Chapter 5, Xiaobei Prison

However, this time the process is somewhat strange, as it was the prison guard who revealed their charges: "Xiong Wanyi! Assault causing serious injury, sentenced to five years in prison. Ximen Lian! Excessive self-defense causing death, sentenced to two years in prison. Mo Chao! Assault causing death, sentenced to fifteen years in prison"

On the first day when Sun Pangzi and Ximen Lian entered Xiaobei Prison, after their bodies were checked, the prison guards escorted them together to their cell. In this cell, there were already about ten inmates residing. According to custom, newcomers are required to introduce themselves and state the crimes for which they have been convicted.

Thus, Deputy Director Sun began to prepare for the matters related to entering Xiaobei Prison. As he just started to operate, he realized that he truly had friends all over the world. The director in charge of prison affairs at the Judicial Bureau was an old acquaintance from his time in the Narcotics Control Department; this fellow was once a deputy director there and, at that time, was actually Sun's superior. This person had no other faults except for being somewhat petty. Their relationship had been fairly good back then, but after this meeting, Director Liu's gaze turned somewhat sour upon seeing the second-level police inspector badge on Sun's shoulder. Unfortunately, Deputy Director Sun did not think much of it at the time.

Sun Fatty naturally took his cigarette from the bright desk, lit one for himself, and recounted the matter concerning Zhang Zihua while smoking. At first, Gao Liang listened with a blank expression, but as Sun Fatty continued to speak, his brows gradually furrowed.

Looking at the charges arranged for the three of them, Fatty Sun almost laughed out loud. However, this was ultimately his own idea, and whether the people from the second office would be released depended on the wishes of Director Qiu. Unexpectedly, after discussing the library with Director Qiu, he had no objections, simply stating: "If those three are willing, I have no objections on my side." It is rare for Director Qiu to be so agreeable, but when discussing with the three of them, Ximen Lian and the others posed a dilemma for Fatty Sun.

Shortly after returning to his office, Wang Lu sent over the materials regarding several incidents. After reviewing them, Sun Pangzi identified a commonality among the cases. The methods used in these dismemberment cases were similar to that of Zhang Zihua's case, with the locations being in the capital and several surrounding cities. However, all the victims were recently released prisoners from the same prison, with their release dates differing by less than half a month. All the victims were recently released prisoners from the same prison, with their release dates differing by less than half a month

Everyone was taken aback by his words. After a brief pause, the stout man continued, "It seems that no matter where you go, you can always bring something back for me. I originally thought that with Shen La taking a couple of days off, we could also enjoy a few quiet days. It now appears that the only solution is to find a place to lock you up first. Thanks to you, we might be able to rest for a few days."

It is said that you are fully responsible, so any matters should be discussed directly with Qiu Bulao. After Gao Liang finished speaking, he instructed his secretary, saying: Once the relevant materials regarding this incident arrive, they should be sent directly to Deputy Director Sun.

What is even more astonishing is that all the information regarding that prison within the polling bureau was taken to the Religious Affairs Committee during the incident when Huang Ran caused a commotion at the polling bureau that year. Now, among the elderly in the polling bureau, only Gao Liang and Hao Wenming remain who were involved in the construction of Xiaobei Prison back then

Upon seeing the name of the prison, Sun Pangzi muttered to himself, "Xiao Bei Prison—why does that sound so familiar?" He was too lazy to look up information and immediately called Ouyang Pianzuo. To his surprise, he learned that this prison was actually constructed over thirty years ago with the assistance of the predecessor of the Polling Bureau—the "Special Cases Handling Office".

In fact, just sending a few people from the second office should suffice to handle this. Sun Fatty glanced at Er Yang without showing any emotion. Recently, these two fellows have been insistent on money; Yang Xiao is somewhat reasonable, but Yang Jun has been drifting at sea for several hundred years. He has just come ashore a few days ago and I don't know who he learned from, but he frequently brings up the eight-hour workday. Talking about labor laws with Sun Fatty? Please, do you even have an ID card? Is it protected by law?

Sun Fatty has screened all the investigators in the polling bureau, and it is unclear how they found these individuals. Each one is more handsome than the last, looking nothing like criminals. In the end, only the three from the second room—Xiong Wanyi, Ximen Lian, and Old Mo—seem reliable. Xiong Wanyi has a fierce appearance, making him well-suited for fighting and brawling. Old Mo, coming from a forensic background, appears cultured, yet he exudes a hint of coldness; one could believe he is involved in economic crimes. As for Ximen, with a surname like Ximen, wouldn't it be a disservice to his ancestors if he didn't commit some sort of scandal? Old Mo, coming from a forensic background, appears cultured, yet he exudes a hint of coldness; one could believe he is involved in economic crimes. As for Ximen, with a surname like Ximen, wouldn't it be a disservice to his ancestors if he didn't commit some sort of scandal?

In fact, Sun Fatty is also aware that the two of them are working privately with Monk Xiao outside. However, Deputy Director Sun is contemplating how to get involved in this matter, so it is better not to provoke them at this time. This incident appears quite bloody, but there have been similar cases in the past, which were ultimately resolved by a few investigators from the *图*书. Therefore, it seems that this incident will not pose much of a challenge either.

Indecent, yet not attempted? Can it still be called indecent!

Gao Liang looked at Sun Pangzi's eyes, which immediately narrowed, and said, "Oh, it seems you know some things that I don't. Are you not planning to share them?"

Gao Liang waited for the laughter to subside before looking at Sun Pangzi and said, "Since this matter was caused by you, then you should take responsibility for it." At this point, Director Gao paused for a moment, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and continued, "You are fully responsible for this incident. You are currently also serving as the deputy director of the Sixth Office. If needed, Yang Jun and Yang Xiao can assist you. Such matters shouldn't require you, Director Wu, to personally intervene, right?"

The reaction of Sun Pangzi to the highlight was not surprising at all. He smiled at Wang Lu again and said, "So, does Boss Gao have any other matters to entrust to me?"

Although the details of the prison remain undisclosed, all current clues point to this particular facility. It seems that in order to uncover the truth, it will be necessary to send someone in to investigate.

He said that as long as you don't look for work in the sentence anymore, he would thank you for it; this is also a direct quote

It seems that Qiu Buliao had communicated in advance with the three of them. After Sun Pangzi finished introducing the matter, the three did not refuse to go. However, there was a prerequisite: they were willing to go undercover in the prison, but Sun Pangzi must accompany them; otherwise, the discussion was off the table.

After finishing his conversation with Ouyang Pianzuo, Fatty Sun gazed at the materials in his hands and murmured, "This is quite interesting..." He exerted considerable effort to investigate the situation at Xiaobei Prison through other channels, but all he managed to find out was that it was a medium-sized prison used to detain offenders with relatively minor crimes, with an average incarceration period not exceeding ten years. Fatty Sun even leveraged his connections to find a few individuals who had been released from Xiaobei Prison and spoke with them briefly, yet he did not uncover any unusual circumstances. It seems that to understand the details of these dismemberment cases, he would need to start investigating from within Xiaobei Prison.

Hao Wenming has completely disappeared. Now, the only way to learn about the circumstances of that prison is to ask the fat man Gao. Sun, the deputy director, made a phone call, and although the call went through, no one answered. Reluctantly, Deputy Director Sun had no choice but to go in person.

Sun Fatty had just swallowed his broken teeth, but what he did not know was that this was only the beginning of a nightmare

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire conference room erupted in laughter. Although this hardly qualifies as a joke, it is worth noting that nearly all the key personnel below the director of the polling bureau perished during the incident at Menbanshan six months ago. This was the first time since then that Gao Liang made a joke. Even those few cold-faced individuals, including Qiu Buliao, chuckled a few times.

Sun, being the deputy head of the polling bureau, deserves some respect from Wang Lu. She smiled slightly and said, "Director Gao has been inside all along, but he mentioned—don't bother him. Handle any matters yourself. Director Sun, I am relaying Director Gao's exact words; he asked me to convey them as is. Please do not misunderstand, and do not take out your frustrations on our little secretary in the future"

After Sun Pangzi finished speaking, Gao Liang teased, "I am starting to regret bringing you and Shen La into the polling bureau"

When it came to Fatty Sun, the prison guard looked at him with some disdain. At that moment, Deputy Director Sun was puzzled, thinking, "I am just like them, involved in fighting and brawling, so why are you glaring at me?" However, the prison guard's next words nearly brought him to tears: "Sun Desheng, attempted indecency, sentenced to six months in prison"

After speaking to Wang Lu, Gao Liang gathered the materials on his desk and said, "Alright, if there are no other matters, we will adjourn the meeting..."

The site selection, design, and construction at that time were all handled exclusively by the Special Office. However, once the prison was completed, the Special Office withdrew, and the local judicial bureau took over. Since Ouyang, who was somewhat left-leaning at the time, did not participate in this project, he is also unable to clarify matters regarding this prison

Originally, Sun Fatty had a clever scheme; he arranged for the three members of the Ximen Chain to go undercover in prison as inmates, while he himself would pose as a prison guard. Unfortunately, during the signing of the agreement among the judicial bureau, the prison, and the three parties, Xiong Wanyi noticed that Sun Fatty's identity on the agreement was listed as a guard. Old Xiong immediately became agitated and threatened to overturn the table and leave. In the end, he was calmed down by Ximen Chain and Old Mo, who forced Sun Fatty to sign an agreement identical to theirs.

As I approached the highlighted office, I happened to encounter Wang Lu walking out. Sun Fatty, with a playful grin, said: "Sister Lu, Boss Gao is inside. I’m not saying this, but I called earlier and no one answered; I thought he had gone out"

Although Sun Pangzi comes from an undercover background, it is precisely because he spent so much time with the boss during his undercover days that he harbors an indescribable aversion to places like prisons and detention centers. Observing the resolute attitude of Ximen Lian and the others, Sun Pangzi ultimately found himself with no other choice but to grit his teeth and return to the field.