I bought a prison in the United States.

After the visit, Lingo returned to his office and began reviewing documents.

He needs a plan.

The goal for the first phase is simple: to get the prison to break even within three months.

To achieve this goal, he needs to do three things.

Increase the number of prisoners, reduce operating costs, and find a stable channel for labor export.

The first thing is relatively simple: McLean County Court issues new judgments every day, and prisoners are sent to state prisons or county jails.

Judges will send prisoners to him as long as he can prove that his prison meets state standards.

Because public prisons across the country are overcrowded, Reagan gave private prisons the green light after taking office, and there were no obstacles in the procedures.

The problem is that his prison doesn't even meet the minimum standards.

Seven prison guards are already the limit of human resources costs; we cannot reduce them any further.

Mrs. Martha's kitchen needs at least one helper.

Water and electricity bills, maintenance fees, procurement costs... every item is draining money out of the company.

Ringo picked up the phone and started calling several suppliers in Tulsa to inquire about prices.

He discovered that everything the prison was currently purchasing, from food to office supplies, was at least 20% more expensive than the market price.

The reason is currently unknown, but it must be stopped immediately.

However, these are just stop-loss measures; the most crucial thing is the order book!

Ringo flipped through the factory's ledgers and discovered that the prison's only order at the moment was for uniforms for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Five hundred pieces per month, with a processing fee of eight US dollars per piece.

Four thousand US dollars a month.

But the factory's production capacity is at least five times that number.

He needs more orders, and ideally, he should find a large client who needs a lot of cheap labor!

Just as Lin Ge was flipping through the phone book, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Hamon stormed in, his face ashen.

"Something happened in the cafeteria."

Ringo followed Harmon down the stairs, through the corridor, and into the cafeteria.

The scene before him made him stop in his tracks.

About forty prisoners gathered in the dining hall, forming a semicircle, facing Mrs. Martha.

Mrs. Martha stood behind the stove, holding a long-handled ladle, her expression saying something like:

"Have you ever seen anything worse than this?"

The prisoners are not causing trouble, at least not yet.

They all stood there, silently staring at Mrs. Martha, as if waiting for something.

"What happened?"

"Ling Ge asked in a low voice."

"dinner."

Hamon said:

"We were supposed to have mashed potatoes and meat patties tonight, but the supplier didn't deliver the minced meat."

"Mrs. Martha can only make mashed potatoes with bean soup, and the prisoners are not happy about it."

Lin Ge took a deep breath and walked up to the prisoner.

Forty pairs of eyes turned to him at the same time.

His voice echoed in the cafeteria:

"I am Ringo Chen, and from this day forward, I am the owner of this prison!"

Pairs of malicious eyes were fixed on Lingo; these prisoners were not there to hear Lingo's inaugural speech.

Lin Ge coughed twice and continued:

"I know you didn't get to eat meat pies tonight, and I know it's not your fault."

"But this is the supplier's problem, not Mrs. Martha's problem."

"She works here all by herself, without any help, and she has cooked meals for sixty-three people."

"You should thank her, not threaten her."

The prisoners remained silent, but Ringo noticed that the expressions of a few people had changed.

Although the hostility hadn't lessened, a few curious faces appeared, wondering what this short, Asian-looking man was up to.

"Starting tomorrow, I will make changes!"

Ringo continued:

"You will have better food, better working conditions, and your sentences will be shortened for good behavior."

"But there's one condition: you must cooperate with the prison's work."

"I don't ask you to like me, but I do ask you to follow the rules."

"Whoever breaks the rules will be put in solitary confinement."

"Whoever performs well will be rewarded."

He paused for a moment, then said the most important sentence:

"I know that many of you have been wrongly convicted, or at least wrongly sentenced."

"I am not a judge and have no authority to change your sentences."

"But I can report your performance to the state government."

"If you work hard and obey orders, I will try to get your sentences reduced!"

A low murmur arose in the cafeteria.

The prisoners began whispering among themselves; some changed their expressions from hostility to suspicion, while others changed from suspicion to hope.

Lin Ge pressed his advantage, feeling that this speech was even more nerve-wracking than when he was trying to attract investment in his previous life, since there were real daredevils in the audience.

But he still gritted his teeth and shouted:

"Now, I demand that you return to your cells!"

"Dinner will be delivered to your cell door in twenty minutes!"

Without waiting for the prisoners' response, he turned and left the canteen.

After leaving the cafeteria, he realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Hamon followed behind him, saying uneasily:

"What you just did was either genius or suicide."

"I know."

"Do you know that you can't decide whether your sentence is reduced?"

Hamon's tone carried a hint of warning:

"At most, you can only make suggestions to the state government. If the prisoners realize that you don't have the final say, they'll revolt!"

"I know."

Ringo repeated it again:

"So I need to make the state government owe me a favor as soon as possible."

Hamon looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions:

"Do you know what I'm most worried about?"

"What?"

"You're not a bad person, but this prison will turn good people into bad people."

"One day, you will have to choose between the interests of the prisoners and your own interests."

"What would you choose on that day?"

Lin Ge didn't think that far ahead for the time being, after all, there were still a lot of problems to solve.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

There were no stars in the Oklahoma night sky, only the lights of Tulsa in the distance, forming an orange-red halo on the horizon.

The prison stood silently in the darkness, like a sleeping beast, breathing heavily, waiting to be awakened.

Lin Ge stood by the window, watching his reflection sway on the glass.

It was a face he wasn't fully familiar with yet, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with an Asian face, high brow bones, and tired but still bright eyes.

He recalled something Ray Carson had said:

"If you can't pay back the money, anything of value on you will belong to me."

He recalled the threat posed to him by "Ghost Fang":

"You'd better listen carefully. The rules in this prison aren't written on the walls; the rules are here with me!"

This is America, a place where crime is everywhere, and opportunity is everywhere.

But he knew he only had one path to take now.

Not forward, but upward!

Climb up step by step from the bottom of this prison, stepping over everyone's fears and desires!

He has nothing left to lose.

When someone who has nothing decides to gamble everything, he will either win everything back or lose even more completely!

Lin Ge turned off the office lights and stepped into the night.

Tomorrow, he's going to get this prison running!