After quickly setting up the surveillance cameras, Meng Qing came out of the serious criminal interrogation room and re-locked the iron lock. Turning back, he saw Yu Yi had also just come out. They exchanged a glance, and he slightly tilted his head towards the prison entrance, indicating they could leave.
Yu Yi, however, frowned and shook her head.
Meng Qing walked closer, puzzled, and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Yi also lowered her voice, “I want to check the women’s prison section.”
Meng Qing recalled the previous discussion about attractive female prisoners and advised, “It’s better not to cause trouble. Let’s leave before the shift change, so those in the duty room won’t notice anything unusual.”
Yu Yi walked out with her head down, but Meng Qing thought she had been convinced. Unexpectedly, after a few steps, she stopped, gritted her teeth, and said, “No, I still want to go in and see…” She then opened her terminal and changed into a prison guard’s uniform, turning back towards the women’s prison section.
Meng Qing was helpless and quickly changed into a guard’s uniform, hurrying to catch up with her.
It was late at night, and the prisoners were asleep. Even those few who were awake would tremble in fear at the sight of two guards, hoping they weren’t coming for interrogation or trouble. They would either turn their backs or lower their heads and pretend to sleep, not daring to look up.
After walking some distance, Yu Yi heard a woman’s low sobbing. Her expression changed, and she hurried forward, slowing her steps as the sound became clearer.
It was a cell towards the inner section. From a distance, she could see Peng Laoqi and Sun Youzhao pressed against the cell bars, their arms reaching inside.
Getting closer, she saw Peng Laoqi gripping the waist of a female prisoner through the wooden bars, his other hand tightly covering her mouth. Sun Youzhao had his hands inside her thin clothing, groping wildly.
The woman struggled desperately but couldn’t break free from Peng Laoqi’s strong arm, and her clothing was torn open in the process.
The two guards were completely focused on the young female prisoner, unaware of Yu Yi and Meng Qing quietly approaching. The struggling woman faced away from the cell entrance and couldn’t see them.
Yu Yi forcibly suppressed her anger and put on a gas mask. Meng Qing, seeing her take out the mask, already knew her intention and also put on a mask. He took out a gray thin tube, opened the cap, pulled out the fuse, and gently placed the tube on the ground before retreating with Yu Yi.
They waited in the shadows behind a pillar for a short while, hearing two dull “thud” sounds. Yu Yi peeked out to look and saw that Peng Laosan and Sun You had both fallen, and the female prisoner had also fallen unconscious, sliding softly down the wooden railing.
She stepped lightly over, gently kicking the two on the ground with her toes and finding no response. She then glanced at the disheveled female prisoner.
If she were to lie on the ground in thin clothing overnight, she would surely fall ill. In this Ministry of Punishment’s prison, without special arrangements, a prisoner falling ill was almost equivalent to death. This female prisoner, having been bullied by these two jailers, certainly had no relatives to make arrangements for her, or the arrangements were insufficient.
Yu Yi opened the cell door, straightened the female prisoner’s clothing, and carried her to a corner mattress, covering her with a tattered thin blanket. Not knowing the reason for her imprisonment, Yu Yi could only do this much for her.
Meng Qing waited for Yu Yi to come out and lock the cell door, pointing at the two on the ground and asking, “What do you plan to do with them?”
“If we let them wake up, they’ll continue their misdeeds…” Yu Yi frowned. “It’s better to teach them a lesson so they won’t dare to act so recklessly again.”
Meng Qing glanced at the terminal’s time and said, “The other patrol jailers will return to the duty room soon. Let’s take these two away first.”
Yu Yi found two tattered blankets from an adjacent empty cell. Meng Qing helped her wrap the two men tightly, making them look like large cocoons. Peng Laosan was tall and sturdy, so Meng Qing carried him on his shoulder. Sun You was thin and frail, so Yu Yi carried him on her back, and they headed out.
At the main prison door, Yu Yi saw through the night vision device that two jailers were approaching.
Although they were far away and would need to turn a corner to be seen, there was only one corridor with cells on both sides. She looked back at Meng Qing, pointing outside the corridor and then extending two fingers to indicate two people.
Meng Qing gently pushed open an empty cell door, waited for Yu Yi to enter, and then hid inside, closing the door. The prison wasn’t quiet, with some prisoners groaning from illness or injuries, so the sound of the door didn’t seem out of place.
Inside the cell, Meng Qing set down Peng Laosan, then took Sun You from Yu Yi’s back, arranging the two “cocoons” side by side. He pulled up the mattress, partially covering the “cocoons,” then pulled Yu Yi down to lie on the other half of the mattress and covered them both with a thin blanket.
To be completely covered, Meng Qing and Yu Yi had to hold each other tightly. Yu Yi buried her head near his shoulder, feeling the warm breath from his body, her heartbeat quickening. Strangely, she also felt an inexplicable sense of calm.
The two jailers leisurely walked past the cell, not noticing the prisoners now present in what was supposed to be an empty cell.
With prisoners constantly moving in and out of the Ministry of Punishment’s prison, they couldn’t possibly remember exactly which cells were empty and which contained prisoners.
Hearing the jailers’ footsteps fade, Yu Yi moved, and Meng Qing loosened his hold. He whispered near her ear, “Let’s wait a bit longer until they’re far away.”
Meng Qing held her, smelling her scent. She hadn’t used any fragrant items, but her hair carried a subtle fragrance he couldn’t quite identify. He kissed her earlobe, feeling its coolness and gently sucking it.
Yu Yi felt the heat on her earlobe and blushed, quickly pushing him away. She lifted the blanket, stood up, turned away from him, and straightened her hair. Then she picked up Sun You’s blanket and walked out, avoiding eye contact with Meng Qing.
As she rushed out, she accidentally bumped Sun You’s head against the door pillar, creating a muffled sound that didn’t carry far.
Meng Qing smiled and followed her.
They reached the duty room door before the shift change. Meng Qing administered a wake-up agent to the still-sleeping jailers before they quickly left the Ministry of Punishment.
One jailer woke first, somewhat dazed. He patted his head and looked across, seeing his colleague sleeping soundly. He pushed him forcefully. The other jailer, already half-awake, was startled and looked around, seeing only the two of them. He asked, “What time is it?”
The first jailer checked the water clock and pretended he had been awake the whole time: “It’s the hour of the Ox. You’ve been sleeping so soundly! I’ve been struggling to stay awake for an hour, waiting for the next shift to return before waking you.”
The second jailer, afraid of being reported, invited the first for a drink after their shift. Both had their own motives and didn’t suspect anything unusual.
After leaving the Ministry of Punishment’s prison, Yu Yi and Meng Qing avoided the patrolling soldiers and took Peng Laosan and Sun You to a quiet place. Meng Qing threw the blanket from his shoulder to the ground and said, “They’re yours to deal with.”
