77: Chapter 77 Look, your brother has come to keep you company.

"Clang—"

The heavy iron door was pushed open, and a jarring, screeching sound exploded through the corridor.

This sound was quite unusual for the dungeon.

Because it was already deep into the night, and in most cases, no one would enter the dungeon at this hour.

Several inmates who had already fallen asleep were jolted awake and looked toward the sound.

They saw moonlight spilling in as two people dressed in jailer uniforms appeared before them.

"Step, step, step..."

The heavy footsteps drew closer, accompanied by the dull thud of iron chains dragging and scraping against the stone floor.

Two jailers in black robes were dragging a bloodied man toward them.

The man's hands were locked tight in thick iron chains, and his legs were twisted at an unnatural angle, his tendons and bones completely shattered.

His tattered clothes were soaked through with blood, leaving a long, crimson trail on the ground as he was dragged.

Seeing this scene, the inmates laughed sinisterly:

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I wonder which unlucky bastard got caught this time."

"Who knows? Looking at the state he's in, he's badly hurt."

These prisoners were the type who loved to watch the chaos, and they stared at the scene with great interest.

After all, in the Cell Block D, most of the people imprisoned hadn't committed grave offenses, and it was rare to see a prisoner brought in while so severely injured.

The two jailers dragged him like a dead dog all the way to the depths of the Cell Block D.

"Brother Chen."

Seeing Chen Ran, the two men quickly stopped and acted with extreme respect.

One of them pointed to the figure on the ground and lowered his voice to ask for instructions:

"This is a prisoner who just arrived. The brothers from the Six Doors who escorted him said it has something to do with you. Which cell do you think is appropriate?"

"Something to do with me?"

Chen Ran glanced at the man on the ground.

The man's hair was disheveled, and his head hung limply.

The skin exposed to the air was torn and rolled back, and in some places, pale bone shards were even visible.

He was only taking shallow, labored breaths; he didn't even have the strength to moan, and his presence was extremely faint.

With a quick scan, Chen Ran assessed the man's condition.

"Meridians shattered, martial arts crippled. It seems someone specifically dismantled him."

Chen Ran pointed casually at the iron bars in front of him, his tone indifferent:

"Let's use this cell. There's a member of the Flying Bear Gang inside, so they can keep each other company. That way, he won't be wailing alone and getting on my nerves."

"Understood!"

The two jailers moved efficiently, pulling out the set of keys to open the door.

They hoisted the bloodied man up by his arms, one on each side, and tossed him directly inside like a broken sack.

"Thud."

His body hit the straw-covered floor, kicking up a cloud of dust mixed with the nauseating stench of blood.

The cell door was locked once more.

"What are you doing!"

Xu Kui instinctively shrank back into the corner.

He had seen many people die in the dungeon, but this man was truly in a wretched state.

All the joints in his limbs had been crushed by force, his chest cavity was visibly sunken, and it was clear he wouldn't last much longer.

Even though he was accustomed to doing evil, he rarely saw someone in such a state.

Xu Kui didn't want to get close, but when his gaze swept over the hem of the man's clothes, he froze.

On the dark gold fabric, half a bear head was embroidered with gold thread. Although it was half-covered in bloodstains, he was all too familiar with the stitching pattern.

It was the standard combat uniform of the Flying Bear Gang's Battle Hall!

A "buzz" sounded in Xu Kui's mind, and his brain felt as if it had been struck by lightning.

He swallowed hard, his legs went weak, and he crawled forward two steps.

He reached out with trembling hands and brushed aside the hair matted with blood from the man's face.

The torchlight flickered.

A face mangled beyond recognition came into view. Even though the bridge of the nose had collapsed and the brow bone was swollen high, he still recognized him.

Xu Kui went completely rigid, his mouth agape, and a rattling, strange sound came from his throat.

"Big Brother?!"

Xu Kui's voice turned shrill and cracked. Ignoring the pain in his own hands, he lunged at the bloody figure and shook his shoulders desperately.

"Big Brother, wake up! It's me, Xiao Kui! Big Brother, look at me!"

The man on the ground struggled to pry open his swollen eyelids.

His murky gaze rested on Xu Kui's face for a fleeting moment, his lips moved slightly, but he only spat out a few mouthfuls of bloody saliva before his body convulsed a few times and he fell unconscious again.

It really was Xu Shan.

The Hall Master of the Flying Bear Gang who wielded immense power in the Outer City.

The greatest backer Xu Kui was so proud of was currently lying in the mud like an old dog with a broken spine, waiting to die.

Xu Kui felt as if the sky had collapsed.

He whipped his head around, his eyes bloodshot, staring daggers at Chen Ran outside the bars, and roared with a breaking heart:

"Did you do this?

You actually dared to touch my Big Brother! You're just a lowly jailer; the Flying Bear Gang will never let you go! I'm going to skin you alive!"

"Insolent!"

The jailer standing on the left couldn't stand it any longer; he kicked out, sending Xu Kui flying several meters away.

Chen Ran watched this scene calmly and spoke slowly:

"Look, your brother is here to keep you company..."

"You...!"

Xu Kui clutched his chest, eyes red, and opened his mouth again.

The jailer on the right sneered and interrupted him without mercy.

"Still counting on your Gang Leader?"

The jailer wore a mocking expression, looking at Xu Kui like he was an idiot, and reached out to flick the iron bars.

"This man was personally beaten to a pulp and delivered here by your own Flying Bear Gang Leader."

Xu Kui froze, his roar stuck in his throat.

The jailer spat on the ground with utter disdain:

"You've got some nerve, daring to provoke the masters of the Demon Suppression Division.

Your Gang Leader is a smart man; fearing it would implicate the Gang, he broke Xu Shan's limbs himself in front of the Six Doors captains.

Not only that, he paid a thousand taels in silver notes, begging and pleading to have him sent to the dungeon to apologize."

The jailer pointed at Xu Shan, who was taking more breaths than he was letting out, his tone icy: "If it weren't for the fact that the Demon Suppression Division couldn't be bothered with bottom-feeders like you, there wouldn't be a single survivor left in the Flying Bear Gang right now!"

The Gang Leader beat him himself?

Sent here to apologize?

Xu Kui's mind went completely blank. He slumped to the ground, his eyes losing focus.

The other party didn't even need to lift a finger; the mere mention of the "Demon Suppression Division" was enough to make the entire Flying Bear Gang bow their heads in resignation.

His pride and joy—his backer—was worth less than nothing in the face of absolute power.

Despair completely swallowed Xu Kui.

All his strength was drained, and he lay on the ground like a pile of mud, unable to make another sound.

Only his heavy, ragged breathing echoed in the cell.

Chen Ran had watched the whole thing without a shred of extra emotion on his face.

Perhaps people like them were from a different world than his to begin with.

Even if one just wore the skin of the Demon Suppression Division, it wasn't something an ordinary person could afford to provoke.

After all, the Demon Suppression Division was the Great Wei's highest combat organization on the surface. Anyone who moved against the Demon Suppression Division was challenging the Imperial Court.

Never mind the thugs and Gangs in the Outer City, even the local power brokers inside the capital rarely dared to move against members under the Demon Suppression Division.

The death of the Ninth-Rank Captain Wang had sparked relentless investigations by the Demon Suppression Division; for ordinary people, offending them was just asking for death.

In this world, an official title was sometimes more useful than a sword.

He brushed off his sleeves and turned to look at the two jailers: "Keep a close watch, keep an eye on them, don't let them die in the cell."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen, we'll make sure they wish they were dead!" the jailer promised, patting his chest.

Chen Ran nodded casually and turned to walk away.

Xu Kui gritted his teeth, but could only watch helplessly as the young man's back receded, moving further and further away under the respectful gazes of the two jailers, until he disappeared from sight.

Perhaps for him, this was just a trivial matter.

A simple display of status was enough to solve all problems.

"You crooked official!"

He roared, his voice piercing through dozens of meters.

It startled the surrounding prisoners, who turned to stare, looking at the person who spoke as if he were a dead man.

In this Cell Block D, this was the first time someone had dared to speak to Warden Chen like that.

Chen Ran's footsteps paused slightly, the corner of his mouth hooked up, and he waved his hand casually behind him.

The next moment, the two jailers responsible for the watch rushed into the cell and drew their torture implements.

Instantly, shrill screams echoed through the dungeon.

...

Walking out of the Cell Block D, the light was slightly brighter.

The musty smell in the air had also faded quite a bit.

Chen Ran hadn't walked many steps when he saw someone approaching.

Li Changfeng stood at the entrance, slowly turning his head, and spoke with a smile.

"Brother Chen, long time no see..."