I'm a Master in India

Chapter 219 Mystery

Anand was in pain all over. There were scabs of blood in his eyes, preventing him from opening them, and a taste of blood and water in his mouth.

The wardens brought him back to the dormitory, and his arm was hastily bandaged.

Rajesh didn't know where he found that quack doctor; his technique was truly terrible.

Afterward, he told the wardens to clean up Anand properly to avoid any real accidents.

Rajesh did not act rashly. He had just been transferred to Arthur Road Jail and had shallow roots.

The fact that Anand could be quietly brought here without Mr. Sur noticing made it almost impossible to believe there wasn't support from high-level prison officials behind it.

So he dismissed them like he would any other prisoner, only giving Anand a reassuring look at the end.

Back in the dormitory, the wardens poured a bucket of water over Anand.

Thousands of painful, screaming wounds made his body tremble uncontrollably.

The wardens were afraid, afraid that the badly injured Anand would attract the attention of other guards.

So they decided to give him a bath. Of course, they wouldn't do it themselves; there were plenty of lackeys in the prison.

Anand's body was filthy. The person was reluctant at first, but after receiving a few blows from the wardens, he became diligent.

He used hot water and soap to wipe Anand's body. The warm touch and pain continued to assault him.

This was the first time Anand had enjoyed a hot bath in prison, a hot bath with soap.

He was covered in scars, and many wounds were severely infected, even causing a high fever.

The lice bit him every night; hundreds of wounds were oozing pus and hurting.

They not only sucked his blood but also reproduced in the warm, moist wounds. He could clearly feel the larvae wriggling.

After taking a hot bath, he felt much better.

But the high fever did not subside. He was gasping for breath, his heart rate was abnormally fast, and his breathing became rapid.

He even had hallucinations in his head, seeing the Slum, seeing his family and friends there.

Freida, Jamal, Vinod, Sanjay, Luca, and Ron Baba.

In a daze, it seemed someone lifted him with strong arms.

When Anand regained consciousness, he was already in the guard's office.

A high-ranking prison official sat there. He was in his fifties, with gray hair and a closely trimmed mustache.

He was wearing golf sportswear, as if he had just come from a course.

He sat in a finely carved high-backed chair, somewhat like a bishop's chair, with several guards standing beside and behind him.

"Good heavens, I really don't like starting my weekend this way," he said, raising his ringed hand to check the time. "Someone else hasn't arrived yet, but why does he look like this?"

He spoke English with perfect pronunciation, surely educated in an elite school in India, perhaps even during the colonial era.

Several wardens were uneasy. They were庆幸不已 for their earlier decision. This guy had just taken a bath; otherwise, no one would doubt he was a corpse.

"Sir, you ordered us to clean him up properly," the warden explained aggrievedly.

"Is he still alive?"

"Of course!"

"That's good. Suffering a bit is not a bad thing."

Someone knocked on the door. The people who entered were two other prison officials, a plainclothes police officer, and Luca.

"Wow!" Luca exclaimed. "Wow, brother, you look... terrible. What did you do to him?"

The officials and the police officer exchanged expressionless glances, neither speaking.

"Sit down," the prison official in golf sportswear ordered.

Anand paid no attention, just staring blankly at Luca, wondering if this was a hallucination.

His vision slowly refocused. Anand saw his current appearance reflected in Luca's eyes, approaching death.

"Brother," Luca helped Anand sit down. "You look like you've been gnawed by dogs. I don't mean to offend you, but you look like someone who was killed, buried, and then dug up."

"How... how did you come?"

"It's not convenient for the doctor to show up, so I had to come instead. It's okay, I'll get you out of this hellhole."

The officials behind heard this and immediately coughed, then looked at the police officer next to them, who understood.

"Fifty thousand," he said. "Dollars, of course."

"Fifty thousand?" Luca suddenly shrieked. "Are you crazy? Fifty thousand dollars? I could buy five hundred people. That's ridiculous, brother."

"Fifty thousand," the official repeated in a calm and authoritative tone. "I know someone is digging for him."

He was confident, placing his hands flat on the desk, his fingers rising and falling as if dancing.

"No deal, brother. Look at this guy. What have you done to him? Huh? You've ruined him, and now you want fifty thousand?"

"Someone is willing to use connections to kill him. It's fair to pay fifty thousand for his life," the police officer said unhurriedly.

"Damn it, who would have a problem with someone who lives in the Slum?" Luca cursed.

The police officer didn't speak; the official just watched quietly.

"Alright, you're tough," Luca sighed. "It's ridiculous. Half an hour, I'll get the money ready, and then I'll take him."

"Wait," Anand suddenly interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him. "Two people in the dormitory helped me. They were sentenced to stay six more months. I want them to leave with me."

The police officer looked at the official with a questioning gaze, who waved his hand dismissively, nodding in agreement. Such small matters were not worth mentioning.

"There's one more person," Anand gasped. "His name is Anil, and he can't afford bail. It's not much, maybe a few thousand rupees. I hope to bail him out."

The two men looked puzzled. They couldn't understand why Anand cared about the lives of such poor, insignificant people.

These insects had never entered their eyes; there were too many of them.

The police officer and the official looked at Luca, as if to say, this guy is crazy, if you're sure you want to pay this money.

"Brother, anyone else?" Luca leaned in and whispered. "I'm just asking, because if we keep talking like this, we can negotiate a group discount with them."

Anand shook his head with difficulty. He was weak all over, without strength. His body was constantly sweating and trembling.

Luca walked over and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, brother, I'll be back soon. Within half an hour, I promise."

A light flashed in Anand's eyes, like a soul breaking free from a deep, dark place, regaining its freedom.

Not half an hour, but just over ten minutes, Anand was sent out of the prison.

Across the street, an ambulance was discreetly waiting there.

Anand was carried over. A familiar figure was waiting by the ambulance.

"Ron Baba..." His voice trembled.

"Anand, you..." Ron's eyes immediately turned red. He could hardly believe the person in front of him was Anand.

His thin head looked especially large, his whole body probably only weighed forty kilograms, and his round, fleshy face was replaced by protruding cheekbones.

His eye sockets were sunken and bloodshot. Both arms were thickly bandaged, and his body was covered in deep bruises resembling turtle shell patterns.

"Ron Baba, am I a good person?" he asked.

"Yes, you are a good person, the best person in the world."

"Why do good people suffer like this?" Tears were in his eyes, his lips trembling slightly. "Good people almost killed me..."

"Listen to me, Anand," Ron grabbed his hand, which was like a withered branch. "Freida and the children are waiting for you. Let's go to the hospital first, then take a bath, and get a good night's sleep."

"But you are a doctor."

"Yes."

"Can you treat my wounds?"

"Yes."

"But I have lice on me."

"Don't be afraid, I have prepared a lot of medicine, top-notch medicine."

"Freida will dislike me."

"No, I promise. She can't wait to have a big fight with you, in bed."

"Then she will also have lice on her."

The ambulance drove away discreetly, heading straight for the most luxurious private hospital in South Mumbai. The people Anand wanted to save were also in a taxi behind, trailing far behind.

When Anand woke up again, he was lying in the hospital. Beneath him was a soft white cotton quilt that felt like he would sink into it, free of lice.

The song of the myna birds outside the window broke the morning stillness. The sun had fully appeared on the horizon, its golden light piercing the hazy air, dispelling the dew.

The morning breeze blew, and his wounds, large and small, ached faintly.

Freida went to prepare hot water, planning to give his messy beard a good trim.

The door of the private room was pushed open. Anand absentmindedly withdrew his gaze. He wasn't worried about outsiders coming in; there were bodyguards at the door.

"I thought you weren't awake," said Ron, who entered.

"It's so quiet here it's hard to sleep," Anand gently shook his head.

He was used to hearing roars, screams, pleas, and sobs in prison. The sound of bamboo sticks hitting even helped him fall asleep.

"From now on, don't think about anything, just rest well."

"Who was it?" Anand looked at him.

"I got you into trouble. They were coming for me," Ron sighed.

Anand didn't speak, still looking at him.

"Although there's no evidence, it's basically confirmed to be The Palace. The gang might also be involved."

"The Palace..." Anand had been there more than once. He never expected that the place that gave him extreme pleasure would also bring him extreme pain and torment.

"This matter won't end like this, I promise," Ron said with a serious expression.

"That day in prison, why was it Luca?"

"It wasn't convenient for me to show up, you know, someone is dealing with me. Those guys in prison are fence-sitters; they don't mind ripping me off."

Ron was not far from the prison at that time, and he had the money ready. Fifty thousand dollars was indeed ridiculously expensive, but if he had gone, it would have been even higher.

"That night on Haines Road, I wasn't the only one," Anand said.

"What?"

"The night I was arrested, besides the police, there were others."

"Who?" Ron sat up straight.

"That big guy, one of Hardhan's men."

"Johnny?" Ron trembled slightly, his hairs standing on end.

"It was too dark, I only saw a silhouette. He seemed to be passing by, far away."

Johnny? Why Johnny? Ron's eyes flickered.

He had clearly called and asked, and Johnny hadn't mentioned Anand at all.

Was he involved in this, or rather, was Hardhan involved?

Ron found that the whole picture of the matter was like a mystery, solving one only revealed another.

"Ron Baba..."