Darkstone Code

Actually... Michael had sensed this kind of thing for a long time.

His wife was several years younger than him, and at the time, his exceptional job and status easily captured the heart of a young girl.

Everyone yearns for a privileged life; perhaps this is somewhat inappropriate to say, but it is the truth.

Michael was indeed much older than the girl, but he had a stable job, more income, and higher social status, and the girl, who had only been in society for two years and was battered and bruised, quickly surrendered her heart.

Every time she saw those classmates or former colleagues still cramped in those little decrepit apartments in Lower City, spending only a few tens a month or paying rent with their bodies, confused about the future.

She was already in a bright room, lying on the sofa, painting her toenails with nail polish that others envied to the point of clenching their teeth but still couldn't afford.

She could command the servants to do anything; she could sleep every day until ten in the morning and even have a nap, watching dramas late into the night.

This kind of life was too comfortable, so comfortable that she hadn't changed much over the years.

Her understanding of society and the harsh realities remained at the night she decided to make her future easier.

She had no working skills, no ability to survive in society, and Michael was well aware of this.

But he never thought about correcting this before; he felt his job was very stable, Bureau Director Johnson was not a strong-willed director, and he was easy to talk to.

Besides, Michael himself was already in a high position and had a chance to move up, so why would the future wife of the Director of Sabin City's Tax Bureau seek a job like an ordinary woman?

He loved this young woman; sometimes people would joke, colleagues speaking with envy and jealousy, saying a thirty-year-old man married a high school student, as if talking about him.

But there were also times when he didn't know whether he loved this woman, her youthful body, or his own dignity.

It wasn't until he came in that he knew some things couldn't be changed.

His wife had no working ability, in other words, she couldn't support herself, their child, nor pay the various bills.

Even though he saved part of his savings, even though Bureau Director Johnson promised him that as long as he met the standards of the "Special Talent Recruitment Act," he'd be paroled early, there was still a gap of several years.

The family's money wouldn't last that long; his parents, her parents may support a woman but couldn't support a child.

Moreover, there were so many bills.

He was mentally prepared early on, maybe divorce, maybe something else, but he didn't expect everything to happen so quickly, in less than a year, his wife was pregnant.

His wife's purpose for coming here was to hope he could give her some advice, that man wanted her to keep the child, she didn't know how to choose, so she came to ask her husband; she never made decisions on such big matters herself.

This is very realistic, and very cruel.

Moreover, more cruelly, that man had his own family; he wouldn't marry Michael's wife, so even if Michael divorced his wife, she would only be that man's mistress.

What eventually broke Michael was when she brought up some things.

Various bills and little Michael's schooling issues.

Little Michael was imprisoned due to admitting to crimes under duress, although Michael later admitted to the Judge that he coerced it and little Michael was released, the impact of these events had already spread.

In the private school, classmates ostracized little Michael, treating him like a thief, calling him a criminal's son, saying he shouldn't tarnish the sacredness of the campus.

The originally lively and cheerful child became silent and withdrawn, his smile vanished from his face, every day seemed heavy with cares, and he dreaded going to school more.

The psychologist doing counseling for Michael's wife told her that if little Michael continues in such an environment, he could develop a series of psychological disorders.

The best solution is to change his living and learning environment, but all of this requires money.

A lot of money.

Money for psychological counseling, school transfer fees, renting a place near a new school, or continuing to live at their current place but needing more commuting expenses.

These are all money...a lot of money; the family's need for money finally broke Michael, who in silence respected his wife's choice.

He didn't interfere with her decision on whether to keep this other man's child; it was up to her to decide.

At the same time, he knew that man would pay their bills monthly, continue hiring a servant to maintain their daily life, and was even willing to put out some money for little Michael's psychological counseling and school transfer.

What else could he choose?

Shouting at this woman for sleeping with someone else after he was imprisoned and getting pregnant?

Or asking them to move out from home, rent a house in Lower City, where every week they have to suck up to the landlord...to continue staying there, and then have little Michael attend those free trash public schools in Lower City, eventually becoming a member of the street gangs?

Or choosing suicide under extreme oppression and pressure?

For Michael now, he doesn't have many choices he can make, ultimately he gave up everything, choosing the child.

This is also why he is in such pain; it's the first time he feels his own insignificance, weakness, and powerlessness.

Even when he started serving his sentence, he didn't feel this way.

Gap looked at the man beside him, who was pulling his hair and crying uncontrollably, and felt something indescribable in his heart, some sympathy, some pity, but also some relief.

Before he came in, he had already divorced Vera and divided the property; most importantly, he never restricted Vera's work and life and even encouraged her to take the CPA exam.

Of course, the purpose at that time was just to let this woman find something to do, instead of bothering him all the time to interfere with his work and life, nothing more.

But these actions made the dilemma that Gap faces now much lighter than Michael's. Someone once said, happiness is actually simple; as long as you live better than those around you who are unlucky, that's happiness.

He felt that this sentence is extremely true, so much so that he can still comfort Michael, "You have to be strong, Michael, think about your child, things aren't so bad..."

If Gap and Michael knew little Michael's sexual orientation was changing, maybe they wouldn't think this way.

"I... I'm just very sad, I want to cry it out, crying makes me feel better!" Michael, with a face full of tears and snot, wiped those things that made Gap feel a little nauseated with his clothes, "Thank you, thank you, brother, I will be strong, for my child."

Perhaps after such a release, Michael's emotions gradually stabilized, and he accepted the reality, even if he doesn't accept it, what can he do?

Both had things in their minds, and neither spoke for a while until Michael suddenly said, "Your books, those of the law, could I take a look at the ones you've finished reading?"

In his eyes is a thing called strength, he wants to change.

He was too impulsive in the past, perhaps he had a bit of ability, but still impulsive, with a barbaric work style, most importantly, he only had a superficial understanding of the law.

In fact, many grassroots law enforcement officers' understanding of the law is limited to circumstances frequently encountered in their work; even the boundaries of obstructing official duties and assaulting police are unclear to them.

Michael actually suffered some losses in this regard; if he had more legal knowledge at the time, perhaps the issue wouldn't have been so serious.

His cellmate, this accountant named Gap, started self-studying law from the first day he came in, Michael also had this idea, but never acted on it, now it's time.

Even during the sentence, change is still not too late.

"Of course!" Gap liked this atmosphere of learning; it made his prison life less boring.

Two people who considered themselves victims, framed, stood together, encouraged each other to learn, this place will become a very special learning environment, allowing them to grow quickly.

The next day, while Gap was reading—he had plenty of time to read, he didn't need to participate in mandatory labor, didn't need mandatory yard time, didn't need to strip in front of many people to bathe, he had privileges.

Because he had done auditing for Ristone, including the Prison Director, the high-levels in the prison hoped Gap could help them legally and reasonably avoid tax when they reported taxes.

This is also the most unique phenomenon in Federation Prison, accountants, doctors, lawyers, and other special professionals are particularly popular in the prison.

The Prison Director not only got him those law books he needed but also arranged him next to Michael this "good man"①.

While he was reading, a warden opened the door to the cell, a very polite kind, "Mr. Gap, someone is here to visit!"

Gap, sitting on the bed, was a little stunned, and quickly stood up, "I'll go right away...", he put on the light blue local prison uniform while heading out, "Can I know who it is in advance?"

The warden shook his head, "Sorry, I don't know either, it's two men."

Soon, Gap walked through the corridor and appeared in the prison's work area, under the guidance of the warden, he didn't go to the room specifically prepared for visits but went to the Prison Director's office.

Opening the door, a heroic figure was standing outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the light outside was quite glaring, so Gap could only see a vague silhouette.

"Mr. Gap, we meet again!"

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①, Here, the author describes the changes experienced after Michael's imprisonment through the comparison of his behavior before and after, so that every character throughout the story possesses humanity, no longer a stereotypical NPC, but a living person.