[Iron Heights Penitentiary, Underground Level 2]
Upon descending the stairs, there was a solid alloy door blocking the prison cells completely. Above the door was a fingerprint lock, requiring one to place their palm on it to open the door.
Only Wolfe himself could open this door with his handprint in the entire Iron Heights.
Two armed prison guards stood at the entrance. Unlike the lazy and slacking guards seen in movies, they had eagle-like eyes, stood tall and straight, resembling statues guarding their post.
Yuri floated in front of the guards and waved at them. They didn't even blink, truly warriors indeed.
In his mind, Yuri gave them a thumbs up and swiftly entered through the door without looking back.
A broad corridor stretched to the end of his sight. On both sides were symmetrically arranged prison cells, each tightly locked with thick iron doors, with only a small window for observing prisoners and delivering water and food.
A signboard hung on each window, displaying the identity information of the prisoners.
Due to the extreme danger posed by the incarcerated individuals here, as they possessed immensely powerful abilities, Wolfe still felt it was not secure enough even with the use of power-suppressing collars on each inmate.
He ordered that food be delivered every three to five days based on the physical condition and health of each prisoner, ensuring they wouldn't starve to death. This way, all the prisoners remained in a state of extreme weakness, so even if the power-suppressing collars malfunctioned, their combat abilities would still be greatly diminish.
"Wow. They're all famous villains."
Yuri floated around casually, and in each adjacent prison cell, there were well-known supervillains.
There were the Doctor Alchemy, Magenta, Cicada, Girder, Tar Pit, Folded Man, Abra Kadabra...
All the villains who once gave the Flash a hard time were locked up here.
Previously, Yuri could only see these individuals in the news, but now they're here, pathetically caged.
But Yuri wasn't in a hurry to collect samples right now. He hadn't figured out how many high-quality specimens were present in the entire prison.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Yuri's attention was drawn to one prison door. The sign on this door read "Hartley Rathaway, codename Pied Piper."
Pied Piper was actually locked up in the underground level? Yuri was surprised but then he remembered something.
When Pied Piper was captured, Yuri's attention was focused on Mirror Master, and he wasn't aware of the subsequent arrangements for Pied Piper.
At that time, he thought that with Pied Piper's relationship with the Flash, he wouldn't be sent to the Iron Heights. At the very least, he should have had some time for investigation and wouldn't be convicted so quickly.
But he didn't expect that Wolfe had already set his sights on Pied Piper and immediately transferred him to Iron Heights.
Yuri approached the prison door and looked inside through the small window.
He saw Pied Piper, dressed in prison garb, curled up on a dirty and decaying wooden bed. The prison uniform was tattered, and his exposed skin was covered in bruises.
There were large patches of dark red stains on the floor, the color of recently dried blood.
It's hard to imagine what kind of torment he has endured here.
*Clang!*
Suddenly, the sound of the iron door opening echoed.
Yuri instinctively dove into the floor and peeked towards the entrance.
The heavy alloy door swung open, and five or six prison guards wielding batons entered, led by the burly African-American warden, Wolfe.
As soon as this group entered, Yuri faintly sensed a significant change in the emotional fluctuations of the surrounding inmates.
An eerie and mysterious atmosphere suddenly arose.
"Hey, Warden! I... I need your help!"
Suddenly, a trembling voice came from the side, and Yuri turned his gaze towards the source—it was the cell of Folded Man.
Edwin Gauss aka Folded Man was pressing himself against the door, desperately trying to reach the window. "My head... it's unbearable! I feel like the whole world is spinning! Please, help me apply for medical treatment outside the prison."
Upon hearing the voice, Wolfe halted his steps, turned to look, raised his baton, and then struck Edwin's forehead.
Thud!
"Ah!"
Folded Man let out a scream, clutching his head, and fell to the ground, rolling around as blood streamed down his forehead.
"The clown act is over, Edwin. You can't deceive me. We've already had your headache examined in the laboratory, and there's nothing wrong with you."
Wolfe disregarded Folded Man's painful reaction and threatened, "Don't make me give you something that will truly make you suffer."
As soon as he finished speaking, Folded Man's screams abruptly ceased, no longer making any sound.
Satisfied with the outcome, Wolfe continued forward, and his subordinates behind him showed no sign of surprise on their faces, indicating that such occurrences were not uncommon.
After walking a short distance, Wolfe stopped again. It was the cell of the Pied Piper.
"Open the door," Wolfe commanded the guards behind him.
With a clang, the door swung open, and Wolfe walked straight into the cell.
"Pied Piper, after spending so much time in here, do you still want to continue pretending?"
The Pied Piper, who was curled up on the bed, turned and struggled to climb up, his eyes then firmly met Worfe's gaze.
"I'm not pretending , I didn't kill my parents!" The Pied Piper struggled to climb up from the bed, locking eyes with Wolfe.
Wolfe sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Once a criminal, always a criminal, Pied Piper. You may have deceived that Kid Flash, but you can't deceive me. I know people like you enjoy playing the victim, seeking sympathy from the public, thinking you can whitewash yourself."
"But in reality, scum is always scum."
With a disgusted glance at the Pied Piper, Worf walked out of the cell, signaling his subordinates with a nod.
The group of prison guards immediately understood and entered the room, brandishing their batons and unleashing a brutal beating on the Pied Piper.
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
*Boom!*
"Ackk!-"
Under the relentless assault of five or six individuals, the Pied Piper could only emit helpless screams as his body accumulated more and more injuries.
Yuri witnessed the entire ordeal, his emotions becoming complex and conflicted.
He knew the Pied Piper was innocent, and he knew who had framed him.
As Yuri looked at the pitiful state of the Pied Piper, he couldn't help but think that if he had done something back then, like luring out the Mirror Master, perhaps the Pied Piper wouldn't have been falsely imprisoned.
He wouldn't have to endure inhumane torture like this.
However, at that time, Yuri's mind was solely focused on using the information in his hands to get money from the Network and find a safe place to live comfortably. The Pied Piper's fate was completely beyond his considerations.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he lacked ambition, was selfish, cunning, and despicable.
After all, Yuri never intended to portray himself as an upright and selfless person.
However, people have a sense of empathy. The Pied Piper, who had already suffered the unbearable pain of losing his parents, was now subjected to injustice and torture, both mentally and physically.
He shouldn't have had to endure all of this.
Yuri felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. He wanted to say that whether he was present or not, the Pied Piper would have been framed by the Mirror Master.
The one truly responsible was the Mirror Master and the Blacksmith who orchestrated everything, and not just Yuri, who merely witnessed it all.
But why did he feel a slight pang of conscience?
*****
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