Although Yang Yi had been learning how to fight, it was unfortunate that he hadn't been learning for that long.
If Yang Yi's fighting prowess was to be measured, he was just at the beginner stages. It was only reasonable that it would take some time for him to get a firm grasp on the things he'd learned.
Although an eidetic memory allowed Yang Yi to learn a lot of fighting techniques, movements and terminology, it didn't mean that he could execute them all properly.
Using basketball as an example, it was easy to imitate the action of a superstar after watching them in action. However, the ball thrown wouldn't be as accurate, the breakthrough wouldn't be incisive and the dribbling would be poorly executed. Without understanding the principle behind the actions, replicating those actions was pointless.
Not only were Yang Yi's fighting skills subpar, the Boxing King was almost twice his size. At 180 cm tall, the Boxing King was slightly shorter than Yang Yi but he weighed at least a 100 kg. His arm alone was thicker than Yang Yi's thigh.
Most critical of all, the Boxing King was a professional boxer who had been boxing for many years. Although he wasn't famous, being a professional denoted the fact that he could really fight and endure taking hits.
He had relied on his fighting prowess as a professional boxer to single-handedly form a group which could rival the other gangs in the prison.
If pure strength was to be compared, Yang Yi might not be able to defeat the Boxing King even if there were eight of him fighting. Moreover, the Boxing King had about thirty to forty men backing him up. Yang Yi was totally inferior to the Boxing King in terms of both strength and manpower.
Since he couldn't win the fight with force, what could be done about it? Yang Yi would have to use his brain instead since force wasn't the answer.
His brain had always been his biggest asset. He should have used it from the very beginning to solve the current crisis.
So, Buddy's statement that Yang Yi only had two choices was wrong. He actually had a third choice.
"Buddy, since you can run a business here, there's definitely someone backing you, right? Your backer is a guard, right?"
Buddy just shrugged when Yang Yi asked such a sensitive question, "Why do you want to know?"
Yang Yi lowered his voice and said, "Bro, let's make a deal. There's no way I can kill the Boxing King but I don't want to die either. So, can you be the middleman and help me pass a message? I will give you a hundred dollars for delivering the message."
Buddy scrutinized Yang Yi before he asked with hesitation, "How much money do you have?"
"I'm not very sure at the moment. I owe you a hundred and fifty dollars. I will have to pay you another hundred dollars. So, I will probably still have around five hundred dollars left. Do I have enough to ask the guard to tell the Boxing King to leave me alone?"
Buddy contemplated for a moment before he answered, "It wouldn't be enough if we were in the felony section. In fact, it would be far from enough! On this side though, I believe it might just do the trick."
Yang Yi let out a breath of relief. He patted Buddy's shoulder and said, "Bro, you will have to help me out!"
Buddy actually shook his head instead, "No, I won't help you pass the message before I get the money. If I deliver the message and you can't pay, it's me who will suffer since I would then have to fork out the money. So, it's best you get the money before you ask me again. By the way, the money in your account can't be withdrawn directly. So, how are you going to pass me the money if you don't have any cash?
Looking at Yang Yi who was somewhat surprised, Buddy said, "Almost anything can be used as money in prison. You can buy stuff at the prison shop and trade it with the other inmates. However, it doesn't apply to the guards though. They won't be interested in cigarettes, shampoo or the other stuff you can get here. So, what are you going to do about it?"
Yang Yi asked, "You do have a way right?"
Buddy revealed his white teeth when he answered, "I can help you transfer the money to the guard but I will be collecting a service fee of 20%. My reputation is solid. So, I won't take an extra cent from you. Why don't you think about it first?"
Yang Yi had a total sum of a thousand dollars being transferred. Frankly speaking, he wouldn't have placed too much importance on this one thousand dollars if he wasn't in prison.
"Sure, bro. I trust you! Once I get the money, we will immediately take care of the transaction."
"Here's to a happy cooperation. Hey, that's not how you do it."
Buddy shook his head when Yang Yi lifted his hand for a handshake. He then raised his hand and did fist bump before grasping Yang Yi's hand and said, "This is how you do it with a Black brother, understand?"
Yang Yi immediately followed suit and smiled, "Bro, I'll have to depend on you."
Buddy replied with a chuckle, "You can depend on me. Don't forget you still owe me two hundred and fifty dollars. Make sure you don't end up in a plastic bag. I will see you around bro. Good luck!"
The black plastic bag Buddy mentioned was actually a body bag. Given his enmity with the Boxing King, it was best for him to be careful.
Yang Yi let out a breath of relief when he saw Buddy mingling warmly with the other inmates again. His life here should improve once Xiao Ran sent him the money.
With money, one could even invite the gods and bribe the demons to do your bidding. Whether it was prison or the world outside, anything would progress smoothly with money.
If money wasn't able to solve the problem, it only meant the amount of money wasn't enough.
Although Yang Yi was able to loosen up now, he had to remain vigilant. The Boxing King may still strike out at him at any moment before the problem was resolved.
Free activity period passed peacefully. Yang Yi knew this period was the most dangerous because most grievances between inmates were resolved during this time.
The Boxing King hadn't taken any action all the way until free activity period was over. He could finally relax a bit. Based on Yang Yi's estimation, the most dangerous period for him was during free activity, followed by meal time and lastly group showers.
Two of the most dangerous group activities for Yang Yi passed peacefully. Although there shouldn't be much danger during group shower, it was still the period Yang Yi was most worried about.
The term don't drop the soap1 originated from prison and it wasn't just prison lore.
Yang Yi would rather be stabbed by a knife then experience picking up soap. He might as well commit suicide if he got deflowered in prison.
This placed Yang Yi in a predicament. He would like to take a shower but he was truly afraid of being assaulted.
The time for group showers came right after free activity period but it wasn't something the inmates got to enjoy every day. Hot showers were only provided twice a week and today was one of them.
As Yang Yi observed the inmates taking turns to shower, he finally decided to forgo a shower this time around. However, Yang Yi was tempted to reconsider when he saw Boxing King and his men leaving the shower.