With the warden"s conversation echoing at the back of his head, Zhao Yao immediately shot them down with a glare.
Obviously, no one knew just how sensitive Zhao Yao"s hearing was with the aid of "five is better than four". Despite the distance between the wardens and Zhao Yao, he could still pick up a few words from their conversations, trouble, apostle and even money.
"Hmm, so the prisoners are not the only problems over here?" Zhao Yao propped his chin on his hand as he considered. However, he wasn"t surprised at all. After all, it was only natural for this problem to spread to the wardens now that Cat King of the West and the prisoners were affected.
However, Zhao Yao decided to close one eye to it for now and focused his attention on the prisoners for some helpful intel. He would save the wardens for future interrogations.
Sadly, none of the apostles he approached netted him any useful information until he met an acquaintance. His eyes sparkled with excitement when he caught sight of the j.a.panese.
It was none other than the shadow-manipulating Is.h.i.+da and his two subordinates, Onitsuka and Sato.
With excitement racing through him, Zhao Yao dashed forward and asked, "How are you? Are you from j.a.pan? How do you find China?"
A frown appeared on Is.h.i.+da"s face when he heard that insensitive question and thought, "Are you blind? Please take a look at our situation? Do you think we are in a position to enjoy China?"
However, his mouth was sealed. Instead, Sato took a step forward before shoving Zhao Yao to a corner and screamed, "Bakayaro, get out of our way!"
But something weird happened. It felt as if Zhao Yao"s body was rooted to the ground and Sato couldn"t even move his body a single inch.
After all, Zhao Yao"s body was strengthened with "five is better than four". Someone of Sato"s caliber definitely could not push him around as he wished.
Hence, Onitsuka decided to join in and surrounded this arrogant man. With rage sweeping through them, they confronted, "Chinese man, are you trying to test our patience?"
Even without their powers, the three individuals were exponents of the sacred katana. Coupled with their superior body and extensive combat experience, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Sensing the hostility in the air, Zhao Yao responded with a half shrug of his shoulders, "Actually, I mean no harm. I"m just trying to ask some questions. Have you observed any strange changes in the prison?"
While speaking, Zhao Yao activated his Sixth Sense once more as a flow of thoughts streamed into Is.h.i.+da"s body.
"Trust me, I"m a dependable person! Trust me!"
There was a flicker in Is.h.i.+da"s eyes. Somehow, in the depth of his eyes, Is.h.i.+da had added a layer of trust for Zhao Yao.
To everyone"s surprise, Is.h.i.+da"s lips parted as he replied, "Indeed, I sense some mysterious changes brewing underneath this very ground."
Sato and Onitsuka"s jaws went slack when they saw how easily Is.h.i.+da broke his silence, "Boss, you!"
Is.h.i.+da shut them up with a wave of his hand before continuing, "These changes have existed for quite some time. Anyone with a functioning brain would have observed it already. But what can we do about it? After all, we are powerless apostles that amount to nothing."
Joy overwhelmed him as Zhao Yao thought, "Hahaha, my ability finally succeeded!"
Hearing Is.h.i.+da"s despondent words, Zhao Yao immediately encouraged him, "That might not be the case. Every matter is bound to have its weakness and vulnerability. If we pool our knowledge together and try to effect change, it would be better than being sitting ducks. Don"t you agree?"
If this conversation was done without the aid of Sixth Sense, Is.h.i.+da would have completely ignored Zhao Yao"s words. However, Sixth Sense had somehow instilled Is.h.i.+da"s confidence in Zhao Yao.
Hence, Is.h.i.+da nodded his head and replied, "You might be right. However, I have to admit that I do not know much. Firstly, the people in this prison have turned increasingly grouchy. This applies to my subordinates as well. At first, I thought it was a problem with the administration but then I realize it was something far more dangerous. Some unknown strength was working insidiously in an individual"s mind, unleas.h.i.+ng their darkest, most violent self."
Zhao Yao stroked his chin thoughtfully and asked, "Other than this, are there any strange things that have happened?"
With a smile spread across his face, Is.h.i.+da answered, "Oh there is. Inmates have gone missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes, some inmates have never appeared for a long time. They claimed that they have gone for medical treatment or were thrown in solitary confinement. Some were even rumored to have their sentences shortened. These prison gates are like a monster"s mouth, swallowing every prisoner that went through it."
More hypothesis flooded Zhao Yao"s mind after his interaction with Is.h.i.+da. Later, he would continue his reconnaissance with other inmates only to receive the same news.
Meanwhile, after Zhao Yao had lifted his Sixth Sense, Is.h.i.+da was struck with a weird realization, "What just happened? Why did I suddenly trust this man so much?"
Immediately, Zhao Yao"s gaze gravitated towards the bunch of muscular men frantically working out in the fitness area. Each of them either had a dumbbell, barbell or a kettlebell in hand.
A frown tugged at his lips as Zhao Yao considered, "I never expected to meet Muscle Society here. Were they thrown here as well? But where is Butcher?"
Suddenly, images of the previous cat king compet.i.tion flooded his mind. From his memory, Butcher had been successfully rehabilitated by Cat King of the West and was now a subordinate of Inspector Ho.
Even though Zhao Yao abhorred the idea of interacting with Muscle Society, the promise of extracting something useful out of them coerced him to approach them.
"Hi, how are all of you doing?"
A man, who looked like someone who just entered a bodybuilding compet.i.tion, approached Zhao Yao and asked, "Hey cute guy, who are you looking for?"
Worry snaked through Zhao Yao when those disgusting words rang in his head. This time, Zhao Yao dared not experiment with Sixth Sense. After all, the risk of 10 muscular men chasing him around should he fail proved too much of a deterrent. He just wanted to rinse his eyes with detergent as those images flashed in his head.
Zhao Yao could only reply, "Sorry, I think you misunderstood my intentions. I"m as straight as an iron bar. I only like women."
"Iron bar?" The muscular bloke slapped a hand over his mouth and sn.i.g.g.e.red, "Hey, did you know that my nickname is the iron chrysanthemum?"
Zhao Yao was speechless as cold sweat beaded his forehead. He just wanted to leave right there and then.
"Scary, too scary! This guy"s aura is just over the chart! He"s not even human!"
However, just when Zhao Yao was about to leave, the man who was in the midst of a bench press stood up and said, "That"s enough Chrysanthemum, stop scaring our guests." After taking a few quick sniffs, he looked towards Zhao Yao and said, "Long time no see. I guess you have also noticed the changes in the prison."
Other than Butcher, Muscle Society comprised of three other top-tier fighters. During Butcher"s period of absence, they were the temporary boss of the organization.
His body strength and five senses easily surpa.s.sed that of any ordinary men. With a few quick sniffs, he had detected Zhao Yao"s familiar scent.