Sir! Don't close the net!

"Wait a minute... do the other prisoners know how long they're going to be in jail?"

Chapter Thirty-Four: What a Big Apple

"Sentence?"

Li Yili raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, looking Jeff up and down with a surprised expression.

Jeff looked exhausted from frequent "entertainment," with bloodshot eyes, dark circles that looked like smoky makeup, and shiny hair that looked like it could be scraped to fry vegetables.

Why are you suddenly asking this?

Jeff's gaze drifted upwards. "This is quite important. According to existing research, a person who spends a long time in prison becomes extremely mentally fragile and prone to making unpredictable and extreme decisions."

“I don’t know,” Li Yili tilted her head, quite honestly, “I don’t even know how long I’ll be in jail.”

"You've ruined Instars, and you still want to leave?" Jeff retorted instinctively.

Li Yili spread her hands to both sides, "I never said I wanted to get out of this Teresa Prison."

"Okay, okay—so does anyone know the sentences for the prisoners in Theresa's Prison?"

"Warden August."

"Wow—the boss's name came up right away. I have a feeling that if I ask him, I'll be called out separately and then..."

"So they'll find some excuse to kill him," Jeff said, leaning back slightly. "Won't anyone else know?"

“Even if you do, asking him is no different than asking August himself, so you might as well just ask August like a fool. Maybe he really will think you're a fool,” Li Yili waved her hand. “By the way, you're not here to go to Teresa Prison, so why are you suddenly asking this?”

After pinching the bridge of his nose and thinking for a while, Jeff finally said Simon's answer.

“Simon…” Li Yili frowned.

He had not forgotten the good neighbor who had frightened him so much on the first day that he broke his leg, and who had placed offerings in front of his cell every day to help him get through the most difficult period in Theresa's prison.

He knew about the so-called "faith" in Teresa Prison and what Simon did for the top-ranking prisoners. So the first thing he did in Teresa Prison was to solve the problem of three meals a day, and the second thing was to dig out as much as possible the bloody acts that lower-ranking prisoners committed against higher-ranking prisoners that could no longer be described as bullying.

It's precisely because there are always some bastards who are as stubborn as a dead pig and don't care about boiling water that he designed that solitary confinement cell to teach those low-level prisoners a lesson.

The third thing was to develop farmland so that high-ranking prisoners could do non-dangerous things like farming and herding.

As for digging up the temple... of course, we'll let the strong and healthy low-level prisoners dig it up, and incidentally send a few dozen jailers to play cards at the entrance of the mine.

What? You don't want to go?

A prisoner has complaints?

They would either beat him up or hang him in solitary confinement. After a few times, the noise level dropped significantly.

In this situation, the lives of high-ranking prisoners should have been dramatically improved, while the lives of low-ranking prisoners would have plummeted. Therefore, most of those seeking advice from Jeff were low-ranking prisoners.

Li Yili couldn't understand why Simon, a high-ranking prisoner living a comfortable life, wanted to see Jeff, a psychologist.

"Could it be that some lower-ranking prisoners are secretly doing something to the higher-ranking prisoners?" Li Yi thought of a possibility. "I heard that many prisoners really like Simon's meat, and they used to often ask Simon to cut their own meat as tribute to them."

“It’s not that complicated, no, it’s much more complicated,” Jeff gestured for a while and then raised his eyes. “You bastard… do I really have to tell you? Fine, fine, Simon wants to get out of jail.”

Li Yili's expression froze, and she subconsciously looked away. However, Jeff, who had already anticipated Li Yili's reaction, took a step forward and met her gaze again. "Simon said that even if he was wrongly accused of a crime, it didn't matter. He just wanted to know how much longer he would have to serve in Theresa Prison?"

“He’s not sentenced to death, right? Even if he’s not sentenced to death, there’s still a time limit. Since Simon was assigned to the highest level of Theresa Prison, it means that Simon is different from those scumbags on the lower levels. Even the prison doesn’t think he’s a threat. So there must be a time limit.”

"Ten years? Twenty years?"

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head vigorously, because his head was a little sore from talking too much in one go.

After a long silence, Li Yili let out a long breath.

"So? So what if you know? Are you going to tell Simon? Do you really think Teresa Prison would release the prisoners here? Have you ever imagined what it would be like for these prisoners to roam around in a city?"

Jeff's cheek twitched.

He could already picture the scene.

It's like the end of the world has come.

Li Yili patted Jeff on the shoulder, leaned close to Jeff's ear and whispered, "Dr. Jeff, knowing your patients too much isn't your style. Simon isn't the only one waiting for your talk therapy."

After saying that, Li Yili patted Jeff on the shoulder, turned around, and whistled.

Upon hearing the whistle, Rebecca immediately wagged her tail and followed.

Li Yili glanced at Jeff, who was standing motionless, without saying a word. She led Rebecca to the front of the prison building, greeted the patrolling guards, and then went up the stairs. Many prisoners who were chatting on the railings either rubbed their hands together with a sheepish smile or kept their distance when they saw him.

Rebecca, following behind Li Yili, arrogantly made a provocative gesture towards the prisoners who were hiding far away, and the prisoners who were hiding far away also revealed resentful eyes.

Li Yili didn't care about this little incident. Even a central air conditioning system can't provide temperature for all living things; there will always be people who like it and people who don't.

If hunting behavior is forced by the environment, he will not stand on the moral high ground to point fingers; he will only express regret. What he does not approve of is the hunting behavior, not the will to survive.

But if someone is well-fed and watered, and their actions are merely for amusement while inflicting fear and oppressing the weak, even the most benevolent person will not feel any affection towards them.

And most of the lower-level prisoners are like that.

Upon arriving at the top floor, Li Yili immediately saw the various offerings piled up in front of his cell.

Summoning the King in Yellow is forbidden in Teresa Prison, but most of the guards know that the King in Yellow is him, so they turn a blind eye to this kind of offering without an altar and with a small amount of tribute.

“The King in Yellow is actually quite popular,” Rebecca stuck out her tongue. “Even though the King in Yellow has never done anything for anyone.”

"Maybe it's because he's handsome."

Li Yili raised her hand and waved as she stood in front of the cell of the prisoner named Sif, who was near the stairs.

The previously emaciated, plant-like girl

With ample food, she transformed into a graceful young woman, and the plant rooted in the cell visibly became healthier.

"The apple is quite big."

Li Yili held her chin and nodded seriously.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Let's pull her out and plant her in a pot.

Sif, who was dozing off against a tree root thicker than an adult male's waist, woke up. Upon seeing Li Yili standing in front of the cell, she shuddered and instinctively covered her chest, shrinking back as the surrounding paper notes fluttered up, obscuring her body.

"Wow—it's almost turned into a rainforest," Rebecca said, peering curiously into the cell while leaning on Li Yili's arm.

“Quiet down. According to the rules, a low-level prisoner like you who has committed heinous crimes is not allowed to come to the top floor,” Li Yili said, forcefully pressing Rebecca’s head down.

Rebecca stuck out her tongue and pulled it back in.

“Ahem—you, your name is Sif, right?” Li Yili coughed heavily and gave Sif what she thought was a very gentle smile. “We’ve met before, about two or three months ago.”

"You, hello..."

Sif nodded cautiously, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the several plump fruits above her head. The note fluttered up, and the lush green leaves obscured the fruits.

Li Yili raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. The image of Sif enduring the pain to pick the unripe fruit seemed to overlap with the image of Sif now covering the ripe fruit. Even though he was standing right here, he had an unreal feeling.

“Ha… don’t be nervous. I’m just here to check on your living conditions, since your situation is a bit different from the other prisoners,” Li Yili pointed to Sif’s half-body rooted in the cell, “and to ask if you have any questions, like…”

Li Yili gestured the shape of the prison cell.

"The prison cells are too crowded, and things like that."

“Well… I’m fine,” Sif relaxed a little and raised her voice slightly.

"is it?"

Li Yili nodded, but as he turned to leave, Sif called out to him again.

"Um—excuse me...when can I be released from prison?"

He's out of prison again.

Li Yili paused, turned to look at Sif, and tilted her head with some distress. "Well... I'm just an administrator. I don't even know how long you've been imprisoned. The only person who can finalize this matter is probably the warden of Theresa Prison."

“Yes, really… thank you,” Sif shrank back, the strip of paper with its large green leaves billowing up and completely blocking Li Yili’s view.

Li Yili was taken aback. Before she could speak, Rebecca patted her chest and volunteered, "Give me ten minutes, and I'll dig a big hole for you. All you have to do is give me two cookies and a roast chicken."

What would I need a big pit for?

"Of course, we'd drag this guy out of the cell and train him outside every day until he obeys! Or do you want to keep him as a potted plant? That's not impossible, but such a big pot isn't something that can be fixed in ten minutes."

Rebecca's matter-of-fact tone made Li Yili's face fall. "Why should I do this?"

“Aren’t you the same kind of person? Didn’t you treat me the same way back then? Look at this,” Rebecca raised her sharp claws and tapped the fleece collar around her neck.

"You are special. Now, I'm leaving."

Li Yili turned around and raised her hand in a gesture.

"Huh? Is that so... wait for me!"

Rebecca scratched her head and muttered something embarrassedly, her tail wagging wildly behind her. Just as she was about to say something, Li Yili had already gone down the stairs. Rebecca quickly followed, waving her arms and complaining about how hurtful Li Yili's behavior of not waiting for her was.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the green leaves that had been covering the cell slowly drooped down. As the branches shifted, a few ripe fruits fell into Sif's hand. Sif cautiously peeked out, a few branches blocking her way, and bent down to open her mouth to the fruits. Just as she was about to take a bite, Gajek appeared in front of the cell door.

"Hey—Sif, I just saw that administrator named Li Yili standing at your door. Is there something he wants to see you about?"

Sif's hand trembled, and she looked up as the branch curled up, tucking the plump fruit behind her back.

"No, it's nothing serious. They just asked if I had any difficulties. Look at me... it's not convenient for me to move around."

Gajek's body, made of silt, flowed upwards, and the experienced man naturally noticed Sif's subtle movements.

"Sif, are the fruits ripe today?"

“No, no,” Sif said, pulling back the branches to reveal a few dry fruits. “Nutrition only makes the fruit ripen.”

“Really? That’s really troublesome,” Gajek raised his hand and scratched the sticky back of his head. Too lazy to put it down, he simply shoved his right hand into the back of his head. “Although Teresa Prison now provides three meals a day, each person can only take one.”

“Those are just ordinary foods, not nutritious enough,” Sif’s tone gradually became more natural. “They can only produce these immature fruits. Better ones are needed to ripen.”

“Really? That’s a real headache. The Yellow Robes need your fruit,” Gajek said, pacing back and forth in front of the cell door with a troubled expression. “Although they are all low-level prisoners and cannot enter our cell, the rules are maintained by the jailers. I’ve heard that quite a few prisoners have already hooked up with the jailers.”

Gajek towards the building

He glanced in the direction of the road.

“Speaking of which, I think I saw Rebecca from the Yellow Clan just now. It’s so strange. She’s clearly a low-level prisoner, yet she’s managed to get to the top floor,” Gajek turned to Sif, whose face was a little pale, and raised his hand. “But it’s normal. After all, Rebecca is one of Administrator Li Yili’s people. Now, Administrator Li Yili has the final say on the rules of Theresa Prison.”

“I’m in a dilemma too,” Sif shook her head, picked up a branch with a few unripe fruits hanging from it, and brought it to the cell door. “I can’t leave this cell. Why don’t you show them these fruits first?”

Gajek narrowed his eyes, and an arm bulged out from the side of his body. Just as he lifted it up, Simon came out from the stairwell muttering to himself, almost bumping into Gajek.

The raised part of Gajek immediately shrank back, but Sif did not retract the branch with a few unripe fruits hanging from it.