Chapter 15

When Caleb first joined Southern Prison, the work computer in the library came with a default password of "1234". Since there was rarely anyone in the office area of the library and no one used that computer, Caleb never bothered to change the password.

In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. The password was far too simple. If Marcus had been paying attention, he could have easily guessed it from Caleb's hand movements.

Caleb clicked through seven subfolders until he confirmed that the surveillance software's icon was hidden and not easily discoverable. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

For security reasons, Caleb had previously hidden the surveillance software. He was confident that even if Marcus had used the computer while he was away, he wouldn't have been able to find the software's hiding place.

Caleb opened the browser to check for any new browsing history, but found nothing.

Could it be that Marcus had only accidentally touched the mouse?

That was unlikely.

From his experiences over the past few days, Caleb was inclined to believe that Marcus had indeed used the computer and had probably deleted the browsing history.

But what could Marcus have been doing online?

There were no social media applications on the computer, so he could only have been browsing websites. Most people browsed the web for information. If Marcus had been looking up economic information, that was something he already did every day.

So, why hide it?

Caleb quickly thought of another possibility; something that would definitely be deleted from the browsing history—visiting porn websites.

…That was impossible, right?

Caleb spent most of the day pondering, unable to figure it out. Until the next morning, even while delivering mail to the cell blocks, his mind was still occupied with the mystery of why Marcus had used his computer.

Block 3 was closest to the administrative building, and Marcus' cell was right next to the corridor. Every time Caleb went from the administrative building to Block 3, he passed by Marcus' cell first.

But today, something was off. During the morning routine, Marcus was missing from his cell.

"Inmate 1017? He's been moved to Block 2," Ethan told Caleb.

"He was moved so soon?" Caleb asked.

New inmates typically stayed in the "newcomer zone" for at least a month, or even longer, before being transferred to a regular cell. Marcus had only been incarcerated for less than two weeks, so it seemed unusual for him to be moved so quickly.

"It's because Nine is back," Ethan said in a low voice. "Marcus' cellmates protested against being housed with him. Nine likely said something."

New inmates generally avoided trouble. If Nine ordered them to isolate Marcus, there would be protests no matter which cell in Block 3 Marcus was placed in.

Caleb frowned. "Isn't it dangerous to move him to Block 2?"

Though Nine was in the adjacent Block 1, Block 2 was notorious for its mixed crowd, including some of Nine's underlings.

"The staff there will handle it," Ethan said. "They've already assigned him to the safest cell available."

Caleb quickened his pace, barely acknowledging the inmates who greeted him along the way. After a brief round of Block 2, he finally spotted Marcus in a cell tucked away in a corner on the ground floor.

The five inmates sharing Marcus' cell were relatively well-behaved. Only one, named Eric Carter, had ties to Nine's circle. Caleb had seen surveillance footage of them playing cards together in the recreational room.

As long as it wasn't a case of several people ganging up on Marcus, Caleb was confident that Marcus could handle Eric on his own. Relieved, Caleb exchanged a glance with Marcus before resuming his usual pace to deliver the remaining mail.

Soon, it was nine o' clock, and Marcus arrived punctually at the library door.

Having just come up from the first-floor mailroom, Caleb took out his keys and unlocked the library door, casually asking, "Getting used to it?"

"It's fine," Marcus replied, falling into step with Caleb. "Thank you for your concern, Officer Johnson."

Caleb gave Marcus a cold look, wanting to say that he wasn't concerned, but he ultimately chose not to speak and walked directly into the office area.

This time, as Caleb entered the computer password, he deliberately moved the keyboard to his side and typed in an extremely complex password—one so intricate that he almost forgot it himself.

He didn't avoid Marcus' probing gaze because he wanted him to know that he had changed the password. In Caleb's expectations, Marcus would surely be contemplating where he had slipped up and would thus feel uneasy.

However, Marcus surprised him by asking directly, "Did you change the password, Officer Johnson?"

How dare he ask that question?

Caleb pointedly said, "Of course. It's to prevent anyone from tampering with my computer."

With such a direct statement, Caleb thought Marcus would at least feel some guilt.

But Marcus showed no reaction. Instead, he nodded in agreement and said, "It was definitely time for a change. The old password was a bit basic."

Caleb was speechless.

If their conversation were to be summarized, it would look something like this:

Caleb: "I know you used my computer."

Marcus: "What did you expect with a password like that?"

Caleb turned his head toward the window, closed his eyes, and exhaled a frustrated breath.

Marcus was admitting that he had tampered with the computer, but he didn't think Caleb could do anything about it, so he felt no remorse whatsoever.

Caleb was once again experiencing that feeling where Marcus, with his usual composure, was acting like a cat. He was flaunting his large tail behind him and deliberately evading Caleb's attempts to catch him.

"Officer Johnson." Marcus nudged Caleb with his knee. "The central bank is about to release its data."

Caleb seized the opportunity to regain some control and said tersely, "Look it up yourself!"

"You know I can't do that," Marcus replied. "Are you angry with me?"

Caleb didn't answer. He picked up the newspaper instead, a clear sign that he wasn't interested in talking to Marcus.

"Well then," Marcus said with a hint of resignation. "I'll just have to make do with what I can see."

Marcus opened the webpage and stared at a few lines of text for a long time, never scrolling down. Although Caleb held a newspaper, his gaze remained fixed on the computer screen. After a while, Marcus suddenly turned his head. Caleb quickly shifted his focus back to the newspaper.

"Officer Johnson, which of these two lines shows the change in the consumer index?" Marcus asked.

Caleb remained silent, his eyes locked on the newspaper, deliberately ignoring the question.

The two of them were at a stalemate until Marcus sighed and spoke in a softer tone, "Don't be upset, Officer Johnson. I'm sorry."

Alright.

Caleb hadn't expected Marcus to soften his attitude. He admitted to feeling a small sense of satisfaction inside.

"Which one?" Caleb asked in an aloof manner, putting down the newspaper.

Marcus tilted his chin in indication. "These lines here. Read them to me."

While Marcus looked at stock market trends, the two of them managed to coexist peacefully. Caleb continued reading from the book on strawberry cultivation, while Marcus pondered the stock market trends, speaking very little.

It was often said that a man who was focused on his work was the most attractive.

Although Marcus' analysis of stock market trends in prison hardly qualified as work, his appearance in intense concentration was compelling. Whether actively engaged in boxing or deeply immersed in thought, he always gave off a distinct impression once he started to focus.

Time quickly passed.

At two-thirty, just before Marcus was about to leave, Caleb, almost on a whim, called out to him, "Did you know Nine has returned from the hospital?"

Marcus stopped and turned back. "Yes, I know."

"Be careful of Eric," Caleb warned. "He has connections to Nine."

Marcus lowered his gaze in thought for a moment, then looked back at Caleb and asked, "What's his crime?"

"Rape."

Marcus nodded thoughtfully before leaving the library.

Caleb couldn't say he fully understood Marcus, but his intuition told him that Marcus wasn't just casually asking about Eric's crime.

A vague sense of unease began to settle in Caleb.

Just then, a loud scream echoed from the infirmary across the hall.

"Argh! It hurts so much, Dr. Lewis!"

Caleb approached the infirmary door and leaned against the frame, looking at Lucas sitting on a single bed with visible injuries on his face. Hector was frowning as he applied medicine.

"What happened?" Caleb asked.

"His cellmates complained that he was too noisy," Hector explained with a strained expression, though his hands remained gentle as he worked.

Caleb couldn't help but laugh. "Can't you be quiet for a moment?"

"It's not that. You don't understand—the Chess Wizard is back!" Lucas dodged Hector's cotton swab and continued chattering at Caleb, "The Chess Wizard has been missing for ages, and he finally appeared on the forum again yesterday!"

Caleb looked at Hector, puzzled. "Who's he talking about?"

Hector held Lucas still and replied, "He's some big shot on that trashy forum."

"It's not a trashy forum," Lucas said indignantly. "It's the most famous stock trading forum out there!"

At this, Caleb immediately realized a potential issue and raised an eyebrow at Hector.

"Did you let him use the computer yesterday?"

Hector cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was watching him. He didn't do anything wrong."

There was also a computer in the infirmary, but inmates were not allowed to use it, especially not someone like Lucas, who was a hacker. Caleb was surprised that Hector had such a lack of principles when it came to the teenager.

"That isn't the point. Do you guys really not know who the Chess Wizard is?" Lucas asked.

Caleb didn't know, since he wasn't into stock trading.

According to Lucas, the Chess Wizard was a legendary figure on the stock trading forum, who had predicted a major market crash a few years ago. He analyzed stock market trends on the forum every week, gave investment advice to individual investors, and had accumulated a large group of loyal followers.

But more than a month ago, the Chess Wizard suddenly disappeared, causing many to worry about his safety. It wasn't until yesterday that he reappeared on the forum and made a few optimistic comments about certain stocks.

"What's so legendary about that? Isn't he just a scammer?"

Caleb never believed in stock trading experts. He saw them as frauds who preyed on gullible investors.

"Don't speak ill of my idol," Lucas said seriously. "Several times, when shady companies were ripping off investors, the Chess Wizard saw through them and helped the investors cut their losses in time."

Caleb was intrigued. "You trade stocks too?"

"You have to use capitalist methods to deal with capitalists," Lucas declared firmly. "The Chess Wizard is our leader."

"This kid just loves to idolize heroes," Hector said with a sigh, putting away his medical kit. "There aren't that many heroes in the world."

Indeed.

If being a hero were that easy, everyone would be one.

The Chess Wizard, huh?

Caleb pondered the mysterious figure with a touch of boredom, noting that the name wasn't very creative.