Chapter 34: If You Think Jail is Bad, Wait Until You Meet the Inmates

Jaden had only been in jail for one hour and he already hated it. 

The jail itself was kind of what you'd expect from a floating fortress built in Germany. It was very 1800s military style. Definitely not Jaden's favorite type of interior design. The guards wore armored suits looking kind of like mechas with room for the face to be exposed.

Supposedly, they provided extreme defense stat boost against systems. Jaden hadn't bothered to test that out. 

A guard led Jaden down a hallway and roughly pushed him into a jail cell. "Hehe, you'll stay here until we figure out…your system. And then…we will move you. Hehe."

Why did he make that sound so sinister!?

If Jaden had a cellmate, he didn't bother to notice him. Jaden was depressed. He went right to a corner of the room and sat down.

His life was pretty much ruined, and he had lost his purpose. Even if he got out of here, surely his business wouldn't want him back! What sort of self-respecting New York business would want someone coming straight from the world's worst prison!

And that wasn't even taking into account what had happened in the Philippines. He was now the official enemy of the strongest man in the world. Jaden couldn't be more excited about that one. 

And that damn comedian…..

Jaden punched the wall. He wished he was punching Giuseppe P. Komedy instead. If only he had been a bit stronger, he could have saved…no, even if he could have beat Sofia, he could have prevented this.

Jaden always hated it inside of online novels when the main character went through a brooding depressed phase. It was just plain annoying! He always wondered why they just didn't suck it up and go back to normal. Now he completely understood. Poor main characters, Jaden would never scream at them in anger again and demand they go back to their cheerful former selves. He wished he could go back in time and give each of them a hug.

And then Jaden felt the awkward feeling of someone giving him a hug from behind. 

He had been joking!! No self-respecting main character actually wanted a hug from a stranger!!

Jaden jumped out of the hug, turned around and saw for the first time his cellmate. Jaden should have been prepared for stupid looking people by now, but this was really something.

He was absolutely huge, with the muscles of a proper bodybuilder. However, his face didn't match at all!! It was a pretty, feminine face framed with silky long black hair. However, his bangs were slicked straight up! Quite frankly, it didn't work! It didn't look good! 

Some people are just not made for bodybuilding. 

One hand was resting on his hip. The other hand was lifting a weight up and down so fast Jaden could hardly follow it. On his face was an expression of comfort. He looked so calm and serene Jaden almost felt a bit better.

"Do not stand there all alone, together we can make it through this." 

Such motivational words, Jaden was moved! 

"I am Arthur. There is no need to look so sad. Whatever you have done, it can't compare to my crime." He looked so sorrowful, Jaden felt almost a bit bad being depressed himself. 

What terrible crime had he committed? Was Jaden in the presence of someone with the "Murder System"!? 

"I will tell you. I come from England, and there is a place there called the London Zoo. I went to the zoo one day, and couldn't restrain myself."

Jaden paled. He didn't remember a mass-murder incident occurring at the London Zoo, but he must have missed the news report. 

"...I took my weight out…"

Jaden imagined him smashing someone's head in with the heavy weight.

"...and I threw it at the bars, releasing every last Aye-Aye. And… I would do it again. Pra-Fah-Fryah!!" With that odd laugh, his eyes bugged out and his mouth opened into an insane grin.

Jaden's mouth opened wide as well.

How the hell could anyone be so dumb!? What sort of crime was that?? Why specifically the Aye-Ayes!? Jaden honestly didn't know what to say. 

"But do not worry. We will survive! I have a secret. Did you know…" He leaned down to whisper in Jaden's ear. "There are things in this world called 'systems'."

Yes, Jaden was pretty sure every person, from a child to an old person knew that systems existed. 

"And I have the strongest. I can go up levels in a second."

That sounded kind of useful. "Really? Even without fighting?" Perhaps having such a strong system-user on his side would be helpful in this dangerous place.

Arthur nodded gravely. "Every time I lift a weight, my strength points go up by one. There is no drawback, except one."

That sounded like a pretty useful power. No wonder he had been locked up here.

"The only drawback is that every time my strength stat goes up, my IQ goes down."

Hold up, what!!? That was a huge drawback!! IQ can't go up that high, even if this man started off as a genius, he was bound to be an idiot by the end of even one workout!

And he kept on lifting his weight, over and over. Aaaah, stop that! He was already too dumb!

Arthur smiled and held out his fist for a fistbump. "Want to become my sidekick? Together, we'll take over this prison."

Hell no!