I bought a prison in the United States.

In an old barbershop in North Tulsa, the mirrored walls reflect the silhouettes of people waiting for their haircuts.

The radio on the wall was tuned to the news channel, broadcasting a special report from Le Monde.

An elderly bald man lay on a plastic waiting chair, closed his eyes and listened intently. After listening, he slowly opened his eyes and gently tapped the cold tile floor with his cane.

He slowly spoke to the young man next to him who was flipping through a magazine:

"This is really something new. I haven't heard any prison news for a year. Before, it was all about prison breaks and riots, or attacks on police officers and injuries—all bad things."

"This time, the newspapers are actually praising a prison, a place where people are held, and they've even started doing business."

He paused, tapped his cane lightly on the ground again, and spoke with a sigh:

"It's run by an Asian. The world is changing too fast, faster than the time it took me to get an artificial knee."

The young man, who had been indifferent at first, silently closed the magazine after listening and listened to the stories of several prisoners who had reformed on the radio.

Then, he picked up his phone and dialed the newspaper's subscription hotline, marking the first time in his life that he had proactively subscribed to a newspaper.

On the same day, from the smallest town in McLean County to downtown Tulsa, and then to the state capitol building in Oklahoma City, people who bought newspapers on the streets were talking about the same thing.

……

Office of the Deputy Director of the State Department of Health, Oklahoma City.

"snort!"

Marvin Porter stared at the World newspaper on the table, his face darkening as he saw the three rectification notices clearly written on the page.

He knew the inside story of this matter all too well.

He personally signed and approved the rectification report regarding the excessive temperature in the freezer.

The grassroots inspectors reported the facts truthfully after conducting on-site verification:

"The prison canteen's freezer was just going through an automatic defrosting cycle, and the temperature was slightly higher for a short time. The parameters returned to normal after half an hour."

He clearly hesitated when he signed the document.

But Hammond's consideration outweighed that slight hesitation.

Now, this deliberate act of obstruction has been made public by newspapers distributed throughout the state.

Although the report did not name names, anyone with even a little knowledge of the situation would immediately recognize his name.

"That Hammond guy, he didn't even tell me this would be reported, bastard!"

Potter silently folded the newspaper, stuffed it into the bottom of the drawer, and pressed it firmly under a stack of unprocessed documents.

He had already made up his mind that the first thing he would do when he got to work on Monday was to go through the procedures to withdraw the rectification notice and quickly put the matter behind him.

……

That afternoon, all the newsstands in downtown Tulsa were sold out.

The old man at the newsstand went to the printing factory twice more to restock, and by six o'clock in the evening, even the restock was sold out.

His cash register was overflowing with banknotes; he had never seen a Sunday feature article sell so well for the entire issue of the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the phones in the distribution departments of various newspapers started ringing non-stop.

These calls were not made by readers; they came from other media outlets.

The Oklahoma City News editor called to verify the report, and a reporter from the Tulsa Tribune requested contact information for Ringo.

Several radio stations also wanted to invite Gloria to their programs to discuss topics related to prison reform.

On the top floor of the Mayo Hotel, Underwood sat behind his desk, with the latest issue's circulation report spread out in front of him.

According to preliminary statistics delivered by the printing plant at 10 a.m., the Sunday special edition boosted the total retail sales of the newspaper by 40% compared to the previous Sunday.

In downtown Tulsa, the figure reached 80%, far exceeding any other Sunday edition throughout the year.

The distributor in Oklahoma City sent an urgent telegram requesting an additional 30,000 copies.

He put down the news report, leaned back in his leather chair, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

What kind of content can sell in a newspaper?

Fire, scandal, celebrity divorce, team winning championship.

But a feature article about prison management sold as much as the sports section, something his father had never experienced.

"Mary, please inform the GG department before you leave work."

The secretary pushed open the door, holding a notebook, assuming Underwood was going to adjust the GG rate card for the next quarter.

"Reserve a free public service slot for McLean County Correctional Center for one quarter."

"A quarter of free?"

The secretary was taken aback.

The full-page GG slot in the daily newspaper was booked on a quarterly basis, and the price was based on the increased circulation of this issue. This was equivalent to giving away at least tens of thousands of dollars in GG fees directly.

She wanted to ask for the reason, but seeing Underwood's expression, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Also, tell Gloria that the payment for this issue is doubled!"

……

In the judge's office on the third floor of the McLean County Courthouse, Hammond was currently in a rage:

"Damn Underwood, what did I ever do to you?!"

He folded the newspaper twice and pressed it hard under the heavy ashtray.

The ashtray was piled high with extinguished cigars, and fine ash was scattered on the table, mixed with a few torn sticky notes, creating a mess.

Gloria's writing is extremely skillful. The wording throughout the article seems neutral and objective, without any accusation. However, every word and sentence is a carefully selected fact, like a sharp knife.

Improved prison conditions and a decreased inmate riot rate; three suspicious rectification notices…

She never directly takes sides, but as long as she lays out all the truth, readers will judge for themselves.

What bothered him most was that sentence:

"Whether you're a business tycoon or a county judge, once you're in prison, you have to work like an ordinary laborer!"

The words "county judge" were deliberately placed after "wealthy businessman," occupying the most prominent and poignant position in the entire sentence.

Anyone in McLean County who knows Hammond will instantly understand after reading this that this report is aimed at him.

He understood the structure of Gloria's article: using a points system and prisoner stories as a foundation to elevate the image of the entire prison to the level of a "model of reform."

Then, just as the article was about to end, they suddenly poured out this dirty water.

By this point, the reader should already have a preconceived judgment:

"If the prison is run by good people, then the one who issued the rectification notice must be a bad person."

He could not respond.

Responding is tantamount to jumping under that hat and voluntarily announcing:

"The judge she was talking about is me."

For so many years, he has been the one holding the gavel, deciding other people's fates and judging their lives.

He never imagined that an ordinary person without a public office would become the subject of scrutiny by the entire state based on just one report.

All the readers became jurors in his trial.

He raised his hand, picked up the gavel from the table, weighed it lightly, and then quietly placed it next to the newspaper.

Outside the office door, secretary Margaret was holding a cup of hot tea, preparing to push the door open and enter.

Through the crack in the door, she saw that the usually dignified and imposing judge was now hunched over.