Su Yang asked, "Aren't you the warden? How can you not control a few prisoners?"
"Deputy Director, you don't know, these people beat even me when they go mad. How dare I claim to suppress them."
"Then why not shoot them directly?"
"This is Beijing's directive. They want us to detain them first. I don't know anything else."
Su Yang became even more curious. What kind of monsters were these that even the security bureau's soldiers feared so much?
"If you're scared, you don't have to follow. I'll go take a look myself."
With that, Su Yang stepped into District D.
Warden Qin Li sighed, "Prepare yourselves. If the prisoners go out of control, open fire immediately. We absolutely cannot let the Deputy Director get hurt!"
"Also, go and get another team. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."
"Yes!"
—Tap tap tap!
In the vast District D, only the sound of footsteps could be heard.
Su Yang stopped on the left side of the entrance and looked at a curly-haired man with glasses who was tinkering with bottles and jars. He appeared to be in his thirties.
This must be Shen Qiu, the poison expert.
His beard was unkempt, but his face and clothes were clean.
Shen Qiu knew someone had arrived, but he didn't even look up, continuing to study his things.
Su Yang looked to the right and saw a man with golden curly hair and brown eyes, sitting on the ground and playing with a short wooden knife.
This man was the pirate captain, Hans Locke.
"Click!"
Hans Locke brought the wooden knife across his throat, making a throat-slitting gesture.
Su Yang continued forward. A man with a bare upper body and ten-pack abs stood up, his arm muscles twitching.
This was the combat expert, skilled in Sanda and boxing. He wondered who was stronger, him or Jiang Hei.
This man was Mo Gaowei, the mercenary captain.
Mo Gaowei's eyes glinted fiercely, "Kid, you don't want your eyes anymore?"
On the other side, "One-Eyed Tyrannosaurus" Chen Beijun also stood up. He had short hair, wore a patch over his right eye, had several scars on his face, and was slender.
Su Yang ignored them and took a few more steps forward.
Inside a dim, large iron cage opposite, was a colossal figure, chained by eight thick iron bars around his wrists, ankles, and neck.
Su Yang took a few more steps forward and saw a long scar running from the man's face to his skull, but his eye was not blind.
This was the warden's boss, the strongest overlord, Yuan Kui, also known as "The Ape."
Yuan Kui sat on the ground with his eyes closed. His seated height was as tall as Su Yang.
Apart from a pair of shorts, Yuan Kui wore no other clothes. It was said he was too large to have anything suitable.
Yuan Kui suddenly opened his eyes, revealing blood-red, large pupils.
—Bang bang bang!
Yuan Kui lungically lunged at the iron cage, grabbing the meter-thick iron bars and shaking them violently, as if to break free and tear Su Yang apart with his bare hands.
Under Yuan Kui's exertion, the entire cage swayed precariously, and the ground vibrated.
Su Yang was less than ten centimeters away from Yuan Kui's thick hand, but he was not flustered at all.
"Quiet!"
"You skinny dog, I'll kill you like a chicken!"
Yuan Kui let out a strange laugh, then slowly stood up, his total height approaching two and a half meters.
Barefoot, with only a piece of cloth to cover himself, his wild, explosive black and yellow muscles gleamed.
Su Yang waved his hand, "Open the door. I want to see how strong you are!"
"Deputy Director, this is not very good..."
Warden Qin Li was almost crying. Zong Ze had instructed him before leaving not to let any prisoners from District D out.
"If you don't open the door, you can resign and get lost!"
"This..."
Warden Qin Li was reluctant to resign. This position was a lucrative one, earning millions a year was not a problem.
"Alright, your subordinate will open the door now, but if something happens to you, don't blame me."
Qin Li gritted his teeth, took out the key, and opened the door.
Yuan Kui pushed open the three-by-three-meter door and looked down at Su Yang from above.
"You're brave! I might spare your life later!"
Su Yang clasped his hands behind his back, "Big guy, I'm short of a few capable henchmen right now. If you're willing to lend me a hand, I can lift your confinement order!"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Kui let out another strange laugh, "This broken iron cage can't hold me. Why should I be your henchman?"
"If you don't obey, there's only death!"
Yuan Kui was enraged. The other four Class D prisoners combined were no match for him, so how could he be threatened by Su Yang?
"Die!"
Yuan Kui raised his sandbag-sized fist and smashed it towards Su Yang's head.
Su Yang retreated backward, dodging the fatal blow.
—Bang bang bang!
The powerful force of the punch struck the ground, shattering the cement slab and creating a meter-deep pit.
Yuan Kui was not surprised by missing his attack; instead, he licked his lips excitedly.
"Kid, let's see how long you can keep jumping."
Yuan Kui threw consecutive left and right hooks at Su Yang. His massive body moved with surprising agility.
Su Yang dodged left and right. The powerful wind from Yuan Kui's punches, like cutting blades, grazed his body, tearing holes in his clothes.
Qin Li's heart was in his throat. He raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to prepare to fire.
—Clang clang clang!
Yuan Kui pursued Su Yang relentlessly, his heavy fists striking the iron cage, denting the meter-thick iron bars.
"Damn it, can you only run away?"
Yuan Kui was always just a hair's breadth away from hitting Su Yang, but he still hadn't succeeded. Instead, his large physique was consuming a lot of his stamina.
"Big guy, this is called movement technique. If you have the ability, keep chasing."
"Bullshit movement technique! Do you dare to fight me head-on?"
Yuan Kui was both surprised and angry. Su Yang was as light as a swallow, and he was always a little bit slower.
Su Yang stopped a few meters away, a smile on his face, "I can fight you, but what if you lose?"
"Hmph! As long as you beat me fair and square, I'll be your henchman for a while!"
Yuan Kui was a strongman from the Tai Shan tribe of Long Country. He was captured and imprisoned here for breaking the law.
The Tai Shan tribe had always respected strength. The selection of their chief was determined by power, adhering to the iron rule of "the capable shall lead."
Yuan Kui was confident in his strength and punching power. He didn't believe Su Yang could withstand it.
"No, not just for a while. If you lose, you'll follow me for life!"
Su Yang wagged his finger. He wasn't here to pick up a one-time henchman.
Yuan Kui let out a few strange laughs, "You have quite the ambition. What if you lose?"
"If I lose, I will not only remove your confinement order but also restore your freedom!"
Yuan Kui had been imprisoned for ten years, over three thousand six hundred days and nights, almost all of them in this dark and lightless cage.
He craved strength, and even more so, freedom.
Yuan Kui asked in a deep voice, "On what basis can you lift the confinement order and grant me freedom? Deputy Director?"
Warden Qin Li immediately said, "Yuan Kui, behind the Deputy Director is Commander Shi Wuzun of the National Defense Army, and the Director of the General Bureau of Construction, Zhou Budao. His girlfriend is Duan Linglong, the president of the Cultural Relics Association."
"With the Deputy Director's connections, lifting your confinement order is just a matter of a word!"
"Oh? I underestimated you!"
Yuan Kui narrowed his eyes and looked at Su Yang. He was so young yet already the deputy director of the Songhai Security Bureau.
Besides connections, he must have extraordinary abilities himself.
Yuan Kui put away his smile and decided to take this battle seriously.
"Come on, I agree to your terms!"