Chapter 252: Under the Surface

He still had no idea whether Leon was actually an inmate in the Closed Island Prison.
After being beside Ariel for four days, he hadn’t found the right moment to ask.
Yun Chuan hesitated, shifting his gaze.
It wasn’t until the person in front turned around to look at him that he remembered his thoughts.
“What’s wrong?” Ariel asked him, “What are you thinking about?”
Yun Chuan shook his head, then nodded slightly.
“I was thinking…” After a moment’s hesitation, Yun Chuan decided to ask, “Do you know if there is an inmate named ‘Leon’ in the prison?”
Meeting Ariel’s gaze, he added, “I met him when I was working, and he was nice to me, but then I couldn’t find him anymore…”
Yun Chuan spoke the truth.
Leon was indeed one of the few people who showed kindness to him when he first arrived at the prison, helping him with his tasks and sharing information about the place…
However, after he encountered the monster, he could no longer find Leon.
The inmates who had previously troubled Leon were gone, leaving no witnesses.
This was why he needed to go to Leo’s office to confirm whether Leon existed or not.
Was “Leon” using a fake name to deceive him, or was there simply no such person in the Closed Island Prison?
Yun Chuan pressed his lips together, looking even more conflicted.
There was, of course, a more frightening possibility.
“Were you going to Leo’s to confirm whether this person, Leon, exists?”
Without answering his question first, Ariel asked this directly.
Yun Chuan nodded, “Yes, but you opened the door before I could confirm…”
Thus, he had spent four days without knowing whether Leon existed or not.
Ariel raised an eyebrow.
“There is no such person,” he thought for a moment, his tone carrying an indescribable weight, “Maybe the person used a pseudonym, or perhaps they were just deceiving you.”
The oriental thief with black hair and eyes felt a bit embarrassed.
“However, there indeed is someone named Leon,” Ariel continued, “but he is the head of the research institute.”
The research institute?
Yun Chuan perked up, intrigued.
“Leon is the name of the head of the research institute?”
That highly unlikely possibility resurfaced in his mind.
“Yes,” Ariel confirmed, “but the research institute was changed into a prison long ago, and the head lost their life during an incident at that time.”
Already dead?
Upon hearing this response, Yun Chuan found it hard to accept.
“Leon” was dead, and someone was impersonating him, working as an F-grade inmate in the prison?
Or was this merely an unfortunate coincidence?
“This is it,” Ariel changed the subject, guiding him around a corner, “Let’s go inside.”
Crossing the corridor, Yun Chuan was led into a room filled with instruments.
Inside, someone wearing a headset was continually tapping on devices, seemingly communicating with the supply ship, asking for their coordinates.
Seeing the prison warden enter, the person immediately stood up to report.
“What’s the situation?” Ariel waved his hand, signaling for him to sit down.
The guard responsible for the communication said, “Half an hour ago, we detected a distress signal from the supply ship. We immediately contacted them, but received no response.”
“The prison sends a message to the supply ship every five minutes; without a reply, the ship’s signal has also been turned off.”
Ariel’s expression darkened.
“However, we picked up the signal from the supply ship again ten minutes ago,” the guard summarized, “the supply ship should be fine; the signal is normal. Perhaps there is an issue with the crew themselves and they are unwilling to communicate with us.”
Yun Chuan stood by, his head bowed but his ears perked up.
If the ship was unharmed, it meant there was discord among the crew.
The guard made it sound simple, but Yun Chuan felt something was off.
The supply ship was supposed to have staff responsible for delivering supplies to Closed Island Prison; internal conflicts among them… could it be that someone infiltrated?
On the boundless sea, someone could suddenly take control of the other crew members, preventing them from communicating with the prison, shutting down equipment during a struggle.
But what role would those on the ship play in the script?
Yun Chuan felt increasingly confused in his mind.
He couldn’t even confirm from Ariel’s words whether the “Leon” he encountered had any connection to the research institute that preceded the prison.
Was it a coincidental overlap in names, or was it deliberate?
What role did the “monster” play in the script?
Yun Chuan pressed his lips together.
He was still slightly worried about Hesse.
He didn’t know how Hesse and Yuan Yan were doing.
When he left that morning, he had made an excuse to go out with Hesse, and then he disappeared.
He wondered if Hesse would know why the prison warden had taken such a close interest in him.
Yun Chuan preferred that Hesse knew nothing at all.
In front of him, he always played the role of the poor, helpless character; it would seem to Hesse that he might be following him out of fear.
If he learned that he was personally caught by the warden for stealing…
That would be too embarrassing.
Ariel was still instructing the guard on what messages to relay to the supply ship, and Yun Chuan felt increasingly restless beside him.
But he couldn’t just walk away, so he unconsciously grabbed his shirt hem, wrinkling it.
Yun Chuan felt anxious.
But he didn’t know what he could do now; apart from obediently staying beside the warden to accept “supervision,” he couldn’t even go check on Hesse.
The communication devices beeped and flickered with red lights, the faint sounds of conversation echoing occasionally.
After what felt like ages, Yun Chuan suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the corridor.
It was chaotic, with not just one person. Something must have happened; they rushed over in a flurry.