Bloody Mafia: From Prisoner to Overlord

Chapter 7

Kaden's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to ask, "What's wrong?"

Fatty's eyes were vacant, his lips trembled twice, and then he bellowed, "My friend is dead!"

'Dead? He died?' Kaden froze. He suddenly remembered something Mason had said: "I think it won't work out."

That sentence, like a venomous snake, bit him hard. Ignoring the pain, Kaden grabbed Fatty's shoulders and demanded, "What happened? How did he die?"

"I don't know either. They said he was hit and killed by a drunk driver yesterday..." Fatty clutched his hair in frustration, overwhelmed with grief.

Kaden couldn't believe it was just a coincidence. 'Today is the day he agreed to investigate, and he was killed in an accident yesterday. He must have uncovered something about the van and was silenced! But by who? Who could it be? Someone with enough power to eliminate him and cut off all leads before the police can find anything?'

As this thought crossed his mind, Kaden suddenly realized he might be in danger too. If they'd already killed the informant, they must know he was investigating the truth. Could he be the next target?

Kaden understood he couldn't stay in prison any longer. He went to Mason again and said, "Do you have a way to get me out of prison?"

In the library, Mason was flipping through a Mozart music book. He replied nonchalantly, "Are you talking about escaping? 3403, are you joking?"

Kaden said, "I'm not joking."

Mason laughed. "Why would you think I have a way?"

Kaden pretended to browse through books, looking up at the shelves as he said, "I don't know, just a gut feeling that you're a pretty capable guy."

Mason asked, "So, have you found the van yet?"

Kaden replied, "No. The person helping me gather information is dead. Your prediction was spot on."

Mason looked at Kaden and nodded, and that strange, half-smiling expression appeared on his face again.

Kaden continued, "You were the one who told me I was avenging the wrong person. Don't you think you should help me all the way now?"

Mason shrugged. "Breaking out of prison is an impossible task. You've got the wrong guy. I'm just someone who reads tarot cards. Besides, what's in it for me if I help you?"

Kaden didn't believe Mason was truly refusing. He followed him to the reading area, pulled out a chair, and sat beside him.

"What do you want?" Kaden asked. Mason didn't answer, still flipping through the book in his hands.

Kaden waited for a while, then stood up. Mason finally said, "Let me think about it."

Kaden gave him a sidelong glance and walked away.

Mason was clearly playing hard to get. Whatever he wanted, he probably already had an answer in his mind but just didn't want to say it outright.

Kaden prayed silently, hoping Mason would speak up before it was too late.

As he left the reading room, a stranger from the prison approached him. "Boss, you need to check on 3201. He's trying to kill himself!"

'Fatty is trying to kill himself? Over his friend? That guy might be a troublemaker, but he's loyal to his friends. He's been despondent for the past two days because of this,' Kaden murmured inwardly.

Kaden didn't think much and followed the man to find Fatty.

But as they walked, Kaden sensed something was off. The stranger was leading him to the showers. When they got close, he didn't hear any noise coming from inside. On the contrary, it was eerily quiet.

Kaden stopped in his tracks. The man in front quickly turned around and said, "What's wrong, boss? 3201 is in there! Let's go in!"

He had a baby face, a thin and frail figure, and looked like someone who could easily earn others' trust. But when he spoke, he couldn't bring himself to meet Kaden's eyes, and his nervousness was obvious.

Kaden called out, "Fatty?"

There was no response. Kaden took two steps back and turned to leave.

The baby-faced guy suddenly lunged at him, knocking Kaden to the ground. Several others rushed out of the bathroom to help, working with the baby-faced guy to pin him down and drag him inside.

"Help—" Kaden was just about to shout when a towel was stuffed into his mouth. Silently, he was dragged into the damp, steamy bathroom.

Inside, Kaden finally saw a familiar face—Kyle.

Kyle was sitting on a bench, staring at him with a dark, malicious expression. It was clear that the baby-faced guy and the other inmates were acting under his orders.

Kyle was the mastermind who had lured him here.

Kaden stared at him in terror and confusion.

Kyle looked at him blankly and said, "Sorry, Kaden Scott. Someone paid me to send you to hell. Don't worry. It'll be quick and painless. After you're gone, I'll make sure everything is cleaned up. 3403 is just a number. It'll always just be a number."

With that, he gestured with his hand, and Kaden was lifted up and dragged toward the nearby showerhead.

Someone turned on the water, and hot water gushed out.

Kaden's eyes immediately stung, and he couldn't keep them open.

The baby-faced guy grabbed his hair, trying to slam his head against the edge of the shower barrier. Kaden instinctively stiffened his neck, struggling desperately to dodge in the opposite direction.

Squinting through one eye, he let out a low, guttural roar like a lion. The baby-faced guy couldn't fully force Kaden down, so one of the others holding Kaden's arms and legs grew impatient, shoved the baby-faced guy aside, and exclaimed, "Let me do it!"

By this time, the hot water had soaked the towel in Kaden's mouth, loosening it. Kaden managed to push it out with his tongue. As another large hand reached to grab him, he shouted, "Officer Thompson! I'll pay you double to buy my life!"

Kaden's hair was yanked again, and his head was forcefully lifted. He had no leverage, and the next second, he was about to be finished off.

"Wait." At the brink of death, fear no longer seemed like the right word to describe his feelings. Kaden's eyes widened, and a crushing sense of helplessness overwhelmed him, even more tangible than his terror.

Hearing Kyle call for a pause, Kaden exhaled the breath he had been holding, though it came out ragged and strained.

The inmate holding his hair frowned at Kyle's interruption, clearly displeased, but he obediently let go.

Kaden watched as Kyle walked over to him and leaned in close, looking at him as if he were a toy. "Double the money? Do you even have money?"

Hot water continued pouring down. Kaden turned his head slightly and said, "My life is in your hands. You can kill me anytime you want. Why not give it a try?"

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I want four million dollars. Do you have it?"

Kaden had expected Kyle to make an outrageous demand, but hearing the exact figure still made him curse internally, 'Four million dollars? D*mn it, is my lousy life worth that much?'

But on the surface, Kaden didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. "Alright, Officer Thompson. Give me three days."

"Three days is too long. Make it two," Kyle said, flashing a chilling smile and motioning for the others to let him go.

Kaden was tossed onto the wet floor like garbage. The hot water splashed onto his stomach as he gasped for air, the realization that he was still alive filling him with a deep sense of lingering dread.

He scrambled to his feet, turned off the water, and leaned against the wall, already consumed by the thought of how to face the next brush with death.

He had to get four million dollars in two days. Where the h*ll was he supposed to find so much money to save his life?