Hong Kong film: Rise of Prison Break

"That kid's clever and quick-witted," Zhang Wenjie commented casually, looking at the door that had closed again. "But he's still a wolf cub who hasn't been fed enough; there's something hidden in his eyes."

He raised his hand and gently patted the shoulder of Zhong Chuxiong, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.

Zhong Chuxiong seemed to be startled awake, slapped Zhang Wenjie's hand away, and rolled his eyes, looking up: "Then why did you go to so much trouble to cultivate him? Giving him money and making empty promises."

"Of course we should cultivate them."

A cold, almost cruel smile curled at the corner of Zhang Wenjie's mouth.

"A good knife, of course, needs to be sharpened. As for when it's used up, or when it tries to turn on its owner... there are ways to deal with that. Keeping it around is just for when... it's meant to be used in a critical moment, right?"

That smile made Zhong Chuxiong's heart skip a beat. His brows furrowed tightly as he looked at Zhang Wenjie's undisguised scheming face and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Jie, you...you won't do this to me one day, will you?"

"What do you think?" Zhang Wenjie turned his head, looked straight at him, and asked in return.

The two looked at each other.

A few seconds later.

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Wenjie suddenly burst into laughter, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere.

"Hahahaha..." Chung Chu-hsiung also chuckled dryly, but his smile was somewhat forced.

"How could that be, Ah Xiong?" Zhang Wenjie stopped laughing, reached into Zhong Chuxiong's breast pocket, skillfully pulled out a cigarette case, lit one, and his tone became "sincere".

"You and I have a bond forged in life and death. We've shared the three great bonds of loyalty in life. We're brothers, and we'll fight side by side to conquer the world and share its riches!"

He exhaled a puff of smoke, which blurred his expression, but his voice was clear and firm: "Let me tell you the truth, all the effort I've put in, all the money I've spent paving the way, is primarily to promote you. The higher your position, the more power you have, and the easier it will be for me to act, both inside and outside Stanley."

"This society is no longer black and white, but it is certainly not colorful either."

Zhang Wenjie's voice lowered, carrying a coldness that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world.

"It has only two colors—the winner's color and the loser's color. Those who waver in the middle will only die a gruesome death. I want you to soar to the highest peak, until... you stand at the summit you can reach!"

His words were incredibly persuasive, and his eyes were unwavering, making Chung Cho-hung feel as if he had returned to his youth, to the days when the two of them supported each other through hardship.

"If you become a burden or get in my way halfway through, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Zhang Wenjie silently added the last sentence in his mind, his face still bearing the expression of someone who would go to great lengths for his brothers.

Zhong Chuxiong was somewhat moved by his words, but he remained rational and said with a wry smile, "Brother Jie, I believe you. But at the end of the day, I'm just a small fry, a prison security chief. In this society, it's not enough to just have passion and brotherhood; you also need background, connections, and opportunities..."

"Today you're the security chief, but what about tomorrow? The day after?" Zhang Wenjie interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Don't underestimate yourself. Now that I've started this, I'm not going to let you down. Right now, you need a real opponent to test what I'm teaching you and get you into the swing of things faster."

"What opponent?" Chung Chu-hsiung was taken aback.

Zhang Wenjie grinned, revealing a set of white teeth that looked somewhat sinister under the lights: "Get rid of the warden's rich daughter! This is your first tough battle, and also the fastest stepping stone to promotion."

……

The nights at Stanley Prison are deep.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the piercing reveille rang in the prison area.

In Warehouse Number Two, Sha Biao was already awake, or rather, he hadn't slept well last night—he was excited.

He leaned against his lower bunk, clutching a crumpled but neatly edged receipt in his hand, examining it repeatedly in the faint morning light filtering through the iron bars of the window.

As he looked at it, he couldn't help but grin, revealing an extremely "charming" smile. His mouth stretched almost to his ears, and even the tartar on his back teeth, stained yellow and black from the cheap tobacco, was clearly visible.

"A true master is a true master!"

Beside him, Toastmaster Gold Tooth Yao promptly offered flattery, but his eyes were fixed on the receipt, revealing an almost undisguised greed, which he quickly suppressed, replacing it with a purer expression of worship.

"Brother Biao is a prophet! He saw right through Zhang Wenjie of Tung Sing's feigned weakness, a false alarm, before utterly crushing Hung Hing's Big Mimi and his gang, leaving them so utterly humiliated they didn't even recognize their own mothers!"

Silly Biao chuckled, carefully folded the receipt, and tucked it away close to his body before glancing sideways at Gold Tooth Yao: "Nonsense! Otherwise, how would I be your boss? When I was hanging around in Stanley, you were still wearing diapers!"

He touched his prickly stubble, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes: "But... I didn't expect that shameless old Camel to actually be willing to invest so much, letting such a fierce dragon into Stanley. Isn't he afraid... like throwing a meat bun to a dog, never to return?"

"Uh... Boss," Jin Yayao leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Isn't everyone saying that Zhang Wenjie is with Smiling Tiger? How come..."

"You know nothing!" Silly Biao spat disdainfully. "If Smiling Tiger had a henchman like this who could fight, endure, and was so ruthless, he would have overthrown the camel and become the boss himself long ago. Why would he need to pretend to be profound and act like a cunning strategist all day?"

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat playful, yet also carrying a hint of apprehension he himself didn't realize: "Besides... do you really think that Smiling Tiger, with his limited cunning and magnanimity, can handle a ruthless character like Zhang Wenjie? One wrong move, and he'll be devoured in no time, leaving not even bones behind..."

As he spoke, he pinched his right thumb and middle finger together and flicked them into the air as if he were flicking away a piece of paper that didn't exist, with a broad smile on his face.

But at the same time, his peripheral vision subtly and extremely obscurely swept across Jin Yayao's face, especially lingering in his eyes for a moment, as if he were observing something.

Jin Yayao felt a slight jolt in his heart as he was stared at, and quickly lowered his head, chuckling dryly, "Hehe... Of course, of course... How could a smiling tiger be worthy of that?"

"But boss, that Zhang Wenjie looks like an arrogant and domineering guy. He just came in and immediately started to bully Hung Hing, establishing such a big reputation. I'm just afraid... he's young and hot-blooded, and he won't give you face, boss. After all, Stanley..."

"Not giving me face?" Sha Biao interrupted him, suddenly reaching out his right hand and gripping Jin Ya Yao's shoulder heavily with considerable force.

Jin Yayao's body stiffened.

Sha Biao leaned closer to him, a smile still on his face, but his eyes were devoid of warmth, and slowly asked, "How do you know... he definitely won't give me face? Hmm?"