Chapter 278: Chapter 278: A Worthy Subject for Training_1
The afternoon of the next day, Aiden and Veronica inspected the newly arrived riot gear together.
"New model pistols, Demonbite bullets, then there’s the Runed Cudgel and Runed Sword... they’ve even updated the armor and helmets?" Veronica looked at the table, her eyes shining, "Chief, you really went all out this time."
"I felt a bit embarrassed always having you guys use old equipment against the prisoners," Aiden laughed, "Just now that the prison funds are ample, I thought it’d be good to swap out all the gear, though it’s still not comparable to that of the Heretics’ Tribunal."
"Chief, since the prison is flush with cash, why not just give us a salary raise? A bonus would be nice, too!" Veronica joked while making a gesture as if counting money.
"If I could, I would have done so for myself by now. The money the prison earns can only be used for operational expenses, not for paying salaries and bonuses; our wages are issued by the Prison Administration Bureau," Aiden said with a smile, "Coveting that money could be construed as embezzlement, you don’t want to go back in there, do you?"
"I’d rather die!" Veronica immediately replied, but then—
If it were only as your "prisoner"...
Somehow, this strange thought flashed through her mind.
The next moment she came to her senses, shaking her head vigorously, trying to drive the odd idea from her thoughts.
"Just a joke, was that reaction really necessary?" Aiden said, taken aback by her head-shaking.
"No... it’s just that I remembered how I spoke out of line to you back then, and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed," Veronica excused herself, smiling awkwardly.
Ever since Aiden had saved her life outside the prison, taking on that vampire head-to-head to protect her, Veronica felt like she had been getting increasingly bizarre.
"Being falsely condemned to death, anyone would have a hard time staying composed. I’ve never taken it to heart; after all, there are plenty of such prisoners in the core area," Aiden replied with a laugh, then his expression turned slightly regretful, "But recently, it’s been truly difficult to find a troublemaker in the cells."
"Isn’t it a good thing if the prisoners have become more docile?" Veronica blinked.
"That’s true but..." Aiden cut himself off midway, swallowing the rest of his words—But it also meant less fun in disciplining unruly prisoners.
At that moment, the warden Flandre pushed open the room’s door: "You’re here, Warden."
"Warden," Veronica saluted her superior.
"What’s up?" Aiden also looked at Flandre.
"A ’gift’ from the Empire has arrived," Flandre answered with a stern face.
"Where are they now?" Aiden inquired.
"Just finished the incarceration check, ready to be taken to the re-education room. Would you like to have a look first?" Flandre asked.
"Of course," Aiden nodded and then turned to Veronica, "Come with us. There’s a prisoner who may need some special attention later."
Two minutes later, the three of them arrived at the incarceration check room and saw a young pirate in prison garb standing by the wall, shackled, with a guard beside him.
Upon seeing Aiden, the prison guard saluted respectfully, and Aiden nodded in acknowledgment.
Annie, realizing Aiden’s authority from the guard’s reaction, looked at Aiden with interest: "Looks like a big shot has arrived. Are you the big boss around here?"
"I’m the warden here," Aiden smiled at Annie, "Welcome to our big family, inmate 3677."
"The warden himself came to see me, it seems you know about me," Annie lifted the corners of her mouth.
"A prisoner who escaped from the capital’s prison, of course, I had to come and see what you look like," Aiden replied calmly.
"Good to know," Annie’s smile took on a brazen quality, "It won’t be long before my father figures out how to get me out, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Let’s make a deal, give me a good room, meet my demands, and I can assure you that you won’t suffer any extra loss when I leave... But actually, I suggest you just let me go now, that would be the smartest move."
This shocking statement made Flandre and Veronica, who stood behind Aiden, widen their eyes in astonishment, while the guard watching from the side was dumbstruck.
Only Aiden nodded with an unperturbed expression, "Wow, so arrogant, one would think you are some foreign princess who married into the country."
Depending on her father’s ability to break her out, she was downright contemptuous towards the prison guards, without any intention of hiding her insolence.
Aiden quickly got the measure of this new inmate; she herself wasn’t much of a difficult character, the trouble was with the Red Shark Pirate Group supporting her.
"This crappy jail can’t compare to the capital’s prison, just so you know, we had the means to let every prisoner there run free," Annie suddenly leaned close to Aiden unabashedly, squinting her eyes at him, "People should know their limitations."
"Step back!!" Veronica immediately stepped forward, pushing Annie in the chest with her palm, forcing her back to the wall, "Who allowed you to get close?"
Annie’s back hit the wall, and she winced in pain, baring her teeth. She glared at Veronica, then turned to Aiden, "Hey, I’m giving you a chance, deal with this bitch properly!"
"I’m giving you a chance, mind your language," Aiden fired back.
"Being too unaware of current trends can get you killed; I might just take care of you casually after I leave the prison," Annie threatened Aiden with a fixed stare.
"Every inmate here is good at talking tough, but you really can’t rank high with that level," Aiden responded sarcastically, "How about you work on your rhetoric skills?"
Annie stared silently at Aiden for a while, then suddenly spat in his face.
Aiden reacted promptly, turning his head to dodge it.
Almost simultaneously, Veronica leaped forward and punched the inmate in the upper abdomen.
Annie bent over in pain, almost vomiting the contents of her stomach.
"It’s been a while since I’ve seen an inmate spit directly at my face," Aiden commented, "Quite brave, but... it seems not very smart. Here, even spitting water in someone’s face can be considered an act of assault."
Annie looked up at Aiden, too pained to speak.
"What are you looking at me with those eyes for? Just a friendly reminder, if you really attacked, being shot dead on the spot wouldn’t be surprising," Aiden lectured, looking down at her, "Your father, no matter how mighty, can’t revive the dead, can he?"
Having said that, he turned to Flandre, "After the lesson, let her spend a night in solitary before sending her to the cell. This one won’t have the chance to sleep on a bed tonight."
It’s been a long time... since I’ve had to deal with an inmate who still maintains such a strong rebellious attitude, ready to stir up trouble at any time.
I wonder how long she can last in this prison?
