NIP Chapter 287 [3 Chapters Combined] The "Cruel" Riley
Chapter 287 [3 Chapters Combined] The "Cruel" Riley
"All done! Mission accomplished!"
After Riley finished finishing up, Jade skipped over and picked up the miniature statue from the ground.
After looking it over from head to toe, he handed it to Felicia, who was also full of curiosity, and then turned to Riley, who had been out of the symbiote suit for a long time, and asked him a question.
"Hey Riley, I remember you said that even after Shendu was sealed away, he would still retain his self-awareness... So what do you think Shendu is thinking inside the statue?"
And the moment Xiaoyu finished speaking.
Perhaps it was because he heard Xiaoyu's words, or perhaps it was because he was filled with fear and anxiety about his future.
The dragon soul, sealed inside a miniature statue and firmly bound by twelve chains, was roaring in impotent rage within that pitch-black sealed space.
If you listen carefully, you might even hear a hint of regret and remorse in that roar.
"Damn Spider-Man...damn lasers...damn modern technology..."
"Spider-Man! I'm not done with you yet—!!!!!"
"Perhaps he regrets not having properly studied modern science when he regained his freedom?"
At the same time, seeing the familiar figure, Riley, who had been on edge and constantly on guard against losing control, finally relaxed a little.
He then responded with a serious yet joking tone, habitually reaching out to rub Xiaoyu's head.
Riley seemed to remember something, turning his head to look at Valon, who had fallen to the ground like a corpse as the effects of the Chi Charm wore off. Using Slacker's ability, he remotely scanned Valon's condition, confirming that aside from being unconscious, he showed no signs of injury before speaking with his instructions.
"Oh, right, you can call Rasu and the others now. Considering they've been obedient and reformed diligently during this time, I'll grant their request that Valon serve his sentence in the same prison as them."
It's worth mentioning in the conversation...
The trio's sentences are far from over.
However, because Riley has recently sent in so many criminals, prisons near New York are already operating at full capacity.
As a last resort, in addition to refusing to accept criminals from New York, these prisons also had to select some prisoners with good attitudes towards rehabilitation and who were willing to cooperate obediently to transfer to other prisons in order to share the burden.
The trio of gangsters were among those selected for the transfer.
So Riley simply rescued the three of them to fulfill his promise from before his corruption, allowing them to personally save Valmont, who was possessed by Shendu.
In addition, don't think that Riley is being too heartless by letting them go back to jail.
Even if their criminal record is minor, they are still criminals and must pay the price for their crimes.
However, considering the embarrassing situation of overcrowded prisons.
Riley had no choice but to use his connections in District 13 to conduct diplomatic negotiations.
The trio of gangsters, along with Valon, were transferred to a Danish prison as international fugitives to serve their sentences.
As for the conditions in Danish prisons...
All I can say is that these working stiffs working 996 hours a day—including that lazy online writer who keeps delaying updates—would be scrambling to get themselves imprisoned if they could transfer their household registration!
The treatment was so generous, it was practically like a vacation!
A short while later, the three members of the Black Hand Gang, who had received the information, arrived at the scene as quickly as possible and rushed into the cave.
"Boss! It really is the boss!"
When Rasu, relying on his strengthened body after the transformation, was the first to rush into the cave, his eyes immediately became misty.
This usually honest and kind big man was now stumbling and staggering like a child who had just learned to walk, tripping over the threshold as soon as he reached the door.
Even so, he didn't wince or cry out in pain. Instead, as if by instinct, he scrambled to Valon's side. Under that expectant yet fearful gaze, he trembled as he reached out his fingers and gently touched that familiar yet long-lost pale face.
"Breathing...he's breathing! That's great! Boss is still alive!"
Only when he felt a slight ripple in the airflow at his fingertips did Rasu finally feel a great weight lifted off his shoulders and visibly relax.
Then, hugging Valmont, she burst into tears, her face covered in snot and tears. Overjoyed, she didn't care about her appearance and hurriedly shouted behind her.
"Zhou! Afen! Come quick! Spider-Man didn't lie to us! Boss is really alright!"
Zhou and Afen squeezed in almost simultaneously, right after Lasu.
Zhou, who is usually glib and talkative, stood motionless like a wooden statue.
His sunglasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, revealing his reddened eyes.
The usually shrewd Rasu immediately knelt down, his forehead pressed against Valon's hand, his shoulders trembling violently.
After a long silence, Ah Fen suddenly turned around, knelt down without hesitation, and kowtowed to Riley, who had been silently leaning against the wall and watching without saying a word.
This action seemed to flip a switch, and Rasu and Zhou immediately got up, lined up, and kowtowed to Riley in imitation.
"Spider-Man... no, Mr. Riley. Thank you for keeping your promise and saving Valmont."
Ah Fen rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to clear his vision as much as possible, and with red eyes, he solemnly promised Riley.
"From now on, just say the word, and the three of us will—!"
"I'm willing to go through fire and water for you!" Zhou continued, his tone equally solemn and earnest.
"—Going through fire and water!" Rasu added, sniffing.
Riley looked at the three men in front of him. These were once powerful gangsters who needed to be hunted down by the 13th District. Compared to when they first went to prison, their demeanor was completely different.
He noticed that half a book was sticking out of the pocket of Rasu’s deliveryman uniform.
The book's title, literally translated, is "Conceptual Physics," and it is one of the commonly used textbooks in universities.
Clearly, during his time in prison, Rasu has begun to take time to study physics, intending to say goodbye to the past and start a new life.
In contrast, the changes in the other two may not have been as obvious as those in Rasu, but they also made changes.
Zhou wore an Alcoholics Anonymous wristband on his left wrist.
Around Afen's neck hung a plaque that read "Outstanding Labor Reformer".
This change greatly pleased Riley, but it also aroused his curiosity...
With the three of them having decided to turn over a new leaf...
Will the main villains in the upcoming "Eight Great Demons" arc still be these three?
If so, what is the reason that made them return to the embrace of the Dark Qi faction?
"Reform yourselves well, Lasu, Zhou, and Afen."
Amidst his racing thoughts, Riley, though somewhat hesitant, wasn't about to spoil the trio's fun at this crucial moment. He couldn't very well say that the three of them were destined to be villains several more times.
Instead, with a smile on his face, he stepped forward and reached out his hand, helping each of them up from the ground according to the names he was calling out, while patting the three of them on the shoulder.
Only when all three of them were standing firmly on the ground before him did Riley respond earnestly, word by word.
"I hope that next time we meet, we won't be enemies, but friends who can sit together and leisurely enjoy afternoon tea."
These simple words brought tears to the eyes of the three grown men once again.
After all, he was the only person besides Valmont who had seriously remembered their names.
That's why it wasn't until Riley patiently waited for the three people to turn their backs, and while his body trembled from time to time, that he managed to compose himself and open the dimensional wall leading to the prison.
Even now, the trio of gangsters mistakenly believe that after the operation, they will have to return to the iconic, crowded, dirty, and extremely poorly equipped prisons in the United States to suffer, and none of them have thought of escaping or begging Riley for mercy.
Instead, they divided the work and stepped forward together. The three of them worked together to carefully lift the unconscious Valon, their movements as gentle as if they were moving a fragile item.
Rasu even took off his own coat and draped it over Valon, afraid that his beloved boss would catch a cold.
The trio then slowly stepped into the dimensional barrier, one step at a time.
But when they crossed the dimensional barrier, they found that what awaited them was not the perpetually dirty, smelly, and unbearably hot American prison they had imagined.
Instead, it was a spacious and bright single room, just like a high-end luxury hotel!
This left everyone stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing!
When Rasu's leather shoes stepped onto the gleaming oak floor, he recoiled as if he'd been electrocuted.
This two-meter-tall, seemingly fierce but actually honest and kind-hearted man was now hunched over, like a homeless person who had wandered into a palace. His voice trembled and became incoherent as he subconsciously shouted towards the other side of the dimensional barrier, trying to remind Riley to correct his "mistake" in time.
"Sir...you might have been transported to the wrong place...? We're going to jail, not on vacation!"
At the same time, Zhou, who was behind Rasu, was like Columbus who had discovered a new continent. After calling to his companions, he carefully placed the Valon he was carrying on the floor and then rushed out of the room, staring intently at the wall of the corridor.
On that pristine white wall hangs an original Mondrian painting.
The prison's information sign even features the words "Art Therapy Exhibition Area" in four languages.
Ah Fen, who had also made a discovery, followed the caramel aroma wafting through the air and looked towards the other end of the corridor.
There, there's an open-plan kitchen. Not only is it spacious, but most importantly, the overall design is almost identical to a home kitchen! Just looking at it creates a warm and inviting atmosphere!
Not to mention, even though it was already 10 p.m., long past the usual prison curfew, there were still quite a few people gathered together, baking cookies and bread, preparing snacks for the evening's gathering.
That's why, completely unable to believe his eyes and thinking he was hallucinating, Ah Fen pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain, while staring wide-eyed at the group of people in the open kitchen.
An old man wearing a dinosaur onesie is stirring chocolate sauce.
A burly man with tattooed arms hummed a song as he squeezed cream onto a muffin.
There was also a burly man wearing sunglasses who was personally preparing salmon sashimi with a gleaming, sharp cleaver.
Yes, in prison, you can even see prisoners openly using knives without being stopped or punished by the guards!
Everyone's face was filled with a satisfied and happy smile, and they were dressed in the most comfortable clothes according to their own preferences.
Those who don't know might mistake this group of people for tourists on vacation!
Who would have thought that these people were all criminals with serious criminal records to varying degrees!
"Ahem... Gentlemen, welcome to Denmark's most famous prison, 'Storstrøm Fængsel'!"
Just then, Riley, now dressed in his Spider-Man suit again, quietly appeared from the dimensional barrier. After sending a message using Sandy to notify the prison guards to take over the gangster trio and Valmont, he deliberately shouted in an exaggerated tone to attract the trio's attention.
As they spoke, the recording function of the suit was quietly activated, perfectly capturing the embarrassing moments of the trio of gangsters without a sound.
Rasu instinctively stepped back, accidentally stepping on Valon's hand, causing Valon's eyelashes to tremble almost imperceptibly in pain.
To prove he wasn't dreaming, Ah Fen had been pinching his thigh repeatedly, and now, hidden beneath his suit, his thigh was covered in bruises. Yet, the intense pain proved he wasn't dreaming. This caused Ah Fen to alternate between gasping in pain and grinning foolishly with his mouth agape, making him incredibly comical.
Zhou accidentally used too much force and broke off the temple of his signature sunglasses, revealing his eyes, which were now completely blank!
Riley meticulously captured all these fleeting, hilarious moments, intending to save them to enjoy with his friends back in District 13.
"First of all, it is with a heavy heart that I announce some bad news to you..."
Of course, seeing that the trio's gaze had successfully focused on him, Riley, who hadn't forgotten why he was there, nodded slightly and deliberately adjusted the angle of his visor to make a heavy-hearted expression.
Then, meeting the anxious gazes of the trio, he spoke with the solemn tone of someone reporting a murder, as if possessed by Megatron from a fanfiction, enunciating each word carefully.
"You will lose the fun of living in a dormitory, and you will also miss out on the joy of being naked and scrubbing each other's backs in a crowded public bathhouse!"
With that, Riley snapped his fingers, and the silly girl immediately projected a 3D model of the prison onto the floating screen, just as Riley had wished.
This 20-square-meter Nordic-style bedroom features an ensuite bathroom, private storage cabinets, a large-screen LCD TV for passing the time, and a clean, tidy, and soft-looking single bed.
Most importantly, due to Denmark's geographical location, the rooms are equipped with heating! Even eating popsicles shirtless here isn't unusual!
You can even enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset every day through the sea-facing windows!
No matter how you look at it, this doesn't look like a prison at all; it's clearly a luxurious single suite!
So much so that after hearing Riley's explanation, Rasu was "so frightened" that his legs trembled and he immediately knelt down on the ground!
"Can't even handle this, Rasu? You have no idea about the even more brutal 'punishments' in this prison!"
Riley, suppressing a laugh, switched the projector to display a panoramic view of the lounge area. Accompanied by subtitles, the projector began to further demonstrate the "horrible" aspects of the prison to the trio of gangsters!
A heated infinity pool connected to a sauna.
The PS5 and various game discs in the game room were piled up like a small mountain.
A banner hangs in the book section that reads, "Monthly Book Club Champion, No Cleaning Duty Required."
There are also various board games and card games available for prisoners to play with. Just remember to tidy up and put them back in their original places after you're done playing.
"This 100-inch Sony TV will tempt you to waste your time."
After the demonstration, Riley emphasized the gaming equipment. He then continued, enunciating each word with what he considered the most insidious and ruthless tone.
"If you manage to resist successfully, there are board games, various books, and even a fully equipped gym waiting to corrupt your will! To completely extinguish your desire to return to a life of crime!"
As soon as Riley finished speaking, Afen knelt down and kowtowed with a thud.
"Of course, as a professional prison, how could we do without labor reform?"
Riley nodded in satisfaction, but seeing that Zhou, who was still standing there dumbfounded, was unyielding, he decisively unleashed his trump card. He manipulated the projection in front of him to turn it into a map of the surrounding area, highlighting the small town not far from the prison, which even had a direct bus route.
"Those who behave well can leave for work at 7:00 AM, and the guards won't interfere with what they do during that time. They just need to make sure they return on time at 6:00 PM. For example, this newly opened auto repair shop that's currently hiring employees."
"200 kronor per hour, just twice the monthly salary of a prison guard, and they even pay your social insurance and housing fund! With such meager income, are you scared yet?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Ben's sunglasses, with one temple snapped off, fell to the ground with a "thud".
Zhou, who has Asian ancestry, did a quick mental calculation and concluded that under the basic eight-hour workday, working steadily for thirty days could earn him a monthly income of 48,000 kronor (equivalent to approximately 46224 yuan at the 2008 exchange rate)!
So much so that the sound of his knees slamming into the ground, even with his eyes wide open, was louder than that of his two companions!
"Oh right, I almost forgot, you're here to serve your time in jail, not for a vacation, so unfortunately I have to inform you—"
Just as the trio were in a daze, thinking this was all the "torture" in the prison, Riley spoke again. The deliberately drawn-out tone made the trio freeze instantly, and even Valon on the stretcher seemed to tense up.
"Because it's 10 PM in Denmark right now, we've long missed the normal dinner time. So we can only provide you new members who have suddenly joined with limited food options."
Riley spoke in a serious tone, deliberately pausing for three seconds to startle the trio of gangsters into looking uneasy, before raising his hand, pointing towards the restaurant, and launching into another long-winded introduction.
"There are only self-service sandwiches, creamy mashed potatoes, and sizzling, juicy roast chicken! The portions are inhumanly scarce, just enough for a few of you to eat until you're stuffed, so stuffed you can barely walk!"
"Of course, this is just a special service provided for your first day of check-in, and it's a one-time offer! Aside from three meals a day, if you get hungry or crave something to eat, there are no guards to serve you, and you can't order takeout! You'll have to cook for yourselves in the communal kitchen area using the prison's wide variety of ingredients, both meat and vegetables!"
"Furthermore, to ensure a clean and comfortable environment inside the prison, no matter how much you want to smoke, you must resist... until you enter the designated smoking room to enjoy the pleasure of puffing away!"
"As for the rest, regarding the various 'inhuman tortures' prepared for you in this prison, please explore them yourselves!"
After he finished speaking, the trio of gangsters fell into a long silence.
Until one instant, Rasu, like a locomotive, crashed into Riley at high speed without warning.
But just before the impact, he knelt down, using the momentum to glide across the smooth oak floor where his reflection was barely visible, performing a meme-worthy signature slide kneel that landed squarely on Riley's right leg. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Sir! I confess! I am a notorious villain who has robbed twelve banks... no, at least thirty banks! Please, you must increase my sentence—!!!"
With Rasu leading the way, the remaining two seemed to wake up from a dream. While secretly annoyed at themselves for being even slower to react than Rasu, they scrambled to imitate Rasu's actions and slid down to Riley on their knees.
In the end, Ah Fen, who was one step ahead, grabbed Riley's left foot.
Zhou, who was lagging behind, was sprawled on the ground, closing his eyes slightly embarrassed, looking like he was saying, "Grandpa, come and play!"
Ah Fen: "I'm rising up in the name of my boss, Valon! We stole the Pink Lion diamond from a museum in New York City, and it's still not returned! We need harsher penalties, much harsher penalties!"
Riley, feeling a strange pang of conscience, said, "Ah, speaking of the Pink Lion Diamond, that's actually..."
Zhou: "And that time in the Middle East! You saw it with your own eyes, I blew up the bridge! How utterly despicable I am! I deserve an even harsher sentence! I should be locked up here until I die—!!!"
Rasu: "If all else fails, why don't you just hit me a couple of times! I really don't feel comfortable just letting you move in like this!"
Ah Fen: "Or, I can clean the toilets! I promise I'll clean every single toilet in the entire prison spotless!"
Zhou: "Me too! As long as I can stay here... ah, no, stay in jail forever, I'll do anything—!!!" "We're internationally notorious fugitives!"
"And he's an utterly wicked villain!"
"Therefore, for world peace and stability..."
"Please, you must keep us locked up here forever and torture us mercilessly!!!"