Chapter 221: Use It or Lose It

He Yuzhu lowered his voice and said to Shiqi, "I know you are Little Red Jacket. If you can help me handle two things, I can keep your secret from getting out."

Shiqi looked left and right, his Adam's apple bobbing, and whispered, "Speak."

"Find three people for me based on these photos."

Shiqi gritted his teeth: "I promise you."

In the Prison Warden's office, Tie Lin stood up and said to Jin Hai, "Big Brother, since He Yuzhu is hard to deal with, you should just go along with him. Whatever he wants to do, as long as it's not too excessive, just let him be."

Jin Hai pondered for a moment and nodded: "I'll go talk to him in a bit."

No sooner had Tie Lin left than Shiqi knocked on the door and entered.

"Warden, the new arrival He Yuzhu, which cell should he be locked in?"

Jin Hai snuffed out his cigarette butt: "Lock him in that special single cell, the one where the Prince was once held."

Shiqi hesitated for a moment, then spoke up: "He said... he likes being around people and is afraid of being alone."

Jin Hai sneered: "That little bastard is definitely up to no good. No matter, lock him there."

"Yes." Shiqi said no more and turned to go arrange for He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu followed Shiqi, walking through a prison corridor thick with dust.

"Where are you taking me?"

"The Warden wants to lock you in the Heaven Number One Room."

He Yuzhu sneered: "Is your Warden planning to give me special treatment?"

Shiqi nodded.

Seeing no one around, He Yuzhu quickly took out three photos and said, "Look quickly, memorize the faces of these three people, and find them for me!"

Shiqi stopped in his tracks and looked for half a minute: "I roughly know where they are. Once I get you settled, I'll go check."

The Heaven Number One Room was heavily guarded, requiring passage through two iron-grille gates to enter. The first gate was opened by a guard standing outside; after He Yuzhu and Shiqi walked in, the person outside immediately locked the door. Shiqi opened the second gate to let He Yuzhu in.

He Yuzhu looked around, sneering inwardly: "Jin Hai, oh Jin Hai, you are determined to go against me. Then don't blame me for being impolite."

Once Shiqi left, He Yuzhu sat down by the stove, took a can of cola from his space, opened it with a "click," and sipped it slowly. He then took out a can of food, roasted it over the stove, and while eating, calculated how to turn the prison upside down.

It wasn't long before Jin Hai arrived. He walked through the first gate, had the prison guard lock it, and opened the second gate himself to walk in.

Jin Hai looked at He Yuzhu, who was eating and drinking, and suddenly laughed: "Zhuzi, we really are fated. We just finished drinking together, and here we are meeting again."

"That's what they call the irony of fate." He Yuzhu unhurriedly fished a pack of Camel cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Jin Hai, and lit one for himself. With a "snap," he lit his lighter, first lighting Jin Hai's cigarette, then his own.

Jin Hai took a deep drag and smiled: "You kid are really something. After being searched for so long, you still managed to bring in food and cigarettes."

"Master Jin, I want to live with the others. Being here alone, I'm a bit scared."

Jin Hai laughed heartily: "Don't try that with me, kid! If I put you in a regular cell, you'd have my prison turned upside down before the night was out."

He Yuzhu also laughed: "Actually, locking me here won't do much good either."

Jin Hai stared at him for a long while and said, "Last time you came to see me, was there something you wanted to ask of me? You were too embarrassed to say it then, so you thought of this way to get in?"

"That's really not it! My dog got lost, and I went to look for the dog..." He recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

After listening, Jin Hai spat fiercely: "Those bastards, they eat human food but don't do human deeds; they've gone too far."

"Who's to say they haven't?" He Yuzhu flicked the ash from his cigarette, "My sister Liu Rusi has already gone out to lobby for me; I should be able to get out very soon..."

Jin Hai sighed after hearing this: "I think Bureau Chief Lou is in for some trouble..."

"Master Jin, let's agree on this: if I have offended you in any way, I apologize in advance!" He Yuzhu stood up and bowed to Jin Hai.

Jin Hai also stood up and patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder: "Brother, I can distinguish between official business and personal relationships."

Shiqi returned home feeling dejected, listlessly serving a meal to his paralyzed mother, wiping her body, and only then returning to his own room.

By the oil lamp, he lit the photos of the women he had killed one by one, but his mind was a tangled mess—He Yuzhu had to be eliminated.

Since this kid knew his secret, it was impossible for him to truly keep it. But the prison was heavily guarded, with eyes everywhere; killing him wouldn't be easy...

If he reported to the Warden that He Yuzhu was here to find people... this thought had barely surfaced before he snuffed it out.

Even if Jin Hai knew about this, so what? The person was already locked inside; what more could he do to He Yuzhu?

After thinking it over, Shiqi couldn't come up with a plan. For now, he could only do as the kid said.

The next morning, just as he changed his clothes and entered the prison, he was pulled aside by a colleague: "Shiqi, do me a favor! My stomach is upset, could you deliver the breakfast for me?"

It was a god-given opportunity. Shiqi suppressed his racing heart, took the food cart, and pushed it toward the cell block. While distributing the watery corn porridge and hard steamed buns, he scanned the people in each cell with the corner of his eye. Soon, he found the three men, who were being held in cells Seven, Twenty, and Twenty-four respectively.

When he finally pushed the cart to He Yuzhu's cell, his hands trembled slightly. He opened the food delivery slot, passed in two steamed buns and a bowl of thin, clear porridge, and whispered quickly: "The people you are looking for are in Seven, Twenty, and Twenty-four."

Upon hearing this, the corner of He Yuzhu's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc, and he nodded slightly.

Shiqi dared not linger, immediately closed the small window, and pushed the empty food cart away at a fast pace.

Shen Residence. Just as the sky was fully bright at dawn, Liu Rusi came knocking.

Shen Shichang had just finished breakfast, picked up a hot towel to wipe his hands, and asked casually: "Xiao Si, why are you up so early today?"

"I have something to discuss." Liu Rusi nodded, "Father, let's go to the study."

The two entered the study, and Liu Rusi lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then spoke: "He Yuzhu has been arrested and is currently locked in Jingshi Prison. I want you to do me a favor and get him out."

Shen Shichang said unhurriedly: "My subordinates have already reported it to me. This kid is too reckless; not only did he beat a patrol officer, but he also looks very much like the culprit who assassinated the Deputy Mayor. In this situation, it's not easy for me to step in..."

Liu Rusi grew anxious upon hearing this: "Father, is there any point in giving me official jargon right now?"

"No point... but I cannot handle this matter..." Shen Shichang said indifferently.

"Father, you are just discarding the millstone after the flour is ground!"

"My subordinates are all restless, desperately trying to curry favor with Officer Fu... No one listens to me anymore..." Shen Shichang said.

"But He Yuzhu was framed! This matter needs to be cleared up!"

"And what good will it do to clear it up?" Shen Shichang asked coldly in return.

"Fine, fine." Liu Rusi nodded repeatedly, her tone icy, "If He Yuzhu is pushed to the edge, he is capable of anything. Don't blame me for not warning you today!"

Having said this, she turned and left, her heels clicking crisply against the floor.

Watching the back of his daughter as she left in a rage, Shen Shichang slowly set down his teacup, a trace of chill flashing through his eyes as he muttered to himself, "Those who cannot be used by me... it is better to destroy them."