Chapter 1

 Leonard Vanderbilt still hasn''t recovered from the upheaval that has occurred.

 Embezzlement, jumping off a building, dying for love, imprisonment!

 Any one of these could have shattered his already frayed nerves.

 The prison guard, holding an electric baton, pushed him towards that abyss-like place. The strong, ugly old guard seemed to be in a good mood. As he dragged Leonard along, he said gloatingly, "I can''t stand you rich kids with a few bucks to your name. You act like you''re above everyone else, but now you''re in our hands. Ha, justice is served. Finally, we caught a lamb to throw into this tiger''s den."

 The old guard looked at the desolate and defeated Leonard, his hatred for the rich twisting his heart. He continued, "Yesterday, Victor Rockefeller asked me if there was any fresh meat coming in. The ones we brought in last month are already worn out. Looking at you, I bet you''ll be quite popular in there. Enjoy your days of being ridden by thousands, hahaha!"

 Leonard listened impassively, his heart growing cold, but he showed no extreme reaction on his face.

 Seeing that Leonard wasn''t scared, the old guard was a bit disappointed and spat, finally shutting his mouth.

 When they reached the prison cell door, the old guard unlocked Leonard''s handcuffs and handed him over to a middle-aged man who looked somewhat kind.

 Leonard followed numbly. From the initial panic and frantic resistance, he had now fallen into such despair that he couldn''t be bothered to make any move.

 The path from the cell door to the actual holding area was a long corridor, with dim, flickering lights on both sides, making Leonard feel like he was walking into hell. Wasn''t it hell? He laughed at himself.

 He had heard about how dark men''s prisons could be.

 With no women and filled with criminals who disregarded human decency, the weaker men often became objects of release, rape, abuse... even murder. The authorities often turned a blind eye to such things, thinking that the inmates were all heinous criminals and their infighting didn''t matter. The result was that things got worse, turning the prison into a living hell.

 One of Leonard''s old friends had once joked that if Leonard ever went to prison, he''d be the one everyone wanted. That fair, perky butt would have many drooling.

 Leonard had angrily retorted, saying, "Damn it, I''m a straight man. If a guy even touched me, I''d be so disgusted I couldn''t eat for days. I like big-breasted women!"

 "It''s a tough break. Once you''re in, try not to stand out."

 As Leonard was lost in thought, the guard in front spoke up.

 Leonard, finally hearing someone not stepping on him but giving him a kind reminder, was so moved he almost cried. He pretended to be strong and indifferent, but he was just an eighteen-year-old boy, once pampered and loved by his parents, living a carefree life. Faced with such a sudden change, anyone else might have already broken down and committed suicide. But Leonard didn''t want to die. He hadn''t lived enough. He wanted revenge. He wanted to find out the truth. No matter what, he couldn''t die.

 Choking up, he called out to the guard in front, "Uncle."

 The man sighed, stopped, and turned to look at him. "You''re really down on your luck. Since you called me uncle, I''ll give you a few more tips. Once you''re in, try not to get involved in any disputes. Keep your sympathy in check. If you see something unjust, pretend you didn''t see it. Don''t try to be a hero. This place doesn''t value truth, goodness, and beauty. Also..."

 Howard Ford looked at that handsome face. Someone like him wouldn''t have an easy time in there. He thought of his own son, still in high school, and shook his head. He decided to help him out.

 Just before reaching the actual prison, Howard suddenly turned a corner with Leonard.

 "Follow me."

 Leonard, not understanding, followed.

 ...

 "Uncle, you want me to smear this stuff on my face?" Leonard asked incredulously, pointing at the black, unknown substance in front of him.

 "Yeah, don''t mind the dirt. I''m helping you. Try to get as dirty as possible. With that face of yours, if you don''t do this, you probably won''t survive the night. This stuff will last about a month if you don''t wash it off. From now on, it''s up to you. This is all I can do to help. Take care of yourself."

 Leonard looked at the pile of stuff with a pale face. After a while, he trembled as he grabbed a handful and smeared it on his face and body.

 No matter what, he had to stay alive first. For his reputation, for his life, he was willing to do anything!