PRI Chapter 22: Evan's Observations and Interrogation Room No. 1

The so-called welding classroom was actually a factory.

All the newly arrived prisoners, along with some veteran prisoners who hadn't completed their welding courses, stood together under the supervision of six guards, listening to the welding instructor's lecture and participating in hands-on practice.

Red propaganda banners with brainwashing slogans hung throughout the factory:

"Labor creates value, value determines sentence length!"

"One person's mistake, everyone suffers!"

"8 hours work, 8 hours rest, 8 hours overtime."

"Labor earns rewards, rewards improve prison life!"

"Prisoners' rights are labor rights!"

"Don't want to leave prison poor and destitute, then work hard and diligently in prison!"

Honestly, at first glance Evan thought he had entered a Soviet prison. Fortunately, the teacher's authentic Texas accent pulled him back to America.

This was his first time taking such a proper and serious class in prison. In his previous prisons, he had only done meaningless assembly work. Technical jobs like welding, which paid more money, had long been monopolized by prisoners with connections.

But in Border Prison, everyone had to learn welding.

And judging by the setup, this was just the beginning, because the guards said prisoners would be categorized into the following skill levels based on proficiency: Beginner worker, intermediate worker, advanced worker.

If beginner workers had to learn welding, Evan couldn't even imagine what intermediate and advanced workers would have to learn.

During break time, he found some veteran prisoners to inquire about this arrangement. It seemed to be because the warden planned to establish multiple factories within the prison in the future to supply goods to the military and market.

Damn, had he entered a prison or a factory? Would they be making cars and airplanes next?

Evan was caught off guard. He had thought life at Border Prison would be more relaxed, but it turned out to be even more intense than the Ohio prison. He should have chosen a different place to commit his crimes.

But since things had come to this, he could only adapt to local customs. Thanks to his previous escape experiences, he had a quick mind and strong manual skills, so learning welding didn't take him long.

After getting into it, Evan discovered that welding would be very helpful for his future escape career. This made him increasingly interested in welding, and he learned with great enthusiasm. So much so that after one class ended, the teacher praised him for learning well and quickly, telling other new prisoners to learn from him.

Evan was flattered.

The last time he had been praised was in elementary school, when he helped the teacher fix a watch by taking apart a radio. The teacher not only praised him but also gave him a piece of candy and a kiss.

Since then, he had been obsessed with dismantling and repairing things. Although this neglected his studies, he never lacked money when he grew up. Because he used this skill to dismantle many door locks and safes. Until he broke into his teacher's house and was caught red-handed while trying to crack her safe, which led to his imprisonment.

He never expected to receive a second compliment now.

God, was this Your will?

Now Evan felt that learning welding wasn't so annoying after all.

After everyone finished class, the guards assembled them in the prison block and announced a series of requirements and rules. Besides basic living rules, what caught Evan's attention most were the prison's fee structure: Shower fees, bed fees, headphone fees, phone call fees.

Evan listened in stunned amazement.

These fee items were varied and comprehensive, covering every aspect. Even if Jesus came here, he'd be forced to screw bolts on an assembly line, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to sleep on the floor.

However, correspondingly, work compensation in the prison was tiered. As long as you worked fast, well, and a lot, you earned more.

In the words of guard supervisor James, "We don't support parasites or lazy people! No matter what your status was before entering prison! Everyone must accept labor reform!"

Of course, since new prisoners needed to learn initially and couldn't earn money, the prison stipulated that during the welding course learning period, as long as you completed the coursework, you could sleep in a bed for free. If your performance was outstanding, you could get an extra meal.

A roasted chicken leg.

So when Evan had dinner, he immediately became the most envied guy among the prisoners. The chicken leg in his bowl had crispy, oily skin, and one bite made Evan fall in love with this cook. If this were a street restaurant, he swore he would patronize it at least 4 times a week.

After dinner, the new prisoners got extra rest time in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, the veteran prisoners worked enthusiastically in the factory. Word was that two days ago, the prison had installed its first headphone production line, and after a debugging phase, it had officially started producing military headphones.

But there were also those unwilling to work in the factory. Such prisoners either paid to maintain their prison life or took on other, easier jobs, like helping in the kitchen or assisting with laundry. They just earned less money, barely enough to maintain floor-sleeping life.

In fact, Evan found it strange why these prisoners were so compliant. In other prisons he had been in, those guys would shout and make a fuss at the slightest dissatisfaction, gathering together to challenge the guards' authority.

But in Border Prison, this kind of challenging didn't seem popular, and all prisoners were very well-behaved. Was it because there were more guards?

Evan thought that definitely wasn't it. How could guys who ended up in prison be polite and well-mannered every day? Moreover, prisoners and guards were naturally antagonistic, and provoking guards to establish one's status had always been a useful technique in prison. Even if it meant spending a few days in solitary confinement, it was worth it.

So when the new prisoners saw the veteran prisoners' submissive appearance, they all felt very contemptuous, and some were already planning to find an opportunity to show off to the guards and win over other prisoners.

In fact, such an opportunity came quickly. On Evan's fourth day in prison, their batch of prisoners had completed basic welding training. After lunch, a young-looking guard led them to the factory to work.

Just as they stepped out of the prison block and headed toward the factory, a 6'3" bald giant suddenly confronted the guard, "Hey! You stepped on my foot! F*ck you, apologize to me!"

His voice was loud, his muscles ridiculously robust. Standing in front of the young guard, he looked like the difference between a father and son.

Everyone immediately stopped when they heard the commotion and stood watching the show. Evan did the same. Generally speaking, if it were an experienced guard, they would immediately stop the bald man's behavior, issue a stern warning, and call for backup.

But if it were a young guard, it was hard to say. Especially with such a disparity in size, the guard might retreat out of fear, letting the bald man gain the upper hand.

However, the young guard's expression was calm, even carrying a slight smile. He said to the bald man, "Are you challenging me?"

The bald man replied, "Cut the crap, apologize, got it? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a guard. Be careful or I'll punch you into a concussion!"

The young guard took out his walkie-talkie. "What, coward? Calling for backup already? Going to put me in solitary? Have the guts to fight like a man!" The bald man became increasingly arrogant, almost spitting in the guard's face.

Seeing this scene, the other prisoners also became restless and started whistling.

"Like a man?" The young guard put one hand behind his back and beckoned to the bald man with the other, "Then come on, big guy."

The bald giant was thrilled. He stepped forward two paces and stretched out both hands, planning to pin the guard against the corridor wall. But the next second, the young guard quickly pulled out an orange spray bottle from behind and sprayed it directly in his face.

The bald giant was momentarily stunned. Before he could react, he felt his body go weak, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Then the young guard spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Listen, there's a big idiot in corridor A4 who tried to challenge me. I've already taken him down. Send two people over to take him to Interrogation Room No. 1."

Putting down the walkie-talkie, the young guard smiled at the rest of the stunned prisoners, "See that? That's what happens when you challenge a guard. Don't copy him, or you'll regret it for life."

"Why?" Evan asked instinctively.

The young guard shrugged and replied, "Because that's the warden's private interrogation room, the place every criminal fears most."

"All I can say is, good luck to him."

[NEXT CHAPTER]