NOVEL NEXT Chapter 153
Chapter 153: The Visitors from Korea
“They’re sending an inspection team from Korea soon.”
A tall, skinny man who looked like a skeleton spoke up. He was Dean White, the Deputy Warden of the Alcatraz Special Detention Center.
Sitting across from him was Roland Gardner, the Warden of this prison. Unlike Dean, Roland was shorter but had a solid build reminiscent of a football player.
The stark contrast in their physiques made them look strangely harmonious together.
“Hmph, what are those idiots upstairs thinking? Bringing those Yellow Monkey bastards here like they own the place.”
Roland grumbled, clearly displeased with the unexpected humans coming to visit.
“Well, nothing we can do about it. If they tell us to, we have to comply,” Dean chuckled with a mischievous grin.
With those pronounced cheekbones, his smile had a sharp edge to it.
“Don’t spout nonsense. No matter what they say from above, I’m king here!”
Roland declared with authority, and he had every right to boast that way. After all, he was an A-Class Awakened Being.
A valuable A-Class Awakener, worth more than a standard salary of ten million dollars, was the head of this detention center. It was hard to imagine such a situation outside of the overflowing A-Class population in America.
Thanks to America, they could afford to employ someone with a salary nearing that standard.
Roland struggled to understand why A-Class Hunters tirelessly raided monsters rather than commanding inmates to submit in this place for comparable pay.
While they might see him as rotting in a stinky prison, this prison was his only kingdom.
And he was the king of that kingdom.
“Snicker, snicker. So, Your Highness, what’s the plan?” Dean asked playfully.
He was also a B-Class Hunter.
The difference here was worlds apart compared to Korea, where the Warden and Deputy Warden were typically ordinary or lower-ranked Hunters.
In Korea, hiring higher-ranked Hunters was impossible; they couldn’t meet the pay, and the positions had little prestige or power.
“What are we going to do? Teach those Yellow Monkeys a lesson,” Roland answered as if the question was too obvious.
“Well, if that’s what the Warden intends, I’ll just follow along as usual,” Dean replied with a shrug.
“But is it really okay? They are guests called by the higher-ups, after all.”
“I’m king here, remember?” Roland replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“What’s this… there might be that so-called Hero Correctional Officer among the visitors,” Dean mentioned.
“What’s that guy? Acting all high and mighty in front of some punks from a tiny peninsula? Just a frog in a well. I’ll have him pissing his pants,” Roland retorted.
“Heh, what are you planning to do?” Dean asked.
“We’ll direct them to where Max is.”
“Ah, I see.”
Dean’s face twisted into a sly grin as he grasped the plan.
“That’s our Warden for you, bold as ever.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“This is….”
The head of security muttered as he gazed at the immense, towering barrier.
Even seen from afar, it already felt like an impregnable fortress, and up close, it was even more intimidating.
This massive wall, named the Alcatraz Wall after the island, had a sturdiness that was incomparable to the barriers of the Ganghwa Island Special Detention Center.
This was the entire public face of the Alcatraz Special Detention Center.
Since cameras had never been allowed inside, no one could know the layout unless they had experienced it firsthand.
“You’ve probably seen many photos of this place.”
James, who just spoke, began to explain.
He described how this wall contained all of America’s cutting-edge technology, making it impossible even for A-Class Awakened Beings to destroy or scale it.
It was constructed with great expense to uphold the infamous legacy of the old Alcatraz Prison, known for its absolute inescapability.
“…Indeed, the land of the free is grand and beautiful,” Kang Baek remarked, wagging his tongue in awe.
“The land of the free,” a term used by Korean netizens to mock the astronomical defense budget of nearly 1 trillion dollars spent by the U.S. in one year.
“Thorough,” Si-hyun nodded appreciatively.
A regular correctional officer might think of it as extravagance, but anyone who survived the Ganghwa Island Disaster learned better.
That event taught the hard lesson that unpredictable disasters could occur at any moment.
“We used to run generators on oil, but now we rely 100% on Magic Stones,” James elaborated.
Si-hyun looked up at the wall again with renewed perspective.
There was nothing here. Just a cliff island.
To maintain this enormous structure, not only power but also frequent deliveries of food, water, and numerous supplies for both officers and inmates had to be brought in by ship.
Unlike Ganghwa Island, which essentially reached the mainland, this was a completely different story.
It was a troublesome and costly endeavor.
It was undeniably a thought that it could only be America that would even consider, let alone manage, a special detention center on a real island.
“Shall we start heading in?” James indicated toward the immense entrance that looked to be made of some metal.
In front of it were guard posts and correctional officers, though they were not armed with guns.
Instead, they held cold weapons like swords and spears, reminiscent of an ancient era.
However, in this age, no one would take those cold weapons lightly.
The officers at the outpost appeared to be hunters with considerable skill.
“Visitors from Korea have arrived,” James announced upon reaching the guard post.
“Confirmed.”
One of the officers at the post gave a quick glance over the group and signaled for the door to be opened.
They didn’t check every face against the list; it was assumed all was well with James, a high-ranking official from the California Department of Corrections, leading them.
Soon, the colossal door swung open, revealing the entrance into the prison.
“Alright, let’s go,” James said with a smile and led the way.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Oh my, it’s been such a long time since we’ve had guests here.”
The tall, gaunt man exclaimed in an overly dramatic tone.
It was Deputy Warden Dean.
Si-hyun felt an inexplicable discomfort from his gaze. It was an instinct honed from dealing with various types of inmates.
It was the same unsettling feeling he sometimes got from con artists.
These types were skilled at hiding their true intentions.
So even if they appeared welcoming, their inner thoughts remained elusive.
“This is Dean White, the Deputy Warden of the Alcatraz Special Detention Center,” James introduced him, then proceeded to introduce Si-hyun and his party, and they exchanged names.
Dean gladly shook hands with Si-hyun’s group, showing no signs of disdain whatsoever.
“Please do your best to show our guests the natural beauty of Alcatraz,” James instructed.
While this sounded polite, it was clear that the higher-ups had already instructed the Warden and Deputy Warden to show only the areas occupied by D-Class and lower Ranked Hunters.
They were to avoid places where high-priority Hunters were housed for security reasons.
It was hardly unusual; after all, any institutional tour typically had a reception area prepared separately.
“Haha, of course! Since they are special guests, I’ll make sure to give them a great tour,” Dean replied with a smile, evidently prepared to comply.
James nodded, pleased with his response, before looking at Si-hyun’s group.
“Well then, everyone. I hope you have a pleasant time.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“This is the ward of Alcatraz,” Dean declared as they entered.
Following Dean, the team looked around in surprise.
“…Is this a shared cell?” the Warden inquired, observing the inmates crammed into a shared room.
While the International Corrections Association recommended complete isolation, countries that could actually implement that were almost nonexistent.
However, that was the case for ordinary inmates.
With the more dangerous Awakened Beings, having them share a cell could lead to serious problems.
That was why they still built detention centers with complete solitary confinement, even in land-constrained Korea.
Yet, here in spacious America, they had them in shared cells…
Everyone stared, both astonished and intrigued.
“That’s correct,” Dean replied.
“Has there been any issues between inmates?” The head of security naturally posed this unavoidable question.
“Honestly, I can’t say that there are absolutely no issues… but I can assure you there’s been no major problems,” Dean responded in a manner that suggested there truly were no issues.
Si-hyun directed his attention to the inmates, observing them carefully.
With the Deputy Warden and guests in attendance, several correctional officers had appeared in the corridor, resulting in the inmates behaving obediently.
Without speaking, they simply observed Si-hyun and his group with keen eyes.
‘…I guess they’ve faced consequences when behaving poorly,’ Si-hyun thought grimly as he noted their demeanor.
It was no secret that American correctional officers sometimes inflicted violence or abuses on inmates.
There were even papers written on the subject.
Just last year in LA, correctional officers were caught for physical abuse.
Despite repeated incidents and punishments, such actions never truly vanished.
Although America might be considered a leader in correction practices, the nature of prisons being entirely secluded from the outside world contributed to that failing.
There were no cameras or recordings, so if guards coordinated their stories, inmate claims of abuse often fell on deaf ears in court.
“Alright, let’s take a look around,” Dean said, leading the way forward.
As Si-hyun followed, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the American guards were watching him closely.
Not just in general; they were looking directly at him.
It seemed the head of security’s comment about attracting attention during the visit was indeed true.
However, Si-hyun, not the rookie he once was, was unfazed by such stares now.
He casually exchanged a nod with the guards watching him as he passed by.
Dean, observing Si-hyun, wore an enigmatic smile.
As soon as Si-hyun’s gaze returned forward, that smile quickly vanished.
“This building consists of 11 floors, exactly matching this structure. There are five officers on duty on each floor,” Dean explained as they reached the end of the ward.
“What would you like to do? Would you like to continue exploring up to the 11th floor, or would you prefer to check out another building?”
The group naturally looked to the Warden as the representative of their party.
“If it wouldn’t be a bother, I’d like to see all the way up to the 11th floor. After all, such an opportunity probably won’t come again,” the Warden said with a smile.
The other members of the party nodded, agreeing with the Warden’s sentiment.
“Sure thing,” Dean replied cheerfully.
“Alright, follow me.”