Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Prison Break
Li Gui followed Luo Kai to the mine. After seeing the overseer walk away, he secretively pulled both Luo Kai and Shisan to a corner. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Brother Shisan, Brother Xiao Luo, there were at least a hundred criminals on death row. For the few of us to make it out alive, you could say we’ve forged a life-and-death bond. Have you ever wondered why Han the Third, the head of the death row section, wants us dead?"
Luo Kai and Shisan both wore grave expressions and said nothing. Luo Kai was silent because he knew nothing of this body’s past, while Shisan was reminded of his own troubles.
"Then let me speak first," Li Gui said. "This old man isn’t interested in what crimes you two committed on the outside, but I imagine our situations are pretty similar. We committed crimes and should have been dead for them, but we got lucky and had our lives spared thanks to Emperor Dongyuan’s ascension to the throne. The people out there who want us dead, however, aren’t happy about that. They’ve surely bribed people in the prison. That Han the Third must have tried something on you two as well, right?"
Luo Kai and Shisan exchanged a look, not understanding why Li Gui was suddenly telling them all this. The two of them had gotten to know each other over the past several days, but they remained very wary of Li Gui.
Li Gui could see they were on their guard. His face darkened. "Hmph. That Han the Third poisoned our food. Luckily, this old man grew up around venomous creatures, so a little poison like that is nothing to me. But I nearly starved to death! I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t get revenge for this!"
Luo Kai’s heart skipped a beat. ’If the scar-faced prison guard really did use poison, he couldn’t have only targeted Li Gui. Why didn’t I notice anything?’ After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Why are you telling us this? In our current situation, we’re lucky just to be alive. How could we possibly get revenge?"
Li Gui glanced at the distant overseer again before revealing his true purpose. "As long as we can escape, we’ll have plenty of chances for revenge..."
Luo Kai had, of course, thought about this. "The mine is heavily guarded," he said in a low voice. "During the day, there are too many people and prying eyes. Night is our only possible chance, but at night we’re herded back to our cells. Even if we managed to escape the mine, this island is surrounded by ocean. How would we get back to the mainland?"
Li Gui glanced around, his old face grave. "There are two ways to leave this place. The first is to sneak onto one of the ships that transports the iron ore and escape with it to the mainland. But security at the docks is even tighter, and they have a pack of hounds with sharp noses. Getting aboard would be next to impossible..."
At that moment, an overseer started walking their way. The three of them stopped talking and made a show of hammering at the hard ore.
Li Gui was on excellent terms with that particular overseer. He ambled over with a wide grin and, after a brief exchange, managed to bum a thick, hand-rolled cigarette off him. He returned, took a blissful drag, and offered it to Shisan. When Shisan shook his head, he passed it to Luo Kai.
Luo Kai hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking it. He had been a chain-smoker in his past life but hadn’t smoked at all in this one. The crude cigarette was incredibly harsh. A single puff sent him into a violent coughing fit that felt like it would tear his lungs out.
"Haha! I didn’t realize you couldn’t smoke, Brother Xiao Luo."
When the overseer was a good distance away, Li Gui took a deep drag from the cigarette. A flush appeared on his wrinkled old face as he continued, "Have either of you noticed what we eat every day?"
"Fish and shrimp?"
"Do you know why we eat fish and shrimp every day?"
Luo Kai’s eyes lit up. "You mean the guards on the island catch all this fish and shrimp themselves?"
"Exactly. As far as I know, there are two dilapidated fishing boats on the island. The waters for over a hundred nautical miles around Nanya Island are a restricted fishing zone, so the catches are quite abundant. They sell the fish and shrimp to the prison to feed the inmates. That’s why we’re eating this rotten seafood every single day!"
"So you’re saying we find a way to seize one of the fishing boats and escape."
"Heh heh, you’re a smart one, Brother Xiao Luo. The second option is to hijack a fishing boat. I’m old and feeble; we need someone powerful, and that person has to be Brother Shisan!" Li Gui turned to Shisan, his expression full of expectation.
Shisan, who had been silent from the very beginning, finally spoke. "I’m not leaving. Find someone else."
Li Gui grew anxious. "Brother Shisan, is there something you’re worried about? Relax, I’ve thought it all through. The Han Hua Festival is coming up. They’re sure to hold a gladiatorial tournament, and the new war criminals will definitely clash with the old-timers. We can use the chaos to escape the mine and seize the fishing boat... Brother Shisan will take out the guards, Brother Xiao Luo will be the lookout and run interference, and this old man used to be a sailor, so handling a small boat will be no problem. This is a golden opportunity; who knows if we’ll ever get another!"
Luo Kai mulled it over on the side. ’I have no idea when the tunnel I’m digging will be finished, and I’m not even sure if this Water-Repelling Totem from Shui Su will work. The odds of a successful escape would be much higher with help, especially from Shisan.’ Lately, he had become increasingly aware of Shisan’s power. He’d once seen him demonstrating his Body Techniques; in his hands, the hard iron ore was like tofu.
But this Old Li was too slick; he seemed able to get along with anyone. His words couldn’t be fully trusted. It was entirely possible he would sell them out.
Seeing that Shisan remained unmoved, Luo Kai spoke up. "Mr.—Mr. Li, if your plan is already set, I’m sure there are plenty of people here who’d be willing to escape with you. Like Grant or Dicky, for example. Those two are very capable. Why did you choose us?"
Li Gui waved a dismissive hand. "No need to be so formal, Brother Xiao Luo. If you’re willing, you can just call me Brother Li. I won’t lie to you two. This old man has lived a long time, and I fancy myself a good judge of character. Among those of us from death row, Brother Shisan is a man of few words, but he’s undeniably a man of honor. And you, Brother Xiao Luo, you’re still young, not yet corrupted by the filth of the outside world.
"As for Grant, that fellow is a former pirate, and he’s an old acquaintance of a Prison Tyrant named Fat Dragon. Going to him would risk a leak. Dicky, on the other hand, is vicious, cruel, and vindictive over the smallest grudge—not someone you want to deal with. For a job like this, character is what matters most. Everything else is secondary."
Luo Kai turned his gaze to Shisan. If Shisan wouldn’t go, then he certainly wouldn’t either. It would be safer to just keep his head down, keep digging his tunnel, and look for his own opportunity.
Li Gui’s primary target was also Shisan, so he pressed on. "This mine operates on a rotation. Nanya Island’s prison holds nearly two thousand inmates, and every few months, they swap out a group to go back to the main prison. When our turn comes, if Han the Third decides to make a move, we’ll be like fish on a cutting board, completely at his mercy!"
Shisan sighed, suddenly unbuttoning his top and turning his back to them.
Li Gui and Luo Kai watched, confused. On Shisan’s rock-solid spine was a row of thumb-sized black dots. Looking closer, they saw that two of the dots were scabbed over, but the others were actually the heads of black iron spikes. The spikes were driven into his spine at the small of his back, so inconspicuous that at a glance, they looked like nothing more than scars.
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