I bought a prison in the United States.

Sanders put the cup back on the table and was about to get up when Ringo reached out and pressed down on it.

"Officer, wait a minute."

He pulled two packs of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, both unopened Dunhill cigarettes, the white hard-pack with blue trim and gold foil.

This kind of cigarette isn't available at just any gas station in Tulsa; one pack costs as much as half a day's wages for a security guard.

Ringo pushed the cigarette toward Sanders in a casual gesture, as natural as offering a glass of water.

"It's easier to smoke on the street than the red box one."

Sanders looked at the two bags of Dunhill cigarettes with some surprise.

Having run this transportation route for so many years, he's received quite a few things. A pack of Marlboro cigarettes represents a tacit favor between the escort and the prison.

But two packs of Dunhill cigarettes make the gesture of goodwill clearly different.

The way the Chinese man offered him the cigarette made him feel comfortable; it wasn't like he was forcing the cigarette into his hand and expecting him to accept the favor. It was more like a casual gesture between acquaintances.

He reached out and put the cigarette into his waist pouch, the movement as swift as when he put away the cigarette butts.

"Mr. Chen, please ask whatever you want."

Lin Ge smiled; talking to smart people really does save energy.

"Officer Sanders, you must have spent many years in the state corrections department. Your connections and information are far better than those of us in the county jails."

"I'd like to know what new developments the Correctional Services Department has recently made regarding funding and resource allocation?"

Sanders picked up his coffee and took another sip, hiding the smile on his lips with the rim of the cup.

"You mean how to get a bigger slice of the correctional department's budget, right?"

Lin Ge did not deny it, but waited quietly.

"The state corrections department's annual budget is finalized at a joint meeting at the end of the year, but the budget allocation plan is submitted by the corrections department's assessment office at the end of the third quarter."

"The assessment office has a scoring sheet for each county prison, with scores for each item, including facilities, inmate recidivism rate, and labor project output."

"Prisons with higher scores receive higher basic funding and are given priority in additional special subsidies."

He lowered his voice slightly:

"But there's a trick to it: the scores on the evaluation form aren't determined by the reports you submit yourself."

"The assessment office will come to inspect the site, sometimes with advance notice, sometimes as a surprise visit."

"The travel expenses of those in charge of the inspections all come from the same budget."

"So whether they are willing to come, how many times they come, and how long they stay, there is room for maneuver."

Lin Ge listened very carefully:

"So, someone needs to speak on my behalf to the assessment office?"

"It's not just about talking."

Sanders took the cigarette butt box out and twirled it in his hand:

"You have to let those people sitting in the state office know that McLean County Jail can't just be a number written in the files."

"For example?" Lin Ge pressed.

"For example, you can invite them to visit."

"They said the prison recently underwent some facility upgrades and hoped that experts from the assessment office could come and take a look, and provide some guidance and suggestions."

"Internally, they call this an invited assessment, which is different from a routine inspection."

"Prisons invited for evaluation are assumed to be willing to improve, and there will be some flexibility in the scoring."

"In addition, the correctional bureau has a special subsidy in its account, which is specifically for prisons that have received high-difficulty transfer prisoners."

"Since you've taken in prisoners transferred from Lawton, you're eligible to apply."

"But this money won't be transferred to you automatically; you have to ask for it."

Lin Ge's eyes lit up as he listened. Sure enough, asking insiders was the easiest way to get information.

Even though he remembered some of the trajectories of future events, the real-time intelligence that existed at this moment was equally valuable.

At this point, Sanders stood up; this time, he was really leaving.

"Mr. Chen, that's all I can tell you. The rest is up to you to figure out how to handle it."

Ringo also stood up:

"Officer Sanders, when you pass by during your monthly transfers, feel free to sit for a while. Coffee is always available."

Sanders tucked the two packs of cigarettes into his fanny pack, giving a meaningful look:

"Then let's see if your coffee can stay this good."

After he finished speaking, he strode out of the cafeteria, his leather shoes making a rhythmic sound on the cement floor, and gradually disappeared into the distance in the corridor.

Lin Ge watched his retreating figure, then lowered his head and opened the roster.

On the first page, 18 names were neatly typed.

Each name is followed by a string of numbers and letters, which are standard codes from the state corrections department.

Harmon walked into the cafeteria at some point:

"How should these people be allocated?"

Ringo pushed the roster in front of Hamon:

"The two violent criminals are locked up in Section D, separated from Ghost Fang's former subordinates."

"The six transferred prisoners will also be placed in Ward D for observation for a week before further discussion."

"The remaining ten new sentences will be allocated cells based on a points system."

Hamon picked up the roster and quickly flipped through it.

His gaze lingered on one of the lines for a moment:

"Three of the transfers came from the Lawton Correctional Center. Although their security level is B, a B level at Lawton is more difficult to manage than an A level elsewhere."

"Oh?" Ringo looked at him.

Hamon closed the roster:

"Lawton Correctional Center is one of the largest federal prisons in Oklahoma, housing hardened criminals and organized crime."

"The prisoners transferred over there are never there for no reason."

"You mean they deliberately transferred it here?"

"What I mean is, the state corrections department won't send troublemakers to easy-to-manage prisons."

Harmon tucked the roster under his arm:

"When Crawford was in charge, this prison was known as an easy target, with few guards, poor facilities, and lax management."

"So the correctional authority will transfer the easy-to-manage officers away and throw the hot potatoes at us."

Lin Ge frowned slightly. "Now that I've cleaned it up, will they keep throwing things away?"

"Of course, but this time it's not because we're easy to bully."

"Why is that?"

Hamon chuckled and said:

"Because they need some places to keep these prisoners in check; the more capable, the more work they do."