I am a master in India

Chapter 219 Confusion

Anand was in pain all over his body; his eyes were bloodshot and he couldn't open them; his mouth tasted of blood and water.

The dormitory supervisors took him back to his room, and his arm was hastily bandaged.

Rajesh found a quack doctor from who-knows-where; his skills were truly terrible.

Afterwards, he instructed the dormitory supervisor to give Anand a proper makeover, just in case anything went wrong.

Rajesh did not act rashly; he had just been transferred to Arthur Road Prison and his foundation was weak.

It would be almost impossible for Anand to have been brought here so quietly without Mr. Sue noticing, without the support of the prison's higher-ups.

So he dismissed them as he would any other prisoners, but gave Anand a reassuring look at the very end.

Back in the dormitory, the dormitory supervisors poured a bucket of water on Anand.

The thousands of painful, screaming wounds caused his body to tremble uncontrollably.

The cell wardens were afraid that Anand's battered and bruised appearance would attract the attention of the other guards.

So they decided to give him a bath, though of course they wouldn't do it themselves; there were plenty of lackeys in the prison.

Anand was filthy and reluctant to work, but after being beaten a few times by the warden, he became diligent.

He used hot water and soap to wipe Anand's body, the warm touch and pain continuing to assault him.

This was the first time Anand had enjoyed a hot bath in prison, a hot bath with soap.

He was covered in wounds, many of which were severely infected, and he even had a high fever.

The lice bit him every night, leaving hundreds of wounds that were oozing pus and aching.

They not only sucked his blood, but also multiplied in the warm, moist wound, and he could clearly feel the larvae wriggling.

I felt much better after taking a hot shower.

But his high fever persisted, he was panting, his heart was beating unusually fast, and his breathing became rapid.

He even had hallucinations, seeing the slums and his family and friends there.

Freida, Jamal, Vinod, Sanjay, Luca, and Ronbaba.
In his dazed state, it seemed as if someone lifted him up with strong arms.

When Anand regained consciousness, he was already in the prison guard's office.

A high-ranking prison official sat there; he was in his fifties, with gray hair and a short mustache.

He was wearing golf attire and appeared to have just come from a course.

He sat in an intricately carved high-backed chair, somewhat like a bishop's chair, with several guards standing beside and behind him.

“God, I really don’t like starting my weekend like this,” he said, raising his ringed hand to check the time. “Someone’s still not here, but what’s wrong with him?”

He speaks fluent English, which suggests he received an elite education in India's top schools, perhaps even during the colonial era.

The dormitory supervisors were uneasy, but they were also relieved about their previous decision. This guy had just taken a shower; otherwise, no one would doubt that he was a corpse.

"Sir, you ordered that he be dealt with properly," the dormitory supervisor explained, feeling wronged.

"Are you still alive?"

"Of course!"

"That's good. It's not a bad thing to suffer a little."

There was a knock at the door. Two other prison officers, a plainclothes policeman, and Luca entered.

"Wow!" Luca yelled. "Wow, man, you look...awful. What did you guys do to him?"

The officials and police officers exchanged glances without saying a word.

"Sit down," the prison officer, dressed in golf attire, commanded.

Anand ignored him, staring blankly at Luca, wondering if it was an illusion.

Anand's gaze slowly returned, and he saw his own reflection in Luca's eyes, a reflection of his own impending death.

“Dude,” Luca helped Anand sit down, “you look like you’ve been chewed up by a dog. I don’t mean to upset you, but you look like you’ve been killed, buried, and then dug up.”

"W-Why is it you here?"

"The doctor can't come in, so I'll have to do it for you. It's alright, I'll get you out of this hellhole."

Upon hearing this, the official behind him coughed and looked at the policeman beside him, who understood.

“Fifty thousand,” he said, “in US dollars, of course.”

“Fifty thousand?” Luca suddenly shrieked. “Are you crazy? Fifty thousand dollars, I can buy five hundred people. That’s ridiculous, man.”

“Fifty thousand,” the official repeated in a calm and authoritative tone. “I know someone is trying to poach him.”

He was fearless, his hands resting flat on the desk, his fingers moving up and down as if dancing.

"No way, buddy. Look at this guy! What have you done to him? Huh? You've ruined him, and now you still want 50,000?"

“Someone is willing to use their connections to kill him, paying 50,000 yuan to buy his life. It’s fair.” The policeman said calmly.

"Damn it, who would mess with someone who lives in the slums?" Luca cursed.

The police remained silent, and the officials simply watched quietly.

“Fine, you guys are ruthless,” Luca sighed. “This is ridiculous. I’ll raise the money in half an hour and then take him away.”

“Wait a minute,” Anand suddenly interrupted, and everyone turned to look at him. “There are two people in my dorm who helped me. They were punished by having to stay for an extra six months. I want them to go with me.”

The policeman looked at the official with a questioning gaze, but the latter waved his hand dismissively and nodded in agreement. It was a trivial matter.

“There’s another person,” Anand said breathlessly, “named Anil. He can’t afford bail. Not much, maybe a few thousand rupees, but I’d like to help him get bail.”

The two men looked puzzled; they couldn't understand why Anand would care about the life or death of such a poor, insignificant person.

These insects never even entered their eyes; there were just too many of them.

The police and officials looked at Luca as if to say, "This guy's gone mad, if you're sure you want to pay this money."

"Hey buddy, is there any more?" Luca leaned closer and whispered. "I'm just asking because if we keep talking like this, we might be able to negotiate a group discount with them."

Anand shook his head weakly, his body trembling and sweating profusely. Luca walked over and gently patted his shoulder. "It's alright, buddy, I'll be back in a minute. Within half an hour, I promise."

A glint flashed in Anand's eyes, like a soul breaking free from a deep and dark place and regaining its freedom.

In less than half an hour, just over ten minutes, Anand was released from prison.

As I crossed the street, an ambulance was quietly waiting there.

Anand was carried there, and a familiar figure was waiting next to the ambulance.

“Ron Baba.” His voice trembled.

“Anand, you…” Ron’s eyes immediately reddened; he could hardly believe that the person in front of him was Anand.

His head looked particularly large because of his thinness. He weighed only about 40 kilograms, and his round, fleshy face was replaced by prominent cheekbones.

His eyes were sunken and bloodshot. Both arms were wrapped in thick gauze, and his body was covered with deep bruises resembling tortoise shell patterns.

“Ron Baba, am I a good person?” he asked.

"Yes, you are a good person, you are the best person in the world."

"Why should good people suffer like this?" Tears welled in his eyes, his lips trembled slightly, "Good people almost killed me."

“Listen to me, Anand,” Ron grasped his withered hand, “Freida and the children are waiting for you. Let’s go to the hospital first, then take a bath and get a good night’s sleep.”

"But you are a doctor."

"Yes."

"Can you help me treat my wound?"

"Row."

"But I have lice."

"Don't worry, I have prepared a lot of medicine, top-quality medicine."

"Freida will dislike me."

"No, I guarantee it. Right now, she'd love to have a big fight with you in bed."

"Then she'll have lice too."

The ambulance discreetly drove off, heading straight for the most luxurious private hospital in southern Mumbai. The people Anand was trying to save were following far behind in a taxi.

When Anand woke up again, he was in the hospital. He was lying on a soft, white cotton blanket that seemed about to fall off, and there were no lice.

The song of the myna bird outside the window pierced the morning tranquility. The sun had fully risen above the horizon, its golden rays piercing through the misty air and dispelling the dew.

A gentle morning breeze blew by, and the numerous wounds on his body throbbed with pain.

Freida went to prepare hot water, intending to give his messy beard a good trim.

The door to the private ward opened, and Anand absentmindedly looked away. He wasn't worried about outsiders coming in; there were bodyguards guarding the door.

"I thought you weren't awake." It was Ron who came in.

“It’s so quiet here that it’s hard to sleep,” Anand said, shaking his head slightly.

He was used to hearing roars, screams, pleas, and sobs in prison, and the sound of being beaten with a bamboo stick even helped him fall asleep.

"Next, don't think about anything, just get some rest."

“Who is it?” Anand looked at him.

“I’m the one who dragged you into this; they’re after me,” Ron sighed.

Anand didn't speak, but kept looking at him.

"Although there is no evidence, the palace has been basically identified, and the underworld may also be involved."

“The Royal Palace.” Anand had been there more than once, but he never imagined that the place that had given him such ecstasy would also bring him such torment.

“This won’t end here, I promise.” Ron said earnestly.

"How come it was Luca in prison that day?"

"It's not convenient for me to show my face. You know, someone's targeting me. The guys in prison are all fence-sitters; they wouldn't mind ripping me off."

Ron was standing not far from the prison, and he had the money ready. $50,000 was indeed outrageously expensive, but if he went, it would only cost more.

“I wasn’t the only one on Haynes Road that night,” Anand said.

"what?"

"There were other people besides the police the night I was arrested."

“Who?” Ron sat up straight.

"That big guy, one of Hadhan's men."

“Johnny?” Ron trembled, his hair standing on end.

"It was too dark, I only saw a silhouette. He seemed to be passing by, and he was far away."

Johnny? Why Johnny? Ron's eyes flickered.

He clearly called to ask, but Johnny didn't mention Anand at all.

Was he involved in this, or was Hadhan involved?

Ron discovers that the whole picture is like a mystery, solving one thing only leads to another.

"Rohnbaba."