Petty Tricks
In the afternoon, during the free time.
Aiden brought Veronica outdoors, observing the prisoners on the courtyard through the iron railings.
The prisoners moved around in twos and threes on the courtyard, some lazily squatting and chatting on the side.
"After lunch, the prisoners have about half an hour of free time. it's a bit longer On rest days. Two prison guards are stationed under the courtyard, and each watchtower above is manned by one guard. The watchtowers are equipped with shotguns.
During this time, the riot squad patrols nearby and can respond promptly," Aiden explained the positions for managing prisoner's free time to Veronica.
"Hmm?, The courtyard here feels like it's covered by something," Veronica raised her head, and vaguely noticing a hemispherical barrier enveloping the entire area.
"This is an alchemical barrier that suppresses magic, the same as the one in the core area. This small courtyard is specifically for the use of prisoners from the core area, and they are managed separately from the prisoners in the regular section.
The prisoners in the core area are more dangerous to those in other sections, and some of them have a stronger influence over regular prisoners. Mixing them together can lead to trouble," Aiden explained carefully,
"There are four levels of alertness for the prisoners, distinguished by the color of their tags and uniforms, ranging from white to red. It's based on their own level of danger and cooperation. Most of the prisoners in the core area are either yellow or red."
At this moment, a female inmate noticed Aiden standing outside the railing and suddenly approached with a mischievous grin.
Veronica keenly noticed her and immediately became wary.
However, the female inmate then made a completely unexpected move – she faced Aiden, swiftly lifted her prison uniform, and then just as quickly put it back down.
Then, the female inmate stuck out her tongue at Aiden with an arrogant expression, "Hey, Boss, enjoy your bonus! Got a little excited, didn't you? Too bad you can see but not touch! Hahaha!"
(Tn: took this Comment from the raw)
(As a reader, I am very dissatisfied with the author's casual treatment of this scene. I urge the author to provide a more detailed description of what was under the clothes.)
A few female prisoners who were closer also joined in with some laughter.
Veronica looked cautiously at her superior beside her, unsure of how he would handle the situation. This flirtatious behavior was an obvious provocation, but it was also somewhat tricky to respond to.
Aiden, with a puzzled expression, squinted at the female prisoner for a moment, then suddenly spoke sharply, "What's going on!? How did a male prisoner end up in this prison?"
As soon as the words fell, the expression of the female inmate who taunted him immediately froze. The other prisoners were momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
Then, Aiden seemed to finally recognize her, and nodded in realization, and waved his hand, "Oh, it's you, prisoner 3319, my mistake."
The surrounding prisoners laughed even more joyously, but prisoner 3319 face turned as red as a beet.
"Screw you! Are you blind? I've got breasts, can't you damn see?" She cursed loudly while gesturing to lift her clothes again.
At this point, the prison guard who noticed the situation blew the whistle.
"Prisoner 3319! Do you think guards are pushovers? Causing trouble here, looking for a bullet, huh!?" The guard warned loudly, and at the same time, the guards on the watchtower aimed their shotguns in this direction.
The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point, and prisoner 3319's movements stopped – she had only wanted to taunt Aiden and establish some reputation among the inmates, and certainly not to risk her life challenging the guards' limits.
"Stop gathering there, what's the point? If you like it so much, how about you all cram into a solitary confinement cell? Huh?" The guard continued threatening the other inmates who were standing there.
Soon, the inmates dispersed, and prisoner 3319 walked away indignantly, muttering curses at the warden and the guards.
"Hmph, a petty trick, bringing shame to yourself," Aiden sneered dismissively.
"Are there many inmates like this?" Veronica couldn't help but think of the chaotic scenes in the core area every time Aiden patrolled there.
"In the regular sections, they're rare, but there are quite a few in the core area. New inmates often have strong oppositional emotions towards enforcers and will try various ways to humiliate and provoke the guards," Aiden explained.
"How should we handle situations like this?" Veronica sought advice from her superior.
"It depends on the situation. For most cases, just strictly follow the regulations. If it doesn't warrant a violation, then ignore her. She'll realize she's not getting anywhere and will naturally tone down.
Of course, there are some inmates who get more spirited the more you warn and punish them. In those cases, you might need to step on their pride a bit, and dampen their spirit.
You Can Use some non-violating methods to humiliate and embarrass them in front of other inmates. This way, they'll understand that going against the guards only leads to humiliation.
These types of inmates often don't care about punishment, and in fact, they see it as a way to establish a tough image among the prisoners.
They often value their reputation more, so humiliating them is more effective than simply penalizing them," Aiden explained.
"It feels… quite challenging," Veronica admitted.
"These are little tricks learned through experience. You don't need to remember all of this right away at the beginning. Just manage things strictly according to the rules. You don't need to tame every single inmate, just maintain order in the prison. And not all new inmates have that demeanor," Aiden said, looking out at the playground.
At this moment, a tall female prisoner approached along the track, nodding with a smile towards Aiden, "Good afternoon, Warden!"
Aiden nodded back, watching her pass, then turned to Veronica and said, "She just arrived yesterday. Occasionally, we do get inmates who are more cooperative right from the start. However, we can't let our guard down. The prisoners in the core area are all dangerous."
Veronica nodded and continued to scan the playground, suddenly noticing Evangeline sitting in the corner.
She saw Evangeline crouched in the shade, lowered her head, and staring at the ground.
"What is that child doing alone?" Veronica asked casually.
"She's observing ants. That's her interest," Aiden answered casually.
"She's always alone?"
"Yeah, she is. She has a generation gap with the other inmates, and…" Aiden paused,
"she's the 'Tainted Blood Reaper,' don't forget how she got that title. A drop of her blood can easily poison an adult, and there's no antidote for it.
Although she's undergone some purification treatment for her blood, she's still very dangerous. Honestly, when I get close to her, I'm a little afraid too. But you shouldn't have to worry too much, werewolves have a stronger resistance to poison than regular people."
"To be honest, I'm still can't believe it," Veronica said, somewhat dazed.
"It's true. Even if the Inquisition Bureau were trying to deceive, they wouldn't go to such extremes. She really is the genuine 'Tainted Blood Reaper,'" Aiden said in a subdued tone,
"She was trained by the assassin organization from birth, forged into a lethal weapon by someone's hands."