CH 23.4

Lin Yi is slow on the uptake, only realising why Ye Wang is looking at him after the conversation has stopped for a moment.

He looks around him. The other prison officers have already retreated some distance away, loosely forming what is actually a watertight net around them.

In the net are only the three of them.

Lin Yi points to himself. Ye Wang nods.

He looks at Jiang Yiyi.

Jiang Yiyi also motions to his back. Lin Yi shrugs and turns to walk away.

Jiang Yiyi and Ye Wang are now alone in the circle.

“In return, I will be on your side…” Ye Wang pauses, “no matter the circumstances.”

“I thought you would naturally be on my side?” Jiang Yiyi tells Ye Wang, “I still have not received the compensation your younger brother should have given me.”

“I should have no reason to believe that, the two of you will renege on it, is that right?”

Ye Wang’s forehead twitches. Jiang Yiyi’s tone may be calm as always, but it would be unwise to ignore the hidden danger within.

He truly is facing Jiang Yiyi, a prisoner who has moved from the first floor down to the fourth floor, in only two months.

There are two types of prisoners in Stargaol. The first type is incarcerated in, for example, the first floor, and gets transferred along to other floors. These are the normal ones; the other ones are special individuals who find themselves on the bottom floor since the very beginning.

The first ones are simple prisoners, the latter are extremely dangerous.

For the simple prisoners, each time a transfer is applied, evaluation takes a long time before it is completed——Jiang Yiyi has been the only exception to move four floors in two months, proving his danger.

While, for those dangerous individuals, they easily warrant being sent to the bottom floor straight ahead. Most will never even have had the opportunity to see other normal people in Stargaol——Jiang Yiyi has been the only exception again. He is not only able to avoid being sent there, but he is even going through the process like any normal prisoner, proving his craftiness.

Following the rules is unimpressive; flouting the rules, and now we’re talking.

Danger is quite a vague term that suits any scene specific enough. Say, an unarmed person and a hungry tiger, or your everyday Joe and a knife-wielding murderer at large. Both scenarios have the property of ‘danger.’

However, for hunters powerful enough, the danger posed by tigers diminishes greatly. For fully armed riot police, a knife-wielding murderer isn’t going to be much threatening either.

Most of the time, the Coordinators and other authority figures of Stargaol are the armed and ready hunters. They are adepts at dealing with dangerous substances.

Jiang Yiyi is different from other dangerous substances, because——Beside the danger, he simply excels in all areas, far more than the average person.

Or put simply, Jiang Yiyi is a literal genius——A unique sort of genius.

Such as can be found aplenty on the bottom floor, where the many insane geniuses can be found. Yet, none of them could have been like Jiang Yiyi – entering alone, on official grounds, and stir up trouble wherever he goes.

“I do not know about what the higher-ups in Starfleet are thinking.” Ye Wang is carefully distancing himself here, “I do not work for them.”

“If so, then do ask your younger brother for me when you have the time,” Jiang Yiyi gives him a smile, “and tell him this. I can cure Lunatic, and so can I return him to lunacy.”

Ye Wang swallows. He is clearly dominated here. The relaxed tone he had when offering to make a deal is already gone. He just experienced the truth behind all those warnings he has received for sure.

“Do not make contact with him. If absolutely necessary, end it as soon as possible.”

“Isolate him from everyone else in the very beginning.”

“Do not stare into the abyss.”

“Your face is looking terrible.” Jiang Yiyi is familiar with the expression on Ye Wang. In fact, he’s seen many different people make the same face since entering Stargaol, “you are…”

Jiang Yiyi pauses, then carefully observes every slightest change in Ye Wang’s demeanour, “scared of me?”

Ye Wang takes a step back, creating a distance with Jiang Yiyi.

A step of reflex, the same reflex that draws fish to water and birds to the sky. Being too close to Jiang Yiyi is uncomfortable.

“Somewhat.” Ye Wang does not deny it. Instead, he praises Jiang Yiyi, “Doctor, you certainly live up to the rumours.”

“Tell me about what you are willing to offer once more.” Jiang Yiyi shakes his head, “not the one you just mentioned. It’s a joke.”

What is so funny about that offer, is that Jiang Yiyi couldn’t care less if Ye Wang was or was not on the side of him.

The price he is willing to offer…

Ye Wang withholds an answer for seconds. His mind is churning, as he is experiencing the same feelings his many colleagues have also felt – hesitant and lost.

Ye Wang has a file on Jiang Yiyi. Outside of the ridiculously immaculate biography, it also includes everything he’s done so far after being incarcerated, including edits and notes from Coordinators of each floor in turn. In his hands, it is a heavy pile——Heavy, for there are even several pages in an appendix that includes behavioural analysis and psychological evaluations.

In the conclusion, though, is but a simple paragraph – Overall, he is extremely dangerous. A master of psychological manipulation. No known weaknesses or hobbies. Executes plans flawlessly, leaving no trance of himself. Therefore, all are advised against any degree of contact with him.

There is also a part that stood out to Ye Wang when he read the report. It is a note made by Butcher, the Coordinator of the second floor – We are led to believe that, when we gaze into the abyss, so too does the abyss gaze right back into us.

Before actually talking to Jiang Yiyi, Ye Wang felt that the file was quite an interesting, but dramatically exaggerated read.

Right now…

He is certain, every single choice of wording was chosen with the utmost care within.

“What I can offer may be less than you think…” Ye Wang deliberates his choice of words, “if we cannot reach a deal, then I must inform you that, regrettably, the fourth floor will only be able to offer you the same as on the third floor.”

Jiang Yiyi is intrigued.

“Are you threatening me?”

Ye Wang checks the distance between them once more, before shaking his head, pleading, “I believe you can understand. This is only for… safety.”

“Doctor, you should know you are too dangerous for the fourth floor. If we cannot reach a deal, I will have to ensure the safety of the others with other means.”

“I think you are quite foolish right now.” Jiang Yiyi advises him, “provoking me only ever makes things spiral downhill.”

Ye Wang has something to say——Like the fact that he is definitely not trying to provoke him.

Jiang Yiyi does not give him the opportunity, “nothing happened on the third floor. You people have concluded that that must mean it is an effective means of mitigating danger.”

“However, the correct conclusion, should be that nothing happened, because I did nothing.”

Although Ye Wang really wants to ask what he can do if completely isolated from all other prison officers and prisoners, considering that this is Jiang Yiyi, Ye Wang simply accepts this for now.

Voicing his question, in order to have him put his words into action to prove it once and for all? ——Ye Wang, himself of normal intellect, believes he would rather not make more trouble for himself.