I bought a prison in the United States.

Hammond's eyes were cold; it was unclear whether he was trying to persuade Hart or himself.

"He's an outsider, why shouldn't he follow our rules?"

"We should be the ones setting the local rules!"

Hatt nodded, slowly untying his interlaced fingers and rubbing his palm against his knee:

"Then... what can you do?"

Hammond hesitated for a moment:

"I'm afraid Underwood won't give me any face regarding the reporting, but I need to start preparing now."

"If any information that is unfavorable to us appears in the interview, even just a hint, it will be enough to give us a headache."

"We need to find someone to stand up in the county council and question Chen's business qualifications first, to strike first!"

Hart's thoughts were coming together:

"If it were the county council, I could find at least three people."

"But you have to give me a concrete reason; lawmakers won't risk their reputation on a vague guess."

Hammond stood up and put down the money for two cups of coffee:

"I'll give you that excuse sometime next week."

……

11 month 1 day.

McLean County Correctional Center was unusually busy in the afternoon sunlight.

A truck was parked in the parking lot, and workers were unloading bundles of galvanized cable trays and electromagnetic lock panels wrapped in bubble wrap.

The autumn wind rustled the red leaves of the old maple tree by the parking lot, and a few leaves fell onto the truck's hood, only to be scalded by the engine's residual heat and curled up at the edges.

Lingo stood at the end of the corridor in the prison area, holding a vernier caliper in his hand.

"Okay, let's go with this standard."

After measuring the frame of the third cell door, he wrote down the numbers in his notebook and then handed the ruler to Wade, who was standing next to him.

The fluorescent lights on the corridor ceiling illuminated the entire cell block in a bluish-white light.

These light bulbs were just replaced last week, and their wattage is twice that of the old bulbs.

Under this light, every peeling patch on the wall and every rust mark on the door lock is magnified and exposed without any concealment.

Of course, this also means that the prison's daily electricity consumption will be more than double that of the past.

Oh no, with the new machines the factory has acquired, the workshop is running 24/7, and next month's electricity bill will probably double again.

However, electricity bills are now a small expense for Ringo.

He plans to conduct a comprehensive inspection and renovation of the entire prison's fences, doors, windows, and floors before next month arrives.

This is done not only to let the state corrections department see it, but also to let the visiting customers see it.

One day, this place will become one of Oklahoma's top labor factories.

Of course, the living conditions inside the cells don't need to be as meticulous; just ensure hygiene so that the cell area doesn't become filled with a foul stench.

As for whether the prisoners' living conditions can be improved, that depends on how hard they work and how many points they earn.

Lin Ge scratched a patch of paint next to the door lock with his fingernail, immediately revealing fluffy, reddish-brown rust beneath the paint.

"These were all installed 15 years ago. They should have been replaced long ago, but the county government has been delaying the allocation of funds."

Wade drew a circle above the door frame with a red pen and put an X inside the circle.

His marking convention is that an X means it must be replaced.

Other prison guards used triangles or circles, but Wade only used crosses; that's how he marked obstacles that needed to be blown up when he was in the Marine Corps.

"When the police inspected the door that Jerome broke down, they found that the screws were rusted through to the base, and there were many such hidden dangers in the prison."

"Fortunately, it was discovered in time; otherwise, if the prisoners had taken advantage of these loopholes, another prison break would have occurred sooner or later."

Lin Ge rubbed the scraped rust between his fingertips, and the powdery iron oxide fell onto the cement floor.

If you accidentally get injured like this, you could get tetanus in no time.

Wade, with calipers between his fingers, picked up the walkie-talkie on the wall.

"I can contact Haskins to prioritize our project schedule, but if we switch everything, it will be a huge expense."

Lin Ge decisively said:

"All 125 doors were replaced, 214 sections of the fence were re-welded (30%), and the rest were derusted and reinforced."

"All construction work must be done by outside workers; don't let the prisoners interfere!"

Wade hesitated for a moment, then said:

"But Haskins' quotes aren't cheap. Skilled welders earn twelve to fifteen dollars an hour, apprentices eight dollars, and door installers are even more expensive."

"Even if it's expensive, I have to replace it. What I fear most now isn't a prison break like Ghost Fang's, it's a riot!"

Lin Ge knew where to save money and where he absolutely could not:

"If the prison doors are installed by prisoners, they are likely to cut corners or leave loopholes."

"A group of prisoners are trying to break down the door at the same time. How can you stop them all by yourself? I can't take that risk."

Prison security is of paramount importance. Whether prisoners are obedient or not is not important; what is important is that the prison has ways to prevent these prisoners from causing trouble!

……

At 3 p.m., hardware merchant Haskins himself arrived.

He stopped at the door of the model room, kicked the weld point at the bottom of the door frame, and then squatted down to check the lubrication of the hinge bearing.

He's been in this line of work for twenty years, from federal prisons to mental hospitals, and Haskins knows what kind of locks to use to keep those lunatics in check.

Of course, if he happens to encounter a wealthy patron, he won't mind trying to sell him some more expensive materials.

"Mr. Chen, the sample is ready. Come and take a look."

Lin Ge walked into the model room.

The newly installed prison door is almost twice as thick as the old one, and the steel plate surface has an anti-rust coating that feels slightly rough to the touch.

The number of hinges was increased from two to three, and all the fixing bolts were embedded inside the door frame, so that there were no points of leverage that could be felt from the outside.

He reached out and grasped the doorknob, then pushed it.

The door remained motionless; only a slight hissing sound could be heard as the door frame seal was pressed down.

He closed the door.

With a "click," the electromagnetic lock automatically engaged.

Pull again, but it won't budge.

"good."

A satisfied expression appeared on Lin Ge's face.

Although the expense was painful for him, he felt it was worthwhile for the long-term stability of the prison.

Fortunately, this expense can be reimbursed by the state corrections department's grant; he is simply paying it in advance.

"The power control lines for the electromagnetic locks are all routed through galvanized cable trays in the ceiling, with a unified power supply."

Haskins opened the folder, pointed to the wiring markings on the construction drawings, and traced his finger from the monitoring room to the end of the corridor.

"In the event of a power outage, all locks will immediately lock."

"There is only one spare key for manual unlocking, and I suggest you keep it in your office safe."

"Theoretically, no one needs the spare key, but it has to be there. If one day the circuit is chewed up by rats, you'll have to use a welding torch to cut the whole door off."

Lin Ge found that long-lost sense of security in this door.

The scene of Ghost Fang's prison break was still etched in Lin Ge's mind.

The image would reappear every time he woke up in the middle of the night, making him hesitant to spend the night in prison.

Lin Ge asked:

How long will it take to complete the replacement of all doors and windows?

"It will take three weeks if it goes as fast as possible, but we need to coordinate with the wiring of the electronic system in between. If there is a construction conflict, I can have someone work the night shift."

After a moment's hesitation, Haskins added:

"But that's on the condition that your prisoners don't complain, but you have to understand that the door and window business can't wait for the rainy season."

Lin Ge waved his hand, "Don't worry, they won't complain. If you want to know why, I can take you to see the solitary confinement cell."

Haskins gave a sullen laugh:

"Thank you, but I don't think that's necessary. I've already visited."

"Excuse my bluntness, the security measures there are quite good, but the hygiene conditions... are a bit maddening."

Lin Ge nodded. "What about the cost?"

Haskins found the quote in the folder:

"All-inclusive, 125 doors with locks, door and window reinforcement, fence re-welding and rust removal, total price including materials and labor: 158,000."

"If you think it's too high, I can reduce the apprentice's hours further, but the welding quality might be slightly worse."

"No need to press anymore, just do it according to this standard."

Haskins looked at Ringo with shining eyes, closed the folder, and his smile widened.

Many clients have told him the same thing: set higher standards.

But most people who say this don't understand the true meaning of high standards on construction sites.

If it's just a matter of spending a few hundred more dollars, it's impossible to have a welder use a grinder to polish the weld burrs at 3 a.m.

The person in front of me clearly knows what he needs; what prisons fear most is shoddy workmanship.

Just as Haskins was putting away the folder, Ringo added:

"Mr. Haskins, if the installation of these doors is completed ahead of schedule, I'll treat you and your men to a steak dinner at the prison."

"If there is a delay, 5% of the total price will be deducted each week."

Lin Ge wasn't the kind of person who would just waste money; he expected to get what he paid for.

Haskins flashed a smile that only an old foreman would have:

"I've noted down the steak. You can keep the fine, Mr. Chen."

After listening, Lin Ge nodded and turned to leave.

The female reporter, Gloria, came again today and was quietly standing at the end of the corridor, peering into a certain direction.

Her hair wasn't tucked behind her ears today; instead, it fell naturally over her shoulders, with the ends slightly curled.

The female reporter appeared to have been standing there for a while, taking notes of the conversation between Lingo and the hardware store owner.