Chapter 113 – Jail War #5
There were some cases where a war was caused by really minor things. However, just one sausage caused a war in prison.
"……"
The warden sat in his office and grabbed the few hairs that he had remaining.
"…In just two days, the ingredients would"ve arrived, and you would"ve had a normal meal again. But you couldn"t bear this much…"
However, the warden was mistaken. Only the warden and prison guards who knew this fact, while the inmates didn"t know when they would be allowed to have proper food again. How many people would be able to endure it and wait?
This place was a prison. It was divided between the inmates and the guards who managed them. The guards could leave on a weekly basis to rest and recharge. However, those imprisoned here wouldn"t be able to leave until their sentence was over, or until they were released on parole.
For them, exercise time and meal times were the only moments they could relieve their stress. This was all lost at the same time.
The warden didn"t consider the feelings of the prisoners at all. If he did, the the food poisoning incident and lack of food for a week might have ended up differently. However, the warden thought of the prisoners as people who should be controlled and enlightened. The likelihood of him bending any other way was 0%.
"Right now, the situation is urgent."
Then the deputy, who was carefully watching the warden, opened his mouth and said.
“First, the dining room and gallery are completely occupied."
“Then I guess they are armed with cooking tools."
"Yes. But most of them are unharmed because there aren"t many tools."
"Cough!"
“Fortunately, they can"t enter the warehouse because it is blocked."
It was fortunate from the warden"s position. The warehouse contained weapons to prepare for any situation. Tear gas, gas masks, electric shockers, gas guns, etc…
“That is why I am authorizing the use of firearms in the prison. Isn"t it the only way to end this?"
"That"s right. Although won"t the human rights groups object?"
"It"s not like they are enjoying any freedom from their cells. Prepare to suppress them. All of them will be put in solitary confinement."
“Warden-nim… There are so many prisoners involved that there won"t be enough room in solitary confinement.”
The warden glared at the deputy and shouted,
“Then increase it even more! At any rate, you have an hour and a half to quell them. I will take command."
“Understood!”
At the same time, Number 974 was aligning his fingers in the dining room.
“Kuoooook!"
The task was done without anesthesia, so it was extremely painful. If he went to the infirmary then he could receive proper treatment, but he would end up being beaten up by the guards.
"Number 974… Ah, I’m sorry. That has become a habit. Park Joon-shik, please endure the pain."
However, Park Joon-shik tried to forget about his pain by thinking about the target of his anger.
“W-Where is that b.a.s.t.a.r.d guard!"
“I’m sorry but I don"t know…"
"d.a.m.n!"
Park Joon-shik"s treatment ended, although it was a bit rough. Park Joon-shik looked around with torn clothes and a hand wrapped in a bandage.
"…He disappeared like a ghost. Obviously he was here…"
"Does this makes sense?"
Park Joon-shik glared at the guards tied up in one corner of the restaurant. They were those who saw the prison guard being a.s.saulted and came to help. But despite being armed with gas guns and rods, they couldn"t help being overwhelmed by the huge difference in numbers.
"Oof…!"
The bound guards couldn"t do anything but scream. Park Joon-shik approached them and slapped one of the guard"s cheeks.
“Where is the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who made my fingers like this!"
The tied up guard shook his head desperately.
“Sheesh…"
Park Joon-shik spat and muttered,
“Obviously he slipped away like a rat. f.u.c.k, I was caught by a real goblin."
Park Joon-shik recalled the face of that guard with the evil smile.
He punched the guard with his fist. That was the beginning of everything.
Park Joon-shik approached Shin Chang-ho and asked,
"Hyung-nim. What do we do now?"
"Huu…"
Shin Chang-ho sighed as he looked at Park Joon-shik. One of his followers caused such a large incident…
Then the bodyguard next to Shin Chang-ho frowned and interrupted,
"Are you saying that now? Grab a knife and handle it yourself. Don"t rely on Hyung-nim all the time!"
"…I am ashamed. Still, I couldn"t bear it."
“Do you think it will be fine if you answer like that?!"
It seemed like a fight would break out among his own men. Shin Chang-ho opened his mouth and spoke,
“The dice has already been thrown. At the very least, we need to prepare for those here to have their punishments increased."
“That is okay. No matter what, going against the guards is too much."
“If Hyung-nim tells me then I will go to h.e.l.l for you. It is Hyung-nim"s decision.
Dozens of eyes focused on Shin Chang-ho. Outside, he was part of a big gang but he was just a mere prisoner here. He was limited in what he could do.
At that moment, someone quietly walked up to Shin Chang-ho.
"…Kim Cheol-su?"
“Eh? The cigarette seller?"
Shin Chang-ho"s eyes narrowed as he looked at the other person. The brawl had happened in the area where Shin Chang-ho"s gang was sitting. Most of them became involved in the fight. But why was this person here? No, since when had he been here?
Tae-hyuk had disguised as a member of Shin Chang-ho"s group first. Then he became a guard to persecute the inmates. And now, he was here with Kim Cheol-su"s face. The two groups here were dancing on the palms of his hands. All of this was possible with the help of his crime skills.
“You seem to have a lot of concerns."
Shin Chang-ho bit his lip. A few years later, he would become a high-ranking official of the organization after leaving this place. However, if he accidentally increased his sentence, would the boss wait for him?
However, it wasn"t possible to get rid of those who followed Shin Chang-ho. No matter what choice he made, he wouldn"t like the results. However, Shin Chang-ho didn"t reveal that he was nervous.
"Kuk. Cigarette Seller, you seem to be very busy with your business. Did you come to this war to sell cigarettes?"
Tae-hyuk laughed and said,
“I don’t know if you remember, but I said that I would cooperate with the war. It is the same again this time."
“Ha? You are very conscientious. I"m sorry, but what we are dealing with now is the guards, not the j.a.panese. What you can do to help?"
"First, I will briefly sum up the situation. There are two things making you troubled right now."
"Hrmm. Speak."
"First of all, the dining room we occupied is blocked to prevent the inmates from escaping. The key is kept among the guards."
"I know that much. Isn"t that why we are gathered here like this?"
“You want to finish this incident in a way that doesn"t increase your prison time, but that isn"t easy."
"……"
It was the right answer. A small groan escaped from Shin Chang-ho"s mouth. Knowing the latter, it meant that Shin Chang-ho"s psychology had been completely grasped.
“From now on, I will tell you what to do."
Shin Chang-ho gulped and looked at Tae-hyuk.
"Those who seek death shall live. Those who seek life shall die."
"…Admiral Yi Sun-sin"s words."
“You have to make the war bigger in order to survive. I know there is something wrong with the prison ships, which is why the food hasn"t been distributed properly."
“I see. I also thought that. The warden seems to be doing something."
“This is the way of life. The wardens and guards do a lot of work that isn"t publicized, so the warden will choose one of two options: He will either negotiate to cover up his problems, or call for outside support."
"Hrmm! I would welcome the former with both arms open, but won"t we be ruined if it is the latter?"
The word "we" naturally flowed from Shin Chang-ho"s mouth. Tae-hyuk laughed with satisfaction.
“Then we will use the media to expose this incident to the outside world. South Korea is a really good country, so they care about the human rights of prisoners. The prisoners were given only porridge for a week and the guards carried out violence against the prisoners. They will end up squished like rice cakes."
"……"
The former option of negotiation would benefit them. The latter option would incite sympathy from the public. Of course, there was a possibility that the result wouldn"t turn out good. However, it was possible to decrease the losses caused by the war. It was a sweet offer that was difficult to reject.
Shin Chang-ho said in a heavy tone,
“But there is one big hole in your proposal. Take a look around."
His companions were armed at best with rough cutlery and cooking knives.
“Earlier, the fight could be won due to the overwhelming difference in firepower; however, once we leave here, dozens of armed guards would be waiting. The plan will only work if we can fight them equally. It is impossible…"
Tae-hyuk quietly pulled out a set of keys. They could leave the dining room with it.
“…H-How did you get that?"
"I told you. I will cooperate in this war. I will provide the materials."
“Materials?”
“I got this by chance. There is some very interesting stuff mixed in."
Tae-hyuk found one key and showed it to Shin Chang-ho.
Shin Chang-ho"s eyes widened.
"O-Oh my G.o.d! T-That"s the weapons warehouse key!"
Dozens of members of Shin Chang-ho"s gang gulped. It was possible to become the same as the armed guards with this. Then…
“Now you know what I mean by cooperating."
Shin Chang-ho nodded quietly.
"A-Amazing!"
"Hyung-nim! There are a lot of batons and tear gas canisters in here!"
“Taser guns and gas guns!"
“It is enough to arm all of us!"
Shin Chang-ho watched quietly as his men picked up the things stored in the weapons warehouse. The guard at the entrance had been hit with an iron pipe that Cigarette Seller found somewhere. And he showed them a magic trick where he opened the door that was locked with iris recognition.
"…He truly isn"t an ordinary criminal."
Cigarette Seller was twirling his iron pipe around.
“Do you need any weapons from here?"
"I"m more comfortable with this."
“The skill with which you handle that is unusual."
"Thanks for the praise. Anyways, this war can absolutely be won if we drag out the time. Build a fortress inside the prison. But I"m a bit bored so I"ve prepared some fun games during that time."
"…Games?"
"First, we will support each other to get what we both want. This won"t end with just you guys being armed."
“I see what you mean. I want to show a bitter taste to the j.a.panese."
"Yes. I would also like you to give me Park Sung-yul in this bargain."
"That isn"t hard."
“And after the war, I will let you know where your sister is."
Any laughter on Shin Chang-ho"s face disappeared at his words. He remembered what he had forgotten for a moment. Did Cigarette Seller know for certain where she was?
“If I can find my sister with your help, then I will do anything for you. There are many things to be done."
"…If there is nothing else then go."
Tae-hyuk smiled like he knew the ending of the story. His men finished arming themselves.
Shin Chang-ho took a deep breath and slowly walked forward.
"From now on, we will be at war with the guards. Don"t overdo it, since time is on our side. For our victory!"
The armed prisoners cheered.
It was the signal for the start of the prison war.