Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 320: Chapter 124: The Key to Jailbreak

The two groups simply had incompatible philosophies, and they immediately began to argue. Bai Wu further understood the essence of the quarrel.

On one side, there was the rapid chatter of angry words, and on the other, an argument marked by sarcastic tones. Neither side cared what the other was saying; they only cared about expressing their own thoughts and whether their volume and presence overshadowed their opponents.

Debating is different, debate and argument, at least begin with listening.

The two groups were fiercely arguing, and Bai Wu found the situation between Weapon Head and Two Mouths rather amusing. They had three mouths between the two of them, yet only one could speak properly, although they didn’t lack followers.

After the groups had been arguing for roughly a minute, Bai Wu spoke up:

"I’ve decided to join the Pure Goodness Sect."

"Dada!" Weapon Head gave a thumbs up.

"Brilliant!" Both of Two Mouths’ mouths said in unison.

"Why, I need an explanation!" the blond with big waves said.

"Money brought us together, and I hope our fate can be as boundless as the wealth we will amass in the future," Bald Qian also expressed his opinion.

Bai Wu rather enjoyed listening to these people speak. He looked at the blonde woman:

"First, tell me your names. I still don’t know how to address you."

"Yuan Ye," the blonde woman spoke up first.

"Qian Yixin," the aptly named bald man.

"Dada," Weapon Head still unintelligible, but fortunately Two Mouths promptly informed him of the answer.

"He says his name is Colt. Though with his looks, calling him Colt directly is okay, right?" the mouth on top of Two Mouths remarked.

The mouth below said:

"My name is Lu Yan."

Another name befitting the person.

Bai Wu turned to Yuan Ye and said:

"Let me guess, your goal is to survive in prison, but ultimately, it’s to get out alive, right? Who’s the longest-serving person here? I mean, over the past seven hundred years, who has stayed in this prison the longest?"

This question truly stumped the other side.

Bai Wu then changed his question:

"Forget it, that’s a historical question. So, who in the Evil Reform Faction has been in prison the longest?"

"That would be me," Yuan Ye wasn’t stumped this time.

Bai Wu nodded and continued:

"See, that means there isn’t anyone who has survived from the very beginning until now, right? Since there’s not a single one, why do you think you can be that miracle?"

"I won’t even mention the Pure Goodness Sect. They’re bound to die here. Even if they don’t die, many will end up in the second-level prison, enduring an existence worse than death. And if they can’t handle it and die, it doesn’t matter; there might even be a place like Ling Bo Prison waiting for them on the third level."

After Bai Wu finished speaking, the folks from the Pure Goodness Sect hung their heads. Yuan Ye was a bit perplexed and asked:

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Don’t be in such a rush. If I only state the conclusion, wouldn’t I be just like those people from before?"

Bai Wu was referring to those from the past who had tried to please both sides, as mentioned by Prayle’s Eye.

Of course, Bai Wu’s goal was not just to survive within the two factions; he aimed to unify them.

"We’ve already found out that the longest surviving person here is you, Yuan Ye. I want to ask you, are you confident that you can keep living?"

Yuan Ye obviously wasn’t sure, so she didn’t answer the question.

Bai Wu smiled and didn’t press further, then turned to Qian Yixin:

"You have quite a fortune, but you don’t have it in your hands right now. After a person dies, they have nothing left, right?"

Qian Yixin didn’t object but simply asked:

"Merely pointing out problems without offering solutions will only take you further away from wealth."

"What I want is for you all to understand something: we’re all going to die, so there’s no point in playing house here. I’m not interested in killing in dreams—if I’m to kill, it should be with real knives and guns—killing those evil spirits who have insulted our faith and tried to erase our humanity."

"But it seems like you all just want to keep living in this prison. Well, that makes things much simpler because it’s impossible, so you just have to wait for death. How simple is waiting for death? I choose to wait for death in the Pure Goodness Sect. After all, we’re going to die anyway... At least I can die clean. If my humanity were erased and I kept sacrificing precious things, only to die in the end... Hahaha, just the thought of it is tragic."

Bai Wu’s words were a painful reminder.

Although it seemed like he was supporting the Pure Goodness Sect, he effectively deflated the hopes of everyone in it.

They all wanted to live on, and while they might not have been absolute good people before, they at least had a passion for life. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

As Evil Fallen, they had also become accustomed to fighting against the negative emotions in their minds every day to maintain their humanity, living each day confined within a limited area, unable to leave.

So they could endure the loneliness of the prison, as long as they could keep living.

But Bai Wu "low EQ" piercingly laid bare this truth.

He explained to these people with history that no one would survive in the prison, and also wanted to shatter another of their illusions—

"No one can live in prison forever, and no one can replace the Warden. In seven hundred years, have you ever heard of a Warden being replaced?"

"Think about it—if there really was such a prisoner, and there really were rules for replacing a Warden. Would a Warden let this prisoner survive?"

"Therefore, no one can live here forever, nor can anyone replace the Warden. Both of your factions are too naive. Your only ends are either to become absolute evil or to wait for death. This is your real endgame."

No one spoke. The leaders of the two factions seemed to fall into deep thought because of Bai Wu’s words.

This contemplation quickly brought them anxiety.

Seeing the worried expressions forming on everyone’s faces, Bai Wu returned to his cell and said:

"But I know how to survive. Since I’ve raised the problem, naturally I have a solution too. I’m not joking. And it’s not just about survival."

Bai Wu turned his gaze to the other side, looking at the leader of the Pure Goodness Sect, who was head of weapons, and said:

"Killing the enemy is indeed a way of protection, which I advocate more than mere defence. But are those of the Evil Reform Faction your real enemies? You better think carefully about that."

With some time left until work began, Bai Wu closed the door of the cell and paid no further attention to anyone from either faction. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

He lay on his bed, seemingly at ease.

Yuan Ye and Qian Yixin exchanged a look, their thoughts complex as they left without bothering to throw insults at the opposite side.

It was the same with the Pure Goodness Sect. Lu Yan did not use any vulgar language, while Colt seemed contemplative.

Bai Wu’s words had taken root within their hearts, hinting at a life not dependent on the Warden, without giving up on their own steadfast humanity, a life that was about more than just surviving...

In the current set of options, there seemed to be only one choice. They had considered this path before, but... it was simply impossible.

...

...

The free activity time was very short.

When daylight brightly illuminated the outside of the cell blocks, the inmates inside had to start their labor.

It is worth mentioning that many things in this prison operated conversely, but it didn’t mean everything was the opposite.

Getting hungrier after eating, feeling sleepier after sleeping, but that didn’t mean participating in labor wouldn’t make you more tired.

The labor here appeared quite easy; for the Evil Fallen, tasks like weeding the large courtyard, reinforcing the high walls, dusting and cleaning various rooms, or changing laundered clothes in the washroom should have all been very simple affairs, simple to the point that with the Evil Fallen’s strength, they shouldn’t have felt even a hint of tiredness.

But the reality was, no matter how light the work seemed for the Evil Fallen, upon actually completing the tasks, they would feel an indescribable yet real sense of fatigue.

It was under the influence of this fatigue that most people were reluctant to go out into the yard to work, yet had no choice but to go.

Bai Wu was assigned to weed the outer yard, which he considered to be one of the more ideal jobs within the prison.

Because the outer yard had the most open view, from there, one could observe most of the prison’s buildings.

What he needed most at the moment was information related to escaping, and Prayle’s Eye didn’t drop the ball, providing data that was almost all related to the internal structures of various buildings.

He dealt with the weeds while continuously surveying the surrounding buildings with his eyes.

[Infirmary, this place doesn’t have a doctor, and it certainly won’t have a girl you fancy leaving the door open to facilitate your escape. Don’t even think about it, the doctor here would only make you wish you were dead. Recommending ignoring this area.]

[A storage room, currently of no use, with guards sometimes smoking inside. Don’t think about tunneling through here, because you simply don’t have the time to dig a tunnel. Recommending ignoring this area.]

[Toilet, what did we say when we first met? What? You actually forgot? You heartless person, Evil Fallen don’t excrete! Naturally, you don’t need toilets, this place has been transformed into a recreational room for chess and cards. The smell may be gone, but I still can’t face what it used to be. Recommending ignoring this area.]

[Hey, where are you looking? That area is for the mentally ill criminals, reserved for those who committed heinous crimes but were saved due to their mental disorders. However, it has become a dead zone, inhabited by a Mutant that killed all the other patients. Doesn’t it remind you a bit of your Little Pitiful? It’s not pitiful at all. But we’d better focus our thoughts on escape. Recommending ignoring this area.]

He looked over one building after another; Bai Wu could hardly find any useful structures. Fortunately, in the end, about a hundred meters from the high wall, he spotted a house.

[Prison library, someone once argued convincingly and got the Warden to agree to construct a prison library. Later, that person escaped using a small hammer hidden inside a book. Of course, all this happened before the prison fell under the inmates’ control. This information is relatively important—note it for consideration.]

After identifying all the buildings, Bai Wu realised that this was the only one that had been indicated as useful, meaning that this library contained secrets that could help him escape.

But what’s with this strong sense of déjà vu? It seemed that Shudu Prison had its fair share of stories before the apocalypse fully descended.

Lastly, Bai Wu looked towards the high wall.

Not far from the high wall, several inmates were repairing it. Roughly four guards, stuck close, watching over the wall. Interestingly, Bai Wu noticed something—among the inmates working on the wall was Colt, the head of the weapon faction.

The so-called faction leader had to speak humbly in front of the guards.

Even though the guards’ mutation levels weren’t high, they were actually quite low... In the red zone, these level six and seven Mutants, without any remarkable abilities, would be lucky to survive a day in other red zones.

Yet here, despite there being over a hundred inmates, only four guards, but not a single one dared to lay hands on the guards.

No one dared to try and escape in this moment.

The notes from Prayle’s Eye about the high wall explained a few things:

[This high wall, like many other structures, seems to be caught in a loop; no matter how many times it’s repaired, it will inevitably develop a large gap when the time comes. When you decide to escape, this is your only exit.

Keep running non-stop after getting out, and you can escape this area. Aside from this, you have no way of leaving, let alone damaging the wall yourself; the handcuffs on your hands prevent you from posing any threat to the wall. And when you approach the wall, the four guards are watching you.]

The high wall was just as Bai Wu had thought, essentially marking the finish line of the escape; but how to get to the end without being stopped was a craft all on its own.

The handcuffs prevented the inmates from battling the guards, making it impossible for them to resist. However, watching the inmates cower, Bai Wu suspected that this kind of systematic constraint was even more exaggerated than he had imagined.

The work shifts rotated according to the cell block, and for the next three days, this would be Bai Wu’s job.

With the sickle distributed by the prison in hand, Bai Wu, certain that he couldn’t glean any more information through his eyes, started to work more efficiently.

Wen Tai, who was working alongside him, seemed very weak, so Bai Wu worked faster, thinking to do an extra portion for Wen Tai as well.

Wen Tai was very grateful to Bai Wu. Thanks to Bai Wu’s quick work and robust energy, the two of them finished their tasks quickly, and well before mealtime, Bai Wu and Wen Tai started chatting:

"Wen Tai, did you really write in your statement of offenses that your biggest crime was peeping at the opposite sex?"

"Ah... I don’t want to bring up those things, croak."

"What kind of peeping was it?" Bai Wu ignored the small Toad’s request.

Wen Tai honestly answered, nonetheless:

"When sitting beside me, I sneaked a peek... a few peeks, ah... so white, croak."

The Toad instantly turned into a different species, blushing into a red frog.

Bai Wu thought for a moment and said:

"The peeping you’re talking about is just looking a few times at a certain part when someone is dressed?"

"Yes, croak!" Wen Tai’s voice suddenly became spirited as he dropped the sickle in his hands and covered his Toad head with both hands.

Bai Wu nodded in surprise; if this was considered a crime, then there probably weren’t many good people left in this world. He understood that the Toad really had no criminal record to speak of and was excessively timid.

There is a saying that when an honest man gets angry, there will be bloodshed. But in this world, there are many honest people who don’t even dare to get angry.

Bai Wu was truly curious—how had such an Evil Fallen like this managed to survive?

In the distance, the prison guards began to torture the inmates who were repairing the high wall, including the leader of the Pure Goodness Sect, Colt. The revolver barrels on his head were like his nose, and then, in an instant, his nose was smashed—

The barrels were bent by a strike from a baton.

Colt was the kind of tough guy who kept two Gatlings hidden in his hands, but here he couldn’t even utter harsh words.

In the laundry room, Bald Qian Yixin, responsible for dealing with the prison’s internal clothing, was also being harassed. Every time he washed an item, a prison guard would throw it onto the ground, step on it twice, and then toss it back to Qian Yixin.

Qian Yixin didn’t say a word, just silently washed the clothes again.

Lu Yan, who was responsible for cleaning the storeroom, was also being bullied by the prison guards, who demanded that Lu Yan curse at his comrades using the most vicious words. If he failed, he would be met with punches and kicks.

Yuan Ye had it rough, too; her ability was Lion’s Domain. When she activated her ability, her wavy golden hair would stand like the mane of an enraged lion, her entire body enveloped in golden lightning, and her strength and speed, especially the ability to tear objects apart, would increase dramatically.

This was definitely a dangerous power, but because she was handcuffed and wished to suffer less pain while alive, Yuan Ye allowed herself to be put in a cage, triggering her power to become an enraged yet impotent lion.

She was like an animal at the zoo, trapped in a cage, provoking the guards into roaring laughter.

There were many more such instances. Although the guards were fewer in number than the inmates, Bai Wu had noticed some and not yet others.

The guards were heavy-handed, and seeing the twisted weapon barrels that were like Colt’s nose, Bai Wu knew this certainly wasn’t the first time it had happened.

In such circumstances, these inmates still wanted to live on, which meant that this prison held not just simply "good people."

But those good people who had obsessions they wanted to fulfill no matter what.

Like Gu Hailin.

Bai Wu remained silent. Though sympathetic, the harsher the inmates’ living conditions, the greater the possibility that he could ignite their rage. That was also key to escaping. In a sense... the worse their ordeal, the luckier he considered himself.

Soon, it was time for the meal, and the events that occurred in the dining room were even worse than the miscellaneous chores outside.