Naming Technique of the Night Chapter 7

Translator: Lordbluefire

Among 3102 prisoners, some were toying with the newcomers, while others were in the entertainment zone. There were also several prisoners working out in the fitness equipment zone. However, it seemed like no one was that interested in reading.

It was to the extent that Li Shutong, Lin Xiaoxiao, and Ye Wan seemed particularly different at this moment.

Lin Xiaoxiao was all smiles as he squatted atop a chair with bare feet, his shoes tossed aside.

As for Ye Wan, he stood upright behind Li Shutong, his gaze sweeping across their surroundings from time to time.

Lin Xiaoxiao's delicate features made him seem exceptionally quick-witted. Ye Wan was more muscular in comparison and looked more resolute.

It was as though one was a boy serving in the scholar's study, while the other looked more like a bodyguard.

Lin Xiaoxiao spoke up after Li Shutong was done with the news, “Boss, that young man didn't help the other newcomers.”

Li Shutong nodded. “Not helping would be the normal behavior. He was decisive in his attacks during the chess game. He could give up his arm to survive, let alone other people.”

“But chess is chess. I would dare to sacrifice my pieces on a chessboard too… Then, boss, will you continue to play chess with him tomorrow?” Lin Xiaoxiao asked after some thought.

“I will.” Li Shutong laughed. “If I don't play with him, then am I supposed to play with you two blunder baskets?” Within the reading zone, Li Shutong was sitting at the side of a long wooden table, reading from a brand-new e-reader he had in his hand. It was surprisingly filled with various news from this morning.

The enormous cat lay down once again and dozed off as if the sole purpose of its life was to nap in different areas.

The reading zone was like a mini library, but there weren't any hard-copy books on these “shelves”. Instead, there were e-readers slotted in their charging ports.

Between the bookshelves, there were dozens of long tables, enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people. However, it was empty now.

From the side, Ye Wan spoke up in a dignified voice, “I am a little better than Lin Xiaoxiao.”

“But not by much either.” Li Shutong regarded Ye Wan, using his finger to select a news article on the e-reader. “Do you remember Guo Huchan whom the Chen Clan Corporation caught? His trial is complete, and they should transfer him to No. 18 Prison Fort in a few days. You go interact with him when the time comes.”

Ye Wan nodded. “I had dealings with him before. Even if he isn't easy to get along with, at least we can still communicate.”

“Hm.” Li Shutong nodded and then turned his attention toward Lin Xiaoxiao. “What do you make of the young man who had a meltdown today?”

“I have observed for a long time and had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.” Lin Xiaoxiao analyzed. “It appeared the young man was spouting nonsense after experiencing a meltdown, but he was obviously confident when he mentioned Luo City and Eternal Profit Conglomerate. It was as if it was true.”

“His identity?” Li Shutong asked.

“I've checked. Outside of the prison, he was just a middle school drop-out, a regular idler of society. He followed City No. 18's Black Tiger Organization and transacted mechanical prostheses. Suspected of illegal plundering of mechanical limbs, but there's no evidence. In the end, they sent him in here on the count of tax evasion. Everything in his history is trackable, but I really couldn't find anything about the Luo City and Eternal Profit Conglomerate that he mentioned,” Lin Xiaoxiao replied.

Nobody noticed Lin Xiaoxiao checking about anything, but he seemed to have conducted a thorough check on the young man who had broken down, within a mere hour.

That was the mystical part.

Li Shutong continued, “Let's continue monitoring. This young man must have other problems. Also, what's the situation with the person who played chess with me?”

Lin Xiaoxiao replied, “You were just done with your chess match and I haven't had time to check. I can give you an answer before lunch break.”

“Good.” Li Shutong nodded as he continued reading on the e-reader.

Lin Xiaoxiao took a sneaky glance at Li Shutong and suddenly realized; the young man had piqued his boss's interest.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Lin Xiaoxiao turned his head toward the area outside of the reading zone and spotted Qing Chen walking over slowly as he took in his surroundings meticulously.

After that, Qing Chen assessed the area Li Shutong was in before trying his hand at the tablet-like e-reader. He gently lifted an e-reader from the “bookshelf” and pressed the power button.

Qing Chen then stared at the screen.

If there was any way to understand this universe quickly, then reading this world's books must be it.

He didn't expect this world to have eliminated all hard-copy books; electronic books were all that was left.

However, after powering on the e-reader, it wasn't the operation interface that was displayed but the login interface.

Lin Xiaoxiao, who was standing by the side, walked over and chuckled. “It's your first time in prison, right? If you want to use this e-reader, then you have to first register an account with your prisoner identification number. Once you have logged in, it will show your recently read history, your bookmarks, and your reading settings such as the font size.”

Qing Chen thought inwardly that this gadget was pretty user-friendly.

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“Right, it has an in-built AI voice function. When you call out its name, it can help you search for the content you are looking for. For example,” Lin Xiaoxiao picked up an e-reader as well and commanded, “Yi. *”

“I'm here.” The e-reader's pleasant voice sounded. Qing Chen recognized this voice; it was the same as the prison fort's broadcast for mealtime.

It spoke formally yet did not feel rigid.

Lin Xiaoxiao spoke to the e-reader, “Search for the book, 'Brown'.”

“Alright. I have found the book 'Brown' for you,” replied the AI 'Yi'.

“See,” Lin Xiaoxiao passed the e-reader in his hand to Qing Chen with the book named 'Brown' opened on the page.

Qing Chen then took a glimpse of the number on his prison uniform. Identification number 010101.

Once he registered, Qing Chen looked at Lin Xiaoxiao. “Where can I read the news? Like the type in his hands.”

Lin Xiaoxiao turned his head toward the e-reader in his boss's hands and then laughed. “Forget about it. Your e-reader account doesn't have network privileges; even I don't have it.”

Qing Chen understood clearly. It seemed that Li Shutong's position in this prison was truly not bound by conventions.

Just like the fact that he could raise a cat in prison.

Qing Chen didn't speak anymore after a word of thanks and merely lowered his head to peruse the contents of his e-reader.

After that, Lin Xiaoxiao returned to Li Shutong's side and sized up Qing Chen discreetly.

But he suddenly realized that the pages were turning rapidly on Qing Chen's e-reader!

Under normal circumstances, a page on the e-reader would contain 800 words, and a normal person would need at least a minute to read it, right? But Qing Chen's speed was two seconds!

Lin Xiaoxiao whispered to Li Shutong, “Boss, he's not even seriously reading the e-reader. Maybe he is trying to get closer, to gain a chance to interact with you.”

“Don't be nosy,” Li Shutong replied without lifting his head. “Don't look down on someone's desire to survive. If you were to swap roles with him, you might be even more impatient. Xiaoxiao, learn to put yourself in other people's shoes.”

Lin Xiaoxiao grinned mischievously. “I know, I know.”

Qing Chen found a spot to settle down. After memorizing the contents of a page, he then flipped quickly to the next. Three hours of such reading went by, and he didn't even change his seating position, not even once.

For others, reading might just be a pastime. But for him, it was one way to understand this world and survive.

The content of the e-reader had been through careful choosing, which was obvious. There wasn't a shred of important information. 95% of the content was on philosophy and Chicken Soup for the Soul*…

But it was fine. Any form of information was important to him at this point.

Qing Chen had always been one to treasure opportunities.

It was almost lunchtime when Li Shutong finally put down the e-reader in his hands and logged out of his account.

At his side, Ye Wan intuitively took over the e-reader and returned it to the port on the bookshelf.

Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao were the closest followers of Li Shutong.

After that, Li Shutong got up and took a glance at Qing Chen, feeling like something was wrong. Upon watching the young man's concentration while reading, it was like he didn't even notice that Li Shutong had stood up. Moreover, it didn't seem like an act.

Li Shutong suddenly asked, “What did the third line on the previous page say?”

The voice was as gentle as jade. When he spoke, it felt as though one had been transported to an antique tea room to listen to an elder's respectable teachings.

“When order becomes chaos, there will be no choice but to use chaos to maintain order and save the law,” Qing Chen looked up and replied.

Ye Wan took the e-reader from Qing Chen's hands and turned to the previous page. “Boss, that's correct.”

At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly noticed that the cat on the table had opened its eyes. He could feel the astonishment that filled its gaze.

It was like… It could understand the conversations between humans all along. And it was also amazed by Qing Chen's ability in recollection.

Li Shutong was stunned after hearing Ye Wan's confirmation. Thereafter, he called out to the cat and laughed as he left. “It's even more interesting now. Let's go. Time for meals to be served.”

He didn't know why, but Qing Chen kept feeling like Li Shutong had a unique disposition to his walk, his white tracksuit swayed lightly as though he was stepping on clouds.

Chapter end