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Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Prison or Base
The next day, everyone got up early and left the beautiful ancient city to head towards Qingyang Base.
Considering that they were still unclear about the internal situation at Qingyang Base, Han Jiaojiao decided to leave Xiaogua, Xiaodou, and Cotton Candy behind in the ancient city, bringing only the smallest pet, Pepper.
The scenery along the road gradually changed, and even the sky turned grim and grey. Dust whirled up by the vehicles caused Han Jiaojiao to disgustedly cover her mouth and nose, prompting Yan Xiao in front to hurriedly roll up the car window.
"Why is it so dirty here?" Han Jiaojiao frowned uncontrollably as she saw the thick layer of dust covering greenery on both sides of the road.
"Qingyang City is a mining town, well-known for its coal mines, so there are many mining areas around here, which worsens the environment," Han Yi explained as he pulled out a wet wipe and wiped her face gently.
"Han, we’re almost there. Should we go straight in, or wait outside for Zhu, brother?" Yan Xiao asked.
"They should have arrived before us. Let’s see once we get inside the base."
"Alright."
—When the car stopped, Han Jiaojiao almost thought Yan Xiao had taken a wrong turn. She examined the sign at the entrance of the base several times to confirm she wasn’t seeing things and read out loud one word at a time, "... Qingyang City Detention Center?"
Han Jiaojiao had heard of bases built on prisons, but this was her first time seeing one. Despite the outer encircled prison security nets providing safety, living there felt quite awkward to her.
At the security check, there were only two staff members. The body scan was handled by only one staff member, and all the checking equipment seemed relatively outdated and was not strict. If extra supplies were handed over, one could enter the base without a body check. It appeared that such a private base could hardly compare with those large bases controlled by the military.
Inside the base stood rows of three-story buildings that used to be interrogation rooms, now converted into various department offices. Deeper inside was an exercise yard, which used to be where the prison guards trained, with a perfectly straight flagpole on the edge, holding an old, tattered flag whose original color was indistinguishable.
Han Yi and his group encountered Zhu Changfu and others at the lodging registration.
Zhu Changfu seemed calm, possibly believing that the more crucial the moment, the calmer one must be. He even refrained from mentioning Zhu Chengzhi’s name casually for fear of startling the snake and sabotaging their plans. He brought only three people with him: Heizi, Bai Kairui, and another tall, skinny man wearing a mask and a hat.
The registration area was bustling, making it inconvenient for prolonged conversation, so they quickly rented several rooms and planned to talk more in-depth once they settled in.
Upon arriving at their lodging, Han Jiaojiao was once again greatly enlightened because their accommodations turned out to be cells...
This was understandable since, after all, what prisons do not lack are cells. They passed along a long corridor with closely spaced iron doors on both sides, occasionally hearing voices from within. Zhu Changfu, holding a bunch of numbered keys, stopped occasionally as they finally located the cells they had rented.
They were many, and the cells at the end of the corridor were almost entirely taken by them, which made talking more convenient as they didn’t have to worry about being overheard by someone in the next cell.
Yan Xiao dashed into a cell and exclaimed with gusto, "I’ve been everywhere, north and south, but this is my first time in a cell! Pretty fresh!"
Following Han Yi, Han Jiaojiao entered curiously inspecting the cell’s environment. —The door was a heavy, thick metal-plated wooden door with a peephole intended for the guards to supervise, but now all the peepholes were papered over, as the occupants were no longer prisoners. The walls were painted stark white, and a small air vent was noticeable high above. The cell contained only a low bed and no other furniture; in one corner was a foot-flush toilet with not even a modesty curtain. Looking up, one could see a long window, which was placed very high to prevent prisoners from escaping, consisting of three layers: a screen, a glass, and iron bars.
Han Jiaojiao felt incredibly stifled here.
"These are solitary confinement cells for serious offenders; the other buildings have double and dormitory cells which are not as good as this," Zhu Changfu explained.
Han Jiaojiao quietly stuck out her tongue. So, this was considered quite good here...
"Do you know where the person is being held?" Han Yi got straight to the point.
Zhu Changfu looked at the man wearing a mask and hat and said, "This is Chen Guo, who was previously detained here. Chengzhi rescued him. He knows where Chengzhi is."
The man took off his mask, revealing a haggard face with dark circles under his eyes, looking like someone who hadn’t slept for days.
"Professor Xiaozhu is in the research facility at the base, where security is very tight. Besides the guards at the entrance, there are also patrolling soldiers inside the building. It is difficult for outsiders to get in..."
"Then how did you escape?" Yan Xiao couldn’t help but ask him.
This man named Chen Guo lifted one of his hands casually and shook it; the hand waved about like a sheet of paper. He grabbed it with his other hand and gave a gentle pull, stretching the hand out long.
Han Jiaojiao exclaimed, "Wow! A rubber man?"
"My body can stretch and change shape. After Professor Xiaozhu learned the special nature of my Ability, he seized the opportunity to open the ventilation duct in the research office, allowing me to escape through it."
Chen Guo said, raising his head to look at everyone, "After Professor Xiaozhu let me out, he asked me to take a message to the Research Institute at Beicheng Base. I went to Lingchuan first, and after seeing the missing person’s message on the mission board, I learned that Uncle Zhu is Professor Xiaozhu’s father."
Zhu Changfu continued, "I asked Kerry and me to come to Qingyang, where he can become invisible, and it would be easy for him to sneak into the Research Institute and get Chengzhi out."
"It would be best to send a message to Professor Xiaozhu first to avoid any slip-ups," Chen Guo reminded him.
"Hmm, we should send a message first."
Han Yi looked at Zhu Changfu and said, "Tonight, you, Kerry, and I will make the trip. The others should wait outside the base to assist."
"I’ll go too; I’m more familiar with the routes there," Chen Guo said.
After thinking for a moment, Han Yi nodded slightly, "Hmm."
Han Jiaojiao hesitated to speak. She didn’t want to be apart from Han Yi, but indeed, rescuing someone didn’t require too many people, and having more might indeed be a hindrance.
Han Yi seemed to read her thoughts and reassured her, "Tonight, you and Yan Xiao wait in the car. I’ll be out soon."
"Hmm, okay," Han Jiaojiao nodded obediently.
The group gathered in the cell and quickly outlined several rescue plans, just waiting for nightfall to execute them.
As there were still a few hours before it got dark, and it was suffocating to stay in the cell all the time, Han Yi decided to take Han Jiaojiao out of the cell for a walk around the base to get a better understanding of the surrounding environment.
On the roads of the base, large trucks loaded with coal passed by from time to time. Occasionally, they came across a few pedestrians whose faces and clothes were filthy. If one looked closely, one would see that their fingernails were filled with black coal dust.
"Most people here work in the mines," Chen Guo explained to them, "Formerly, the prisoners in Qingyang Prison worked in mining, and now, whether they are prisoners or not, they have to mine. This coal is used not only within the base but also sold to other bases."
"Were you originally from Qingyang Base?" Han Jiaojiao asked him curiously. She had initially thought that Chen Guo was captured from outside.
Chen Guo slightly lowered his head and with a low ’hm,’ said, "I was a convict here before."
