The dawn of a war didn't mean that there would be an armed conflict. In particular, if the power on both sides was equal, then the standoff would just persist.
Shin Chang-ho, the leader of the prisoners, built his base in the logistics warehouse.
There were a bunch of dangerous items that could be used as weapons. Therefore, the access of the inmates was strictly controlled. Several layers of security had to be passed through to enter it. Without Cigarette Seller's help, they wouldn't have been able to obtain the weapons so easily.
Shin Chang-ho emphasized the most important facts to his men.
"Keep the armed conflict to a minimum. I know that your hearts are heating up, but show some restraint."
"Yes, I understand."
If anybody else gave these instructions then complaints would be popping out. However, Shin Chang-ho was the man who reigned over the other inmates with his charisma and future status in the organization. None of the prisoners refused his orders.
A simple barricade was made at the entrance with furniture. The prisoners took up positions behind it as if they were trained soldiers. It wasn't that difficult since the majority of them had gone to the army. That experience really helped in this situation.
There was a command room in a corner of the dining room. From there, Shin Chang-ho and Seo Tae-hyuk looked at the prisoners working.
"Cigarette Seller. Is this enough?"
"It is very wonderful. The time limit is 72 hours, which is when the guard shift changes. If we hang on until then, victory will be ours."
"Hrmm…"
Shin Chang-ho gave a low groan. Would it work out as well as planned? However, it was better than doing nothing.
In this place, Tae-hyuk was the criminal Kim Cheol-su. His eyes shone with the madness unique to psychopaths. Even Shin Chang-ho, who had lived in the back alleys for more than a decade, was surprised at how frightening he was.
Tae-hyuk said,
"What are the other inmates doing?"
"Most of them are waiting for this war to end soon and are in their cells."
If they exited, then there was a possibility of getting involved. In the end, the prisoners chose to stay in their cells despite the fact that there were no guards watching over them.
"I told you already, but the reason I am cooperating with you is because I need your help."
"…You want Park Sung-yul to be interrogated for information?"
"That's right. If you succeed, you will also get what you want."
Tae-hyuk smiled as he said the meaningful words. Shin Chang-ho nodded. He didn't know why Cigarette Seller was so hostile to Park Sung-yul. However, he didn't need to know. He felt sorry for Park Sung-yul, but he had to accept Cigarette Seller's offer.
"I understand. I know someone who will do a good job."
Tae-hyuk nodded with a pleased face. After a while, the bandaged Park Joon-shik appeared in front of them.
"I'm sorry but I want you to do something."
"I'll do whatever you want Hyung-nim."
Park Joon-shik wanted to make up for starting the war. However, that opportunity came sooner than he thought.
"Do you know Park Sung-yul?"
"Ah, that gloomy bastard?"
"Yes. There is something I need you to find out from him."
"What is it?"
"Find out the identities of the people he killed."
"..."
Park Joon-shik closed his mouth and a serious expression appeared. It seemed like he required a convincing explanation.
"Of course, it is an unwritten law here not to care about what a person did outside. But there is a personal grudge against him."
They were short words. Of course, that was enough.
"I understand. I will find out what you want quickly."
"Yes, thank you."
Park Joon-shik hit his chest with a confident expression and he disappeared towards the cells. He definitely was a man of great ability.
Tae-hyuk asked from where he was watching on the sidelines.
"I don't see any special skills in that area."
"You don't have to worry. Although Joon-shik looks like that, he is very good at torturing people."
It was a compliment that wasn't a compliment. Shin Chang-ho added to emphasize his meaning.
"His skills are enough to work at the NIS."
"Um, the NIS."
They were really trustworthy words.
@
Park Sung-yul was quietly resting in his cell. Something was happening outside, but it didn't have anything to do with him.
How could he improve the puzzles that he had completed? That was the only thing he was concentrating on.
"Ohuhu… The eighth puzzle is really good. I think that Cho Kang-suk will like it a lot."
Originally, he would've sent his second puzzle by now. However, since last week, all postal services in the prison were suspended. This was the first time it happened but it wasn't a problem. It would be normal anyway. The letter could be sent at any time. Only the police would become frustrated.
Knock knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of his cell and looked inside. It was a single room without a roommate. The person who was looking this way…
Park Sung-yul made a confused sound as he confirmed the identity.
"Park Joon-shik?"
He was one of the people following Shin Chang-ho.
"Oh, there aren't any guards so I was wondering how you got in. The door is open."
Park Joon-shik smiled as he entered and sat on the bed. Park Sung-yul wanted to get rid of him straight away, but his size was too large to deal with.
Ching.
Park Joon-shik was holding the scissors used for cutting hair. Park Sung-yul spoke with reluctance,
"What do you want?"
The other person was famous in the prison. But for Park Sung-yul, they were just crows crowding around rotten meat. When compared to himself…
"You are resting so I'm sorry. In fact, I absolutely don't have any bad feelings towards you."
Ching.
Park Joon-shik opened and closed the scissors with his fingers in the handle. Every time it opened and closed, there was a distinctive metallic sound.
"Hyung-nim seems interested in you."
Park Joon-shik was injured, so one arm didn't move properly. However, one hand was enough to deal with weaklings.
"W-W-What do you want to do?"
Park Sung-yul's eyes trembled.
"What? Are you afraid? But isn't it funny? I know you killed a lot of people before coming here."
Park Joon-shik smiled and aimed the scissors at Park Sung-yul. Blood spurted as a scream burst from Park Sung-yul's mouth.
"Kuaaack!"
"The people you brutally killed were weaker than you. Now that the situation is the opposite, you are crying out with a very cute voice. Disgusting bastard. But I'm sorry."
Park Joon-shik placed the opponent's fingers between the scissors handles and twisted lightly. The bones were twisted and the fingers bend in a strange direction. Park Joon-shik looked at his work with a satisfied expression.
"…I am the same."
Thus, Park Joon-shik started his one hour torture.
@
"W-What, why…?"
Park Sung-yul's whole body was bloody. It was the first time he learnt that scissors could be used to give pain in many different ways.
"Then this is enough warm up."
Ching.
Park Sung-yul glared at the other person. Now his legs would weaken every time he heard the sound of the scissors. Park Joon-shik was an expert in torture. It was very simple to dig at the weak parts of the target's psychology. In order to do that, he had to put the other person in an extreme situation without giving reasons for the torture.
"…T-This, the reason…"
Park Sung-yul begged.
However, Park Joon-shik constantly tormented his target. By this time, Park Sung-yul's reaction had weakened.
He realized that it was time to move on. Park Joon-shik placed his fingers in the handle of the scissors.
"In fact, I've only twisted it so far. Aren't scissors used to cut things off? So I should try that out now."
Park Sung-yul's body trembled.
"D-Don't! I'll do whatever you say…"
"Ah, it doesn't matter. It has been a fun time. By the way, do you know what the basis of torture is?"
"I, don't, know…!"
Park Joon-shik twisted two fingers.
"Work in opposition, and absolutely never kill the opponent. Make it as painful as possible without the person dying. This is surprisingly difficult. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you."
Park Joon-shik brought his mouth to the ears of the trembling Park Sung-yul. Then he whispered,
"I'm sorry but I'm used to cutter knives and needles. This is my first time using scissors, so I might accidentally cut some things off that I shouldn't. I'll ask for your understanding in advance."
"Aaaaacck!"
A pained scream echoed in the cell.
Two hours had passed. Park Joon-shik looked at Park Sung-yul with a satisfied expression.
"Hah. This is a human cultural asset. You can still breathe without being in danger of dying. But won't it get really dangerous if you don't receive treatment soon?"
"…K, kuoock, kuooock."
"If you want to live then answer my questions from now on. Of course, you have the right to refuse. But every time you do, something precious will be cut off one by one."
Park Joon-shik smiled brightly and winked. And Park Sung-yul realized.
This was the Blue Dragon prison. There was no one normal inside.
@
Tae-hyuk was happily shopping while waiting for Park Joon-shik to gather the information.
There were a variety of tools in the warehouse. Detergent to clean the inside of the prison, and fertilizer to grow drugs on the farms. Furthermore, there were very toxic pesticides to lower the amount of labor the prison would have to mobilize.
Tae-hyuk gathered all of them and checked the note that Kim Tae-sung had given him.
"He can make a bomb using these ingredients. What a great person."
To make a bomb, various chemicals such as: potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, ammonium nitrate and sulfuric acid were needed. Most of them were classified as accident-prone goods and were not readily available on the market.
But curiously, most of these things were stored in the warehouse of the Blue Dragon Prison. Of course, they needed to be separated from the fertilizer to be used. He would give the materials to Kim Tae-sung and let him take care of it.
"Isn't this ammonium nitrate? Is the warden completely crazy?"
It was a chemical that exploded easily when exposed to high temperatures or combustible materials.
"Is this used to make ice packs?"
Summer was coming to Blue Dragon Prison. It would be best if there were air conditioners, but it was hard to expect such products of civilization. Therefore, the prisoners were offered ice packs. It was a necessary medicine.
Tae-hyuk looked around and discovered bleach used to wash the sweat and dust from the guards' uniforms. Potassium chlorate could be extracted from that. With these materials, a bomb could be created that would blow up one of these rooms.
"If there are more materials, then he'll be able to create an even bigger bomb."
However, the materials inside the prison were limited. In the first place, a bomb with huge explosive power wasn't necessary.
"It is enough to just have fireworks. The prisoners… No, I will use it as a salute to signify the victory of the prisoners."
Tae-hyuk laughed and kept collecting the materials that Bomber had written down.
Park Joon-shik would come back soon. Then he could gather everything he needed.