Inside the Treatment Room, the atmosphere grew solemn.
"Didn't you survive the Blood Moon Trial?"
"Yes, but my tribulations haven't ended," Yaxiu said earnestly. "My enemy is still watching me like a hawk. He will exhaust every method to put me to death right here in prison."
The healer shook her head. "This is Shattered Lake Prison, a place where the law is carried out like gospel truth. No one can break the law here."
"Yet he can push me into a dead end entirely within the boundaries of the law."
"That would only prove you deserve to be executed within the boundaries of the law." The healer shrugged. "It's not that I don't believe you're innocent, and I sympathize deeply with your plight. That's why I will pray for you—pray that you find salvation in the divine kingdom of the Blood Moon Sovereign.
"Still, that's all I can do for you. Anything more is beyond the scope of my duties." She added a note of warning, hinting that Yaxiu shouldn't make any unlawful requests.
Yaxiu waved a hand. "I'm not here to ask you for anything. I know my time is short, and my execution is drawing near... That's why I simply wanted to thank you properly."
"Huh?"
"Healer 222, it was you who showed me humane warmth, allowing me to feel a glimmer of kindness in this cold and unfeeling prison." Yaxiu spoke with deep emotion. "To have met you before my death leaves me with no regrets. I can accept my end in peace."
"I-I'm really not as great as you say..." The healer felt a little bashful and murmured back.
"Yet between life and death lies immense terror. In the dead of night, I still can't help curling up, my heart gripped by unspeakable dread. I can't sleep, I have no appetite, and every single day feels like living in misery."
"I can help with that," the healer said, taking out a silver-gleaming syringe. "I have a potent sedative injection. One shot is guaranteed to free you completely from your troubles. But all drugs of this type share the same side effect: they slow down your thinking. To put it simply, you become a bit intellectually impaired..."
"And! That's! Why!" Yaxiu quickly cut her off. "To live out my final days in peace, I was hoping you could accompany me, Healer."
"Accompany you? Accompany you how?"
"Just eating, sleeping, bathing together, that sort of thing..."
"No! Absolutely not!" The healer stood up nervously, waving her hands in a frantic flutter. "I... well, it's not that I... Right, the rules and regulations! We healers aren't allowed to enter prisoner activity zones, and we cannot have intimate contact with prisoners! Yes! It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just really not allowed!"
Yaxiu let out a deep, quiet sigh. This sigh was genuine. Even though her reaction was part of his plan, her refusal was so swift, vehement, and utterly unyielding that he couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow.
Could you at least pretend to think about it for a second? Even acting a bit more convincing would have been nice!
Even that crow mask of yours can't hide how utterly repulsed you are!
"I understand your difficulties, and I don't want to trouble you, but I desperately need your care and warmth." Yaxiu blinked. "I came up with a great idea."
"What great idea?"
"If you give me your clothes, I can treat them as you, holding onto that warmth every night."
The healer fell silent for a moment and took a step back, her voice trembling slightly. "You... want to sleep... hugging my bra and underwear...?"
"They don't have to be that intimate!" Yaxiu hastily explained. "Besides, I've never even seen your undergarments, so I can't equate them to an incarnation of you!"
The healer finally understood. "You want my crow uniform?"
"Mm-hmm. Do you have a spare set?"
"I do, since I need two sets for washing and changing. But by regulation, I'm not allowed to give this uniform to anyone else... Besides, sleeping with my crow uniform in your arms at night sounds a bit..."
Yaxiu suddenly let out a long sigh, his face falling into dejection. "I suppose you're right. I was asking for too much. You've helped me so much already, Healer; in reason and sentiment, I shouldn't burden you...
"Someone like me doesn't deserve to meet his end in peace...
"It was foolish of me to harbor undeserved hopes and wishful delusions...
"I'm sorry. Just pretend I never came. Thank you, 222. I won't forget you..."
Despite his words, Yaxiu didn't stand up. Instead, he stared at the healer with longing, pitiful eyes. Left with no other choice, the healer clicked her tongue. "All right, all right! I'll give you my other crow uniform. Will that do?"
*All according to plan!*
Yaxiu cheered internally. All this groundwork had been for the sole purpose of getting the healer to willingly hand over her crow uniform.
After all, he needed to secure a crow uniform for the prison break, but he didn't want to hurt her.
Out of the moral values instilled in him from his previous life, he still held a degree of respect for the medical profession. Though survival came first when push came to shove, avoiding conflict through peaceful means was always preferred.
Conveniently, his relationship with Healer 222 was fairly decent. Favors were meaningless if left unused when needed most. So Yaxiu had played the victim and acted pitiful, first tossing out an unreasonable demand for her companionship, and once she rejected it, asking for her clothes instead. Trap layered over trap, he had finally pried open the healer's defenses, luring her step by step toward the abyss of crime.
"Wait, that won't work."
Yaxiu tensed. "What's wrong?"
"I just took off that other uniform. I haven't washed it yet."
"I don't mind!"
"Well, I do! Absolutely not. I'll give it to you after I wash it!"
Yaxiu panicked. "Actually, I prefer it unwashed! Just grant me this wish! This is the request of my lifetime!"
"No, no, absolutely not!" The healer shook her head vigorously. "I'll give it to you once I've washed it."
"Then how long will that take?"
"Not long. There's a dryer in the laundry room, so it'll take an hour at most."
"Then hurry up and go wash it! I'll come back at noon to pick it up."
Yaxiu pushed the healer toward the door, leaving her completely baffled. "Wait, didn't you come here to chat with me? Didn't you want me to keep you company?"
"The clothes can talk to me too, and the clothes can keep me company just as well! Aside from that, clothes have plenty of other uses! Anyway, hurry up and go!"
Bewildered, the healer headed back to her dormitory to do the laundry.
...
Up on the Sea-Watching Rooftop, Igola stared at the black dot growing larger across the lake's surface. His heart pounded wildly, and goosebumps prickled his skin. His face felt flush, his legs grew weak, and his thoughts raced at breakneck speed.
This was nervousness.
This was fear.
Yet it was also exhilaration.
This was precisely why he hadn't quit even after amassing so much wealth. That pre-operation anxiety and suspense hooked him like an addictive poison. In moments, he would deceive the entire prison and pull off an escape in broad daylight.
The thought of countless people being astonished, furious, admiring, and terrified by his feat filled Igola with uncontrollable excitement. Nothing brought him greater pleasure than fooling others!
Under Igola's expectant yet tense gaze, a steamship billowing thick smoke came into view, plowing through the waves toward Shattered Lake Prison.
Yet Igola's expression grew steadily grimmer and paler.
The hull of this steamship looked no different from an ordinary military vessel. The only strange thing was that its entire upper structure was covered by a layer of high-strength steel armor neatly encasing the whole ship, making it resemble a seamless, bullet-shaped warship.
In other words, not an inch of deck was exposed to the sunlight. There was no 'outside' anywhere on this vessel; every single area was part of the ship's interior!
While Igola was still reeling in shock, the transport ship reached Shattered Lake and dropped anchor at the port. The first person to step off the ship was a white-haired man dressed in a dark red hunter uniform and a hood, with a pitch-black half-sleeve draped over his right shoulder.
As if sensing Igola's gaze, he looked up and locked eyes with him. His expression remained utterly impassive, while the blood-red irises beneath his hood pierced straight through Igola with a razor-sharp glare!
Igola's pupils shrank.
A Sin Hunting Half-Sleeve!
The Director of the Sin Hunting Hall was distinguished by a pitch-black Sin Hunting Trench Coat, whereas the captains of the Law Enforcement Brigades—who fought on the front lines and represented the Hall's prestige—wore a Sin Hunting Half-Sleeve as a mark of honor!
There were only two Law Enforcement Brigades in all of Kaimeng City, and without exception, the captains of both brigades were...
Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerers!
Chapter 92