Chapter 10

Yefeng's bed was in the corner closest to the toilet, where the smell was not pleasant. It seemed that this was one of the "treatments" for new inmates.

However, a young man with glasses soon approached Yefeng, his face full of smiles, and said very politely, "Brother Ye, can I call you Brother Ye? My name is Wang Hailong, I'm from this city, and I'm here for theft. Brother Ye, let's switch beds, shall we? The smell here isn't good, and you just arrived, so you might not be used to it. But I'm fine; I've been here for several months and have already gotten used to it."

Yefeng knew that the reason this young man named Wang Hailong was treating him this way was because his previous performance had "shocked" everyone. In this place where only physical strength mattered, someone with "super" skills like him would inevitably become the target of their flattery and closeness.

However, Yefeng neither appreciated his kindness nor felt grateful. After years of working, Yefeng was used to all kinds of foot odors and sweat smells, so he didn't care about the smell at all. He smiled and said, "No need, I'm already used to this smell."

Wang Hailong's expression immediately fell, clearly Yefeng's attitude made his attempt to be friendly somewhat awkward. He forced a smile and said, "Alright, Brother Ye, if you need any help in the future, just let me know. You just arrived, and you might not understand many of the rules yet. I'll tell you all about them later."

Yefeng waved his hand and said, "Thanks."

After he left, Yefeng lay on his bed, looking at the spotty ceiling, his mind swirling with thoughts.

First, Yefeng felt that he was different from these people in the detention center. He wasn't a real suspect, and secondly, the initiative to get out was in his own hands, which depended on his progress in collecting souls. Lastly, because he had crossed the threshold of cultivation and possessed certain abilities, he could ensure his safety even in this mixed environment. At least in this cell, few people would dare to provoke him easily.

However, there were exceptions. After his "great display of power," most people were afraid, but he noticed that a few still looked不服气 (unconvinced). Yefeng could guess that these few were probably the former leaders of this cell.

Yefeng decided that if they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't initiate any trouble. If they did, he wouldn't mind giving them another beating.

After sorting out these thoughts, the most important thing for Yefeng was to collect souls. However, collecting souls required high concentration, and with so many people around in the cell, Yefeng couldn't guarantee that no one would harm him while he was focused. According to the rules, with his current abilities, he couldn't concentrate on collecting souls and do other things at the same time. Any external interference could cause a backlash, potentially making him unconscious for several days. If it was more serious, it could cause significant physical and mental damage. In such a case, the Nine Star Pearl would automatically take his body into the space for repair, which could expose his biggest secret to everyone. The consequences of his sudden disappearance would be even more unimaginable.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Yefeng decided to avoid collecting souls during the day as much as possible, only practicing and improving his ability to sense souls. At night, he would concentrate on collecting souls.

In the following days, Yefeng spent his days learning the rules, attending lectures, and doing chores, and whenever he had free time, he practiced his ability to sense souls. At night, he focused on collecting souls.

By the sixth day, Yefeng had collected 28 souls. This progress was not fast, and it made him somewhat anxious.

After a few days of understanding, and with Wang Hailong occasionally explaining some basic knowledge and rules of the detention center, Yefeng learned that the detention center was divided into two parts: the criminal detention group and the arrest group. The former was for temporary detention and could be released on bail, while he belonged to the latter, where release on bail was impossible. He could only passively wait for the preliminary review, prosecution, meeting with a lawyer, trial, appeal, and final judgment. The length of this waiting period depended on the progress of his case. However, Yefeng believed that this time would not be long because he was sure that Liu Yong wanted his case to go to trial as soon as possible, hoping for his quick death. Therefore, Liu Yong would do everything to expedite the trial.

Although Yefeng was a murder suspect, he had not yet been tried, so he was treated as an unconvicted prisoner and detained in the detention center. If he was sentenced to death after the first trial, he would be transferred to a special death row cell.

Life in the detention center was very regulated. They woke up at 6:00 AM, had breakfast around 6:30 AM, with后勤人员 (logistics personnel) pushing carts to the corridor in front of the cells to distribute meals, usually porridge, steamed buns, and pickles. For lunch and dinner, those with money could buy food from the detention center, while those without money could only eat rice and watery soup. The watery soup was just a bowl of salty broth with a few pieces of cabbage and potato. They went to bed at 10:00 PM. Most of the day, people spent their time learning the rules, listening to lectures, and sitting on the long benches, occasionally going out for some fresh air.

The detention center had a patrol every 40 minutes, with the patrol route above the cells. Each cell had a plastic alarm clock, and the inmates were very precise about the timing. Everyone was very obedient before each patrol.

Over the six days, no one had caused trouble for Yefeng.

The seventh day was Monday, and Monday was the day for buying daily necessities, such as soap, shampoo, pens, paper, and of course, cigarettes, though they were cheap and of poor quality.

The detention center strictly prohibited the circulation of cash, just as it strictly prohibited any items that could cause physical harm. All transactions in the detention center were made using a card similar to a passbook. After each transaction, the corresponding amount was deducted, and a stamp was placed.

On this day, many people went out to buy things, leaving only Yefeng and four or five old inmates in the cell. These old inmates were the ones who initially seemed unconvinced by Yefeng.

Yefeng had been somewhat frustrated recently because he had noticed that there were more souls during the day than at night, but he couldn't openly collect souls during the day, which made him very restless.

At this moment, an unexpected event occurred. Although it led to Yefeng being punished, it also inadvertently solved his biggest frustration and restlessness.

The source of this unexpected event was those few old inmates who were unconvinced by Yefeng.

When most of the inmates went out to buy things, Yefeng noticed that these few old inmates stayed behind, looking at him with strange eyes. They then huddled together and whispered. One of them, the tallest, took a towel and walked to the cell door, covering the surveillance camera at the top of the door with the towel.

At this moment, Yefeng realized that these people were planning to attack him. It was rare that they had held back for so many days, but now it seemed they couldn't hold back any longer.

They quickly surrounded Yefeng, and one of them even had a fruit knife.

This surprised Yefeng because, according to the rules of the detention center, it was absolutely forbidden to privately possess any items that could cause physical harm, even a toothpick.

But this person had somehow obtained a fruit knife.

A surge of anger rose in Yefeng's heart. He had been falsely accused and wronged by Liu Yong and Liu Moumou outside, and now he had to be provoked and retaliated against by these real scum of society?

Of course not. Yefeng had already made up his mind. If these people didn't provoke him, he wouldn't provoke them. But if they did, he wouldn't mind giving them another beating.

So, instead of retreating, Yefeng moved forward, quickly circling around to the back of the old inmate holding the fruit knife. He grabbed the man's hair with one hand and kicked him hard in the waist.

The man immediately fell to the ground with a scream, his body curling up like a shrimp, trembling uncontrollably.

The other old inmates were stunned, but Yefeng didn't hesitate. He immediately targeted the next one, tripping him and then grabbing his arm, twisting it, and stomping down hard.

"Crack," a very clear sound of bone breaking, followed by a pig-like scream.

This old inmate's arm was broken by Yefeng's stomp, his arm twisted at an odd angle, the broken bone piercing through the muscle and skin, blood gushing out, a sight that was truly shocking.

The remaining old inmates were no longer just stunned; they immediately knelt down in front of Yefeng, bowing their heads and begging for mercy.

Yefeng knew they were genuinely afraid. His attack was swift, accurate, and ruthless, with no hesitation. Combined with his reputation as a murder suspect, he had completely shattered their psychological defenses.