Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Shen Chen knew Zhang Fuguang's character well; he was a smiling tiger. The more polite he was to someone, the more dangerous that person was.

"This old dog is probably going to arrange a suicide for me out of guilt. Tonight's meal is my last meal so I can go in peace." Shen Chen slowly clenched his fists, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He looked up at the flickering light on the cell wall and fell into deep thought, wondering how he could save himself in such a predicament.

After an unknown amount of time, a sweet aroma of meat suddenly wafted through the air.

A jailer carrying a plate of chicken entered Shen Chen's cell and said, "Master Shen, this is chicken that the magistrate has given you. Please enjoy."

Shen Chen's gaze fell on his dinner. On the plate were cut chicken pieces. The tender white chicken meat was wrapped around the bloody bones, and the pale yellow fat gave off a mouthwatering aroma.

Shen Chen's eyes flashed, and he understood why "Big Plate Chicken" was a medium-to-high-grade dish, while "Lotus Leaf Chicken" was a very bad-grade dish.

Shen Chen picked up the chicken from the plate and slowly ate it. The chicken was firm and elastic, indicating that the chef was quite skilled.

He ate half a plate of chicken, then suddenly picked up the plate, went to the cell door, and said to the jailer waiting outside, "Brother, could you please send some chicken to my neighbor? He just said he hasn't eaten a single grain of rice in days, he must be starving."

The jailer raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Heh, Master Shen, do you know that the person next to you is Qin Pi, the 'Skinning Knife'? I dare not approach such a vicious person."

"What?"

Shen Chen looked surprised. His hands trembled, and the plate in his hands fell to the ground and shattered into pieces with a loud crack.

"I'm so sorry, I was terrified when I heard the name of that skinning knife," Shen Chen apologized repeatedly, hurriedly bending down to clean up the shards on the ground. "I heard he skinned a hundred or so people... And this vicious man lives right next door? What if he comes over in the middle of the night and skins me alive?"

The jailer, carrying a broom, entered the cell and swept the shards of metal off the floor. He said, "Master Shen, there's no need to worry. Qin Pi will be taken to the execution ground in a few days. He won't hurt you."

He said enviously, "Master Shen, we envy you! You live a life of luxury every day. I heard the county magistrate has arranged a large mansion for you in the east of the city. After you finish your two-year term, you'll move in, and then we'll have to call you Master Shen!"

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words." Shen Chen said, but his heart sank. Even a jailer knew that he was taking the blame for Zhang Fuguang. How could he possibly save his life?

After the jailer left, Shen Chen subconsciously clenched the half-piece of porcelain hidden in his sleeve.

The difference between "Big Plate Chicken" and "Lotus Leaf Chicken" lies in this.

He felt the stinging pain in his palm and thought to himself, "I hope I won't need it."

As night fell, the dim starlight shone through the iron bars onto Shen Chen.

A soft unlocking sound came from outside the cell door, and a dark figure slipped into the cell.

He was holding a section of hemp rope in his hand, with a loop already woven into the end.

The shadowy figure spotted Shen Chen sleeping soundly on the ground, pulled open the noose, and quickly put it around Shen Chen's neck.

"Huh?" The shadowy figure was somewhat surprised. Shen Chen's weight was much lighter than he had imagined. He lifted Shen Chen's entire body with just one hand, and the rope around his neck felt as thin as a hemp stalk, ready to break at the slightest touch.

"Something's not right." The shadowy figure looked closely and realized that Shen Chen in his hand was actually a bundle of straw dressed in prison clothes.

"Not good!" Alarm bells rang in the shadowy figure's mind. Just then, Shen Chen, who was huddled in the corner, pounced on him like a hungry wolf.

Shen Chen had been preparing for a long time, and his sneak attack was as swift as thunder. Before the dark figure could react, he was pinned to the ground, his legs kicking wildly.

The shadowy figure was burly and incredibly strong. Shen Chen was nearly knocked to the ground. He gritted his teeth and pressed his foot firmly against the man's thigh, gripping a shard of porcelain with both hands as if using a dagger, and desperately stabbed it towards the shadowy figure's throat.

A feeling of flesh being cut off arose spontaneously. Shen Chen then felt a warm liquid spray onto his hand. The man who had been struggling desperately gradually lost his strength, and his twisting limbs became calm.

Moonlight streamed through the window onto Shen Chen, who was panting heavily. His hands and chest were covered in blood, and his hair was soaking wet, as if he had been in water.

Did I kill someone?

Shen Chen looked down at the man's pale face and his body shivered uncontrollably. He felt nauseous, as if the chicken he had eaten that night had come alive and was about to fly out of his stomach.

Shen Chen turned his head away from the man's hideous death. He then noticed the hemp rope scattered beside the man. The rope had been tied with a noose, which was the size of his head. The two ends of the rope could be pulled to tie his throat.

The guilt that had welled up in Shen Chen's heart vanished completely. He sat on the corpse for a while, catching his breath, then slowly stood up and bent down to search for things on the body.

A gleaming silver key immediately fell into his hand.

Shen Chen gripped the key tightly, went to the cell door, inserted the key into the lock, and with a crisp click, the cell door swayed open in front of him.

You successfully fought back and killed the assassin who was trying to kill you. After that, you decided...

[Auspicious/Medium Fortune: You'll also rescue Qin Pi, the skinner next door. Having a powerful accomplice will make your escape easier. Good fortune.]

[Low-middle fortune: You may be discovered while fleeing alone due to your lack of experience, but you might also escape successfully thanks to exceptional luck. Ominous]

[The worst possible outcome: Stay obediently in your cell until dawn and explain the facts to the warden. What if he sides with you? Extremely unlucky]

Shen Chen crept to the next cell and saw a strong man hanging upside down in the room, his body covered in whip marks. If it weren't for the thunderous snoring, Shen Chen would have thought he was just a dead man.

"Peeling knife," Shen Chen whispered, calling out Qin Pi's name.

Qin Pi's eyelids twitched, and then he opened his eyes and looked at Shen Chen outside the cell.

He was initially taken aback when he saw Shen Chen dressed as a prison guard, but then noticed the large amount of blood on the latter's hands and chest, and couldn't help but grin: "You've got some skills, Master Shen."

Shen Chen cut to the chase: "Qin Pi, how can I help you get out of here?"

In the darkness, Qin Pi's eyes gleamed slightly: "Find me a knife, and I'll have a way out."

"Okay, you wait here." Shen Chen bent down and carefully touched the torture chamber on the right side of the cell. Back then, when Zhang Fuguang saw that he refused to take the blame, he specially brought him to this room for a visit, which can be described as using both soft and hard tactics.

To facilitate the prison guards' interrogation of prisoners, the door to the torture chamber was usually open. Shen Chen easily slipped into the torture chamber, where a wall full of torture instruments came into view.

Just as Shen Chen took down a knife, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.