He tore the note into neat strips and let them fall onto the table.
"What's in it, Brother Du?" someone asked.
"Nothing," Du Wuchen replied calmly, picking up his chopsticks. "An old acquaintance asking for help."
"A favour?" Another frowned. "You're locked up here. What help could you give?"
Du Wuchen chewed slowly, then swallowed.
"The target is also a prisoner," he said. "The new one."
"Recently, the only new inmate seems to be that one."
"Who?"
"The guy who got in for murder charges."
"Oh. That one. Do you know what he looks like?"
"I don't see any fresh faces here."
"He's not here?"
Seeing the group become confused. Du Wuchen said evenly. "Under the jailer's orders, he is eating separately from us and is to be served the extra protein meal."
"…That pig feed?" One of them showed a look of horror and gulped.
"Yes," Du Wuchen nodded.
Someone laughed. "That disgusting stuff. Hahaha. Chen Rui isn't here; he must have gone to deliver it, right?"
