Chapter 304: Some Things, the More You Think About Them, the More Terrifying They Become

Yu Dazhang really couldn't figure out where those intellectually disabled people could be sent after leaving the underground prison.

This had nothing to do with IQ, but rather a matter of perception.

People cannot imagine things beyond their own cognitive scope.

Wait, that's not right!

Yu Dazhang suddenly realized he had missed a key point.

"You just said that during the year you were there, over three hundred people were sent out?" He stared at Fang Peng and asked.

"That's right." Fang Peng nodded in reply:

"At least over three hundred. I once paid attention—roughly four groups were sent out each month, eight people per group. Easy to count."

If you go by his calculation, thirty-two people went out each month, and over a year that indeed adds up to at least over three hundred.

"When you first arrived, that place only had a little over a hundred people in total." Yu Dazhang frowned at him:

"Over three hundred people means that place was emptied out twice, yet you stayed there for a whole year. How did you manage that?"

His meaning was clear: that place was emptied twice and still didn't send you away—I need a reasonable explanation.

Did you get promoted to prison guard in there or something?

"I already made it very clear—they group people by IQ in there." Fang Peng actually sounded a little proud when he said this:

"And I was assigned to the highest-IQ group. The work I did also required a certain level of technical skill."

"For example, reinforcing and repairing the entire underground structure, maintaining the safety facilities inside—of course, we did it under the guidance of professional personnel."

Ended up as a maintenance worker... At the same time, Yu Dazhang also figured out where he had learned those tunneling skills.

Working alongside professionals for a year—you'd pick it up just by watching.

Still, he remained skeptical about Fang Peng's claim of being in the "highest IQ" group.

"While you were in there, didn't anyone notice you had a normal IQ?"

From a person's behavior and mannerisms, you can roughly judge that person's IQ level.

At the very least, you can tell whether the person is normal.

Yet Fang Peng stayed in there for a whole year, and not a single one of those people realized he was normal?

No matter how you think about it, that doesn't seem very likely.

Just as Fang Peng himself said, those people had already assigned him to the highest-IQ group, which means they did notice something off.

If that's the case, why would they keep him?

Those people had the nerve to build an underground prison—of course they would deal with someone of normal intelligence.

"You really think I'm stupid?"

Fang Peng was immediately displeased. His wide-set eyes actually squeezed toward the middle:

"Given the situation back then, of course I had to act the same as everyone else. My behavior couldn't be completely identical, but at least it wouldn't raise suspicion."

Yu Dazhang nodded after hearing this.

There was one more thing Fang Peng hadn't mentioned—probably out of pride.

His Down syndrome appearance was the best disguise, so he didn't need to deliberately imitate anyone. As long as he put on a slight act, others couldn't tell.

From another angle, this could be considered a kind of talent for Fang Peng.

"Then how did you finally escape?" Yu Dazhang asked.

He believed that an underground prison like that offered virtually no possibility of escape.

Because the number of inmates was small, the guards could manage them easily, and there would basically be no slip-ups.

Besides, it was underground, with only one entrance and exit.

Under such circumstances, they would certainly arrange for someone to keep strict watch over that sole exit, to prevent anyone from escaping.

Most importantly, he couldn't even find anyone to help him.

The entire underground prison, apart from the guards, had only him as a normal person. Finding an intellectually disabled person as a teammate would be worse than acting alone.

"Someone like me staying in there for a year is rare." Fang Peng replied:

"I should count as one of the ones who stayed the longest, but even so I would eventually be sent away."

"The day I left the underground prison, a black cloth bag was put over my head again. After getting in the vehicle, my hands and feet were bound, and my mouth was gagged—exactly the same as when I arrived."

"I even felt it was the same cargo truck as before, because the degree of bumping hadn't changed—same as a year ago."

"After switching vehicles once, I was taken to a factory. That very night I was locked in a warehouse, and the people at the factory even prepared meals for us."

"After the people who delivered us left, only one person stayed behind at the factory to watch us. So that night I seized the chance to knock that person out and escape."

Hearing the end of it, Yu Dazhang felt something wasn't quite right.

Too easy.

Locked up for a whole year, and the moment he got out, he managed to run away.

If it were always like this, that place would have been exposed long ago.

"You escaped alone?" Yu Dazhang asked.

"Do you think I'd dare ask the others to escape with me?" Fang Peng retorted, his face full of helplessness.

Fair point... Yu Dazhang found he understood Fang Peng a little better.

If he could blend into the highest-IQ group just by pretending to be slow, one could imagine what the IQ of those people was like.

Escaping with these people would be far too risky.

"I had a premonition at the time—that might be my only chance."

Fang Peng added:

"When they were handing things over, I heard someone at the factory say: the 'uzi' will be delivered tomorrow."

"When I used to work at the big collective, I heard people say that in slang a handgun is called an 'uzi.' Out of fear and the will to survive, I decided to take the gamble."

Those people had guns too? Yu Dazhang was startled when he heard that.

He just didn't know what kind of guns.

Did they think that since guns are banned in the country, no one would dare go into this business?

Then you're assuming again.

As long as there's profit to be made, someone will certainly take the risk, and there won't be just a few of them.

If the money's right, forget about a starter pistol, you can even get an AK.

"After you escaped, then what?" Yu Dazhang felt it was time to move on to the part about calling the police.

"I climbed over a wall to get away." Fang Peng said quickly:

"Since I didn't know where I was, I could only pick a direction and run. Maybe I was lucky—before long I saw a highway, which meant I'd picked the right direction."

"After I got on the highway, I flagged down a car on the roadside. Once I was in the car, I learned that the place was Yancheng in Province N."

"It was several hundred kilometers from where I'd been kidnapped a year earlier."

At this point, he paused, his gaze falling on the cigarette butt on the ground, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

Yu Dazhang caught on immediately and said to Liu Miao:

"Light his cigarette for him."

He was fairly lenient with suspects who cooperated voluntarily; as long as it didn't violate regulations, he would try his best to meet any requests they made.

"Never thought I'd get to smoke such a good cigarette in here."

After that quip, Fang Peng went on:

"The driver took me straight to the nearest police station. At the time, I didn't have a single cent on me, and I didn't even have my ID—I could only ask the police for help."

"After I explained the situation at the station, the officer on duty arranged a place for me to sleep."

"Then, early the next morning, I went with the police to that factory…"

At this point, Yu Dazhang's scalp went numb and he immediately cut in:

"Hold on—you're saying the police didn't take action that night?"

(End of chapter)