Among the 3,102 inmates, they're now either messing with the new guy or hanging out in the entertainment area; only a small group is pumping iron in the fitness equipment area. It seems that nobody is really interested in reading.
So, at this moment, Uncle Li Dong, Lin Xiaoxiao, and Ye Wan seem somewhat out of the ordinary.
With a mischievous grin, Lin Xiaoxiao squatted on a chair, barefoot, his shoes scattered beside him.
Ye Wan stood rigidly behind Uncle Li Dong, occasionally surveying the surroundings.
Lin Xiaoxiao, with his delicate eyebrows and bright eyes, looked exceptionally clever, while Ye Wan was relatively more muscular, with a firmer expression on his face.
One looked more like a scholar, and the other more like a bodyguard.
Seeing Uncle Li Dong finish reading the news, Lin Xiaoxiao said, "Boss, that kid didn't help the other newbies."
Uncle Li Dong nodded, "Not helping is normal. He plays chess with decisive ruthlessness, ready to sacrifice his own arm for survival, let alone help others."
"Playing chess is one thing, I could also dare to sacrifice a piece on the board... So, Boss, are you going to continue to play chess with him tomorrow?" Lin Xiaoxiao pondered and asked.
"Of course," Uncle Li Dong smiled and said, "If not with him, should I perhaps play with you two terrible chess baskets?" In the reading area, Uncle Li Dong sat beside a long wooden table, holding a brand-new reader and meticulously browsing through various news from that morning.
The big cat once again lay down on the table, seemingly to sleep, as if sleeping in different places was the meaning of a cat's life.
This reading area resembled a small library, but instead of paper books on the "shelves," there were e-readers charging in slots.
The shelves were surrounded by dozens of long tables that could accommodate nearly a thousand people, but they were eerily empty at the moment.
Ye Wan said in a deep voice, "I'm a bit stronger than Lin Xiaoxiao."
"But not by much," Uncle Li Dong turned to Ye Wan and tapped the news on the reader with his finger, "Do you remember Guo Huchan that the Chen Corporation caught? His trial process is completed, and he should be transferred to this Prison No. 18 in the next few days. You'll contact him when he arrives."
Ye Wan nodded, "I've dealt with him before. Although he's not easy to get along with, at least he's communicative."
"Hmm," Uncle Li Dong nodded and then turned to Lin Xiaoxiao, "This morning's breakdown of the newcomer, what do you think?"
"I observed him for a long time and something feels off," Lin Xiaoxiao analyzed, "It looked like he was talking nonsense after his breakdown, but when he mentioned Los Angeles City and the Yongli Group, he was very certain, as if there was something real about it."
"His identity?" Uncle Li Dong asked.
"Checked it. Outside, he was just an ordinary high school dropout, a layabout. He worked with the Black Tiger Organization in City No. 18 dealing in mechanical limbs, suspected of illegal seizure of mechanical limbs but without evidence. In the end, he was sent here for tax evasion. We can trace all his past life experiences, but as for the Los Angeles City and Yongli Group he mentioned, really no clue," Lin Xiaoxiao said.
No one saw Lin Xiaoxiao look up anything, but it seemed like he had dug up everything about the distressed young man in just an hour.
That's the most astonishing part.
Uncle Li Dong said, "Keep an eye on him, there must be something else with this young man. Also, what about the one who was playing chess with me?"
Lin Xiaoxiao replied, "You just finished that game, I haven't had the chance to check yet, I'll have an answer for you before lunch break."
"Alright," Uncle Li Dong nodded and continued to flip through the reader.
Lin Xiaoxiao sneaked a glance at Uncle Li Dong and suddenly realized that the boss was taking a special interest in that young man.
Just as he was about to continue, Lin Xiaoxiao looked out of the reading area just in time to see Qing Chen slowly approaching, carefully examining the surroundings.
Qing Chen first observed Uncle Li Dong's side, then tried to gently pull a PAD-like reader from the "shelf" and pressed the power button.
Qing Chen stared at the screen.
If there was any way to quickly understand this world, it would surely be to read the books of this world.
He hadn't expected that, in this world, even paper books had been phased out—what remained were electronic devices.
However, when the reader was turned on, it wasn't an operating interface, but a login screen.
Lin Xiaoxiao came over with a light laugh, "First time in prison, huh? If you want to use this reader, you need to register an account with your inmate ID. Once you log in, it will show your recent reading history, your personal bookmarks, and the reading preferences and font size you've set up."
Qing Chen thought to himself that this gadget was quite user-friendly.
"Oh, and it also has a built-in artificial intelligence voice. Just call its name, and it can help you find the content you're looking for, like this," Lin Xiaoxiao also pulled out a reader and said, "Yi."
"I am here," a pleasant female voice came from the reader, Qing Chen remembered this voice, it was exactly the same as the one that announced meal times inside the prison fortress.
The tone was formalized, yet it didn't feel stiff.
Lin Xiaoxiao said to the reader, "Help me find the book 'Brown'."
"Okay, 'Brown' has been found for you," the artificial intelligence named 'Yi' responded.
"Look," Lin Xiaoxiao handed her reader to Qing Chen, the book titled 'Brown' had already opened its pages.
Qing Chen glanced at his prisoner uniform, the number 010101.
After registering, Qing Chen looked towards Lin Xiaoxiao, "Where can I read the news, like the kind you have there?"
Lin Xiaoxiao turned to glance at the reader in her boss's hand and then giggled, "Forget it, your reader account doesn't have internet access, not even mine does."
Qing Chen understood, it seemed Uncle Li Dong's status in this prison was truly extraordinary.
Just like he could keep a cat in prison.
He no longer said anything but thanked her and then began to read the content on his reader.
Lin Xiaoxiao returned to Uncle Li Dong's side and discretely observed Qing Chen.
But she suddenly discovered that Qing Chen was flipping through the reader's pages extremely fast!
Normally, one page of the reader contains 800 characters, a regular person would need at least a minute to read it, right? But Qing Chen was flipping pages every two seconds!
Lin Xiaoxiao whispered to Uncle Li Dong, "Boss, he isn't really reading the reader, he probably just wants to get close and seize an opportunity to interact with you."
"Don't be nosy," Uncle Li Dong said without even looking up, "Never underestimate someone else's desire to survive. If you were in his place, you'd probably be even more desperate. Xiao Xiao, you need to learn to see things from other people's perspectives."
Lin Xiaoxiao said with a cheeky smile, "I know, I know."
Qing Chen found a spot to sit down, continuously memorized the contents of the reader, and then flipped the pages quickly, doing so for over three hours, not even changing his sitting position once.
To others, reading might be a leisurely pastime after meals, but for him, it was one of the ways to understand the world and survive.
The content on the reader was obviously carefully selected, with almost no important information, 95% of the content was philosophy and motivational quotes...
But it didn't matter, any information was important to him now.
Qing Chen had always been someone who valued opportunities.
Close to lunchtime, Uncle Li Dong finally set down his reader and logged out of his account.
Ye Wan standing by understood and took the reader, placing it back into the slot on the bookshelf.
Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao, they were like Uncle Li Dong's closest attendants.
When Uncle Li Dong stood up, he glanced at Qing Chen and felt something was amiss. The young man was so engrossed in reading that he seemed to not even notice him getting up, not like he was acting.
He suddenly asked, "What's the third line on the previous page?"
His voice was smooth and refined, speaking as if one suddenly found themselves in an antique tea room, listening to the earnest teachings of an elder.
"When order becomes chaos, one must use chaos to maintain order, to save the law," Qing Chen said, looking up.
Ye Wan took the reader from Qing Chen, flipped to the previous page, "Boss, he's right."
At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly saw the big cat on the table open its eyes, and he distinctly felt that its gaze was full of surprise as it looked at him.
It was as if... the cat could understand everyone's conversation and was also astonished by Qing Chen's memory ability.
After hearing Ye Wan's confirmation, Uncle Li Dong paused, then with a smile, called the cat and left, "This is getting more interesting, let's go, it's time for lunch."
For some reason, Qing Chen always felt that Uncle Li Dong had a unique demeanor as he walked, his light white exercise suit swaying as if he were stepping on clouds.