The guard was stunned for a moment.
"You want me to choose? Alright, it doesn't matter which one you see first if you want to see them all."
As he spoke, the guard surveyed the prison cells on the fourth underground level and casually pointed to one.
"Go see the prisoner in that cell."
As a guard on the fourth underground level, he was intimately familiar with it, knowing exactly who was imprisoned there and even having their files memorized.
Therefore, on the way to the designated cell, the guard couldn't help but brief Zhang Wei on the inmate.
"Brother Guard, could you brief me on each prisoner before I visit their cell?" Zhang Wei suggested as he listened to the introduction.
"Sure, no problem," the guard replied with a smile.
Then, with a creak, the cell door opened. After hearing the inmate's information, Zhang Wei stepped inside.
Looking at the prisoner within, Zhang Wei murmured to himself, "Here I come! What role should I play this time? Hehehe, what should I do? Playing roles in the fourth underground level feels as fun and exciting as playing with Xiao Mantou and Xiao Xue at night."
...
Time flew by.
The fourth underground level was located deep beneath the surface, hidden from sight. Because of this, it was perpetually devoid of sunlight, with only dim, yellowish lights for company, making it easy to lose track of time.
At this moment, more than half a day had passed since Zhang Wei arrived at the fourth underground level. Outside, night had already fallen.
Just then, the door to the interrogation room on the fourth underground level, which had been closed since Sun Jianyun entered, opened. Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden emerged, both looking somewhat weary, rubbing their hands and massaging their necks.
"We've finally managed to extract some information. It was worth all the time and effort," the deputy warden said. He then looked at Sun Jianyun with undisguised admiration and respect. "Your interrogation methods are truly remarkable, Sun Lao. By gradually increasing the pressure and employing both gentle and firm tactics, you finally got him to reveal the truth. The case of this legendary prisoner is now completely solved."
Sun Jianyun waved his hand with a smile. "It's just a few little tricks, nothing to brag about." Although he said this, a smile played on Sun Jianyun's aged face. No matter how serious a person might be, no one dislikes being praised.
"Haha, Sun Lao, you're too modest. Everyone knows that besides being the warden, your most important role at the Wei Dao Si Prison is that of a top-tier interrogator. When you take charge, you're worth several others. You are absolutely the most formidable interrogator." The deputy warden continued his flattery.
Sun Jianyun beamed, unable to stop smiling. Although he wanted to hear more praise, he eventually waved his hand, changing the subject. "Speaking of which, what time is it now? Oh, it's already 6:30 PM. Has it been that long?"
"Yes, it's 6:30. It can't be helped, interrogating prisoners takes the most time, especially the inmates on the fourth underground level, who are the most difficult to deal with. It always takes a long time to get results." Hearing the deputy warden's words, Sun Jianyun nodded in agreement and added, "I wonder how Zhang Wei is doing. Let's hurry, we shouldn't keep Zhang Wei waiting in the main hall of the fourth underground level for too long."
With that, Sun Jianyun quickened his pace towards the main hall of the fourth underground level. Upon arriving and seeing the empty hall, he was taken aback.
"Hmm? Where is Zhang Wei? Is he still looking at prisoners?" As the warden, Sun Jianyun knew that even if someone was allowed into the fourth underground level, they couldn't leave freely without Sun Jianyun accompanying them, to prevent the visitor from taking any inmates away. Seeing Zhang Wei absent from the hall, there was only one possibility: he was still touring the cells.
To this, Sun Jianyun expressed some surprise. "I didn't expect Zhang Wei to be so interested in looking at prisoners. Could he have gotten so engrossed that he's started interrogating them?" As he spoke, Sun Jianyun scanned the surroundings for any open cell doors, recalling Zhang Wei's previous interrogation of the water ghost king, Wu Cheng. He thought that if Zhang Wei enjoyed interrogating prisoners so much, perhaps there was an opportunity to recruit him to the Wei Dao Si Prison.
As he was thinking, his gaze fell upon a cell door.
Outside the cell door, the guard stood there, peering intently inside through the window. His attention was completely focused on the cell, and he didn't even notice Sun Jianyun approaching until Sun Jianyun tapped him on the shoulder.
"What are you looking at?" Sun Jianyun asked.
As he spoke, Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden, filled with curiosity, also looked in through the window.
And then...
They both froze, as if they had seen something unbelievable, thinking they were hallucinating. After rubbing their eyes vigorously and looking again, they realized it wasn't an illusion.
"Hiss!!!"
"Holy hell, is that the Ghost Lady?" Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden gasped.
As they watched, inside the cell, a terrifying ghost woman, resembling Kayako, was clinging to Zhang Wei's legs, saying something. Her actions and demeanor were completely contrary to their understanding of the "Ghost Lady."
After all, Sun Jianyun and the others believed they knew the fourth underground level better than anyone. They were naturally familiar with the prisoners held there, including a female ghost king known as the "Ghost Lady." This female ghost king was not only powerful but also extremely cruel, with a particular fondness for killing young people and children. The number of people who had died at her hands was at least several thousand, including talented ghost exorcists and members of the Qilin Guard. To put it bluntly, her inherent cruelty was absolutely heinous.
However, the current Ghost Lady showed no trace of cruelty. Instead, she was like a scorned girlfriend refusing to let go, let alone kill Zhang Wei. How could she be clinging to Zhang Wei's legs, looking as if she wouldn't let him leave? Zhang Wei was momentarily trying to lift his leg, dragging the Ghost Lady along as he walked. But the Ghost Lady held on tightly to Zhang Wei's leg.
This scene left Sun Jianyun and the others dumbfounded. What was this "farewell to life and death" romantic scene?
As they were bewildered, the guard's voice followed closely.
"Ah? Warden, you're finally here. I have something to report to you."
"Hold off on reporting for now. First, tell me what's going on here?"
"That's what I wanted to tell you. Mr. Zhang Wei was talking to the Ghost Lady just now, and I don't know what was said. The cell was sealed with a silence talisman by you at noon, so I couldn't hear anything. I only saw the Ghost Lady chatting with Zhang Wei, and then, then..."
"Then what? Hurry up and tell me." Seeing the guard's awkward, hesitant expression, Sun Jianyun's aged face was filled with impatience.
"Then the Ghost Lady acted like a mother, as if she was about to breastfeed an infant, wanting to give Zhang Wei... cough, Zhang Wei was the infant. I think you understand what I mean, Warden."
"..." Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden fell silent. They understood, of course, but they didn't understand why the Ghost Lady was acting like this.
However, before they could ponder, the guard's voice continued. "Um, Warden, Deputy Warden, I have more to report. Mr. Zhang Wei has already seen nineteen prisoners on the fourth underground level. The Ghost Lady is the twentieth, and every single prisoner has been very, very friendly towards Mr. Zhang Wei."
Subsequently, the guard truthfully recounted what he had witnessed. He said that every time Zhang Wei entered a cell, he would talk to the prisoner about something. Initially, the prisoners would treat Zhang Wei with indifference, coldness, or sarcasm. But after a while, they would either cry or laugh, their attitude towards Zhang Wei changing by 180 degrees. And this was true for every single criminal, without exception.
"They all seem to have changed their personalities. In front of Zhang Wei, they don't act like prisoners at all."
Hearing this, Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden were stunned. Sun Jianyun couldn't help but interrupt. "If they don't act like prisoners, what do they act like?"
The guard glanced at the Ghost Lady, who was still clinging to Zhang Wei's leg and unwilling to let him leave, then slowly replied, "They act like they're reuniting with family. Have you seen those large-scale family reunion variety shows, Warden? Like the reunions of long-lost relatives, close friends, or lovers. That's the kind of feeling."
Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden: "????"
...