I bought a prison in the United States.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin, silvery-white band of light on the floor.

Looking at the light, Lin Ge recalled the scene in his mind last night. He closed his eyes and tried to open the door again.

This time, Lin Ge was more skilled, and some key words surfaced:

【忧虑15%】、【恐惧10%】、【反感5%】、【怀疑15%】、【期待20%】、【无聊35%】。

These were the common emotions he experienced in prison, and once the "containment progress" reached 100%, he could no longer see those words.

But today's discovery still thrilled Lingo.

If you have the ability to see through other people's emotions and take that information, you will have an absolute advantage in both management and negotiation!

Moreover, Lin Ge felt that this ability was far more than that, such as the fragmented sounds he had heard last night.

He focused his mind and savored the feeling again. Soon, fragmented sounds entered his mind.

"...I don't want to work here anymore...I haven't had a raise in three months...he doesn't care at all..."

"...Damn it...I have to see that bastard lawyer again tomorrow...I'd rather stay in jail..."

"...That bastard Crawford...took the money and ran...leaving us here to clean up his mess..."

The last fragment made him suddenly open his eyes.

Former warden Crawford?

Someone's thinking about Crawford!

It was a man's voice, with a heavy Oklahoma accent.

Ringo didn't know much more, but he noted down the characteristics of the voice.

If he heard that voice in real life, he would definitely recognize it.

"Phew, I'm so tired. This ability seems to consume a lot of mental energy. I'll save it for a critical moment."

After a long day of work, Lin Ge, exhausted both physically and mentally, was finally able to lie down on his soft bed.

He began to organize all the information he had collected that day:

A batch of fabric was left behind, which was embezzled by former warden Crawford.

On the prisoners' side, Marcus Wayne is their "mayor," and he has influence.

Hector Rivera, nicknamed "Devil Fang," is a dangerous individual and should not be touched for the time being.

Craig, the "draftsman," is a key technical member, and his abilities can be well utilized.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about the other prisoners.

As for the prison guards, there are no problems at the moment.

Wade is a veteran, he's reliable.

Coffey was a rough man, but loyal.

Tommy has a soft heart, making him suitable for managing medical affairs.

Jackson was young, hardworking and reliable.

There are still three people I haven't met yet. I need to get in touch with them as soon as possible. If you don't want to, then get lost.

Finally, there's the external aspect.

Harvey Danforth is a potential client, and the private investigator will help investigate Crawford.

Ray Carson is his creditor and source of information; he can try to have as much contact with him as possible, but he cannot trust him too much.

There's too much information.

His mind was like a drawer that had been stuffed full, ready to burst at any moment.

But Ringo needs more.

Because this prison is like a black box; you don't know what's inside until you open it.

The only way to open it is to expose every part to light.

He closed his eyes again. Having received the information, he now needed to focus his energy on thinking.

He quickly thought of a problem:

Why was McLean County willing to sell this jail for the low price of $48,000?

The apparent reason is poor management and a fiscal deficit.

But what are the underlying reasons?

If the prison can make money, each prisoner can receive a subsidy of $32 per day, which would amount to nearly $2,000 per day for 60 people.

Why did the county government give up?

Unless... they've done the math and realized that the cost of operating this prison is higher than the revenue it generates.

From a businessman's perspective, it might be profitable, but for them, it's not!

Lin Ge quickly did some mental calculations.

According to state government standards, each prisoner receives a subsidy of $32 per day, but not all of this money goes to the prison.

A portion of the funds is paid to the state corrections department as administrative fees, while another portion is used for the inmates' medical care, education, and welfare.

The amount that actually ends up in the hands of the prison is probably only about twenty dollars.

63 people, $1260 a day, nearly $46 a year.

It sounds pretty good.

But what about operating costs?

Ringo gave the seven prison guards a raise, with each receiving an annual salary of $25,000 and Warden Hammon receiving $32,000.

The cook costs $20,000, and a helper costs about $15,000.

$242,000 a year.

Water and electricity bills, maintenance fees, procurement costs, insurance premiums... add up to at least two hundred thousand US dollars.

Including the loan interest, it totaled $53,000. Today I borrowed another $1,000 to tide me over.

With an annual interest rate of 25%, that's $13,500 a year.

Total cost: US$509,500.

Income: $460,000.

In other words, if everything goes smoothly, Ringo will still owe $50,000 a year later!

The current state of the prison is far from the exorbitant profits that Ringo imagined; it is still operating at a loss.

This is with only seven prison guards; previously there were as many as twenty-two. No wonder they were running a deficit.

But the prison is designed to hold 150 people. If he can increase the occupancy rate to 80%, his income will double.

However, the cost will not double because most of the cost is fixed.

If there are 150 prisoners, the annual income is $1.1 million, and the cost is $700,000.

In other words, even without any orders, Ringo could earn $400,000 in profit just from the state government!

However, if all the prisoners were put to work, the external orders would be at least two million, because the labor cost of prisoners is extremely low!

This is the business model of private prisons: using economies of scale to squeeze profits.

The prerequisite for achieving economies of scale is:

First, there are enough prisoners.

Second, there are enough labor orders to allow prisoners to support themselves.

Third, management costs should be kept to a minimum.

Lin Ge drew a picture in his mind.

The center of the diagram represents the "number of prisoners," surrounded by four pillars:

The court (brings in the prisoner).

Orders (to keep prisoners busy).

Prison guard (to keep prisoners in check).

Facilities (that make everything work).

All four pillars are indispensable.

He has problems with all four of them now.

The court doesn't trust this prison, so it doesn't send prisoners here.

There were almost no orders, so the prisoners had nothing to do.

With only four prison guards on duty, managing sixty people is already a stretch.

The facilities are dilapidated and could cause major problems at any time.

This is an endless loop.

But he is a time traveler who knows what will happen in the next twenty years.

Private prisons are sure to become a big business, and legislation will be formally enacted in two years.

The question is, will he live to see that day?

"drop!"

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside the window, interrupting Lin Ge's thoughts.

He turned on the light and saw an old pickup truck parked in the hotel parking lot, with a logo printed on the door:

McLean County Power Company

A man got out of the car.

He was about forty years old, wearing an orange reflective vest and a helmet.

His walking posture was a bit strange, as if he was deliberately avoiding making any noise.

Lingo looked at him through the gap in the curtains.

The man walked into the hotel reception, exchanged a few words with Betty, and seemed to have been there before.

He took a key and went to room number three, which was right next to Ringo's.

Lin Ge heard the sound of the door opening and closing, followed by silence.

It seemed like just a trivial matter, but he remembered the sound he had heard with his ability earlier:

"That bastard Crawford... took the money and ran... leaving us here to clean up his mess..."

Could that voice belong to this person?

Lin Ge didn't hear the conversation downstairs clearly, but he made a mental note of the man.

Orange reflective vest, McLean County Power Company.

Tomorrow, he'll have to ask Betty who this person is.

……

At the same time, in a prison cell.

Marcus, the "mayor," lay on his bunk with his hands behind his head, staring at the bed board above him.

The wood grain of the bed frame looked like a map in the dim light, depicting rivers, mountains, and an unknown continent.

He was thinking about the new boss.

The Asian man was short and didn't look like someone who would fight.

But Marcus saw something dangerous in him: hunger!

A hungry person is capable of anything.

Marcus had seen people like that before; they always seemed so confident and wanted to be in control of everything.

But reality will teach them a lesson: prison is not a company, and prisoners will not work honestly. The rules here are different from those outside.

However, Marcus did not sense the arrogance typical of those in power from Ringo, nor did he speak in a way that was different from those gentlemen.

His gaze didn't waver or dodge when facing the most vicious criminal; instead, it looked straight at you, as if to say:

"I know it's difficult, but I will do it."

Marcus has been here for six years and has seen far too many managers come and go.

So he knows who can stay and who will be kicked out.

This Ringo Chen doesn't seem like someone without a plan, but he can't see what abilities the other party has for the time being.

However, he knew at least one thing: if the new boss succeeded, his sentence might be shortened.

If he fails, everything will remain the same, and there will be no loss.

Therefore, he decided to wait and see for the time being.

I won't help, and I won't cause trouble.

Let's see what tricks this Chinese guy can pull off.

He turned over and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow is another day.

In another cell, "Ghost Fang" was also not asleep.

He crouched in the corner, holding a sharp knife he had made from a toothbrush handle—a weapon he had kept hidden for three months.

He tested the sharpness of the knife tip with his thumb and felt satisfied with the slight pain of his skin being pricked.

The new boss is an interesting prey, perfect for playing with.

Thinking themselves clever, but actually being nothing at all!

They thought that if they gave the prisoners a little something, the prisoners would be grateful and obedient.

But prisons are not like that.

Prison is a jungle!

Survival of the fittest!

This Asian man looks like a rabbit that has wandered into a cage full of wolves.

Rabbits either get eaten or learn to become wolves.

Hector licked the blood off the tip of his knife, tasting the rusty texture.

In any case, the days ahead will be very interesting!