Chapter 82

The prison guard Jack looked at Qin Ran with astonishment, unable to believe it.

Because, in his estimation, at this moment, the other party should have been completely preoccupied with the casualties of his teammates.

Why would he be here?

The question in his heart did not show on his face.

Even his gaze instantly turned to one of confusion.

"Mr. 2567, what are you talking about? What do you mean, 'it’s indeed me?'"

"I don’t understand at all!"

"I came here because I was worried that Tom’s accomplice would take advantage of the chaos to kill Tom!"

The prison guard Jack looked at Qin Ran with a puzzled expression, his tone filled with deep confusion.

Slap, slap!

Qin Ran clapped his hands.

Even with the most certain guess, looking at the other party’s expression and tone, Qin Ran still had to admire the other party’s acting skills, which were truly lifelike.

At a commendable level.

"If you don’t understand, then you can look at this!"

Qin Ran raised his hand and took out the two notes.

"This is..."

"Given to you by the 'Master Thief' before?!"

"The damn guy!"

When the prison guard Jack saw the two notes in Qin Ran’s hand, his face immediately changed. The originally ordinary but still kind-looking face instantly turned fierce.

He no longer tried to defend himself.

Because, any defense in the face of these two notes was weak and powerless.

Especially, Qin Ran’s appearance here waiting for him was enough to show that the other party had already confirmed the author of the two notes.

"Yes, I am Tom’s accomplice!"

"I am also the warden’s and the deputy warden’s accomplice!"

The prison guard Jack admitted it straightforwardly, looking at Qin Ran, and said word by word.

"You are, of course, an accomplice of these two—each their own accomplice!"

"In fact, I should have noticed earlier. Both the warden and the deputy warden showed a lot of trust in you!"

"And given their seemingly unfriendly relationship, this was very strange!"

Qin Ran shook his head, regretting that he didn’t discover the other party’s suspicious points earlier.

If he had, Players 1 and 2 wouldn’t have had to die.

Although they were just temporary teammates, they had shown the conduct of bodyguards and, most importantly, had not shown any hostility towards him.

Therefore, if possible, Qin Ran wouldn’t mind saving them.

However, it was unfortunately impossible.

[Player 1 and Player 2 are dead!]

This was what Qin Ran saw in the team information record.

Clearly, the two had not survived the explosion, just as Qin Ran had guessed.

And the prison guard Jack in front of him was the murderer who caused that explosion.

Of course, it also included the poison in their drinks and the poison planted in the prison cafeteria, which was used to kill Tom and silence him.

And... the deaths of those prisoners, the other party was also an accomplice.

As for who the murderer was?

The warden, the deputy warden, and that old Tom.

And why did they do it?

The two notes made it clear.

"You can live much better than you do now, just by giving up something!"

"Freedom is not out of reach, as long as you have something that can move me!"

The first note, after Qin Ran compared the handwriting, was from the warden.

The second note was from the deputy warden.

These two, the highest-ranking officials in Alcatraz Prison, used their positions to extend their greedy hands towards the prisoners.

They plundered the cash, jewelry, and other valuable items that the prisoners had hidden, stolen, or robbed.

There was no need to doubt the wealth of the prisoners. Just like the last cell he had inspected, the relatively honest prisoner had robbed three banks and killed no fewer than ten innocent people!

Most importantly, only a third of the stolen money was found, and the whereabouts of the remaining two-thirds were unknown.

The prisoner insisted that he had spent it all.

So, the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment in Alcatraz Prison.

This was what Qin Ran saw on the warden’s desk while searching and comparing notes in the warden’s office.

In fact, the files of the six prisoners, including Kilfin Hedge, who had ‘committed suicide’ in the past month, were placed in the most prominent position on the desk.

Clearly, the warden had some suspicions.

However, this suspicion did not affect the warden’s confidence in himself.

He believed that his actions were flawless.

The corridor connecting to the prison area was not just for easier patrols but also for easier ‘withdrawals.’

In the warden’s view, Alcatraz Prison was an inexhaustible ‘treasure house’!

The deputy warden discovered the warden’s actions.

Unfortunately, this deputy warden was not a righteous partner. He also joined in such ‘withdrawals’ without the warden’s knowledge.

But, whether it was the warden or the deputy warden, there was one person they couldn’t avoid: Jack, the prison guard responsible for the video surveillance room.

Unlike the lazy guards in the corridors leading to the prison area.

Even if the prison guard Jack was lazy and even slept in the surveillance room, a quick glance was enough to expose everything.

Because the corridors of the first, second, and third floors of the prison area were all within the range of video surveillance.

So, the warden bribed Jack, and then the deputy warden, who discovered the scheme, also chose to bribe Jack.

Naturally, there were some threats and compromises during this period.

And there were bound to be changes—

For example, Jack became the sole person in charge of the video surveillance room.

For example, Jack also benefited from it.

However, the profit he gained was too little.

So little that Jack had to recruit someone else to join in.

Thus, Tom appeared.

A collaborator that Jack had been looking forward to for a long time.

A collaborator who was completely his own.

Qin Ran could easily imagine the other party’s joy at the time.

After all, in the collaboration with the warden and the deputy warden, Jack was inevitably at a disadvantage.

This was obvious.

A death of a prisoner caused by the warden could still be called an accident.

When the deputy warden joined, it could still be barely covered up.

But with Tom’s involvement, things were different.

Once he started, there was no restraint at all!

The allure of money made him go crazy!

Qin Ran could confirm that at least half of the six prisoner suicides in the past month were the work of this person.

"Trust?"

"Don’t joke around. If I couldn’t bring them more benefits, would they even look at me?"

"Just like Tom, who has worked here for over thirty years, still looks the same!"

"Even without enough money for retirement!"

"I don’t want to end up like that!"

Jack seemed to be angered by Qin Ran’s description and immediately roared in anger.

However, the next moment, Jack quickly calmed down.

"Collaborate with me!"

"Kill Tom! I’ll split my money with you, enough for you to live a carefree life!"

"No one will suspect a thing!"

Jack said.

"Money?"

"I like it very much!"

"Because it can make me dress well, eat well, and live the life I want..."

Qin Ran said slowly.

A smile appeared on Jack’s face.

Indeed, money is the solution to everything!

Such a simple thought emerged in Jack’s mind.

So, when he heard Qin Ran’s next words, the smile on his face froze.

"But, I prefer to earn money in a way I like!"

"At least... this way, I won’t become a slave to money!"

"I don’t want to lose my freedom of mind like a slave!"

Qin Ran said.

These were Qin Ran’s heartfelt words.

Even though this world often makes it hard to distinguish right from wrong, if possible, remember the things you initially didn’t want to do.

And grit your teeth and stick to it.

Because... that’s what life is!

Qin Ran didn’t know who said the last sentence, which was truly a pain in the ass.

But he didn’t dislike the first two sentences.

Because he knew very well that once he crossed the line, he would eventually fall into the abyss.

As for the last sentence?

He didn’t want that kind of life at all.

It felt like being screwed by a dog!

A Shiba Inu, to be precise.

His life would be chosen by him.

Qin Ran looked at the stiff-faced Jack.

He took a deep breath and stepped towards him.

The side quest [Hidden Accomplice!] was clearly completed.

The main quest seemed to be completed as well.

This was much simpler than Qin Ran had imagined.

Although there were some twists and turns.

"Stop!"

"Since you don’t want to be a slave to money!"

"Then die!"

Jack drew his gun and prepared to shoot.

Clearly, Jack had heard about Qin Ran shooting Tom’s gun out of his hand at noon but didn’t take it seriously.

Or, Jack believed he was much stronger than Tom.

But the final result was no different.

Like Tom, Jack’s gun was knocked out of his hand by Qin Ran, and then Qin Ran followed up with a punch to Jack’s abdomen.

Instantly, Jack’s eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground.

Qin Ran picked him up and headed downstairs.

Even if the warden was slow, he should have realized his mistake by now.

And he needed to hand Jack over to the warden.

To complete the [Side Quest].

However, one thing made Qin Ran frown.

[Background: Extremely abnormal phenomena have appeared in Alcatraz Prison. You, as special experts, have been hired to solve this problem...]

Qin Ran looked at the background of the main quest.

It seemed... the warden was also within the scope of the problem to be solved!

Thinking about the dozens of armed guards surrounding the warden, Qin Ran’s frown deepened.

Although he could reveal the warden’s schemes, how many people would believe a stranger who had only been in Alcatraz Prison for less than a day?

In other words, even if the evidence was solid, would the guards help a stranger or their superior for greater benefits?

Undoubtedly, the latter was more likely.

"I must suddenly attack and capture the warden..."

Qin Ran thought about his plan.

Just as Qin Ran was refining his plan, a burning sensation suddenly appeared on the [Woven Amulet].

Qin Ran was startled.