The doctor was trembling with fear. Tou’er gave him a sideways glance and quickly said, "He’s fine, he’s fine, Brother Yuan. Don’t pay attention to him; he’s the sick one!"
Fatty grinned foolishly and patted Tou’er on the shoulder, praising, "Hi! I like you!" He craned his neck to look at Rex, confusedly asking, "Why hasn’t big brother woken up yet?"
Tou’er thought to himself, "Damn it, you beat Rex up this badly, and now you’re playing innocent. Compared to Andre, Rex is just an idiot who rides on others’ coattails. What’s the big deal about him being the boss? Only someone like him who took a beating from you could manage to call you off." Internally puzzled, he quickly put on a smile and said, "Big brother hasn’t been feeling well these past couple of days. He’ll be fine after some rest. By the way, Brother Yuan, did the guard assign you any work?"
Fatty scratched his head, thought for a long while, and said, "I think it’s some industrial machinery repair work in the mechanical workshop. They said it pays twenty Canadian Dollars a day." He spat and said, "Damn it, what can you buy with twenty bucks a day? Back in the day, when I was outside, who dared to question my mechanical skills without an approving word?"
Seeing Fatty bragging, Tou’er chimed in, "Absolutely, absolutely. One look at you, Brother Yuan, and I knew you were a skilled person!"
Fatty laughed heartily, then mysteriously said to Tou’er, "Let me tell you a secret. I’m from the Mythical Army. Before I got caught, I was the head of the Mecha Research Department!" His boastful face made people want to slap him to death. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
Dr. and the others’ mouths fell open in astonishment. Damn it, lucky they didn’t kill this Fatty. No matter how he ended up here, just his identity alone means no one can touch him! Who knows when the Mythical Army might come looking for him? If they found out he was beaten to death, everyone, including Andre, would be dead. An officer from the Mythical Army could kill any of them like squashing an ant!
Seeing the reverence in their eyes, Fatty basked in it for a long time before finally saying dejectedly, "Damn it, I don’t know who framed me as a spy and got me locked up." He looked at Tou’er earnestly and said, "Do you think someone like me could be a spy?"
Tou’er wouldn’t dare say yes. If Fatty snapped and went on a rampage, his own days would be numbered. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Of course not, Brother Yuan. One look at you and anyone can tell you’re an honest, trustworthy person. How could you be a spy?"
Fatty, happy again, said in a boisterous tone, "Good, good, you have good sense!" He looked at Little Lingtong and the others nearby and laughed, "You all seem pretty good! From now on, we’re friends. You’ve got to look out for me here."
"Look out for you?" They were caught between laughing and crying. They thought, "With your size, even if we mashed you into a pot lid, we couldn’t cover you. Besides, seeing you lose it, who’s looking out for whom?" They all thought Fatty was really out of touch.
Tou’er brought over a breakfast, placed it in front of Fatty, and said, "Brother Yuan, this is the breakfast they just delivered. You should eat it. You have to start work soon, and you won’t hold up if you don’t eat."
Fatty took the bowl and began wolfing it down. He looked famished. Seeing him eat so happily, Tou’er hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Brother Yuan, brother Andre wants to see you."
Fatty froze, "Andre?" His face contorted in mock pain, clutching his stomach as if he had menstrual cramps. After thinking for a long time, he finally slapped his belly and said, "I remember now, that’s the guy who came to see me yesterday, right?"
Tou’er was speechless. Others might slap their foreheads, but this guy slapped his belly. Nobody knew where his brain was located. Hearing Fatty, he quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, that’s him. He’s Rex’s boss."
Fatty looked puzzled, "Didn’t he see me yesterday? Why does he want to see me today?"
"Well... Brother Andre thinks you’re quite impressive and wants to have a chat, make friends." In truth, Tou’er had no idea what Andre wanted with Fatty. Stabbing someone to death during work in the crowded yard wasn’t uncommon; it could happen anytime in the workshop. He just had to trick Fatty into going, and whatever happened next wasn’t his concern.
"Oh?" Fatty looked easily fooled, grinning, "Wherever I go, people think highly of me." His smug face made Tou’er feel superior to this vile Fatty.
Just then, the cell door auto-opened, and a guard holding an electronic clipboard walked in, shouting, "Zhang Yuan, who the hell is Zhang Yuan?"
Fatty quickly put down the food tray, stood up flatteringly, and said, "Officer, I’m Zhang Yuan."
The guard wasn’t charmed by Fatty’s groveling demeanor. He kicked Fatty and yelled, "Damn it, you skipped work your first day in here. Did you read the rules or shove them down your stomach?"
Fatty bowed and scraped, "Forgive me, officer. I didn’t know the rules. I won’t do it again. Never again."
The guard coldly said, "Skipping work three times without cause gets you a month in solitary confinement. If you want to try it, go ahead!" He glanced at Rex still unconscious, snorted, and walked out.
Fatty, looking humiliated, turned to Tou’er and asked, "Is solitary that bad?"
Tou’er, terrified, said, "Brother Yuan, never go there. It’s a two cubic-meter box where you can only lie down or sit, not even stand. Eating, drinking, and everything else happens inside. You’ll go mad after a month."