Sir! Don't close the net!

“I’m not entirely sure… but I remember the guy with the vertical eye in cell number four downstairs was injecting some kind of drug,” Simon said.

He scratched his face. "Recently, he's been trying to get Ga Zi to help him defend himself and try to clear his criminal record, right, Ga Zi!"

Seeing Simon casually throw the question at him again, Gajek said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm just asking some questions."

“Hahaha—Gazi, you’re being modest again,” Simon laughed and patted Gajek on the back. “Didn’t you help a lot of people become among the first to be released from prison?”

Sif immediately turned her head to look at Gajek, her mature body leaning forward.

Gajek's eyes flickered, and he raised his hand to wave it. "You've got one thing wrong. I only placed my bet based on Teresa Prison's instructions."

"Place a bet?"

“That’s right. Based on the characteristics of the existing personnel, search for other prisoners who match these characteristics, and actively defend these prisoners. Theresa Prison was already compiling a list of candidates for injection, and I sent people directly there. They were just going through the motions, and then it would feel like I was turning those people into released prisoners.”

Gajek spread his hands.

"This way I can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"Oh—" Simon didn't understand, but he thought Gajek was very impressive.

Sif's eyes flickered, and she remained silent, her mature body gradually shrinking back.

"If you understand, remember to call me when you go out. I can protect you now."

Gajek turned around, waved his hand, and swaggered back to his cell.

Simon blinked, turned around, gave Sif a thumbs-up, and went back to his cell.

Sif's smile gradually faded, her shoulders slumped slightly, and her mature body shrank back against the massive, throbbing root that pulsated like a heart. The branches rose up and once again covered the prison door.

Not long after, a faint knocking sound was heard, and the green leaves covering the cell door were pulled open a little. A package was handed into the cell. Sif's eyes lit up, and her mature body and branches moved to the front of the cell door. She reached out and grabbed the package, trying to pull it in, but a force came from the other end of the package, making it as if it were welded to the cell door and not moving an inch.

"Fruit".

Sif's face twitched, and unwillingly dragged the branch to throw the three fruits out of the cell.

"..."

“This is not what we agreed on. You should have taken out ten fruits,” a hoarse voice outside the cell said, tinged with anger. The force on the other end of the package gradually increased, as if trying to pull it back.

“It’s because the nutrients you’ve provided are too poor,” Sif said calmly, unpacking the package. “Of course, if you feel you can’t accept it, you don’t have to rely on me, but is that really possible?”

No more sounds came from outside the cell door, and the package that seemed to be welded to the cell door was easily picked up by Sif.

Sif snorted triumphantly, tore open the package, and picked up the grapevine hidden inside, which was shimmering with an unusual light.

"Hmph... Hmph hmph hmph..."

Her fair shoulders shrugged slightly, and Sif chuckled as she lifted the vine. The thick roots quickly surged up and engulfed the grapevine, and the roots that had swallowed the entire cell began to stir, reaching out and piercing.

In the evening, after a long day, Shuyan returned to his cell. As soon as he entered, he looked around and took a deep sniff. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he thought he smelled the aroma of alcohol.

Although alcohol and tobacco are both forms of relaxation and recreation, alcohol can numb the nerves and make prisoners' behavior uncontrollable, leading to fights. Therefore, alcohol is a prohibited item in Teresa Prison. Of course, prohibited items are prohibited items, and smuggling is smuggling.

"An illusion...?"

Shuyan let out a long yawn, his body gradually becoming heavy, but he felt very comfortable and relaxed. He staggered to the bedside, plopped down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

A few pebbles fell, and tiny cracks spread across the walls. Dark green roots silently invaded the entire cell along the walls and, like snakes, climbed onto the bed, gradually swallowing up the vertical-eyed body.

Outside the cell, several figures wearing yellow raincoats stood up, silently watching the chilling scene unfolding inside.

Only after the vertical-eyed body was completely engulfed did several figures move to draw the curtains on the cell doors, which were installed to ensure the privacy of each prisoner.

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Label of Cannibalism

"The one with the vertical eye... isn't here?"

Jeff frowned as he looked at the list in his hand. It was normal for someone not to come for a day or two. After all, the production of the drug was limited, and it was impossible to guarantee that every candidate for release would have the opportunity to receive the drug every day. So, apart from exceptional cases like Simon Gajek, the other candidates were all admitted by appointment.

But these past few days, Shuyan hasn't even come to reserve a spot.

Jeff remembered Gajek's warning and suddenly felt a headache coming on. Just as Gajek said, many prisoners who were injected with drugs had not come for some time, but he had no way to deal with it. Now, Teresa Prison no longer takes roll call every day like it did a few months ago, nor does it conduct room checks. Even if something really went wrong, he would not be able to find out immediately.

Jeff had considered going to check on things, but it was more work than he expected, and he didn't think Walter was telling him the truth.

Jeff thought of Li Yili, but immediately dismissed the option. Li Yili's current situation was abnormal. At first, the prisoners were secretive about it, but now the topic of hunting the King in Yellow had become common conversation among them, and they discussed it quite naturally.

How do I hunt the King in Yellow and kill Li Yili?

Clearly, Li Yili's true nature has been exposed, and in the eyes of the prisoners in Teresa Prison, Li Yili has become a weak human being that anyone can deal with.

Jeff felt terrible. It seemed that Li Yili was in dire straits, but he also found it ridiculous that he was in such a precarious situation.

Li Yili's behavior is far too abnormal. There must be prisoners who have started trying to hunt her down, but Li Yili remains safe and sound by Teresa's Road every day.

Jeff remembered the label that Li Yili had once told him about: "cannibalism".

Even though they are the source of many tragedies, humans are undoubtedly kind and have a repentant heart. If they cause a large-scale decline in the population of a species and bring it to the brink of extinction due to their own reasons, the humans who have caused such an outcome will feel very remorseful. Even if the other party has the possibility of killing them, they will still raise the other party and even be willing to let the other party retain its wildness and make preparations to release it back into the wild so that it can live freely in the wild.

However, if someone is labeled as a "cannibal," and if it is judged that the other party considers hunting humans to be an easy task, then even if that person is the last of that race in the world, humans will not hesitate to eliminate them.

Although it was hard to believe, Jeff even felt that he might be a little too tired to think straight, but he had this feeling that the prisoners here were being gradually labeled as "cannibals," and perhaps soon this label would not be attached to any particular prisoner, but to the entire group of prisoners in Theresa Prison.

Jeff felt uneasy, as if another group of people were playing with fire in a powder keg, and even if he wasn't playing with fire, he would be affected.

"Let them coexist peacefully..."

Jeff abandoned the idea as soon as it came to him.

The prisoners here are not grateful to, and even despise, Li Yili for institutionalizing Teresa.

Human nature is too complex, and animalistic instincts cannot be corrected; the combination of the two is simply a mess.

Just as Jeff was thinking of simply throwing Li Yili out of Teresa Prison, there was a knock on the door, and before he could answer, the other person had already pushed the door open and entered.

Jeff looked up, about to complain, but when he saw Walter enter, he clicked his tongue in frustration and raised his eyes. "What's wrong? Is it another shortage of potions? You guys are supposed to be doing research, how come your potion supply is like fishing, depending on luck?"

“It’s more like picking fruit than fishing,” Walter said, his hands behind his back, unperturbed by Jeff’s tone.

Because every time he visited Jeff during this period, it was either to inform him of a shortage of medicine or that the medicine was gone.

"Fruit? Just add fertilizer," Jeff raised an eyebrow. "So, there's a shortage of medicine today too?"

“There are only two vials of the medicine this time,” Walter smiled slightly.

"Hey, hey, hey—you're laughing at only two tubes! Are you guys making incompetence your specialty?!"

"But these two vials of medicine are different."

Walter lowered his hands, which had been behind his back, and revealed two vials of dark green liquid in front of Jeff.

“Although the potion is fine-tuned each time, these two vials are genuine improvements,” Walter said, shaking the potion in his hand.

"The improved version... has it been tested?" Jeff narrowed his eyes.

"Isn't this supposed to be an experiment for you?"

Jeff's eye twitched. "Recently, quite a few prisoners who have been drugged have gone missing. Do you know something about this?"

"What are you saying? I don't understand."

Jeff took a deep breath and snatched the two vials of medicine.

Walter definitely knew something, and he was certain that the fact that the prisoners never came to him again for follow-up injections was largely due to Walter's influence, but he couldn't ask any more questions.

"Dr. Jeff, have you chosen someone for the injection?" Walter asked, his hands behind his back, not intending to leave immediately. "But don't worry too much about the choice; the following medications will all be this improved version."

"Really?" Jeff waved the potion in his hand. "Are we going to have a grand injection ceremony?"

Walter paused, then nodded, chin in hand. "As expected of Dr. Jeff, your suggestion makes a lot of sense. Hmm, let's decide on this. Tomorrow... no, let's do it today. Gather all the prisoners at Theresa Prison, and in front of them, inject the prisoner you've chosen with the drug, hmm—"

Jeff was stunned. Before he could react, he felt his right hand go empty, and the two vials of medicine had fallen into Walter's hands.

"Let the warden perform this great miracle."

“Wait…” Jeff stood up instinctively.

Is there a problem?

Jeff hesitated.

The fact that Walter dared to inject the drug in front of all the prisoners shows that he had great confidence in this improved version of the drug and believed that it could turn the injected prisoners back into human form with 100% certainty. If the injected subject died on the spot, then probably no one in Theresa Prison would dare to inject this drug. If they did not turn back into human form, although there would not be any resistance to the drug, it would be inevitable that confidence in the drug would decline.

They have been injecting the medication separately precisely to prevent this from happening.

Thinking this, Jeff sat back down and waved his hand, "No objections, anyway, if we fail, it's your fault."

The problem is none of our business.

"Of course, but Dr. Jeff, you don't need to worry, there won't be any...accidents."

Chapter 53 I'm Waiting for You to Die

"Cough cough cough-"

Chris Dorf coughed heavily a few times, then leaned against the wall and walked with difficulty to the window facing Theresa's Path. He sat slowly and stiffly on the old chair with the vine logo, gazing out at Theresa's Path.

A gentle breeze ruffled Chris Dorf's graying hair.

"Today... no one has come to Teresa's Path seeking salvation..."

“No one will come anymore,” Li Yili said, leaning against the window frame with her arms crossed outside the wooden house.

The Teresa Road is one of the unique features and selling points of Teresa Prison. Even though many smuggling routes have replaced the Teresa Road, there will always be people who need it. Even now, some people come to Teresa Prison to cross the Teresa Road in search of redemption. But Chris Dorf has fallen ill, and it is clear to everyone that he can no longer carry anyone across that long and turbulent road to redemption.

The jailers, who never took Teresa's Path seriously and thought those who came to Teresa's Path seeking salvation were foolish, would never do the job of carrying anyone across Teresa's Path on their backs.

Because no one will help them through the final path to redemption, and because they know that no one will lend a helping hand in the end, those who come seeking redemption choose to leave.

This Teresa Road has been completely reduced to a man-made, dilapidated river. It has become a common sight for prison guards and inmates to carelessly toss cigarette butts and other trash into Teresa Road with disdainful smiles.

Perhaps one day, or perhaps not so far off, this Teresa Road will turn into a stinking ditch.

Although in his eyes, it was a stinking ditch from the very beginning.

"Right now, you're the most superfluous guy in this Teresa Prison."

A soft sigh rang in Li Yili's ears.

So what are you waiting for?

Li Yili tilted her head back.

"I'm waiting for you to die."

"Over here! It's about to start!"