A War Between Spies Chapter 119 - Transfer

Yang Yi had been in prison more than a year now. He was just a month short of reaching one and a half years.

For other inmates, they would be counting their fingers until the day they get released. Each day they would hope they'd get released earlier. It was different for Yang Yi. He just felt that another day had passed and he's another year older.

Yang Yi wasn't bored at all staying in prison. He was like a sponge busily absorbing skills and knowledge. There were just too many useful skills and knowledge that could be learned from the wide range of inmates in prison. Moreover, most of the inmates were the elites in their criminal fields. Those who committed petty crimes like snatch and grab muggers wouldn't be held in Pelican Bay State Prison.

On top of learning martial arts, Yang Yi also learned how to use poison, how to act and how to manage a group of inmates which was never easy. Without a doubt, there was still a lot he could learn from those living on the dark side of society and Pelican Bay State Prison was one of the best places to do so.

After Yang Yi stopped going around looking for fights, he was able to build up a much better relationship with the rest of the inmates. Yang Yi was no longer a rookie and he could even be considered a top student of a school for criminals after he was released.

Up until now, there was still no development on how he could get into the special administrative area. After the previous talk with Owen, he had never contacted Yang Yi again. The biggest thing that worried Yang Yi was that Owen would be getting transferred in a month.

Yang Yi was now in a cell learning how to act from Hammond Phil. Yang Yi had discovered acting was actually much more difficult than it seemed.

“Please control your emotions. You're now playing the role of a mafia boss. You need to be able to instill awe. How do you do that? It comes from within you. You can't just have an emotionless expression, your eyes also need to be commanding. It's from this that you demonstrate your status and the awe will come naturally.”

Yang Yi's shoulder jerked instinctively before his face turned emotionless and he coldly glared at Hammond, “Am I not already one? Without a doubt I am the boss of a gang.”

Hammond rubbed his forehead before he furiously denounced Yang Yi, “Damn, have I not been clear with you? You can't act like some common thug. It's all wrong. You should portray yourself as someone with social status and wealth. You don't instill awe just because you're leading a group of men. Think about it, is it normal for you to glare coldly at everyone with killing intent whenever you talk?  Is that even normal? If it's not, then why are you acting it out in such a manner right now?”

Yang Yi just covered his face with a hand before he smiled bitterly. “I've never seen how a mafia boss portrays himself.”

“If that's the case, think about how the president of the United States carries himself. The president of the United States is the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. How does he usually carry himself? How does he look when he's angry, happy or when he's meeting other state officials or civilians? Try to recall how he smiled when he was in public.”

Yang Yi gave it some thought before he answered, “The smile looked fake?”

“Shit? What do you mean by the smile looked fake? Why don't you show it to me right now?!”

Yang Yi said, “That's why I asked. I don't know.”

Hammond could only helplessly sigh as he looked at Yang Yi and said, “There are those who can act out whoever they try to imitate and there are those who still behave like themselves regardless of who they try to act out. You'll be able to play the role of a supporting character well but you'll fail miserably if you're playing the main the role.”

Yang Yi could only answer helplessly, “I don't have much talent then.”

Hammond just shook his head as he said, “No, it has nothing to do with talent. Think about all those great actors, do you think they killed someone before they could play the role of a serial killer successfully? Do you think those playing the role of kings or princes used to be royalty? It all comes down to acting! The only reason why it felt real is because they did a great job acting out the roles.”

Yang Yi couldn't find a single word to defend himself. He could only say, “I could use my good looks to make a living yet I had to go a step further and depend on my artistic talent.”

“You're right. You have what it takes to be an idol actor. You can just use the same expression for all your roles. However, you'll have to return to Asia. There's no place for you in Hollywood.”

Yang Yi just helplessly waved his hand, “Got it. Let me try again.”

Hammond just blankly stared at Yang Yi as he loudly said, “Then think! You're a mafia boss. You're confident and you don't need to please anyone. There's also no need for you to glare at someone just to threaten them. That's it! You got it right. You're confident because your strength comes from within you. Right! Soften your eyes because the eyes are pivotal here.”

Just when Hammond was half-way correcting Yang Yi's expression, a loud voice was heard coming from outside. “2039, come with me. You are being assigned a new cell. “

Both Yang Yi and Hammond were startled. There was a guard standing outside the cell holding handcuffs impatiently tapping the cell door. “Be quick, stop dawdling.”

Yang Yi stood up and asked in astonishment, “Why does he have to change cells?”

“It's an order. There's no need for you to know why. Where do you think you are? A hotel? Gather up your personal items quickly.”

Yang Yi was shocked because he could stay with whoever he requested. Although Owen arranged who stayed with Yang Yi, it was the first time the cellmate was being changed so suddenly.

After Hammond got over the shock, he started packing up but stopped halfway and reluctantly told Yang Yi, “It's regrettable I can't teach you any further. You're actually quite a good student. In fact, you do have the talent for it and have what it takes to be a great actor. I had a good time teaching you. Too bad I can only continue teaching you during free activity period in the future.” Hammond continued packing after he said that.

Yang Yi than looked at the guard and said, “I would like to meet Officer Owen.”

Yang Yi was sure the guard he was speaking to was new here. He was familiar with all the guards in here yet he had never met this guard before. So, he didn't say anything beyond that. He just watched as Hammond finished packing up his personal items and left the cell escorted by the guard.

Yang Yi was suddenly all alone and he wasn't used to it. Right now, he wanted to speak to Owen. So, he could only ask the guard to pass the message. He shouldn't have to wait long before he got to speak to Owen.

Yang Yi didn't burst out in anger. Since he couldn't continue practicing his acting skill, he started training his physical fitness instead. There were just too many things on his to-do list. After completing a set of punching routines silently, Yang Yi suddenly thought of something. Was this done by Owen in preparation for him to be transferred to the Special Administrative Area? However, it didn't seem quite necessary for Owen to transfer his cellmate away before moving him to the Special Administrative Area.

Chapter end