CHAPTER TWO

Kaishui maximum security penitentiary, located in the outskirts of Yunnan province is truly a hell on earth. With a hundred and twenty feet high fence, 50 inch thick stone walls, and re-enforced steel doors, the facility is impregnable. Some sections of the prison, where the worst of the worst are being held is subterranean. 

Other sections that house less dangerous criminals are above ground, but with the same solitary confinement. This is the section where Richard Yeon is serving his sentence. For the past three and half years Kaishui has been his home, he has never had any human contact or conversation with anyone from the outside world apart from the prison guards. 

His cell is a 12 x 6 room with a single window around four feet high, and only four inches wide, offering only a tailored glimpse of the sky. The designers of the facility made sure to eliminate any semblance of light or joy that can be taken from the outside world. All the usual personal furniture like the desk, table, sink, and even the bed is made of poured concrete, moulded to the floor. This is to ensure that none of these utilities can be moved. 

The only companion Richard Yeon has been communicating with is his sharp mind, with whom he worked with to create a marvellous code. He managed to write it on a soft part of the wall with his broken fingernails, which he had been growing for a year. Since he is serving a life sentence, Richard had lost all hope to show the world what he has created. For three and half years, he has only known the type of loneliness that is enough to drive anyone insane. But today, that's going to change.

It was already fifteen minutes past three when three guards marched straight to his cell and stopped at the door. "Richard Yeon, you have a visitor. Get up from the bed, turn around and face the wall." One of the guards commanded. Richard obeyed immediately. "Hands behind your back and out of the peephole". Another said. Richard obliged quickly. They cuffed him before opening the door.

As Richard stepped outside his cell, the sun from the windows of the prison hallway hurt his eyes. He shut them for a moment, then opened them again. While they walked down the hallway, Richard wondered who the mysterious visitor is. His thoughts flashed on his sister, and he remembered that they haven't seen each other since he was locked up. 

The guards led him to the warden's office, where a man was waiting for him. As he entered the office, warden Xu Ping quietly let himself out, to give them some privacy. But not before offering Richard a seat. "Hello Richard, my name is Brandon Hernandez. I am a senior partner at J.B Patterson and H Donghai. I have been sent to inform you that your conviction has been overturned." The man waiting for him said.

For more than twenty seconds, Richard didn't say a word. He just stared vaguely at the Latino lawyer, dressed in a hand-made suit. His mind was in a vortex of confusion and fear. Richard was still yet to decide if what he just heard was real, or just another illusion created by his mind to make him feel better. 

"Did you hear what I said Mr. Yeon?" Brandon asked impatiently. A gust of wind blew in through the window and brushed past Richard's face. And for the first time in three years, he felt alive. He touched the warden's desk and the floors before raising his head up to Brandon. "How's that possible?" Richard asked, still looking disconcerted.

Brandon came closer to him. "We managed to appeal your verdict to a higher court, and secured another hearing. A supreme court judge looked at the case and saw that it lacked merit of the conviction, due to some inconclusive evidences presented by the prosecution. But because of where you are being held, we couldn't secure the permission to bring you to court."

Richard mulled over his words for a moment. There were lots of questions hanging in the air after the lawyer's response, but he lacked the strength to ask them all. So he asked just one. "Not to sound like a pessimist, but how did I manage to pay the legal fees of such a reputable law firm?" Brandon smiled. "You didn't have to. Someone else did." Richard squinted. "Who?"

"All will be revealed in good time. But for now, let's get you out of this hell hole." Brandon took out a piece of document from his briefcase and handed it over to Richard. "As soon as you sign, you are free to go." The word "free" sounded like a heavenly choir singing "Joy to the world". Richard could barely believe his ears. He was leaving Kaishui for good. To Richard, it was the one place on earth that shared a wall with hell.

An hour later, Richard was dressed in the suit he wore the day he was arrested. Even with unshaved beards, dirty fingernails and tattered hair, Richard was hopeful. Beyond the ridiculously high fence, a Mercedes Maybach and a driver waited. The sun was setting, the weather cold. When Richard saw the car and driver, he became sceptical about the lawyer's intentions. 

"What's going on Mr Hernandez?" Brandon could sense his uneasiness, so he patted Richard on the back. "You wanted to know who paid for your legal fees and ensured that you secure your freedom right? Then get into the car and find out." Richard glared at Brandon for a moment, like he was still deciding if he can trust Brandon or not. Eventually, he got into the car and they left the scene. While on the way, Brandon picked up the satellite phone in the vehicle and dialled the first number on speed dial. "I have picked him up. We are on our way." Then he ended the call. 

The forty-five minutes drive from the prison to Baoshan Yunrui airport was quiet and uneventful. Richard had a lot on his mind, and Brandon was eager to receive a paycheck for a job well done. They both cerebrated in silence. 

When they got to the airport, there was a Learjet 75 and a crew waiting. This time, Richard didn't bother to ask any questions. He was eager to see the face that bankrolled his freedom. As soon as they boarded, he fell asleep in his chair. He woke up in a cave deep within the mountains. There was a fire burning at the centre of the cave to keep it warm. Richard quickly rushed to the fire to keep warm as well.

When he looked around, the place was dark and dreary, save the fire in-front of him. There was a sound of water dripping from the stalactites, but he couldn't tell exactly the point it was coming from. The air was so dry and hazy, despite the cold, that it made him thirsty.

In-front of him stood an old wooden chair, half eaten by termites and covered in mold from consistent humidity. But something else caught his attention. Resting on the chair was a red python looking at him. Richard gasped upon seeing the snake and swallowed hard. The snake slithered quietly from the chair and approached Richard. He tried to run, but couldn't. Suddenly his hands and legs were pinned to the ground and he couldn't move.

As the snake got closer, Richard tried to steady his breath almost to the point of not breathing. He also tried to keep calm as the menacing aura held him in a tightening grip. The python stopped in-front of Richard and stared at him for a moment. At that point Richard's heart was beating so fast that he could barely hear anything else. 

The python coiled itself up as if in pain, then uncoiled and stretched itself out. 'Can you believe the length of this thing?' Richard asked himself. The snake was over forty feet long. Then after a few seconds, it vomited a stone. Slithering away afterwards, it headed towards the exit of the cave. Richard returned his gaze on the stone. It didn't take long for him to figure out what kind of stone it is. The snake had vomited a diamond. 

Suddenly, his hands and legs were free to move. Richard quickly stretched forth his right hand to pick up the diamond, but didn't get the chance. "Mr Yeon, Mr Yeon, Richard." Someone kept calling him. Richard gradually opened his eyes and realised he was still in the plane. There was no cave, no snake, and no diamond, and he felt disappointed. "Mr Yeon, we are here." Brandon said for the second time.

When they got down from the plane, there was a G-63 AMG Mercedes with a driver waiting for them. The drive from Shanghai Pudong airport to the Bund took only 55 minutes. But to Richard, it was like a life time. He had so many unanswered questions, and would go crazy if any of them is not answered soon. Whoever the person is, and why the person risked and spent so much to get him out of prison was Richard's main concern.

They pulled up in-front of an iron gate in Nanjing road, in Huangpu district. The driver honked twice and the gate opened slowly. As they drove in, Richard took a moment to admire the grounds. The 2000 square foot compound had beautiful hedges and street lamps from the gate, down to the rear. A marble fountain stood at the centre of the compound, which is close to the magnificent mansion the car stopped in-front of.

The building is a U shaped edifice organised around an internal courtyard, and allows access to all of the living spaces and the swimming pool. A perforated wall separates the public forecourt and the private spaces. As they pulled over, Brandon turned to Richard. "The answer to your questions is inside the house. I wish you all the best Richard. Godspeed." Without saying a word, Richard quickly stepped down from the car and went into the building.

The building interior had a mixture of Japanese and Italian decor modelling and the air smelled of Frankincense and Rose. Richard looked around, but there was no one in the foyer and the living room. But he could hear classic music playing upstairs, so he quickly found the stairs and alighted. 

The sitting room upstairs was dark, save the tripod floor lamp at the rear. There were beautiful sofas meticulously arranged in L form. Someone was seated on one of them. "Hello Richard. It's so good to see you again after so many years. Last time I saw you, you were still a baby." The man's baritone voice quickened Richard's nerves. "Show your face!" Richard demanded. The man chuckled softly and turned on the lights of the sitting room.

As the lights came on, the sitting room was in full view. With shades of grey and black modular sofas, grey grasscloth wallpaper on both sides of the room, black automated curtains, a smooth log of wood as centre table, and a collection of artworks and different kinds of collectibles. The man stood up and approached Richard. "Who are you?" Richard asked impatiently.

He was about 5,7 tall, and handsome. The man looked to be in his mid-fifties, which was the same age as Richard's father before his death. "My name is Tong Seo-joon. And I am a friend of your father. He and I grew up together in South Korea, before he returned to China." Richard glared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if there was any truth in Seo-joon's words. "I know all my father's friends. How come I never heard of you?" He finally asked. The man chuckled again.

"Unfortunately, you don't know all his friends. Your father was…" Seo-joon paused for a moment. "a complicated man. And I miss him so much. I am terribly sorry for your loss son." Richard nodded. "What do you want from me? I mean, for you to go through all the trouble to get me out of prison, you must want something."

Seo-joon smiled. "I don't want anything from you Richard. Rather, I want to give you something. You have been through a lot for a crime you didn't commit. And I am here to even the odds for you." Richard's raised eyebrows registered his surprise. "How did you know that I am innocent?" 

"I did a little investigation of my own, beyond the scope what the police did. And I found out that you were innocent, among other things. I found out that your uncle orchestrated the entire thing by using a shell company owned by Haoyu Cheng. They fabricated evidence convincing enough to send you to prison. That's when I decided to do all in my power to get you out of prison. Plus, I made a promise to your father to protect you and your sister." 

His words sent to Richard's mind straight to his sister, and he whispered. "Anna". "Where is she?" He finally asked. "She's living with the Cheung's in Pudong. She got married to Haoyu Cheung's grandson, Maurice. Your uncle arranged the marriage as soon as you were sent to prison. And from what I hear, they treat her like trash in that house. With Maurice's infidelity and constant verbal insults, she must be living in misery."