CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52; SIXTH MASTER LU

The slot in the door opened, and trays of food were passed through. Not the usual prison slop, but actual meals. Rice with vegetables. Protein that might have actually been chicken. Soup that smelled edible. Even small portions of fruit.

"Winner’s meal," a guard’s voice called through the slot. "Eat up."

They took the trays in silence, settling around the small table. For several minutes, they ate without speaking, their bodies too hungry to delay, their minds too overwhelmed to process everything at once.

But the questions hung in the air, waiting.

"You never know, this might be your last meal," Shuyin murmured, her jade eyes tracking their movements as they ate. Her voice was quiet, almost contemplative, but the words cut through the cell like a blade. "They probably haven’t told you yet. This is just another stage for them."

Tank’s hand froze halfway to her mouth, the food suddenly tasted like ash. "What?" The word came out strangled, as if the meal was choking her. "What do you mean?"

"They’re going to use us," Shuyin continued in that same detached tone. "Milk the audience dry. We won too quickly tonight. Too efficiently. They lost money. Do you really think they’ll just let that go? Winners don’t get better cells and better food out of kindness. They get it because they’re being fattened up for the next show."

The reality of her words settled over them like a shroud. Of course. Nothing in this place existed for free. Every privilege came with a price, and the price was always paid in blood.

Blade set down her spoon carefully, her mind already accepting the logic. "Makes sense. Keep us healthy and stronger to make the next fight even more spectacular."

Razor laughed, but it was a bitter, hollow sound. She shoved another spoonful of rice into her mouth and chewed it mechanically. "Doesn’t matter, does it? From the moment we stepped into this prison, our days were numbered. Death’s been waiting for us since the beginning. Might as well die on a full stomach."

Tank stared at her food for a long moment, then resumed eating with grim determination. "The kid’s right. At least this tastes better than the usual slop. If we’re going to be an entertainment, we might as well enjoy the perks while they last."

Shuyin said nothing more, turning away to face the wall. Her jade eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, seeing through the concrete, through the layers of the prison, cataloging threats and possibilities....

They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, each knowing that tomorrow would bring new horrors dressed up as opportunities.

— — — — — —

Several floors above their cell, in a corridor dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights, a man in an expensive tailored suit pulled out his mobile phone.

His fingers moved with practiced efficiency across the screen, selecting a contact he knew by heart.

The call rang once. Twice. Then connected.

"Sixth Master Lu," he said, keeping his voice low as he walked toward the exit. "I just witnessed something tonight. Something... That’s very unusual."

"Speak." The voice on the other end was deep and authoritative, the kind of voice that commanded rooms full of powerful men.

"I decided to watch a match in the ring tonight. You know, the exhibition fights." He pushed through a door and stepped into the cool night air, heading toward the parking lot where his car waited. "There was a woman, they call her Princess. Lin Shuyin. She was in a fight a few days ago. Got beaten so badly, and they threw her in isolation, and the possibility of her staying alive was in the negative."

"And?"

The man reached his car, a sleek black sedan with tinted windows. Another man sat in the driver’s seat, engine already running. He slid into the back, closing the door behind him before continuing.

"She showed up in the arena tonight. Completely healed, not just recovering but completely healed, like she’d never been injured at all. Her face was perfect. No bruises, no swelling, nothing. I asked about the doctor who treated her, but they told me she’s been in isolation the entire time. No medical treatment had been administered to her. No doctor visits. Nothing."

There was a pause on the other end. When Sixth Master Lu spoke again, his tone had shifted, sharpened with interest. "That happened?"

"Yes, Master. I saw it with my own eyes. And there’s more, her eyes have changed. They all glow now, jade green. And the fight tonight... it was over in three minutes, imagine in just three minutes. Four women against eight, and it wasn’t even close. It was like the eight couldn’t coordinate, couldn’t fight properly. It was bizarre, Master. Very unnatural."

"Interesting." There was another pause, longer this time. Then the voice turned cold, authoritative in a way that made the man in the car sit up straighter despite being alone. "But didn’t I tell you to stop those illegal ring fights? What you’re running in Blackwater Prison is against the law."

The man swallowed nervously, glancing at the driver who kept his eyes carefully on the road. "Master, you know the other shareholders don’t want to stop. The profits are too high. What can I do? I’m just one voice among many." He paused, then added with a hint of satisfaction, "But tonight, they surely lost everything. The betting went completely wrong. Half the VIP guests are demanding investigations."

"Fix it," Sixth Master Lu said sharply, and the line went dead.

The man stared at his phone for a moment, then pocketed it with a sigh. The car pulled out of the parking lot, headlights cutting through the darkness as they drove away from the prison complex.

Behind them, the prison loomed like a monument to human suffering, its windows dark, its secrets buried deep.

Miles away, in a hospital room that smelled of antiseptic and artificial air, Sixth Master Lu stood by a window overlooking the city lights. His phone was still in his hand, but his attention was on his reflection in the glass, a man in his early thirties, his hair completely silver, and his eyes electric.