The Prison Dragon Rises

Ning Heng never wanted to be some Prison Dragon. He just wanted to sell egg-and-scallion pancakes in peace, finish college, find a job, and live an ordinary life. But the police in the United States wouldn’t let him. He had nothing to do with a gang shootout, yet forged evidence got him sentenced to fifty years. In court, he said, “I’m innocent.” The judge said, “Guilty.” In the holding cell, he said, “I want to call my family.” The police said, “No.” At Coffield Prison, he said, “I just want to keep to myself.” A gang lackey punched him in the face and said, “There’s no peace here. You either kneel or lie down.” Ning Heng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up. He chose a third option: standing tall. The System in his mind told him that every act of defiance would make him stronger. So he rebelled for the first time and knocked one man down. The second time, he took down five. The third time, no one in G4 dared stand in his way. But that was nowhere near enough. Three gang bosses were waiting for him in G5. The entire Texas prison system held countless other Coffields. And outside prison, the people who had put him away were still walking free. Ning Heng said, “Then I’ll take them on one by one.”