I bought a prison in the United States.

As Boone walked, he soon realized something was wrong; the entire prison area was unusually quiet.

There were no usual noises or shouting, and even voices were rare; only a few suppressed snores could be heard occasionally.

There were about twenty or thirty cells on both sides, mostly filled with prisoners.

Whether in a double room or a single room, they all lay flat on the bed, with the blankets neatly covering their heads.

Under such bright lights, it should be difficult to sleep soundly, but the snoring was incessant, and everyone was sleeping like logs.

"Why are they all sleeping? Why aren't they going out for some fresh air?"

Boone finally couldn't help but ask Hamon beside him.

It's certainly a good thing that the prisoners are well-behaved, but it always seems a bit strange that they're all sleeping together in broad daylight.

Hamon was prepared and calmly explained:

"They all work the night shift, and they just came back from the factory at eight o'clock this morning, so they are catching up on sleep now."

"The factory is operating at night too? You're making the prisoners work in two shifts?"

Boone's tone carried a hint of surprise.

"Not all prisoners work in shifts."

Hamon quickly explained:

"It's just that the stamping press unit received an urgent order from General Motors, and the delivery time is tight, so we arranged for 40 prisoners to work in shifts, and the machines have to run 24 hours a day."

"Do you think... there's a problem?"

He asked cautiously, but he knew in his heart that, according to labor law, working without rest days and working two shifts was definitely not in compliance with regulations.

But that applies to people who work normally outside.

The prisoners here are deprived of their personal freedom according to law, and naturally they cannot enjoy those labor rights.

Excessive working hours are common in prisons and are not protected by law.

Sure enough, Boone remained silent for a few seconds before shaking his head and saying nothing more.

He secretly admired Warden Chen for making the most of his manpower, not even wasting the night.

Boone headed toward the bulletin board in the prison area, which was the main point of his trip.

The bulletin board is divided into two columns, left and right.

The left sidebar is the "Ranking by Points," which lists the names and points of the top twenty prisoners.

On the right is the "confession column" published in the newspaper, with dozens of confessions still posted there, and it seems there are even more than in the newspaper.

Boone stood in front of the bulletin board, looking at the confessions he hadn't quite made out in the newspapers.

The document on the top shelf reads:

[I, Felix Montes, confess that on the night of November 13, 1984, I deliberately reversed the power supply jumper on the main control board of the technology development team, causing three control chips to burn out.]

My actions have caused irreparable damage. I am willing to accept any punishment imposed by the prison and promise to do my utmost to make amends for my mistakes during my future imprisonment.

[Signature: Felix Montes, handprint.]

Boone then looked at the second one:

I confess. I smashed the cover of the newly installed surveillance camera in the hallway.

I made a mistake. I shouldn't have done that. I won't do it again.

[Signature: XXX (blurred), fingerprint.]

Just as he had expected, the contents of each of the third to fifth emails were completely different.

Boone had already made up his mind; there was no need to watch any longer.

He turned to look at Hamon and said in a deep voice:

"To be honest, your prisoner confession rate is already the highest in the entire state prison system."

Hamon simply smiled without saying a word; in such situations, silence is more tactful than any boast.

"I am very satisfied with today's visit."

Boone continued, "However, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Chen when he gets back. Until then, I won't leave."

"Chief, won't this take up your time?"

The assistant paused, somewhat puzzled.

They came all the way from Oklahoma City, saw everything they wanted to see, and now they have to wait for the warden to come back?

"It's okay, there's nothing urgent to do today anyway."

Boone waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Shall I arrange a meeting room for you to rest?" Hamon quickly suggested.

"Need not."

Boone raised his hand and patted the gray concrete wall in the corridor, a dull echo resounding from the wall:

"I'll wait here; that way I can learn more about the situation."

……

When Lingo returned to the prison, it was already 4:30 p.m.

The autumn sun slanted across the prison's iron bars, casting crisscrossing shadows on the ground.

He parked the car steadily in the parking lot, picked up a brown paper envelope from the passenger seat, inside which was the equipment rental contract he had just signed with Peterson; the paper was still warm from the ink.

As soon as Lin Ge closed the car door, he saw Hamon walking quickly towards the duty room, his expression tense, clearly indicating that something had happened.

"Boss, Boone, the deputy director of the state corrections department, is here."

"He didn't give me any advance notice. I've already shown him around the prison. He's in your office now, saying he'll definitely wait for you to come back."

"Oh?"

Lin Ge raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, but quickly regained his composure:

"understood."

He immediately strode towards the office building, pushed open the door to his office, and saw Boone sitting on the sofa.

He held a cup of coffee in his hand, looking relaxed.

The other party did not look at the documents on the table; they were all prison operational data and technical solutions, which were classified.

Even for the deputy director of the state corrections department, it's against regulations to conduct unauthorized inspections, as it could easily lead to unnecessary trouble, and Boone clearly understood this.

"Director Boone, why did you come in person without telling me beforehand? Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone out to discuss business."

Lin Ge stepped forward and said apologetically.

"Mr. Chen, I've come to see if you've actually kept the promises you made in Oklahoma City last time."

Boone spoke in official jargon, but his smile was amiable, showing none of the aloofness one would expect from someone in a superior position.

"Your deputy warden showed me quite a few things, and I'm very satisfied with the situation here; it's even better than I expected. You've done a great job."

"It's all thanks to the director; I was just following the rules."

Lingo responded modestly and sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Alright, you don't need to be modest."

Boone waved his hand, then changed the subject:

"I know you had some trouble with Judge Hammond of McLean County."

"I've looked into this matter, and Hammond was indeed in the wrong."

"But he is, after all, the county judge, and it's not wise for you to go against him."

He pragmatically reminded Lingo:

"After all, the source of prisoners for this prison is inseparable from the judgment of the county court. If things get too tense, it will not be good for the long-term operation of this place."

"Thank you for your concern, Director."

Lin Ge's expression remained calm, with even a slight, ambiguous smile playing at the corners of his mouth:

"However, I know what I'm doing regarding my relationship with Judge Hammond."

"I'm not going against the county court, I just feel that there should be justice."

"I've invested so much in the prison—improving facilities, enhancing security, and promoting prisoner rehabilitation…do you think the government will just stand by and watch me suffer losses?"

Boone loosened his grip on the coffee cup, put his hands behind his back, and straightened his posture slightly.

"That's why I'm here today."

"After the Tulsa World published the report, the governor's office called the Department of Corrections and asked some questions."

"The governor wants to know if the pilot data from the McLean County Correctional Center is accurate, and he is very concerned about whether the points-based management system can be rolled out statewide."

"Then, is the person in charge of this pilot program worth the governor's continued attention?"

Boone's gaze remained fixed on Ringo's face, trying to catch a hint of surprise or delight.

But Ringo's expression remained calm, as if he didn't realize that this was about him, which secretly amazed Boone.

Meanwhile, Ringo was also quietly observing the changes in the emotional tags above Boone's head, trying to predict what he would say next.

Boone coughed lightly twice, breaking the brief silence:

"I've already found the answer to the previous question today."

"As for the latter, I need to observe it for a while longer, but there's one thing I can tell you now."

He pulled his hand out from behind his back and put it in the pocket of his suit trousers. This gesture instantly softened his official demeanor and made him seem much more approachable.

"The state corrections department will send someone to review the McLean County audit report."

"Your bed subsidy will not be reduced before the re-examination results are available, and the pilot special fund and that medical payment will not be withheld by the county government."

"This is something I, as the deputy director, can decide directly; it doesn't require the director's signature."

He paused, then added, his tone clearly encouraging:

"As for the conclusion in that audit report that security was not up to standard, I don't think it's true."

"If the monitoring system your R&D team is working on can be completed by the first quarter of next year, I will include it in the recommended security upgrade plan for correctional facilities throughout the state."

"This means that your first patent licensee will be the state of Oklahoma."

Lin Ge was overjoyed. With the state government's endorsement, this surveillance system could be easily disseminated.

If this technology could be implemented in prisons across the United States, the annual patent royalties alone would amount to tens of millions.

Therefore, his smile now seems especially genuine:

"Thank you for your support, Director Boone."

"No need to thank me. There are conditions, but don't worry, my conditions won't be higher than what Hammond offered you."

Boone smiled, his words carrying a hint of unspoken familiarity:

"I have a nephew who owns an electronics component factory called 'Ross' in McLean County, and recently... he's been having some cash flow problems."

He didn't say it explicitly, but the implication in his eyes was clear enough.

Lin Ge immediately understood and replied with a smile:

"Electronic components? That's exactly what our R&D team urgently needs right now."

"It seems that our prison and the Ross factory could be perfect partners."

Seeing that Ringo was so cooperative, Boone patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, then got up to say goodbye and left the prison with his assistant.