In the name of the true god

That's really unlucky...

Jude originally intended to keep a low profile in the regular prison ward and try to avoid any contact with Melanie.

Unexpectedly, before they even officially started their shifts, they already had a direct encounter...

"go out."

"Did you hear me? I told you to get out! What are you doing here before your shift starts?!"

"I'm telling you to get out."

"Me?" The squad leader paused for a moment, then confirmed with Warden Melanie.

Warden Melanie didn't repeat it a second time, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

"Yes!" Sensing a chill from his eyes, the squad leader immediately shuddered, respectfully walked around to the door, and retreated first.

"And close the door while you're at it."

"yes!"

"Bang!"

For a moment, only Jude and Melanie remained in the closed temporary rest room for prison guards.

silence.

They gaze at each other from afar.

Melanie's aura had a "forceful" feel to it.

Jude unconsciously swallowed, then stood up and saluted Melanie: "Warden."

"Da...da..."

Melanie's leather boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the floor.

The distance between them gradually decreased.

When they were less than two steps apart, Melanie stopped, her eyes narrowed, and a subtle, ambiguous smile appeared on her face as she asked, "Don't you recognize me?"

really……

Only two days have passed, and I've only changed my clothes; how could I not be recognized...?

"I..." Jude instinctively took a small step back. "I only found out later that you also worked in the prison, and were even the warden..."

"I do believe that." Melanie's tone lacked any harshness or sternness; instead, it was as languid as it had been that night at the ball, tinged with a subtle flirtatious undertone. "So, the friend you were waiting for back then wasn't also a prison guard, was he?"

"right……"

"They know I danced with you?"

"They're the ones who told me you were Warden Melanie."

"Who else knows about this?"

Does anyone else know?

Everyone in my squad knows about it anyway.

Connor, the older brother, somehow heard the rumors.

I pessimistically estimate that the gossip about me and Melanie has probably spread throughout the entire prison.

Jude wasn't sure if Melanie cared about this, so he could only conveniently shift the blame: "I told them not to spread it around, so no one else should know."

"I hope so." Melanie raised an eyebrow noncommittally. "What's your name?"

"Jude Viera."

"Are you Connor's brother?"

"Yes."

Melanie looked Jude up and down again, her gaze first surprised, then slightly suspicious, as she tentatively asked, "You like men too?"

Jude: "..."

"Really?" Melanie misinterpreted Jude's silence as tacit agreement.

"I like women." Jude emphasized the word "women."

"real?"

This feels like being nagged and questioned by Connor at home...

Is there really no place in this world where I can find peace and quiet...?

Jude patiently replied, "Otherwise, why would I go to the dance with my colleagues?"

"That's true." Melanie nodded to herself, then chuckled softly, "Hehe, I was just curious, don't mind me."

"It's alright." Jude remembered his brother Connor's "advice" and didn't hold it against him.

"Are you single?" Melanie asked, staring intently at Jude.

Is it really that direct...?

Could she actually be interested in me...?

Jude regretted coming to the prison so early to wait for his shift: "Yes, mainly because I don't have any thoughts about that for the time being."

"Do you want to focus on your career first?"

"Yes."

"You're quite ambitious," Melanie casually praised. "Keep a good watch on duty later, don't slack off."

Jude stood ramrod straight: "Please rest assured, Warden!"

Melanie sensed Jude's wariness and turned to walk towards the door: "I can't control you when you're rotating through other prison wards, but when you're rotating through the regular ward, you're not allowed to drink alcohol or participate in entertainment activities like dances, even outside of work hours."

You're meddling in other people's business...

Jude couldn't help but ask, "Schedules outside of work hours should also be restricted?"

"Attending dances and drinking alcohol can easily disrupt sleep, causing drowsiness during duty the next day, which can lead to mistakes." Melanie's reasoning seemed reasonable. "If another prison break occurs, can you take responsibility?"

But as the chief guard of the first-level prison ward, didn't you still go to a dance party to relax a few days after the prisoners escaped?

Jude ultimately didn't have the courage to say these words, and obediently replied, "Yes."

"If I catch you, you'll face the consequences."

"Unless you're also going to the ball, how will you catch me...?"

Are you inviting me?

"..."

Jude conceded defeat.

"I'm not teasing you anymore. Go and do your duty properly later." Having teased you enough, Melanie left the prison guards' temporary rest room with satisfaction.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Jude slowly sat down.

After only a brief moment of contact with Melanie, his forehead was covered in sweat.

"call……"

With a long sigh of relief, Jude pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead, suddenly agreeing with Connor's advice.

I still need to stay away from this woman...

Otherwise, if someone comes over every day to tease you, no one can stand it...

Should we switch from defense to offense?

Forget it...

After all, he's the boss's boss's boss, so naturally you can't afford to offend him...

A dozen minutes later.

Captain Foster, Fat Allen, the vain Colin, the poet Anders, and the eldest brother Killian arrived one after another.

The group had a simple dinner at the prison guards' canteen, and then were immediately assigned to guard duty at the watchtower in the prison's "inner ring".

Allen specifically requested to be grouped with Jude.

Climbing the watchtower, he pointed to the special prison building: "Look, the view from here is very clear; you can see everything that happens in the special prison building."

Following Captain Foster's instructions, Jude first confirmed that the bolt-action rifle was empty, then leisurely loaded a bullet: "Hmm... any progress on your end?"

"No." Allen held his rifle, his gaze fixed on the main entrance of the special prison building. "The most feasible method is to send more of our own kind into the prison. If we can take control of both the heretic prison and the watchtower at the same time, there is still hope."

Jude recalled what Detective Stefan Nolan had said: several of his colleagues at the police station wanted to work in the prison, but ultimately failed because they didn't have the connections.

Logically speaking, the detectives' overall qualities are absolutely sufficient.

Since they can't even get in, it undoubtedly shows that the entry requirements for prisons are much higher than they imagined.

"Unfortunately, getting a job in the prison isn't that easy. Now that there's been another prison break, recruitment will only be more stringent than before. It's practically impossible to gather more people to infiltrate the prison..." Sure enough, Allen dismissed the feasibility of this idea. "What about you? Do you have any new strategies?"