Chapter 293: Who Is the Toy, Who Is the Doll?

The surveillance camera slowly turned, its lens gradually locking onto the nearest doll.

That twisted doll had all four limbs snapped, the fractures twisted like fried dough twists, stark white bones piercing through flesh and blood, showing through the torn fabric of its clothes, accompanied by a drip-drip sound as red paint slowly flowed onto the ground.

The doll was held high by a thick arm, facing the camera, just like an older child at home showing off their new toy to the parents on the other end of the camera.

The expression on the doll's face was made exceptionally lifelike, vividly portraying terror, especially when it would emit a sharp, shrill cry similar to a "Screaming Chicken" when pulled.

The sound traveled through the air, echoing throughout the room, and then would seemingly infect more "Screaming Chickens" to respond in kind.

Yet those older children, all dressed in uniform with their clothes wet and dirty, seemed to love the sound effects of the "Screaming Chicken."

Whenever the screams rang out, their laughter grew louder; through the monitors, the parents watching the screens could all feel the unrestrained release of stress in the children's unbridled laughter.

But pressure would not vanish into thin air; it would only transfer from one side to another.

Unlike the joyous laughter under surveillance, the other side of the screen was deathly silent, as if even the air had frozen, and the temperature in the room was low enough to freeze one's face a dark blue.

Qian Huan's gaze was fixed dead on the monitor, while the prison guard beside him carefully adjusted the focus, precisely aligning the image with the doll's neck.

Under the camera's zoom, one could see a rope hanging from the doll's neck, with a blood-stained badge strung on it, clearly displaying the doll's manufacturing number and name.

Number: 9q20073

Name: Wang Fei

The manufacturer designed them so well, even giving each doll a name, yet strangely, these parents who bought the dolls seemed very dissatisfied with this lifelikeness.

Strange, where did the problem lie?

Oh, it turned out they were not dolls, they were...

Qian Huan suddenly turned his head, his gaze like knives fixed dead on Zhao Xing, his voice low and gloomy:

"Did you not solemnly promise me that there would absolutely be no leaks in the Death Row Zone? How did you promise me back then? Didn't you say those death row inmates were like dolls, tightly bound, unable to move an inch?"

Zhao Xing's face was pale as paper; he dared not look directly into the Prison Warden's gaze that seemed able to kill, merely lowering his head and speaking in a heavy voice:

"Yes, Prison Warden, normally they indeed find it extremely difficult to move even slightly."

Zhao Xing paused, then continued to explain:

"Prison Warden, you must believe me, our Death Row Zone's control over death row inmates is the strictest in the entire prison."

"I am very clear that these death row inmates committed serious crimes outside and are all very dangerous."

"So, from the first day these death row inmates were locked into the zone I manage, they have been half-submerged in the Water Prison, with their hands and feet bound by electrified iron chains; normally they cannot even move, and even defecating and urinating must be done standing in the pool."

"I do not even allow them to unbind their chains when eating; prison guards carry buckets to feed them one by one. Food used to be mixed with anesthetic, and they basically slept in their own pools of excrement every day, worse off than dolls."

"Later, with the Nutritional Meals uniformly prepared by Shengguang Pharmaceutical for our Second Prison, the inmates in the Death Row Zone woke up more often, but they were still chained in iron chains, merely changing from unconscious dolls to half-dead dolls..."

Qian Huan knew Zhao Xing was telling the truth; he had visited the Death Row Zone before, and the air there indeed was thick with the smell of Air Freshener all year round.

Even as Zhao Xing now spoke with his head down, Qian Huan could smell the unusually fresh breath exhaled from the other's mouth; that unique fresh scent had already seeped into his lungs.

Several other zones had many people who repeatedly proposed setting aside a VIP area in the cafeteria exclusively for the prison guards of the Death Row Zone, and the entire Second Prison unanimously agreed that the guards of the Death Row Zone deserved this special treatment.

The VIP Restaurant was still in the design phase, but looking at the current tragedy, perhaps this expense could be saved.

Qian Huan coldly interrupted Zhao Xing's explanation and asked fiercely:

"Don't tell me these useless words; I just want to know what the situation is now, why the prison guards under you have instead become toys for those dolls you speak of?"

Zhao Xing was speechless; his head hung even lower, almost buried in his chest, his voice trembling as he stammered:

"Always, the management of the Death Row Zone has been very stable, never had any leaks."

"The only difference is that since the Weizhong system was implemented two weeks ago, the number of death row inmates drowning has increased several times, and the pool is clearer than before..."

Qian Huan's forehead bulged with black lines; he suddenly stood up, walked over to Zhao Xing, grabbed the latter's collar, and asked furiously:

"So, are you blaming me now, thinking that this riot in the Death Row Zone was caused by me?"

Zhao Xing quickly stopped speaking; he slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Qian Huan's without blinking, and let out a tragic, indignant laugh:

"I dare not. Having caused so many brothers to lose their lives, all this is my dereliction of duty as Zone Chief; I no longer have the face to continue serving as Zone Chief. I ask Prison Warden to remove me from my position immediately."

Zhao Xing gave Qian Huan no chance to respond; he raised his arm and decisively tore off the badge on his chest, the symbol of the Zone Chief.

His movement was angry and forceful; he slammed the badge hard onto the hard ground, making a crisp sound.

Qian Huan's face stiffened slightly; the anger in his heart seemed blocked in his throat, unable to be vented.

He had previously considered removing Zhao Xing; in fact, not just Zhao Xing, he wanted to remove several Zone Chiefs of the Second Prison and replace them all with newcomers he promoted.

That was why he came up with the Weizhong system, but absolutely not now, absolutely not at this moment, in this way at such a chaotic critical juncture.

Zhao Xing, however, seemed to no longer care about so much; he suddenly broke free from Qian Huan's grasp, fell to the ground sitting down, completely disregarding his image, and burst into loud wailing:

"Prison Warden, it is I, Zhao Xing, who am incompetent; it is I who harmed them! I do not dare ask for your forgiveness, Prison Warden; I only beg you to find a way to save those prison guard brothers of mine who have not yet died, who still have breath, and who have been taken hostage by the inmates."

"I beg you, really, really, not a single one can die anymore ahhhhhh—"

Zhao Xing's voice grew higher and higher, becoming more and more like the "Screaming Chicken" in the monitor; the last few words were almost shouted out with all his might, his voice filled with desperate and helpless pleading.

Truly moving to see and bringing tears to hear.

Thus, all the prison guards' gazes subconsciously followed Zhao Xing's voice, as if guided by a conductor's baton, one by one they all looked toward Prison Warden Qian Huan.

Feng Mu was also among them, his face equally sorrowful and full of hope as he looked over, but beneath his gaze was a cold, grim chill.

He exhaled lightly from his mouth, helping Zhao Xing, who knelt on the ground covering his face and weeping, and faintly uttered a chess term:

"Check!"

End of Chapter