Two Years, Six Wardens

Lin Xi showed no reaction upon hearing this, simply crossing her arms as if waiting for a show to unfold.

“Well? Still not telling the truth? Then it’s solitary confinement for you!” Li Ming’s voice rang out like a death knell.

“Waaah! Warden! I confess! It was me—I spat in her food! I just couldn’t stand her fawning behavior, so I… But I never badmouthed you, Warden! I only said those things earlier to frame her! Please, have mercy! I know I was wrong!” 1746 wailed as she confessed to Li Ming.

The guards and the inmates watching the spectacle were all stunned. No one expected 1746, a known troublemaker, to actually come clean. After all, every prisoner in this facility was far from ordinary, and conflicts—big and small—were endless. It was rare for an inmate to confess to the guards; most cases ended as unresolved miscarriages of justice.

Over time, grudges between prisoners festered, leading to frequent outbursts of shouting and fighting.

But 1746 seemed genuinely terrified of the seven-day solitary confinement. To avoid it, she spilled everything.

Some inmates sneered at her, silently mocking her lack of spine.

Li Ming paid no mind to what the others thought. The notification in his head confirmed the task’s completion—1746’s confession was truthful.

Nodding, Li Ming pulled 1746 up from the floor.

“Good. Admitting your mistake is the first step. Solitary confinement isn’t just about punishment—it’s about teaching you a lesson so you can reform. Since you’ve owned up, I’ll give you a chance. Apologize to 3057, and we’ll consider this matter closed. No confinement this time. But if it happens again, don’t expect leniency.”

The female guard inwardly admired his approach. The warden really knew how to balance discipline with mercy—a true masterstroke!

“1746, hurry up and thank the warden, then apologize to 3057!” The female guard nudged 1746, urging her.

“Y-yes! Thank you, Warden! I won’t do it again! 3057… I-I’m sorry.” 1746 wiped her tears and hastily thanked Li Ming.

“Forget it…” 3057, seeing that Li Ming had spoken, didn’t dare push further and let it go.

“Good. Get 3057 a fresh meal. Everyone, back to eating—no more gawking!” Li Ming clapped his hands, drawing the inmates’ attention.

The crowd, realizing the show was over, returned to their meals—though their eyes still flickered toward Li Ming, each harboring their own thoughts.

Satisfied, Li Ming resumed his rounds. Another task smoothly handled, and the rewards had been issued. Though he didn’t feel any different yet—probably because no one had lied to him so far, so the effects hadn’t kicked in.

Batch after batch of inmates finished their meals. Finally, once the last prisoner was done, Lin Xi led Li Ming out of the cell block.

“Let’s grab some food too. Next is the inmates’ free time in the yard—the guards can handle that. Since it’s not a workday, there’s not much to do. After eating, I’ll show you around a bit,” Lin Xi said.

Li Ming nodded. “Yeah, sounds good. Honestly, being warden isn’t as hard as I thought. The inmates are pretty obedient—not bad overall.”

Lin Xi snorted. “Don’t get cocky just because you’ve barely started. This job isn’t as easy as you think. In the two years I’ve been here, we’ve gone through six wardens. Think about what that means.”

“Six in two years? Why?” Li Ming was genuinely shocked. That averaged four months per warden—was this place really that tough?

“Why? You’ll find out soon enough. And let me tell you—of those six, three resigned and went home, two died in ‘accidental’ car crashes, and one committed suicide. In your room.”

“You did change the bedding, right? That was the last warden’s. She was the one who killed herself. After that, no one used that room—just occasional cleaning. The bedding was never replaced.” Lin Xi spoke casually.

“What the hell?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! I thought it was prepared for me—I didn’t change it at all!” Li Ming’s eyes bulged as he glared at Lin Xi, outrage written all over his face.

“Uh… Oh! Haha! Just kidding! My mistake! The bedding was changed last time—the previous warden never even slept in that bed! Don’t worry, it’s clean! Totally clean!” Lin Xi forced an awkward laugh, brushing it off as a joke.

Li Ming was about to press her for the truth when a strange sensation surged through him—his newly acquired skill, Heart’s Intuition, had activated.

His stomach dropped.

Lin Xi was lying. The bedding wasn’t new—it was exactly what the suicidal warden had used. And he’d slept soundly in that very bed!

Damn it… He couldn’t even lie to himself now. The system had outright confirmed the deception.

Lin Xi was downright cruel. Who played tricks like this?!

Silently adding her to his mental revenge list, Li Ming swallowed his anger and followed Lin Xi, who had already changed the subject, to the staff cafeteria.

He’d sampled the chef’s cooking the night before—it was decent. Today, they were given a special spread, and the dishes looked appetizing. The two dug in heartily.

Once they’d eaten their fill, Li Ming circled back to the previous wardens. How could the job be so dangerous—car crashes, suicides? A fifty percent casualty rate?

But Lin Xi shook her head. “I don’t know why. I wasn’t always the deputy warden. If you hadn’t been assigned here, I would’ve been promoted to warden. My father was always worried—he never wanted me to take the position. I suspect your uncle didn’t just transfer you here to set us up on a blind date.”