Subverting The World [Cyber] - Chapter 9
During the first week, neither the narrative nor the prisoners made much headway.
Getting up at four in the morning was extremely challenging. After their energy was drained, they basically did nothing for the entire week.
The narrative insisted on aligning her schedule perfectly with that of the prisoners.
So when the prisoners woke up at four, they saw her standing by the washbasins, watching the bionic guards hand out soap and toothpaste, then collect them one by one.
Lunch had also been changed: now they ate inside their cells. After eating, they left their trays at the door for uniform collection.
The daily confinement period in Ward 1 was extended to 23 hours, with only one hour allowed for outdoor time—and that only for good behavior.
Shi Xu installed a row of iron cages in the large yard, topped with barbed wire, and built walkways for patrols.
There was nothing inside these cages except space to pace in circles.
The prisoners could only stare at the sky, obscured by the barbed wire overhead.
—this was the consequence they deserved.
Throughout this week, Shi Xu focused on checking the names of many prisoners according to AI-generated rankings, especially those known for their strength or notoriety outside.
So, apart from overseeing the prison adjustments, she rarely appeared within the prison compound.
She wanted to project the image of a warden who showed initial interest but didn’t really involve herself long-term.
How many believed it? If even one did, that was enough; and if she could fool one person at a time, that was a success.
Shi Xu reviewed the data she collected daily that week and prepared to tally everything.
No matter what, they were all planning to escape.
Shi Xu entered the No. 2 prison area. The usually noisy zone fell silent, all eyes on her until she stopped in front of an unlucky prisoner. The others breathed out in relief.
She sneered at a prisoner sitting on the bed: “Search for contraband.”
“How come you search me and not the others?” Prisoner No. 459 shot back defiantly.
Shi Xu gave him a faint glance and asked softly, “Prisoner 459, have you noticed a lot of forks missing from the kitchen lately?”
459’s hair bristled but he denied it: “I don’t know. How would I keep track of forks? Maybe they just fell somewhere.”
“If no one took them, would you want them all for yourself?” Shi Xu said plainly. “Lift him up and search him.”
The bionic guard obeyed, hauling him off the bed.
Shi Xu lifted the mattress but found nothing hidden beneath.
“I told you, there’s nothing here,” the prisoner said, sweating but defiant.
Shi Xu smiled, “Now you have to eat nutritional cream with a spoon.”
She pointed to the ventilation duct and ordered the bionic guard to remove the barbed wire fence covering it.
As it was dismantled, an iron fork clattered onto the floor.
She pointed at it with her foot. “These are the eighty forks stolen from the kitchen in one week.”
“How did you figure it out?” the prisoner asked.
“You slept like a cactus under your butt a few days ago. You stopped moving only two days ago, so I guessed you hid the forks there.”
He smiled slyly, “Yeah, it’s in the vent. Too bad your side’s pipes are narrow.”
“Lock him up,” Shi Xu waved and moved on to the next cell.
The next few cells showed nothing unusual.
She went from room to room until stopping at one cell, scratching her head, speechless.
“You… Can you explain why you have an extra hand?” she asked, pointing.
The prisoner feigned ignorance. “Huh? No, I’ve always had this hand. Wouldn’t it be inconvenient otherwise?”
Shi Xu pulled up his records. Photos and surveillance footage from just a week ago showed he only had one hand.
“Remove his extra hand,” she ordered immediately.
[Repair player MAX type]
The font of his name was very clear—everything was documented!
This extra arm was just a mechanical prosthetic!
This prisoner reminded her that outside help was a crucial factor, including contraband sent in by family or friends.
Shi Xu planned to inspect incoming deliveries after finishing cell inspections.
She surveyed the prison as a whole, using her abilities only when something seemed clearly off.
For prisoners who behaved well, she granted extra meals. Those on nutritional cream barely able to eat showed lip service.
Shi Xu continued walking and suddenly stopped at Cell No. 78, holding an iron railing.
“Why are you drying towels on the bed frame?”
“Is that a problem?” the prisoner asked politely, adjusting his golden glasses. “I have mysophobia—I don’t want my towel touching someone else’s.”
Shi Xu stared at him, and he met her gaze evenly.
She moved a few steps to another cell.
Just as Prisoner No. 78 thought she had left, Shi Xu turned back.
“Open the door,” she told the bionic guard.
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking the room, of course.”
“You said you have mysophobia, right?” Shi Xu smiled. “Let’s see if the hygiene here fits with that.”
“No, I can only control myself. My roommate isn’t as clean and walks on the bed without washing his feet.”
Shi Xu grabbed his bedding, shook it, and even stepped onto his bed to reach the ceiling.
No. 78’s expression shifted several times but he remained silent.
She noticed his roommate drinking water.
Water?
“Stop him!” Shi Xu suddenly ordered. “Take his cup away! Don’t let him finish it!”
The bionic guard forced the roommate down and snatched the glass.
Shi Xu inspected it—only some leftover toothpaste inside.
She looked deeply at both men before leaving quietly.
Something was definitely wrong with these two.
Yet her ability had only detected one clue.
[Residual toothpaste]
There were no illusions in prison.
Shi Xu trusted her instincts—if something felt off, it was.
“Keep an eye on these two,” she told the bionic guard.
The guard nodded in acknowledgment.
Without direct evidence, the two could not be locked up immediately.
After Shi Xu finished the search and left, Prisoner No. 78 swapped towels with another prisoner in the camera blind spot during a guard shift change.
Once he got his own towel back, he sighed with relief.
Fortunately.
She switched to bionic guards.
Bionic guards were easier to control than real humans but had weaknesses real people didn’t.
For example, most followed strict protocols; if nothing changed, they never would.
Finding the flaws of real guards meant careful comparison and memorization of their habits.
Bionic guards?
Just one flaw.
That was all.
All guards shared the same flaw!
No. 78 smiled.
Thankfully she had replaced real guards with bionic ones, or things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
When Shi Xu wasn’t paying attention to their cell, he swapped towels with the inmates next door.
The towel was just a cover-up.
Because the towel wasn’t his at all!
If Shi Xu had checked the towel carefully, she would have noticed the smell wasn’t his.
But she wasn’t that obsessive yet. She only noticed the visual blind spot hidden by the towel.
Their plan to hide the truth was a complete success.
He had been preparing the escape for months, long before Shi Xu arrived.
The new rules were perfect.
Prisoner No. 78 went to the back of the cell and pressed the flush twice.
It was his code.
Next door, a flush followed once.
—The plan remained unchanged.
—Escape tonight.
No. 78 dressed and headed to the courtyard where he was to go out that night.
Two hours remained before lights out.
Current time: 17:00.
On the other side—
17:35.
Shi Xu finished tallying all bathroom product consumption and ordered soap replenishments.
She knocked on every tile in the bathroom.
When she came to some tiles prepared to be loose, she pried them open and found a hammer, a folding shovel, and a small pistol.
—These prisoners didn’t even question why such perfect loose masonry existed in the bathroom.
Shi Xu easily confiscated the items.
18:45.
Shi Xu went to the mailroom responsible for inspecting prisoner packages.
It had an X-ray machine to detect contraband.
She began checking recent shipments.
Some items caught her attention.
Just as she leaned in for a closer look, a harsh siren blared through the prison.
She opened the comms: “Where?”
“Warden! A prisoner escaped during ventilation time!”
“Understood, lock down the entire prison.”
Current time: 19:00.
Lights out.