– Kwang Dang! – Żelazna Głowa heavy, echoing slam of the iron door to cell 107 slammed shut behind Lin Feng, the sound of the lock dull and desperate, like the final gavel strike of a verdict, throwing him back into this cage filled with foul air and unseen malice.
The red marks on his wrists, chafed by the metal handcuffs, still throbbed faintly, but more painful were the cold, harsh, prejudiced words of Zhang Qian that still buzzed in his ears like poisoned needles, repeatedly pricking his nerves. “Scum of society,” “last chance,” “stern judgment of the law”… each word carried a huge sense of humiliation and injustice, making the violent flames in his chest about to erupt.
He walked slowly inside with his head down, trying to minimize his presence, to retreat quickly into his corner, the one closest to the source of the stench.
However, trouble always found him.
“Yo, back already?” Chudy Małpa’s irritating, mocking voice immediately rang out. “Did the cops call you for tea again? What kind of special dish did they serve you this time?”
Blizna remained seated cross-legged in the center of the shared bunk, a cheap cigarette that never seemed to end stuck in his mouth. He squinted, scanning Lin Feng from head to toe as if appraising merchandise, and let out a cold grunt from his nose, “Looking at this pathetic sight, they must have roughed you up good. What, still haven't confessed?”
Lin Feng didn’t answer, just quickened his pace.
But his silence was interpreted as defiance, or perhaps as proof of weakness.
“Damn it, Blizna asked you a question! Are you deaf?” The burly man with a face full of flesh – everyone called him “Żelazna Głowa” – jumped off the bunk and blocked Lin Feng’s path, his shadow almost completely engulfing Lin Feng.
Lin Feng stopped, still with his head down, his hands clenched slightly at his sides.
“Get lost.” He squeezed out two words from between his teeth, his voice hoarse but with an unmistakable chill.
Żelazna Głowa paused, seemingly surprised that this usually submissive “wimp” dared to talk back. Then the flesh on his face contorted, revealing a ferocious grin. “Heh! Got some backbone? Got beaten up inside and you’re acting tough now? Today, I’m going to teach you the rules here!”
Before he finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed the collar of Lin Feng’s uniform with immense force, almost lifting him off the ground.
“I’m giving you face by asking you a question, Żelazna Głowa! And you dare tell me to get lost?” Żelazna Głowa spat, and with his other hand, pointed at the grimy squat toilet in the corner. “Looks like the toilet wasn’t scrubbed clean enough yesterday! Today, you’re going to use this –”
He released Lin Feng’s collar and pointed to a worn-out plastic toothbrush by the sink – its bristles were already bent and splayed, looking rougher and harder than a shoe brush. “Use this! Scrub the toilet inside and out, every nook and cranny! If you don’t finish, you’ll lick it clean with your tongue today!”
A wave of suppressed laughter and cheers erupted in the cell. Blizna also grinned, clearly pleased with this “entertainment.” Chudy Małpa excitedly darted over, grabbed the worn toothbrush, shoved it into Lin Feng’s hand, and pushed him. “Hurry up! Didn’t you hear Żelazna Głowa?”
Humiliation, like boiling oil, instantly flooded Lin Feng’s entire body. Scrubbing the toilet with a toothbrush? This went beyond a show of dominance; it was the ultimate, deliberate crushing of his dignity!
His body trembled with rage, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, causing sharp pain. Only one voice screamed madly in his mind: Fight back! Go all out! Even if you can’t win, bite off a piece of him!
But on the verge of losing control, the faint connection in his mind to the beggar-assassin Wang Wu in the distance flickered ever so slightly. It was like a stream of cold water poured into a boiling oil pot, instantly suppressing the emotions that were about to explode.
Don’t fight!
Fighting now would only lead to more brutal beatings and solitary confinement, with no other meaning!
He needed time! He needed to wait for the next summons! He needed Wang Wu to bring more information!
“A small impatience may spoil a big plan!”
Living is the prerequisite for revenge!
He took a deep breath, the turbid, foul air feeling icy, forcefully suppressing the rage churning in his chest. His trembling hands slowly, stiffly, accepted the dirty, worn-out toothbrush.
Seeing his apparent final submission, the smugness and contempt on the faces of Żelazna Głowa and Chudy Małpa intensified. The surrounding inmates, who had come to watch, let out disappointed hisses, seemingly disappointed by the lack of anticipated resistance.
Lin Feng turned away, no longer looking at any of them, and walked step by step towards the stinking corner.
He crouched down, picked up the old plastic bucket, and filled it halfway with cold tap water. Then, facing the filthy ceramic toilet bowl stained with yellow marks and unidentifiable matter, he slowly squatted down.
He picked up the hard, worn toothbrush, dipped it in the bucket to wet it, and then began to scrub, little by little, with extreme force.
The stiff, rough bristles scraped against the ceramic surface, making a teeth-grinding “squeak, squeak” sound. The cold, dirty water inevitably splashed onto his hands, his clothes, his uniform. The strong smell of ammonia and other indescribable foul odors almost pierced his skull.
Unabashed laughter and discussion came from behind him.
“Look at him!”
“Damn, stay away from him when eating from now on, bad luck!”
“Scrub carefully! Use your fingers for the places the toothbrush can’t reach!”
Every taunt was like a whip lashing his back. Every scrub felt like grinding away his remaining dignity. His teeth chattered, his eyes turned slightly red from extreme humiliation and anger, but he endured it fiercely, not letting any hint of weakness show.
His entire focus was concentrated on the faint connection deep in his mind. He transformed all his hatred, all his humiliation, into a cold anticipation, hoping that the beggar under the overpass would bring him something useful, even just a tiny piece of information!
He scrubbed for an unknown amount of time, until his fingers turned white and wrinkled from the cold water, until the bristles of the worn toothbrush almost completely fell out, until his back ached so much he could barely stand up straight.
Finally, just as his spirit was about to go numb –
The connection fluctuated again!
This time, it was slightly clearer than before. Intermittent, faint fragments of images and sounds, like a radio signal with poor reception, were transmitted:
… (Noisy street background sounds) …“Tingting… postgraduate recommendation… confirmed…” (Sounds of a few girls giggling fading away) …
… (Car horn) …a white… Volkswagen Polo… license plate ending in… 37?… Li Jing… every day… around this time… from the faculty staff residential area… drives out…
… (Police siren approaching and then fading away) …Municipal Bureau… Criminal Investigation Team… entrance… saw… Zhang Qian… driving out… very aggressively… almost hit… someone cursed… bitch…
The information was still fragmented, mixed with Wang Wu’s subjective, low-social-class observations and interpretations (the word “bitch” was clearly something he heard passersby curse), but Lin Feng keenly captured the key points!
Sun Tingting’s postgraduate recommendation seemed confirmed!
Li Jing’s car model, license plate ending, general departure time and route!
Zhang Qian’s workplace, departure time, even her aggressive driving habits!
This information, like the first ray of light in the darkness, though faint, was significant! They were no longer vague objects of hatred but were becoming concrete, observable, trackable!
A surge of ineffable excitement mixed with even colder hatred welled up in Lin Feng’s heart.
He is useful! Wang Wu is useful!
This seemingly lowest-class, most useless assassin was, in his own unique, unnoticed way, weaving an information network for revenge!
He abruptly stopped his mechanical scrubbing, lowered his head, and used his hunched posture to conceal the fleeting, terrifying glint in his eyes.
“Hey! Are you done scrubbing? Dawdling!” Chudy Małpa’s dissatisfied shout came from behind.
Lin Feng didn’t respond, just sped up his actions, quickly giving the toilet a perfunctory scrub in the last spot, then flushed it clean with water.
He stood up, walked silently back to his corner, threw the worn toothbrush back to its place, then curled up and sat down, hugging his knees and burying his face.
To outsiders, this was the collapse and withdrawal after enduring extreme humiliation.
But in reality, his face, hidden between his knees and arms, showed no tears or weakness, only a chilling calm and rapidly spinning thoughts.
He began to consolidate and analyze the information Wang Wu had transmitted in his mind.
Is Li Jing’s travel pattern a breakthrough? Can an accident be created?
Zhang Qian’s driving habits… perhaps they can be exploited?
Sun Tingting… how long can her pride last?
Vague, dangerous thoughts began to sprout and swirl in his mind.
He realized that information was power, and even the most insignificant information could play a huge role at a critical moment. And Wang Wu was his first eye, his first ear.
He once again used the mental link to send clearer and more sustained commands to Wang Wu: “Continue observing. Focus on confirming Li Jing’s exact license plate number and daily fixed route. Record Zhang Qian’s approximate departure time from the Municipal Bureau each night. Pay attention to any unusual actions or statements by Sun Tingting.”
Under the overpass, the beggar Wang Wu received the command, blinked his cloudy eyes, pulled his tattered quilt tighter, and like a true shadow, blended back into the city’s background.
Night fell again.
The cell lights went out, and darkness and snores enveloped everything.
Lin Feng curled up on the cold bunk, enduring hunger and physical discomfort. But his heart was no longer filled with the torment of uncertainty like the previous night.
The humiliation remained, and the hatred burned even fiercer.
But now, there was something more – hope and a plan.
He silently calculated the time, waiting for the next midnight to arrive, waiting for the opportunity for the second summons.
Every day was like drawing a new card.
Every day could bring him a step closer to revenge.
He closed his eyes, no longer listening to the annoying dripping sound, but replaying the vague plan in his mind over and over, considering how to make good use of Wang Wu, this seemingly insignificant but crucial piece on the chessboard.
The opening of hell had not changed, but at the bottom of the dark abyss, the snake of revenge had opened its cold eyes, flicked its tongue, and began to silently measure the distance to its prey.
The night was still long.
But his wait had gained meaning.