When I first encountered Leng Shuang from the Rong Sect in Anhai, I heard her mention that those who made a living from the Rong family always carried two knives.
One knife was hidden in their hand, but where the other was hidden, Leng Shuang did not reveal.
Today, I witnessed and personally experienced where the Rong Sect's second knife was hidden!
Just like Andy Lau’s character Ah King in "The God of Gamblers 2," the skinny monkey's accomplice, during a close-range attack, suddenly produced a blade from his mouth, aiming directly for my throat!
I had anticipated that Xiao Tianci would find someone to deal with me while I was incarcerated, but I never imagined he would dare to be so brazen!
The location chosen for this assassination attempt was actually inside a detention cell!
Without a doubt, I knew Xiao Tianci must have used his connections in the legitimate world to infiltrate the system.
Honestly, I was completely stunned at that moment!
In the nick of time, the Red-Eyed Vajra next to me, terrified out of his wits, immediately lunged and kicked the skinny monkey's accomplice!
*Bang!!!*
The muffled sound echoed as the accomplice's body made intimate contact with the wall in front of him, rendering him unconscious.
With a clatter, the blade fell to the ground.
After kicking the accomplice unconscious, the Red-Eyed Vajra, without a word, quickly walked to the cell door and began pounding on it frantically, shouting loudly.
"Guard! Guard..."
There's an unwritten rule in detention centers: fighting is allowed, but killing is absolutely forbidden!
A fight like the skinny monkey's, which aimed to kill, regardless of how his blade was smuggled in, whether he had connections outside, or any relationships inside...
If anything truly went wrong, it wouldn't just be the Red-Eyed Vajra who would be in trouble; even the guard responsible for that area would have their uniform stripped off!
Therefore, for such a principled issue that could cause trouble for a large group of people, both the cell bosses and the guards maintained a zero-tolerance attitude.
Within moments, a guard arrived and opened the window.
Upon hearing the Red-Eyed Vajra's report, the guard's face turned pale with shock, and he quickly fumbled for his keys to open the door.
Looking at the skinny monkey groaning on the floor, his unconscious accomplice, and the murder weapon, the blade.
As his color gradually returned, the guard's expression turned as dark as water, and his eyes welled up with surging anger.
Judging by his demeanor, he was likely unaware of the situation.
It made sense!
If the guard had been aware, his turning a blind eye would have been like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
It was either that these two "mechanics" were highly skilled and daring, managing to hide the blade in their mouths without being discovered, or there was an inside accomplice who opened the back door during the body search.
As for which possibility was more likely, it was none of our business.
In this assassination attempt, I, as the target, had narrowly escaped death.
And the Red-Eyed Vajra became the sole and greatest beneficiary.
For his brave and fearless actions, he received a verbal commendation from the entire facility and a substantial reward of three months off his sentence.
Everyone in the cell, including myself, expressed envy.
Although the Red-Eyed Vajra chose to turn a blind eye when benefits were involved, the fact that he saved my life could not be changed, even if it was also to absolve himself of responsibility.
However, a life-saving debt must be remembered.
And if there's an opportunity, it must be repaid.
After the assassination incident, the two mechanics were transferred to other cells by the guards, and our section returned to normal.
The first month of my detention, with its scare, passed without further incident.
However, I did not take the opportunity of early release to get some fresh air.
Ever since the assassination attempt, I had been vigilantly anticipating Xiao Tianci's next move.
From my understanding of Xiao Tianci, he was not someone who would dwell on failure; rather, he would immediately turn failure into motivation and try again.
If I had chosen to be released at that critical juncture, it would have been no different from walking into a trap and inviting my own death.
Moreover, when Luo Tuo and Cheng Minglang visited a couple of days ago, they explicitly told me that the situation outside was turbulent and unstable, and it would be best for me not to be released early.
Therefore, I applied to remain in the cell, citing physical discomfort.
And so, a few more peaceful days passed.
But it wasn't long before Xiao Tianci made his second move.
And this time, the location of his attack was not within the detention center, but during an outdoor labor reform assignment.
According to Chinese law, inmates in detention centers do not have to work, but they occasionally undergo necessary labor reform education.
Inmates within detention centers primarily receive education on law, morality, and essential situational and labor reform.
While ensuring safety and not interfering with criminal proceedings, detention centers can organize inmates for appropriate labor.
This can not only promote ideological change in the inmates but also help them improve their physical fitness.
The second month of detention, mid-month.
In the morning, all of us had breakfast as usual. We thought today would be another day of ideological education, but unexpectedly, an order came down stating that the ideological education had been changed to labor education.
All inmates were instructed to go to a large open area next to the detention center to dig and till the soil, as a self-sufficient small vegetable garden was to be built there.
Upon hearing that we had to work, everyone's mood instantly soured.
For no other reason than the fact that it had started drizzling since early that morning.
Although the rain wasn't heavy, the winter air was already cold and damp, and the rain made the air even more humid, feeling both cold and chilling.
No one wanted to work in such weather, but no one dared to resist.
Because we had no rights.
So, after breakfast, a large group of us were led out of the detention center to the barren land that had already been sectioned off into cultivation plots.
During labor reform, all inmates would be gathered together.
Although each cell still functioned as a small unit, if a cell had few people and the assigned plot was too large, the cell leader would request to borrow manpower from the guards to help.
Unfortunately, I was one of those who were "borrowed" to help other cells complete their assigned plot work.
In the detention center, where freedom and human rights were lost, people like us were all bricks and tiles, placed wherever we were needed.
When I received the guard's order, I said nothing, hardened my heart, and nodded in acceptance.
I thought that working anywhere was the same, and the sooner it was done, the better.
But what I didn't expect was that Xiao Tianci's second move was hidden within this outdoor labor reform assignment...
The plot I was assigned to was in an area managed by a cell with only nine inmates.
The cell leader was a middle-aged man nicknamed "Big Black Bear," whose appearance suggested he was not easy to get along with.
After the guard brought me over and left, this fellow immediately said to me, "You'll do all my work!"
"Get to it, I'm going to smoke a cigarette and take a break nearby!"