Chapter 279: Each Sizing the Other Up as Weak The next evening, Franda once again knocked on Aiden's office door. "Inmate 3677's orientation is complete," Franda reported to Aiden. "After a night in solitary, has she settled down at all?" Aiden slowed his work and asked casually. "No, she showed absolutely no intention of cooperating. It reached the point where she could have been sent back to solitary. If Veronica hadn't been watching her in the orientation room, I suspect she would have flipped the table." "Hm, as expected," Aiden looked up. "Should we take her to her cell now? Or..." Franda asked hesitantly. "Honestly, given her current state, I think she might cause trouble if she goes into a cell right now." Aiden understood Franda's implication. Since Anne had been so uncooperative during orientation, they had grounds to keep her in solitary longer to further break her spirit. "No need. Her current arrogance stems entirely from her firm belief that she'll escape this prison sooner or later. No matter how we discipline her, it's useless. Take her to her cell..." Aiden paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering something. "By the way, which cell was she assigned to?" "Cell Block Thirteen again?" Aiden frowned slightly. "Yes, the previous inmate was a fugitive from Gistas. She was extradited last week, leaving the cell vacant. It was assigned sequentially... and it just happened to be this one," Franda replied. "Should we change it?" Aiden waved his hand. "No need. Let her stay with that succubus and see what happens. An inmate with escape intentions might be persuaded otherwise by staying with her. Fei only has about half a year left on her sentence; unless she's completely lost her mind, she wouldn't attempt an escape." "But what if she starts trouble and a conflict breaks out..." "Then Fei will teach her some manners," Aiden answered calmly. "Fei might not have any outstanding skills, but she's a veteran who's been incarcerated five times. She won't be easily bullied by a pirate who only knows a bit of black magic." Evening fell. The inmates of the Core Block finished their day's labor, ate dinner, had their recreation time, and temporarily returned to their respective cells. Veronica escorted the new inmate, 3677, Anne Drake, into the Core Block, pushing her towards the door of Cell Block Thirteen. Fei, who had been lying on her bed flipping through a contraband magazine, heard the approaching footsteps. She abruptly rolled over, stuffing the magazine under her folded blanket. "Inmate 3307, what are you doing?" Veronica noticed her unnatural, swift movement and frowned. Thɪs chapter is updated by novｅlfire.net "Nothing, sis! Just doing some yoga on the bed!" Fei sat cross-legged on her bunk, giving Veronica a strained laugh. "...Everything in moderation, you know," Veronica shook her head. Having shared a cell with Fei before, she knew exactly what the succubus was like. She unlocked the cell door with her key and gestured for Anne to enter. "New cellmate. Try to get along," Veronica said before closing and locking the door, then leaving immediately. Fei instinctively sized Anne up: a defiant expression, trying too hard to avoid looking weak, overall presence far removed from the truly formidable figures in prison. Judging by the color of her uniform, her security level was merely blue. At the same time, Anne looked her new cellmate up and down: the horns on her head, that tail... clearly a succubus. Succubi didn't possess particularly outstanding direct combat abilities; once their magic was sealed, they were basically no different from ordinary humans. After observing each other, the exact same thought surfaced in both their minds simultaneously: She looks pretty weak. "Welcome, sis! You can just call me Fei. If there's anything you don't understand around here, feel free to ask me." After a brief moment of thought, Fei quickly put on a friendly and approachable expression, initiating conversation. "You don't look like a local. Where are you from?" She wasn't the type to fight for dominance in prison; for her, less trouble was always better than more. If she could get along peacefully with her cellmate, she would try her best to do so. "Don't try to act like a veteran with me, and I don't like succubi," Anne made no effort to hide her disdain. She placed her belongings next to her bunk and sat down heavily on the bed. "My shoulders are stiff after listening to lectures all day. Come over here and give me a massage." She was accustomed to being a leader on her pirate ship. The moment she entered the cell, the thought of training this frail-looking succubus into a lackey had crossed her mind. It wouldn't be long before she got out of this prison and regained her freedom; there was absolutely no need to build good relationships with the inmates here. In fact, precisely because she would be leaving soon, she felt she didn't need to be particularly careful about anything during her stay. Fei froze for a second, then realized the other woman was trying to establish dominance. Another clueless newbie, she thought inwardly. "Hey, come on, sis. There's no point in pulling this stunt, is there?" She raised a hand to scratch her head. "We're all just here to serve our time. We do it, we get out. Why make things difficult for each other?" "The only one serving a full sentence here is you," Anne said coldly. "My name is Anne Drake. Ever heard of me?" "Nope," Fei shook her head, looking completely blank. "My father is the Pirate King of the Coral Sea..." "Don't know him," Fei continued shaking her head. "You haven't even heard of the Red Shark Pirates?" "Not really..." Fei still shook her head. "Truly ignorant," Anne frowned, displeased. "Four years ago, I was in the Empire's largest prison, the Capital Prison. I escaped after only staying there for a week. It won't be long before my father brings his crew to rescue me from here." "Oh? Sounds impressive," Fei cast a sympathetic gaze at Anne. She clearly remembered the fate of the last inmate who shared her cell and wanted to escape from here. "You don't believe me?" Anne sensed Fei's subtly mocking tone and glared at her. "I believe you, I believe you," Fei quickly raised her hands placatingly. "But what does that have to do with me?" "If you're smart about it, maybe I'll be kind enough to take you with me when I leave..." Anne pointed at Fei. "Eh? No way!" Fei refused without hesitation, putting on a disgusted expression. "My sentence is just over half a year! Why would I become a fugitive now? Even if I get caught pimping again after getting out, the most I'd get is another year. But if I escape and get caught, who knows how long they'll lock me up for!"