"Improve the plan's margin for error, and map out an escape route after seizing the vessel?"
On the Sea-Watching Rooftop, Igola listened to Yaxiu's request with a strange look. "Shouldn't your top priority right now be figuring out how to survive the Blood Moon Trial in a few days? Don't tell me you honestly think you won't be picked for the lucky group of eight—or do you think only one person will die in this extra Blood Moon Trial?"
It wasn't just Igola; even the ordinary death row inmates sensed that the upcoming Blood Moon Trials would bring heavy casualties—because the prison was nearing full capacity.
Inmates kept piling in, but the prison could not expand. Nor could it reduce the living space per death row inmate, downgrade their living conditions, or convert other facilities into dormitories.
Therefore, the prison's sole and best option was naturally to induce 'reasonable attrition' among the death row convicts, conveniently boosting revenue from the Blood Moon Trial in the process. Because the prison couldn't forcibly order the Executioner to strike inmates who weren't targeted, they had to design game segments geared toward 'total annihilation' and 'no one escapes' to drive up the casualty rate as much as possible. Naturally, this resulted in explosive ratings for the live broadcast.
The Blood Moon Trial on the 15th was a prime example: the trial segments were intricate and thrilling, the death row inmates could slaughter one another, and during Valkas's execution, the moment he had the thought of 'if I'm going down, you're coming with me,' he could drag the other inmates along to kowtow before the Blood Moon Sovereign at any moment.
It was rather ironic: when the prison considered worsening living conditions to increase inmate capacity, the Human Rights Association strictly forbade it; but when the prison engineered high-mortality Blood Moon Trials to cull the inmate population, the Human Rights Association found it perfectly acceptable.
Though there was no proof, Igola had a strong hunch that a portion of the advertising revenue from the Blood Moon Trial ended up as political donations to the Human Rights Association.
"And how exactly do you suggest I safely survive the Blood Moon Trial?"
"Hmm... pray to the Four Pillar Gods behind you? Or forsake darkness for the light and beg for the Blood Moon Sovereign's mercy?"
"If Shattered Lake Prison is a cage, then the trial roster is just the butchers outside picking which beasts to slaughter," Yaxiu said. "Cattle like us trapped inside can't influence what happens outside the cage—unless one of the butchers out there happens to be an old acquaintance of mine. Unfortunately, none are, though there are probably plenty of diners salivating over me.
"So rather than fretting over whether I'll survive the Blood Moon Trial, I'd rather assume I'll get lucky and make it through, and spend the time drafting a more detailed escape plan." Folding his arms, Yaxiu leaned against the rooftop railing. "After all, there are still nine days until the next transport ship arrives. We can't just let that time go to waste."
"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Igola curled his lip.
"No, Yaxiu is right!" Ronald chimed in excitedly. "Even if it only reduces the danger by one percent or raises our success rate by one percent, it's worth our time to try. Friends, our time is precious. If you want to enjoy life, wait until we return to the free world. Let's pour everything into preparing for the escape right now, all right?"
"That's right. It's not like we have anything better to do in prison anyway," Langna said. "Besides, I believe young brother Yaxiu won't die so easily here in Shattered Lake."
With a 3-to-1 vote, Igola naturally had to defer to the majority. Not that he actually opposed refining the plan; he just enjoyed bickering with Yaxiu.
Perhaps knowing someone like Yaxiu could never become a target for his swindling, Igola couldn't be bothered to waste any emotional intelligence on him.
When dealing with clients, Igola was universally adored, as attentive and comforting as a warm winter jacket. With the power of his sorcery spirits, he could effortlessly unlock a client's heart, keeping them talking all day long without an ounce of boredom. Plenty of people had gladly let Igola swindle their money just to chat with him.
"Because of the chip's constraints, my plan has many vulnerabilities," Igola said. "And the most dangerous blind spot of all is the window between 'taking the healers' clothes' and 'boarding the transport ship.'
"If the unconscious healers are discovered early, if our operation exceeds ten minutes, or if any unexpected incident crops up along the way, the prison guards will realize our chips have been neutralized. Once they alert the transport ship, we won't stand a chance of boarding, let alone hijacking it to escape.
"The risk is too high, and there are too many unpredictable variables. If the plan fails, it will most likely be at this step." Igola looked around at the others. "Any ideas?"
Yaxiu racked his brain, Langna remained silent, but Ronald raised his hand and suggested, "Why don't we keep it simple—how about we slaughter all the prison guards first?"
"Unless we can wipe out every single guard at the exact same moment, a single slip-up would allow someone to sound the alarm," Igola replied, somewhat speechless. "Besides, the guards work on rotating shifts. There are always some stationed in their living quarters where we can't enter, so they'll never give us the chance to catch them all in one net and kill them."
Ronald said earnestly, "Then let's find a way to gather them together!"
"What way? Have Yaxiu pray to the Four Pillar Gods? Why not go a step further and have Yaxiu pray for all the guards to drop dead at once—"
"What if we find someone, purify their chip, and have them go on a rampage killing other death row inmates and guards? Wouldn't the guards gather to hunt them down?"
Igola was about to shoot down the idea, but swallowed his words before they left his mouth. Subconsciously pacing back and forth, he stuck his thumb into his mouth, bit his nail, and sank into deep thought.
Yaxiu blinked. "That sounds... a lot more reliable than pure luck!"
"Ronnie's amazing," Langna patted Ronald's shoulder with a chuckle.
"Though many details still need working out, it's definitely feasible!" Igola's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Drawing the guards' attention with bait—whether to ambush and kill them or seize the ship and flee in the chaos—is far better than my original plan. We can even prepare further contingencies, like having Yaxiu neutralize more inmates' chips to incite a massive riot across Shattered Lake Prison!
"Right under the prison's nose, right in front of the guards' eyes, we'll turn Shattered Lake upside down!"
At the thought that this drama he was directing could become even grander and more spectacular, Igola felt a surge of excitement. A long-lost passion for his craft rekindled inside him!
Yaxiu said excitedly, "No time to lose! Let's go pick a lucky death row inmate to be our bait!"
Igola had no objections, and the four headed toward the Death Match Club.
Their criteria for the bait were simple: fierce and aggressive, full of hatred for the prison, obedient, and easily duped. People meeting these descriptions were almost all concentrated in the Death Match Club.
On their way, Yaxiu leaned in close to Igola and whispered, "Ronald is really off today."
Today, Ronald was all smiles, actively contributing, with a bright and warm expression. It formed a stark contrast with the shriveled, dehydrated Ronald of a few days ago, which creeped Yaxiu out.
Igola also whispered back, "It means the ritual has reached its final stages. If Ronald's dorm room is cleared out tomorrow, I won't be at all surprised."
"I believe I mentioned that I enhanced my hearing with a sorcery spirit?" Ronald turned to look at them and shook his head. "Unless you mask it with a sorcery spirit, I can hear whispering at that volume, you know!"
Yaxiu and Igola froze in unison, both wearing innocent 'nothing happened' expressions. When it came to having thick skin, the two were remarkably in sync.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'll definitely live until next month," Ronald patted his chest. "What's going on between Langna and me won't affect the plan. Even if things need to be settled, we'll settle them after breaking out. Rest assured!"
Yaxiu couldn't help asking, "Then why have you changed so much over the past few days?"
Ronald pressed a finger to his lips. "It's a secret." With that, he crooked his elbow outward, allowing Langna to link arms with him. Watching the two walk side by side in intimacy, no outsider could ever imagine they were locked in a fight to the death.
Igola, however, was lost in thought. He wondered whether Langna had deliberately made Ronald like this to coordinate with the escape plan. After all, a bright, cheerful, proactive Ronald was far more helpful for moving the plan forward, even immediately offering a useful suggestion.
If Langna had done this deliberately, it meant he had immense confidence in this prison-break plan, to the extent that he was willing to alter the pace of his ritual just to accommodate it.
Yet even Igola, the architect of the plan, didn't have much faith in it. By his estimate, their odds of a successful escape were under ten percent—and even after refining it, under thirty percent.
Where was Langna getting all this confidence?
Igola knew for certain that Langna wasn't putting his faith in him.
At that thought, Igola unconsciously turned his head to stare at the cult leader beside him. Yaxiu found the stare completely baffling. After a moment's hesitation, he too crooked his elbow outward, putting on a disgusted, 'there's just no helping you' face. "I never thought you'd be jealous of something like that... Fine, I'll take one for the team and indulge you..."
Ah, I really want to hit him. I really want to curse him out.
Igola was so furious the threads of his sanity nearly snapped.
Chapter 105