American Zombie Detective

Chapter 236 Reasoning

Derek practically stormed into the warden's office, forgetting to knock.

Inside, Warden James was listening to a report with Catherine. Captain Snake pointed to the layout map, sentry posts, and patrol schedule on the wall, explaining the prison's security system. Alessa and Yuanxiao had already gone to their quarters, and Supervisor Cole had also left. Now, only the three of them remained.

Derek's sudden intrusion brought everyone's conversation to an abrupt halt.

He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat, and without any regard for the occasion, he yelled at Snake and the warden, "Sir! Something's happened! Those two new Asians in the East District! They crippled 'Painted Face' and 'Black Wall' Eamon! Both their arms are broken, like snapped tree branches! There's blood everywhere! They must be locked in 'The Cave' immediately!"

The cave consists of several fully enclosed cells at the end of the first floor. The temperature here is around 10 degrees Celsius all year round, and the only lighting during the day is electric lights. People living there are not allowed to talk to anyone, and their three meals a day consist only of bread and water—and they are not even full!

One can imagine what kind of torture it would be to stay in such a cold environment where you can't get enough to eat.

Warden James and Captain Snake's faces instantly turned extremely ugly, especially in this situation. Captain Snake, who reacted first, immediately shouted, "Shut up! Derek! Get out!" But unfortunately, it was too late—

Catherine slowly picked up her slightly chilled coffee and took a sip: "Warden, if I remember correctly—just now at the dock, Supervisor Cole made it very clear to Captain Snake that the two new prisoners sent here are very important and need to be kept in special custody to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Her gaze shifted to the embarrassed Snake: "Captain Snake, you agreed, didn't you?" Without waiting for a reply, she looked at the flustered Derek, her tone calm yet undeniably authoritative: "Then, sir, does your behavior indicate that you did not follow Captain Snake's orders, or rather, the implementation plan approved by His Excellency the Warden? In other words, can the orders from the higher levels of Devil's Island be arbitrarily ignored and altered by those below?"

Upon hearing this, Warden James and Captain Snake's faces turned not just ugly, but deathly pale.

What American law enforcement agencies fear most is this kind of assessment of command failure and inadequate orders, especially during crucial moments of state judicial evaluation. A single report submitted could, at best, ruin a career, and at worst, lead to a complete purge on charges of dereliction of duty—a serious matter indeed.

"Absolutely not! Miss Catherine, this is a serious misunderstanding and a breach of discipline!"

Warden James immediately launched into a tirade against Derek: "You idiot! Who gave you the guts to act on your own?!"

Get out of here immediately and await further instructions!

Snake cursed Derek in his mind, then immediately distanced himself: "Sir, Miss Catherine, I absolutely and clearly conveyed Director Cole's request! It was Derek who acted on his own initiative, outwardly complying but inwardly resisting! This is a serious breach of discipline!"

Catherine nodded, pulled up a record page on her tablet, and typed as she spoke: "Okay, I understand. Upper management orders are not being effectively implemented; lower-level managers are acting independently and disregarding commands—"

Okay, I'll make a note of that. Whether it will be included in a formal report and submitted to the California Police Commission depends on your rectification efforts and subsequent handling.

She looked at the two men, their faces ashen, paused, and then offered a conciliatory reassurance: "Of course, if subsequent management is smooth and such obvious problems don't recur, I will consider your difficulties in the evaluation. Now, can you tell me how you plan to deal with Derek, the team leader who openly defied orders and nearly caused huge trouble for the prison, and how you intend to make amends for this mistake?"

The intention is obvious!

Upon realizing the accusations made by the prison guard chief against Qin Jin and Constantine, Catherine immediately decided to nip the problem in the bud and use the opportunity to establish her authority, creating sufficient conditions for the investigation.

As for breaking the criminal's arm—

Well, for the paranormal investigation team, this is no big deal!

Snake reacted swiftly, immediately saying, "Team Leader Derek, you're suspended from duty immediately! Leave Devil's Island at once and return home to await further action!"

So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Derek, the team leader who had been so arrogant and domineering not long ago, was escorted by two colleagues onto the ferry leaving Devil Island, his face ashen, to go home and reflect on his actions.

This scare tactic instantly made all the prison guards in the know realize the power of this assessment lady.

Time passed slowly, and it was time to start work in the morning.

The prisoners on Devil's Island work a monotonous and arduous job day after day, under strict management. However, there are naturally differences between the tough jobs and the desirable ones:

The quarry and laundry were the most tiring jobs. The quarry had a daily requirement for the weight of the stones to be mined, and the work involved exposure to wind and sun, heavy physical exertion, and dealing with tough tasks. The laundry involved washing clothes and sheets in cold water, which could freeze your fingers in winter and was infested with mosquitoes in summer, making it another tough job.

The kitchen helpers were responsible for preparing food for the prisoners, but at least it was indoors and they could sneak food, so it was considered one of the better jobs.

The best job is still the handyman, responsible for moving supplies and cleaning up garbage. The area of ​​activity is relatively large and there is more freedom. This job is basically filled by the leaders of various gangs.

As for serious offenders in the blue zone, well, they basically don't participate in labor. These jobs are only done by minor offenders in the gray zone and prisoners with better attitudes.

A piercing bell rang, and the heavy electronic locks on some of the cells were opened by the central control room with a dull "click".

The prisoners lined up like livestock at the gate. After the guards checked their mouths and pockets, they were led to their respective work sites. However, the doors to Qin Jin and Kang Shidanding's cells remained closed.

After a while, the newly appointed acting team leader, Kaden, came over. His expression was complicated, with nervousness far outweighing the joy of his promotion.

He looked at the two menacing figures inside the sturdy iron gate and said, "Gentlemen."

Qin Jin and Constantine were leaning against the bunk, one with his eyes closed, the other with a cigarette in his mouth.

Kaden continued, "Derrick has been suspended and sent away, and now I'm taking over. To be frank, I don't want any trouble; I just want to do my job peacefully. I hope you two can do me a favor and cooperate a little with the routine procedures, so that everyone can save face."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you two have any reasonable requests, you can let me know, and I will try my best to accommodate them within my authority. For example—your daily work arrangements, whether it's the quarry, laundry, kitchen, or general labor, it's up to you—"

Constantine exhaled a smoke ring: "Oh? What kind of work allows you to travel around and see the world? It's boring to stay locked up all the time."

Kaden's heart tightened, and a troubled expression appeared on his face: "This—it's difficult for me to move around freely, and I'm also afraid something might happen, after all, the two of you were quite forceful—" He made a gesture of cracking his arm: "They really were a bit heavy!"

He was genuinely afraid that these two killers would use their work as an excuse to cause trouble in prison, which could cost him his job or even his life.

Qin Jin didn't speak, and didn't even open his eyes.

Constantine noticed his fear, smiled, and even sounded friendly: "Hey, relax, new team leader. You see, we're actually reasonable people. Nobody bothers us, so we won't go looking for trouble—"

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice carrying a lingering, unmistakable weight: "However, you know, if any fool dares to provoke us again—or create obstacles for us—the consequences won't be something that can be resolved by simply breaking a few arms. What do you say?"

A cold sweat broke out on Kaden's back. He understood the combination of soft and hard tactics.

If you cooperate, things will be calm for the time being; if you don't cooperate, or if someone causes trouble, he himself will be the one to get into big trouble next time.

He gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't handle this alone and had to pull in the people above him.

"I—I understand what you mean," Kaden said with difficulty. "I need to apply to the captain for these assignments to see if he can approve them. Please wait a moment."

He needs to let the higher-ups know the situation and hand over the decision-making power to them. If something goes wrong, he can't be held entirely responsible.

Lunchtime arrived quickly, and a piercing bell rang. The locks on all the cell doors were opened by the central control room, and all prisoners who were not assigned to work left their cells, lined up outside, and headed to the dining hall on the first floor.

Qin Jin and Constantine followed the flow of people toward the cafeteria.

Wherever they went, it was as if they brought an invisible barrier. The gray zone prisoners around them either subconsciously lowered their heads or quickly made way for them, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and awe. No one dared to come within three meters of them.

There was a large empty space in front of and behind them, forming an eerie vacuum zone.

Even the burly prisoner who was in charge of distributing meals in front of the large pot in the canteen had completely lost his usual arrogant attitude when bullying newcomers.

Seeing Qin Jin and Constantine approaching, he even managed a fawning smile, deftly ladling a large spoonful of stewed beans into their plates, along with a generous portion of fried chicken breast.

Qin Jin merely glanced indifferently at the plate, shook his head slightly, and pointed with his finger, indicating to the prisoner serving the food to scoop back some of the extra beans.

The prisoner hesitated for a moment, then quickly did as instructed, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

The two found an empty table and sat down. Sure enough, the surrounding seats were quickly filled, but their table remained empty, as if it had become an isolated island in the restaurant.

Just then, the group of truly serious criminals from the Blue Zone were also escorted into the cafeteria.

Their eyes were more fierce and unrestrained, and their gazes toward Qin Jin and Constantine were much more complex, containing curiosity, scrutiny, and undisguised provocation.

As expected yet unexpected, a burly Latino man, nearly two meters tall and probably weighing over three hundred pounds, almost spherical in shape, plopped down in the empty seat next to Qin Jin, carrying a plate.

The heavy metal tables and chairs groaned under the strain.

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