen Xun: "I just have no sympathy, so what?" Why should he cry for someone who is insignificant to him?
The young man smiled and said, "That's why I say you are very different from us old prisoners."
Cen Xun didn't plan to dwell on these issues for too long. The reason he spoke to 0001 was to get more information from the young man.
So he calmly changed the subject: "Why aren't 0002 and 0003 talking? Can't they hear what we're saying?"
The young man paused and replied, "They probably haven't woken up yet. They've been awake less and less lately."
Cen Xun asked sharply, "Why? Is it because of 'atonement'?"
"Yes and no," the young man replied ambiguously. "The pain of 'atonement' is only one of the reasons. The more important reason is that they gradually gave up hope of being released from prison and began to abandon themselves."
"I was supported by the belief that I would go home, so I persisted for ten years, and they are different now."
"The little bit of beauty in their memories alone is no longer enough to sustain them against the pain of 'atonement'."
The young man said softly, "In this prison, without the support of beautiful memories, both body and soul will gradually rot. Ten years have passed, and it's not just 0002 and 0003 that are rotting, but also most of the prisoners."
Cen Xun asked, "What exactly is this so-called 'atonement'?"
The young man did not answer immediately, but instead asked Cen Xun: "Is there anyone or anything you care about?"
Cen Xun hesitated for a moment, unsure: "Maybe it's my husband?"
The young man was shocked by this answer, because he never expected that the 0000 opposite him would actually get married.
He didn't know where this subconscious feeling came from, but he inexplicably felt that 0000 would never be the kind of person who would get married.
Reluctantly suppressing the indescribable feeling, he returned to the point: "Then your 'atonement' should be to choose between you and your husband."
Cen Xun was puzzled: "What to choose?"
"Choose who will bear the pain." The young man said, "You must have committed murder as well. If you can watch him being killed, you won't have to bear the pain of being killed yourself."
Cen Xun finally showed some interest: "So, my husband is here too?"
"No, it's just an illusion."
Illusion.
Cen Xun pondered over the two words. What a strange prison that could actually create illusions tailored for prisoners. What kind of strange power did the warden have?
Cen Xun said, "If this is an illusion, it should be easy to distinguish. You should be able to tell the difference between real people and fake ones."
"It's hard to tell." The young man said helplessly, "When you are in it, you don't even know you are in an illusion. You are forced to make a choice."
Cen Xun thought: That’s it?
Is there any need to hesitate about such a thing? Of course, I would sacrifice my fake husband without hesitation!
The young man seemed to have guessed Cen Xun's choice from his silence. He had a sense of anticipation and shook his head helplessly, "Midnight is the time for atonement. You'll know once you experience it."
Cen Xun did not comment and asked 0001 some other questions.
For example, whether prisoners can go out for exercise, whether the prison provides meals, and whether there are opportunities for them to get together.
0001's answer was: "Yes, we have lunch at noon every day, and from 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM, the prisoners need to go down the well for labor reform."
Cen Xun: "Not working in the morning?"
0001: "No work. At that time, most prisoners were still recovering. Those who were still asleep stayed in the prison, while those who were awake were taken to the 'classroom' to watch educational films and sometimes even take exams. Today was special, probably because of the new prisoners, so the educational activities were suspended."
Cen Xun roughly understood the situation in the prison and fell into deep thought.
He had just arrived and knew very little about Chiyuan Prison. If he wanted to fully understand the situation here, he would probably have to stay here for at least a day.
With a clinking sound, Cen Xun kicked away the winding chains on the ground, sat down on the cold ground, and looked up at the simple clock on the wall of the cell. The pointer pointed to "9", and there was still some time before 12 o'clock.
I can only wait until lunch time to find out more information.
Cen Xun didn't really understand why he was gathering intelligence. Since he'd committed a crime, shouldn't he just stay in prison and atone for it? Why was he going through all this trouble? It was like he was trying to escape from prison.
Cen Xun asked himself, but could not find the answer.
Maybe I'm just a little confused about this prison.
Curiosity should never be a sin.
As Cen Xun was thinking this, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye. He was startled and immediately looked to the left and behind. A man in a black cloak and a black mask unexpectedly came into his sight.
Cen Xun didn't know when he appeared there, how long he stood there, and how long he listened. He stared at the other person closely and could clearly hear his own heartbeat.
Fortunately, the man in black robe did not make any other movements. Under Cen Xun's vigilant gaze, his figure quietly disappeared into the wall, like a smudge of ink.
Cen Xun immediately asked 0001: "Who is wearing the black cloak?"
0001 was not surprised: "It's a prison guard. Every prisoner has a dedicated prison guard. The higher the ranking, the stronger the guard."
Cen Xun remembered the work nameplate he had just seen on the black-robed man’s chest. It seemed to say “0006”.
Since he is a dedicated prison guard, why would the prison guard of prisoner 0006 come to him?
Cen Xun asked 0001, but 0001 was also confused about this situation and couldn't explain it.
Cen Xun looked down at his fingers, feeling that there were more and more mysteries in this prison.
Time passed and it was twelve o'clock.
The prison guards appeared without anyone noticing and opened the metal doors of each cell. Cen Xun, handcuffed and shackled, was led out of the cell by prison guard 0000.
There were not many prisoners who came out with him, only 0001 from the opposite door, the other three prisoners who came in today, and 0009 and 0096.
0009 was a baby-faced, irritable teenager. He tugged at the cell door with a defiant look on his face, raised his head and howled loudly, "I won't drink it! I don't want to drink that disgusting stuff! I just won't drink it!"
The prison guard 0009 who was guarding him was very ruthless. Seeing that he couldn't pull him away, he directly thrust the electric baton at him. The irritable boy was shocked so much that his screams were intermittent. However, when he recovered, he didn't restrain himself at all. Instead, he raised his chin and looked down at his prison guards more arrogantly: "Oh, whatever can't kill me will make me stronger. Come on! If I don't become a god in this life, I won't be a member of society in the next!"
Then he was hit with an electric baton.
0009 was practically dragged away. He half-knelt on the ground, gasping for breath and saying, "Don't be so proud of your blunt sword and skinny horse. I don't want to fight you!"
Other prisoners: ""
This middle school boy is even more of a heavyweight.
Compared to 0009, the other sober 0096 looked much more mediocre. He had a stubbled face, staggered, and looked very decadent. He was led forward by the prison guards without saying a word.
0001 walked beside Cen Xun and whispered to him, "0009 is a little strange. You'd better not get too close to him."
Cen Xun naturally asked, "Why?"
0001 wasn't sure how to describe it: "I can't really put it into words. I think he has really bad luck, and sometimes even brings bad luck to those around him."
As they were talking, 0009 suddenly fell to the ground. When he got up, his hands and feet slipped for unknown reasons, and he hit his head against the wall. He closed his eyes peacefully on the spot and passed out.
0001 said helplessly: "Just like this."
Cen Xun: "This child is indeed unlucky."
The unconscious 0009 could not escape the fate of lunch. He was awakened by his prison guard and continued to walk towards the restaurant with a look of despair on his face.
This made Cen Xun curious about what the so-called lunch was, which made the middle school boy so resistant to it.
When he arrived at the restaurant, the "lunch" that appeared in front of Cen Xun was a little beyond his imagination.
Cen Xun paused, then hesitantly picked up the test tube in front of him and shook the green liquid inside, wondering if it was some kind of poison.
0001, who was sitting opposite him, said, "Drink it. You only have one meal a day. If you don't drink, you'll be hungry. You won't have the energy to work in the afternoon and you'll be punished."
Cen Xun opened the cork and sniffed the liquid. It was slightly sweet, not like some strange poison, and had a vague sense of familiarity.
Since it was lunch time, the mask on Cen Xun's face was taken off. His eye-catching appearance attracted the attention of all the prisoners. Even the depressed 0096's eyes lit up and he didn't look away for a long time.
Cen Xun nonchalantly placed the mouth of the test tube against his lips and took a small sip. An indescribable taste spread from the tip of his tongue. It wasn't that unpalatable, but it made people shiver with goosebumps.
No wonder the chuunibyou boys don’t like it.
Cen Xun closed his eyes and recalled for a moment, and was sure that he had drunk this kind of thing before.
Where?
Cen Xun quickly remembered that it seemed to be in the refrigerator at home?
Yes, when they first lived together, the man had piled a box full of glass tubes in the refrigerator, and these glass tubes were filled with this liquid.
When it was time for dinner, the man took out two glass tubes from the refrigerator and gave him one. Seeing that he didn't move, he urged him, "Didn't you say you were hungry? Drink it."
Cen Xun looked at the test tube containing an unknown liquid in his hand and asked him with interest, "What is it? Poison?"
"How can it be poison? It's just nutrient solution." The man looked innocent as he unpacked a cigarette and drank it. Then he said to him calmly, "One drink will keep you full for the whole day."
Cen Xun believed it. After taking a sip, he silently put down the glass tube, stood up and walked out.
The man hurriedly grabbed him and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the river to catch some fish," Cen Xun pushed his hand away and walked out without looking back. "Even raw fish tastes better than this."
"Is it really that hard to drink?" He was incredulous. Seeing Cen Xun's strong resistance, he had no choice but to give in: "Then tell me, what do you want to eat?"
"Something a normal human should eat."
So the man had to learn how to cook. The kitchen was filled with black smoke. The dusty boy fiddled with a bunch of black things and asked Cen Xun to taste them with anticipation.
Cen Xun was not stupid enough to eat these things that looked abnormal, so he coldly rejected the young man and stood up to walk out.
The young man hurriedly grabbed him and said, "What are you doing now?"
"Go pick up garbage and eat it." Cen Xun commented sarcastically, "It's essentially the same as these dishes anyway."
The boy was devastated. Feeling ashamed and annoyed, he worked hard to learn many new dishes.
Until one day, the nutrient solution in the refrigerator completely disappeared and was replaced by fresh fruits and vegetables.
Cen Xun pulled his thoughts back from his memories and stared at the green liquid in his hand in a trance.
Why did the nutrient solution appear in the prison and was also in the husband's hands?
No, why was he starting to make malicious assumptions about her husband again? Maybe this thing was sold everywhere, not just in Abyss Prison?
0001 on the opposite side saw that he stopped after taking only one sip and gave him a puzzled look.
Cen Xun's expression remained unchanged as he tilted his head back and drank the entire tube of nutrient solution.
Still tastes so bad.
But my husband seems to be used to it.
It's still suspicious.
Cen Xun glanced at 0006 beside him. The young man stared at the nutrient solution he had just taken a sip of, looking as if he had no idea where to start.
Cen Xun asked him in a low voice: "Are you wearing anything else?"
"Huh? Something else?" 0006 turned away in surprise and said without thinking, "Yes, a black necklace would count, right?"
Cen Xun's heart moved and he looked at 0088 and 0113.
0088 was stunned for a moment when he heard their conversation, while 0113 subconsciously lowered his head, with a hint of doubt in his eyes when he looked over.
The middle school boy 0009 asked with interest: "What black necklace? Does it look good? Let me see it too!"
Cen Xun glanced at him calmly and said, "Finish your lunch first."
A tube of nutrient solution stumped the chuunibyou. 0009 instantly wilted, lying on the table and humming unconvincedly: "A dragon crossing the mountain meets a tiger descending from the mountain. You can't call the shots in prison."
Cen Xun: “.”
Why was this middle school boy imprisoned for?
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