Chapter 3

For more chapters (10+) or if you want to support me, visit https://www.patreon.com/FFAddict. Thank you!

"Inciting trouble and disrupting public order. Arrest them all and shut this place down," the leading middle-aged man ordered with a dismissive wave, not even glancing at Justin and the others.

"This is just unreasonable... Such blatant collusion between officials and thugs," Justin thought. If Jinx were here, she probably wouldn't have hesitated to shoot the man. The thought made his own fingers itch as he began contemplating escape routes after shooting.

"Don't act rashly," Isaac whispered from behind, "Throw a smoke bomb, and we'll escape through the back door."

Justin nodded, then a thought occurred to him: wasn't this the perfect chance to get to Stillwater Hold? Since the legitimate path was blocked, the only way to find Vi was through this method.

"You go, I'll cover," he said quickly, without time to explain his reasoning. "Just calm Jinx down for me, tell her... I had a great time at your shop and will be back in a few days."

Never thought I, a law-abiding citizen, would end up in Stillwater Hold someday... Justin mused as he put on the prison uniform and had his photo taken. He decided to make the best of the situation, even taking the time to look around. Stillwater Hold was built into an abandoned mine; the entire prison was embedded within the mountain, lacking any exits aside from the main gate. The original mine tunnels had been transformed into cells, a dining hall, and other facilities, all connected by a complex network of passages. After being guided through the place, Justin had lost all sense of direction. Even without a guard, escape seemed implausible.

The chances of a prison break were virtually zero. Given the prison's design, unless he slowly dug a tunnel, he'd have no choice but to storm the main gate. Silco's target was the old lady's shop; he shouldn't have his sights on me. Though Justin was prepared for being framed, he still wanted to fight back, rehearsing his defense for the interrogation he expected.

"When are you going to interrogate me?" Justin finally asked a nearby guard after a long wait with no one coming to question him. "At most, I'm guilty of excessive self-defense or inciting a fight, right? None of Silco's men died, surely I won't be charged with murder..."

"Heh," the guard scoffed dismissively, saying nothing more. Why do I have a bad feeling about this...

Eventually, someone arrived, but it wasn't the officer responsible for interrogations. Instead, it was... a doctor?

"Open your mouth," the doctor commanded. Though wearing a mask and gloves, he didn't seem particularly concerned with hygiene; his lab coat hung open, and his hair was a mess.

"Open it for what?"

"Health check!" The doctor, appearing impatient, motioned for two guards to seize Justin.

"Why a health check? I haven't even been sentenced yet! Ugh!"

"Turn over." This so-called health check seemed just a formality. Whoever this doctor was, he was clearly not thorough—or perhaps he thought people from the undercity weren't worth taking seriously.

"Hey! Why are you pulling down my pants? No, no, please! Ahhh!!!!!!"

After the health check, Justin was thrown into a cell as haphazardly as a pig in a pen. Clutching the bars, he was filled with regret for not putting up a fight earlier.

Even after being there for several years, Justin instinctively thought like a civilized person. No wonder they all called him an uptown young master. If he truly were from the upper city, it wouldn't matter, but he was clearly just a lowly resident of the lower city. 

"Hey, a newbie has arrived." An unfriendly gaze came from behind Justin. The young man sighed deeply, turned his head, and said apologetically, "Sorry, I was lost in thought and forgot to greet my new cellmates." With that, Justin swung his fist straight at the guy's head! "This is how we greet people in Zaun."

"Hey, kid, what do you think you're doing?" The other prisoners in the cell stood up and encircled him. "Great, come at me all together then." Justin considered himself a reasonable person, but unfortunately, reason alone wasn't enough to survive in the undercity; fists were also necessary. The former bookish kid from a small town couldn't have imagined that he'd ever become so adept at fighting. First, he delivered a Spartan kick to incapacitate the guy charging at him, then leisurely retreated to avoid the attackers from each side. These guys punched quickly but with full force, and when they missed, they left their flanks exposed. Justin weaved and dodged with ease, dispatching them efficiently without even a scrape on his clothes.

After clearing the room, Justin sat down on the leader of the group and began to lecture them, "Lu Xun once said, 'The brave are angry and draw their blades against the stronger; the cowardly are angry and draw their blades against the weaker.' We are all unfortunate souls from the undercity, fellow sufferers to some extent. How can you bear to target a frail newcomer like me instead of those oppressive guards?" He added a couple of timely coughs, which weren't for effect. Justin never quite got used to the air in the undercity and developed bronchitis; vigorous activity would always make him cough.

"Frail, my foot! And besides, you started the fight!" The prisoners could only swallow their indignation, huddled like chicks in the corner. "Don't be afraid, I'm actually a nice guy," Justin assured them with a friendly smile. "I'll ask you a few questions now, and you just need to answer them honestly, alright?"

"Knocking out an entire cell of inmates on his first day in? I remember only a violent maniac from a few years back achieving such a 'feat,'" the warden mused, looking at Justin's file. The muscles on his face twisted into what seemed like a smile. "It's been a while since I've seen an entertaining show. Lock them in an isolation room—only one ration per day, let them fight for it."

Heavy shackles bound Justin's limbs as guards escorted him from the cell into a secluded mineshaft. It seemed like a dead end, with nothing but a heavy iron door at the end. With the sound of a powerful air pump, the iron door opened with a roar. As Justin anticipated, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure awaited inside. Strangely, the guards even removed the shackles from his hands and feet, and the figure inside was also stretching, as if just freed from restraint.