Rebuilding Base is Under Construction (BASE)
The dining hall grew noisy as prisoners began to stream in through the entrance.
The chefs, who were well-compensated by Zhang Dianyu for their efforts, had already placed steaming lunch buckets on the serving tables and allowed the prisoners to serve themselves.
Zhang Dianyu noticed Wayne glancing at him.
"..."
He knew this scene didn’t resemble a conventional prison—it looked more like a hotel buffet breakfast.
But this NPC sure had a lot of thoughts.
As Zhang Dianyu scooped mashed potatoes from the serving bucket for himself, he wondered: Was this NPC actually a GM in disguise?
[In gaming, GM typically stands for Game Master. The Game Master is a person who facilitates and controls a role-playing game (RPG), often a tabletop RPG like Dungeons & Dragons. They manage the game world, NPCs (non-player characters), and the overall narrative.]
Wait, do single-player sandbox indie games even have GMs?
Zhang Dianyu: "..."
He sighed inwardly before he picked up his tray and sat down across from Wayne, who was butler stood nearby with a polite smile.
Zhang Dianyu: "..."
He returned the smile with a courteous one of his own while forcefully stabbing a piece of lettuce with his fork.
...Even the food in the game was this bad.
Wayne observed the prisoners with interest as they served themselves, chatted, ate, and then headed to the corner to play pool or... lift weights.
Not that he was worried about anyone getting a stomach perforation from exercising after a meal.
Zhang Dianyu cleared his throat.
"Mr. Wayne, as you’ve seen," he began with a faint smile, "this is a free and democratic prison model based on the Wozkishide Theory. It delves into the unique traits and needs of each prisoner and creates an open environment that fosters personal growth. By uncovering the root causes of their crimes, we aim to reform and perfect their character, ultimately reducing societal crime rates—this is the direction of our research."
Wayne’s fork paused mid-air as if he were deep in thought.
In reality, while prisoners did have recreational needs, the courtyard was too small to accommodate such facilities, and building foundations cost money.
The prison was still in its developmental phase, and Zhang Dianyu’s motto was to save wherever possible.
Just then, a commotion broke out among the prisoners.
Shouts echoed through the hall but the security forces reacted faster than Zhang Dianyu could turn his head.
A few gunshots rang out, and a mist of blood sprayed across the previously clean dining tables and several troublemaking prisoners collapsed in pools of blood.
Zhang Dianyu: "..."
Wayne’s probing gaze was fixed on his face with an unspoken question clear.
In the midst of their silent stare-off, the black-haired man smiled leisurely and speared a piece of sausage. "Free and democratic?"
Zhang Dianyu had already quickly opened the game panel.
In the bottom right corner, the red "Free Fire" button was flashing as if mocking him.
This was Zhang Dianyu’s usual prison management style.
What to do about prisoner riots? Most of the time, they were beyond saving. The vast dining hall was patrolled day and night by eight armed guards. At the slightest sign of unrest, it was "bang!"
Don’t ask—it was all about saving money.
Swift and decisive action minimized losses.
Zhang Dianyu turned off the free fire mode and stood up.
In reality, stun guns hadn’t been fully deployed yet, and metal detectors at the entrances to the dining hall and dormitories hadn’t been installed due to insufficient power supply.
Allowing armed guards to freely open fire to maintain order was the best operational choice for the prison.
Of course, "operational" here refers to profitability.
"Cease fire immediately!" Zhang Dianyu’s eyes darkened as he spoke in a low voice.
The armed guards promptly holstered their weapons.
On the surface, orders were strictly followed but in reality, it was because Zhang Dianyu had simultaneously turned off the free-fire mode in the game panel.
Zhang Dianyu slowly walked over with his expression dark and terrifying. He licked the corner of his mouth then gently adjusted his tie and spoke in a calm tone, "Take these people to the infirmary."
The guard beside him stood at attention and saluted, "Warden, I don’t think our infirmary can accommodate this many people."
Zhang Dianyu: "..."
The guard continued, "And Warden, the morgue is also full."
Zhang Dianyu: "......"
If it weren’t for the fact that Wayne, the freeloading NPC, was still here, he would have fired this guard on the spot.
Speaking of which, has Wayne had enough of the spectacle? He already paid, so he can leave now!
Currently, there are only two doctors in the prison.
Originally, there were five but after Zhang Dianyu hired enough armed special police and troublemaking inmates were often dealt with on the spot, few guards were injured. Only a handful of inmates involved in brawls needed treatment, so Zhang Dianyu had dismissed the extra doctors.
To maintain appearances, he opened the panel and temporarily rehired three more doctors outside the cafeteria.
Thus, the prison demonstrated an unusually swift response to emergencies.
Before the guards could escort the troublemakers to solitary confinement, the doctors had already arrived on the scene and spent a few minutes treating the injured inmates.
Wayne once again fell silent with fork in hand.
What kind of miraculous acupuncture technique is this?
A few pokes and the wounded are healed... and the speed is unbelievable.
The guards first handcuffed the offending inmates one by one, then following the procedure, escorted the brawlers to solitary confinement.
But the unlucky ones who had attacked the guards first now lay coldly in pools of blood.
As the guard had said, the morgue was full, and the doctors couldn’t revive the dead inmates. They could only leave them lying there until the hearse arrived at night to transport the bodies.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Zhang Dianyu opened the game panel and the prison’s danger rating was dropping.
Typically, after a small-scale riot was suppressed, the inmates would lay low for a while.
Zhang Dianyu glanced at the bodies on the ground and instructed the nearby doctors to carry them to the infirmary.
In the game, pixelated characters lying in pools of blood with death tags were one thing but in this simulated reality environment, eating while surrounded by corpses was quite jarring.
After all, he still had a visitor here.
Didn’t Mr. Wayne just sit there with his fork while silent for a long time?
He walked back to his seat then instinctively straightened his tie before he met Wayne’s gaze, and smiled slightly.
Wayne: "..."
Zhang Dianyu: "How’s the stewed potato, Mr. Wayne?"
Wayne: "......"
The cafeteria’s portions were decent but the ingredients were limited—pasta, smoked sausage, kale, and an endless supply of potatoes.
Mashed potatoes, stewed potatoes and potato soup—when the chef was in a good mood, he might make some fries or baked potatoes.
Wayne stared silently at his plate full of potatoes.
Zhang Dianyu crunched on some lettuce and flashed Wayne a bright smile.
He had figured it out—a task couldn’t be done twice.
The charitable subsidy from Wayne Enterprises had already been deposited, and it was time to ask him to leave.
There was still one more meal in the evening, and the two meals a day added up to $12.
After the meal, Wayne tactfully took his leave, and Zhang Dianyu had the red-haired assistant from the warden's office escort them out.
The assistant, with a polite smile, guided Wayne and his butler along a small path behind the dining hall toward the main gate.
At that moment, it happened to be the post-lunch yard time, and 114 testosterone-fueled inmates were packed into the small courtyard, all roaring and howling while the snipers in the watchtowers stood ready.
"This place is quite peculiar, isn't it, Mr. Wayne?" the red-haired assistant suddenly remarked.
Wayne paused for a moment then raised one corner of his mouth: "You, Avengers are still as quick as ever, Miss Romanoff."
Translator:
This novel is hilarious 😂. I'm laughing my ass off while translating slash reading this.