Chapter 123: The First Battle in Prison

Guided by Liu San, Ye Chen squeezed toward the front of the line. Meals in the prison were served in fixed portions, and those at the back often went hungry. The food was abysmal; the rice was nothing more than watery gruel, accompanied by wilted greens, radishes, or pumpkin.

If you wanted meat, it was simple: secretly slip the guards some money. On holidays, every inmate would get a slice of braised pork. Whenever inspectors or superiors visited, every bowl would be topped with a layer of meat, creating a facade of decency.

As a newcomer, Ye Chen managed to secure a meal with Liu San’s help. He sat at a table with his tray, joining the others who kept their heads low, not daring to look up. Over a dozen prison guards stood around, armed with batons and holstered pistols. Anyone who acted out would be brutally beaten—a lesson these men had learned countless times already.

Suddenly, applause erupted throughout the hall. Ye Chen looked up to see a massive, hulking man swaggering in, draped in a black cloak, his chest bare and covered in thick, dark hair. He was followed by four equally imposing giants. The man’s entrance drew cheers from the cafeteria, and the guards made no move to stop it.

"Boss, that’s Liu the Overlord!" Liu San whispered hurriedly in Ye Chen’s ear. "He’s a ferocious fighter; nobody can even get close to him. Plus, he has his 'Four Heavenly Kings' by his side, who are equally deadly. Liu the Overlord is the king of this prison. I hear he even drinks tea with the warden."

"Hmph, small-timer," Ye Chen scoffed.

Liu the Overlord began handing out cigarettes to win favor. He reached a table, and his Four Heavenly Kings immediately cleared the prisoners away. Liu jumped onto the table, and one of the Kings bellowed, "Any newcomers here? Get over here, serve tea, pour water, and bow to your boss!"

New arrivals, unfamiliar with the rules, were naturally reluctant to submit. Several men were shoved out from the crowd. Liu San nudged Ye Chen frantically. "Boss, if you don't want to get beaten, you’d better go, or else..."

"Ignore them. Let’s eat," Ye Chen said coolly.

"There’s another one here!" The Four Heavenly Kings were scouring the crowd, and one of them spotted Ye Chen. Several prisoners in uniforms moved to drive him away, but Ye Chen remained unmoved, continuing to eat. Liu San was so terrified he hunched over, burying his face in his tray. One of the Kings, the one calling himself the "Wide-Eyed Heavenly King," with bulging eyes, marched over and reached out to grab Ye Chen by the throat.

*Clang!*

Ye Chen slammed his metal tray directly into the man’s face. The deafening crash silenced the room. The Wide-Eyed King, stunned by the impact, saw stars, his sense of direction completely shattered. The metal tray had warped into a crude iron mask, the impression of his own features clearly stamped into the metal.

*Hiss...*

The crowd gasped. The prison had never lacked tough guys like Ye Chen, but none had ever lasted. Those who relied on a bit of skill usually acted arrogant, only to end up bloodied and broken by Liu the Overlord, sent to the infirmary, and upon their return, forced to serve tea and water on their knees.

Everyone naturally assumed Ye Chen would follow the same path. But nobody expected what would happen next.

"Interesting!" Liu the Overlord, standing on the table, laughed instead of getting angry. He clapped, jumped down, and began walking toward Ye Chen. The other prisoners swarmed around. Liu San was shaking so hard he had buried his entire face in his meal box. Liu the Overlord radiated an aura of dominance. With one of his Kings already knocked unconscious by Ye Chen, the remaining three followed close behind, ready to teach the newcomer a lesson.

They cracked their knuckles, the sound echoing in the hall. Liu the Overlord crossed his arms and stopped before Ye Chen. "What’s your name, brother?"

"Ye Chen."

"You’re Ye Chen?" Liu the Overlord paused, stunned. This was the man he had been warned about repeatedly. Not just from outside the prison, but even Zhang Dadan, the true king of the prison, had warned him to crush Ye Chen the moment he arrived, regardless of the consequences. Yan Er had also sent word to have him beaten, though without killing him. Liu the Overlord had heard the name so often he felt like he knew him; anyone drawing attention from such heavy hitters couldn't be simple.

"That’s right," Ye Chen nodded, sneering. "Tell Zhang Dadan to come out. I imagine he’s been waiting for me for quite a while, hasn't he?"

"Hmph, you think you’re worthy of seeing Boss Dadan?" Liu the Overlord waved his hand. "Give him a taste of what we’ve got!"

"With pleasure!" The three thugs surrounded Ye Chen. They had learned plenty of cruel tricks under Liu—dunking heads in toilets, other unspeakable torments. Ye Chen stood straight, unfazed, and said coldly, "You few aren't even enough to warm me up."

"Shut your mouth, kid!" The three lunged forward with clenched fists. One threw a punch aimed straight at Ye Chen’s temple. Based on the speed and force, he was clearly trained, but such amateur skills were a joke to Ye Chen. He stepped forward, caught the man’s arm with one hand, and drove his knee hard into the man’s armpit.

The armpit is one of the most vulnerable points on the human body. The man collapsed, twitching like a boiled shrimp. Ye Chen shoved him aside, and he hit the floor, unable to rise. That was the "Growth Heavenly King" down. Two remained: the "Upholder Heavenly King" and the "Wide-Hearing Heavenly King."

Liu the Overlord gave a cruel smile. "All together now. Finish this blind fool."

"Yes!" The two remaining Kings lunged, pulling daggers from their clothes. The sight of the blades made the crowd gasp—it seemed Liu the Overlord was done playing around. But even together, they were no match for Ye Chen. He met them head-on.

With a whirlwind kick, Ye Chen sent the Upholder Heavenly King sprawling, his dagger skittering away at an odd angle. The Wide-Hearing Heavenly King seized the chance, slashing his blade toward Ye Chen’s back.

*Rip!*

The blade tore through the back of Ye Chen’s shirt, nearly grazing his skin. As the fabric shredded, the crowd went silent. Ye Chen’s back was a tapestry of scars, resembling a cluster of centipedes crawling across his skin. Ye Chen pulled off his ruined shirt entirely, and the sheer number of scars left everyone in the room stunned.

Scars are the honor of a man, and for a soldier, they are undeniable proof of service. Some men flaunted a single scar as if it were a treasure, but compared to Ye Chen, their "trophies" were nothing.

*Whoa...*

The room erupted in a murmur. Everyone stared at Ye Chen’s scarred back as if witnessing a miracle. Ye Chen sneered, "Liu the Overlord, if I don't turn you into Liu the Turtle today, I’ll take your last name!"

Ye Chen lunged at the Wide-Hearing Heavenly King, knocking him out in a blink. Liu the Overlord’s four lackeys were all down, yet the Overlord himself stood unmoved. Ye Chen beckoned to him with a finger. "Your turn."

"Hmph!" Liu the Overlord chuckled coldly, tossing his cloak to a subordinate. He was over six-foot-three, broad-shouldered, and covered in thick, dark hair—to any onlooker, he looked like a gorilla that had escaped from the zoo.

"Kid, you’ve got guts," Liu said. "But do you really think your skills are enough to beat me?"

Before he could finish, two crisp voices rang out. "What if you add us to the mix?"

Ye Chen paused and turned around, startled. "Rat, Shrimp? How did you two get in here?"

"Heh, Boss!" Rat rubbed his freshly shaven head and grinned. "We were worried about you. Prisons are dark places, so Shrimp and I just went out and committed some crimes on the street to get ourselves locked up!"

"Damn, you could have committed any crime," Shrimp grumbled at Rat. "You had to go and grope a woman's backside! I know you were just taking advantage of the situation."

"Don't talk to me, you're no better!" Rat glared back. "I groped a woman because of a man's needs. What about you? You snatched a lollipop from a kid, and you’re a creep for it! Not only that, you shoved the lollipop into the kid's mother's cleavage... oh, man..."