I am a master in India

Chapter 217 The Deepest Despair
Anand walked through the passageway, escorted by his cell warden and several guards, through the prison to one of the many large dormitories.

That large dormitory room was twenty meters long and ten meters wide, with a high ceiling.

There are iron bars on the windows that allow you to see the open space around the building, and there is a tall iron gate at each end of the dormitory.

Near one of the iron gates, there was a bathroom with three clean squat toilets.

They gave Anand five minutes to wash the bloodstains off his face, neck, and arms, and to use the spotless squat toilet.

The large dormitory housed 180 inmates and 20 cell supervisors.

A quarter of the area inside is reserved for the use of the cell supervisors, who have their own clean blankets.

When sleeping, you can fold multiple blankets together to form a soft floor mat, leaving gaps between them.

The others squeezed into two rows in the remaining three-quarters of the area, separated from the dormitory supervisor by a "river and Han boundary".

Even ordinary prisoners have a blanket, which is usually piled up in the corner and folded neatly.

They would take it off when they slept, and the prisoners would lie on the narrow blankets, shoulder to shoulder with each other.

They stood with their heads touching the wall and their feet spread out in the middle of the dormitory. The bright nightlights were always on, and the dormitory supervisors on duty took turns walking between the two rows of feet.

They patrolled back and forth, all carrying whistles. The whistles hung around their necks and were used to summon the prison guards when they encountered situations they couldn't handle.

Anand was required to sleep in the regular prisoner area. He took a blanket from the corner and laid it down next to Anil.

He couldn't sleep the first night, not because of the pain in his body, but because of the lice hiding on the blanket that disturbed his peace.

Its bite is painful and about the size of a thumbtack. Each time, it sucks its belly until it's round and full, then places it on the stone floor; if you press it with your hand, it's covered in blood.

The prisoners in the jail are bitten several times every night. The round wounds soon become infected and turn into pustules.

Those prisoners who have stayed long enough may have more than a hundred festering, infected wounds on their bodies, and nothing can cure them.

Anand was about to get up to pick lice when Anil warned him not to do anything rash.

Because those dormitory supervisors would beat anyone who didn't sleep, and you couldn't fight back against them.

"No matter what they do, to save your life, never fight back. This isn't a world of the living, man. We're all dead here, and there's nothing you can do!"

Although Anand listened, he was still hit with a bamboo stick by the dormitory supervisor on duty, without any reason.

In the following days, this situation continued to repeat itself. The dormitory supervisors beat him during meals, during washing, and even when he went out for exercise, he would be beaten for no reason.

Anand remained silent, enduring repeated targeted attacks.

He harbored a grudge, so he decided to send the message out.

He was convinced that Ron Baba would come to his rescue as long as he knew Ron Baba was there.

The dorm supervisors went even further, forbidding him from going to the washbasin earlier and making him stay until the very last one.

There was a large valve at one end of the washbasin, which would be turned on by prisoners every morning for everyone to wash up.

However, the water supply is not unlimited; the flow will stop when the water level in the upper storage tank drops below the required level.

As soon as the valve is opened, hundreds of prisoners will rush forward to grab a thin stream of water from a small pipe.

When Anand approached with the aluminum tray, only a trickle of water remained in the pipe. Even more terrifying, hundreds of thread-like water worms were wriggling in the water.

"Dude, they live in the sink. When the water level is low, the water bugs come out of the pipes. But they don't bite, and they're much cuter than lice."

Anil carried an aluminum tray full of water bugs, poured the water into his chest and back, and then reached under the water pipe to collect another tray.

The water at the beginning was clean, but many people were scrambling for it. Later on, when there was less water, a few people could finally enjoy a good bath.

Anand certainly recognized the water bugs; he had lived in the slums for a long time and was familiar with the little creatures.

They die quickly when exposed to air, so there's no need to worry about them becoming parasites on your body.

He held a plate and filled it with water from the tap, which was running low, then poured the water, which was full of wriggling worms, into his shorts.

The weather in Mumbai has started to milden, and if you don't shower, you'll soon be covered in lice.

Unsurprisingly, Anand was hit several more times because he was last in line to wash up.

He held back his anger and even stopped being angry with the dormitory supervisor.

Two young prisoners were about to be released; they were from Marathi, and their village was not far from Anand's hometown.

They were illiterate young men from the countryside who came to Mumbai and were caught in a police raid on unemployed youths, and were arrested without even realizing it.

The two men spent three months in jail without facing any formal charges, and are now finally set to be released.

Anand met with the two men, told them Ron Sue's name, and where to find him.

He promised them a generous reward upon their release, including job placement.

The two young men put their hands together in blessing and then left, their faces beaming with bright, optimistic smiles.

Later that day, the warden suddenly ordered everyone to assemble. His tone was more aggressive than usual, and he told the prisoners to squat down close to the wall with their heads in their hands.

Anand soon saw the two young men who had tried to help him being dragged into the dormitory and thrown into the open space in the middle.

They were nearly unconscious, having been brutally beaten. Their faces were bleeding from wounds, their lips were swollen, and their eyes were bruised.

The two men's bare arms and legs were covered with snake-skin-like welts from being whipped with iron and bamboo sticks, just like Anand's body.

"These two dogs are trying to pass on a message to that lowly man," the head of the dorm snarled. "This is what happens to anyone who tries to help that lowly man, understand?"

These two dogs will be in jail on my turf for another six months! Six months! Anyone who dares to help him will suffer the same fate!

Anil looked at Anand with a worried expression, as if to say, "Dude, you're in real trouble now. Nobody will be here to help you."

The truth is, Anand is in bigger trouble.

The group of dormitory supervisors huddled together and discussed for a few words, then surrounded him.

They forced him to lie on his back with his head against the iron bars. Then, from somewhere, they found iron handcuffs and handcuffed Anand's hands above his head.

Then they took coconut rope and tied his two legs together at his ankles.

The cell boss crouched down, brought his face close, and smiled. To know how wicked a person can be, just look at his smile.

They started hitting him, taking turns striking him repeatedly, focusing on his face and groin.

They fought for more than twenty minutes until they were panting and could no longer lift the bamboo sticks.

The bamboo stick embedded itself in Anand's flesh, breaking through his skin from head to toe.

Anand suddenly started laughing, a silent laugh, as he looked at them.

The dorm supervisors seemed to have been provoked, and they continued to beat the dorm supervisors, even calling in the dorm supervisors from the next room to take turns beating them.

Anand was covered in blood and gore, and his eyes were almost closed due to scabs.

But he was still laughing, a laugh that refused to give in.

He thought he was probably going to die; his hopes were dashed, and the whole world felt gray and cold.

He, a commoner in the eyes of others, decided to despise all the living people, those who stood before him, before he died.

This infuriated the dormitory supervisors, and they dragged him away, putting a metal ring around his neck like they were dragging a dog.

They dragged him outside to a large tree and then made everyone come out to watch.

Anand's limbs were also tied with ropes and spread out in a spread-eagle position. Three people on each rope were pulling with all their might, as if they were trying to tear his arms and legs off.

He was placed on a large rock, his left arm stretched taut. Then a warden climbed onto the rock and jumped onto Anand's left arm.

Crack! The arm was snapped in the opposite direction, the flesh and bone making a creaking sound that was too painful to hear.

Anand couldn't scream because his mouth was gagged and the collar around his neck was too tight.

The veins on his neck looked like they were about to burst, and his legs began to twitch and spasm, with violent tremors spreading throughout his body.

Several dormitory supervisors turned him 180 degrees and placed his right arm on a large rock.

It was the same person who went up. He first looked around arrogantly, then jumped onto the right arm.

His right arm snapped off, and Anand lost consciousness.

The dormitory supervisor pulled him away from the open space with a rope. His arms were behind him, dragging along the ground with a thud, limp and lifeless.

After venting their anger, the dorm supervisors worried that Anand wouldn't make it through.

So they tried to find some painkillers to give him, but there were no doctors in the prison.

They carried Anand out of the dormitory, through several clean, spotless courtyards, to a tree-lined path.

On both sides of the road are open spaces surrounded by fences, and there is a guard post in one of the open spaces.

A new prison guard here is allegedly smuggling drugs into the inmates.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are always in high demand in prisons.

The cell supervisors sometimes act as intermediaries, helping the prison guards distribute drugs to the prisoners.

They carried the person inside, where the new prison guard was sitting, looking dejected, chewing betel nuts.

Anyone who was once a powerful and respected police officer on the street, receiving bribes every day, would be heartbroken if suddenly assigned to work with habitual offenders who offer little in the way of profit.

I heard his wife cheated on him, so he filed for divorce. He was then transferred to a different job because his father-in-law wanted to teach him a lesson.

"What game are you playing now? Killing people is a real hassle."

"Sir, I accidentally overdid it," the cell leader said with a forced smile. "What kind of medicine would you like me to give you?"

The prison guard yawned and got up impatiently.

He approached and crouched down to examine the condition of the figure on the ground.

As soon as he brushed aside his sweat-soaked, dirty, and tangled hair, his hand froze in mid-air.

Anand has awakened, his body screaming from the thousands of wounds he has sustained during the ordeal.

He struggled to lift his head and open his eyes, and then he saw the prison guard in front of him, Rajesh.

The first patrolman they bribed at Victoria train station.

Rajesh recognized Anand almost instantly, even though he had been tortured beyond recognition and was so thin that he was barely more than a monkey. Rajesh recognized him at a glance.

He wanted to shout, but suddenly saw Anand's lips moving.

He understood, and he stood up angrily.

"Look at him! You bunch of idiots! He looks like he's been skinned alive!"

"Sir, it's the boss who wants us to beat him up." The dormitory supervisors awkwardly passed the buck to each other.

The "boss" they were referring to was the head of the prison guards, the highest-ranking officer at Arthur Road Prison.

"I told you to hit him, not to kill him!"

Rajesh got up and quickly took out a few pills from the drawer, then personally poured water and fed them to Anand.

What happened to his arm?

“This lowly commoner tried to send a message out; let’s teach him a lesson.”

"A broken bone? You bunch of idiots are really bold. Don't you know the rules of prison? You can bleed, but you can't break the bone!"

"Sir, what do you think we should do?" The dormitory supervisor rushed to find medicine precisely because he knew this rule.

Now, after being intimidated by Rajesh, I'm a little scared too.

“Take good care of him, make sure he doesn’t get hurt again! And don’t make a fuss about it. I’m going to find a doctor; there’s a guy who’s really good at treating external injuries.”

Rajesh left in a hurry, while the dorm supervisors nervously stood guard around him.

Anand was laughing, laughing through tears, laughing with his whole body trembling.

(End of this chapter)