Urban Soldier Young Master

Chapter 893 - 892: Entering the Detention Center (Part 1)

Lin Gaoze's guess was spot on. Chu Ge indeed considered him a good friend now, especially since he had helped Chu Ge so much this time. Though it was mutually beneficial, Chu Ge still appreciated the gesture.Hearing Lin Gaoze's question, Chu Ge didn't hold back. With a characteristic smile, he began to explain.

"Me and Mu Lingshan? Thinking back, it's actually quite interesting. When we first met..."

The two of them chatted and laughed in the car along the way, as if they were going out for drinks or on a trip. Lin Gaoze found it amusing. He had worked in public security for many years and had never seen someone so happy about going to a detention center. From his thoughts to his actions, Chu Ge was truly an odd one.

Chu Ge first went with Lin Gaoze to the station to make a record, then he was sent to the detention center. The necessary procedures had to be followed, after all.

Before heading to the detention center, Lin Gaoze gave Chu Ge a punch on the shoulder, a man's way of saying, "This is as far as I can help you, buddy. Be careful."

In response to Lin Gaoze's concern, Chu Ge returned a carefree, unconstrained smile as always.

A detention center is different from a prison. Most people held here are criminal suspects who have not yet been sentenced by the court. Only after the court's formal judgment can they be called criminals.

It's not that there are no convicts serving sentences here, but those sent here usually have sentences of less than a year. Of course, there's no absolute rule, as there are special cases that require specific analysis.

The reason Chu Ge deliberately wanted to enter the detention center was because Li Zheming was held there. Since it was not convenient to get Li Zheming out, Chu Ge decided to enter the detention center himself to find him.

For Lin Gaoze, facilitating such a thing wasn't too difficult.

After a routine check involving some lenient inspection, Chu Ge was finally able to enter the detention center. He was led by an expressionless guard to a cell of more than twenty square meters. There was no one inside, as the current occupants were obviously still out working.

The cell was dimly lit, with concrete floors and no beds, only a layer of yellowing mattresses. On the walls to the left and right, numbers from one to ten were written in red pen, though the writing had become somewhat blurred, mottled like the grayish walls.

Theoretically, each number corresponded to a person's position, but that was only in theory.

After sending Chu Ge into the cell, the guard briefly explained the rules and left, leaving Chu Ge alone.

The air quality was very poor, as the people held there urinated in the squat toilet within the cell and were only allowed to defecate in the restroom at fixed times. Combined with the smell of sweat, foot odor, mildew, and faint cigarette smoke, one could imagine the air quality.

Despite the harsh environment, Chu Ge merely glanced around before finding a spot against the wall to sit down, closing his eyes to patiently feign sleep.

He didn't know exactly how much time had passed when he heard footsteps from outside, not paying them any mind as it was just one person's steps, indicating a guard on patrol.

However, even though he intended to ignore the source of the footsteps, they stopped in front of his cell door.

"Clang clang"

The cell door was knocked twice, and Chu Ge turned his head. Through the small window on the cell door, he met a pair of eyes that looked down on him, filled with a hint of mockery and ridicule.

"New here?" The eyes were looking down, mocking, and so was the voice.

"Reporting to the guard, yes." Chu Ge only came here for Li Zheming, not wanting any other trouble. Although the guard's eyes and voice were annoying, he still stood up from the floor and answered according to the rules.

"Heh... Need anything?"

"Reporting to the guard, no."

"No?" The guard outside the door laughed, as if suggesting that Chu Ge was a complete rookie, "Let me give you a kind reminder, some things are very important here, and not preparing in advance might cost you later."

Hearing the guard's sarcastic reminder, Chu Ge felt a wave of disgust. He knew the guard was trying to do business with him, but he really had no interest in entertaining the guard.

No interest was no interest, but like he said, Chu Ge didn't want unnecessary trouble. After a slight hesitation, he ultimately decided to cooperate.

The matter he was dealing with was naturally shady. Lin Gaoze at most had briefed a few people at the detention center, so these junior officers wouldn't treat him any differently. As the saying goes, "King Yama is easy to meet, the little devils are hard to deal with."

"I see..." Chu Ge feigned a moment of confusion before smiling at the guard. "Thank you for the advice, could you please tell me what I need to prepare?"

Since the guard thought Chu Ge was a rookie, he'd continue acting like one. He wanted to see how much the guard would demand.

The guard slightly frowned, wondering why this kid was so out of touch. What an idiot!

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag and leisurely exhaled, deliberately keeping the cigarette in Chu Ge's line of sight. Seeing that Chu Ge remained silent for a few seconds, he added a sentence, suppressing his impatience.

"By the way, do you smoke? This thing is pretty precious here, maybe it'll help you get a good night's sleep if you're lucky."

Chu Ge didn't bother to waste words with this guard anymore, and put on a "suddenly enlightened" expression, "Oh, I understand, thanks for the reminder, officer."

Seeing that Chu Ge was finally playing along, the guard didn't want to linger any longer. Even though everyone knows some things are better left unsaid, if a colleague saw, it wouldn't be good. So he asked directly, "How many do you want?"

"Let's go with a pack then."

Chu Ge walked to the small iron window by the door, took out fifty yuan from his pocket. Earlier, when the guard lit the cigarette, he had vaguely seen it was a pack of Hongtashan. That thing costs seven yuan a pack, so he thought even if the guard ripped him off, fifty yuan should be enough.

Normally, people in here have a special account and aren't allowed to carry cash. Of course, that's just the normal rule, so the guard wasn't too surprised to see Chu Ge take out money.

But when he saw it was only fifty, he chuckled and shook his head, "Kid, this money is just enough for ten sticks."

Hearing this, Chu Ge frowned slightly. A Hongtashan usually costs five, is this the price inside this detention center or is the guard just too greedy? What a rip-off!

"Fine, ten sticks then, thanks."

Chu Ge was getting a bit nauseated by it all, wanting to get rid of the guard quickly so he could quietly wait. He handed the fifty yuan through the small iron window.

But the guard didn't take the fifty and shook his head with a smirk, "We start selling by the pack."

When Chu Ge took out the money earlier, the guard not only saw the fifty but also noticed a hint of a hundred yuan bill. So why not make some more money?

Facing the guard's mocking yet pleased gaze, Chu Ge suddenly smiled too, nodded, said "Alright," and put away the fifty, replacing it with a hundred before handing it over.

The guard didn't rush to take the money, raised a corner of his mouth again, and asked, "You don't want a lighter? Having cigarettes but no fire, that's urgent and frustrating."

"How much for the lighter?"

"Ten."

"Alright, I'll have one. Thanks, big brother."

"Kid, since you're so sensible, let me give you a kind reminder. Once everyone gets back, remember to keep your eyes open and see the situation clearly. Share this pack of cigarettes around, too. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

The guard smiled smugly, obviously satisfied with the transaction. He took the hundred yuan, handed over an unopened pack of Hongtashan and a lighter — the kind that costs one yuan at the supermarket and was half-used — through the iron window. His expression seemed to say, "As long as you have money, I guarantee you won't lose out."

Chu Ge took the pack of cigarettes and lighter, smiled humbly, "Okay, thanks for the teaching, officer. I got it. May I ask, what should I call you?"

"Guo Qiang, just call me Brother Guo. Kid, good luck to you."

Guo Qiang left those words and walked away in high spirits, just as he wished. Chu Ge had already firmly remembered his name, but for him, it was definitely not a good thing.

Listening to Guo Qiang's footsteps fading from clear to faint, Chu Ge fiddled with the Hongtashan he'd bought for a hundred yuan, a cold smile appearing on his face.

"Wish me luck? Haha, you'd better take care of yourself first."

Time quietly slipped by as Chu Ge kept his eyes closed, resting. Finally, the long-awaited footsteps echoed from outside the door, not just one set, but many.

With a creak, the iron door opened, and a group of people streamed in noisily. Chu Ge still sat on the floor in the corner, not moving, eyes still closed.

Everyone entering the cell noticed Chu Ge. Their gazes held various emotions, some indifferent, some mocking, others sighing.

Li Zheming was among them. Although he noticed Chu Ge, due to the lighting and angle, he couldn't see clearly. He just barely recognized the outline of the person's silhouette.

Damn, this guy actually looks quite like Chu Ge. What bad luck!

Li Zheming pursed his lips, grumbling in frustration, and then a mocking smile appeared on his face.

Since he was now locked up and couldn't take revenge on Chu Ge for the time being, venting his anger on this guy who resembled Chu Ge seemed like a good option.