Hang'an City's X Prison.
The tall walls were still topped with barbed wire, and the street was quiet.
It was a gloomy afternoon with no sun in the sky, just hazy clouds.
Next to the iron gate, a small iron door opened, and two prison guards in uniforms stepped out. Walking behind them was a thin middle-aged man, his hair already turning gray, his face weathered, as if it had witnessed all the hardships of life.
A simple canvas bag, a style from many years ago, a pair of sneakers, gray pants, and a gray jacket.
The prison guards exchanged a few words with the man, patted his shoulder, then turned around and headed back inside, closing the small iron door.
Across the street, about fifty meters away, under a big tree.
Tian Lie squatted there, holding a cigarette with a cold look in his eyes, watching everything happening at the prison gate.