Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Fire Drill_1
At this moment, the alarm bells in Sector One, the closest to the main gate, rang out, signaling that the prison had entered an emergency state.
However, the prisoners, who were taking their midday rest, showed hardly any surprise. One of them, who had been lying on his bunk napping, lazily turned over and muttered, "Is it starting already?"
At the same time, prison guards and riot police appeared at the entrance to the cell block, shouting, "Fire drill! All inmates, leave your cells in work order and line up!!"
The inmates from the general sectors stood up and walked to their cell doors with no sense of urgency.
Usually, during work call, the guards had to come by and unlock each door with a key, but this time, the cell doors unlocked and opened on their own.
"Wow, they really changed it to open automatically!" One inmate turned to his cellmate, "When did they modify it?"
"Maybe while we were at work... Come on, don’t block the door, let’s move it." The person behind urged impatiently.
Almost all of the inmates were unsurprised by the situation since it had been announced as a "fire drill" in the prison the night before.
Last night, in the meeting room.
Aiden stood in front of the round table, hands on the table, and spoke to the wardens of Sectors One, Two, and Three, "The target of the jailbreak is the core area. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t enter the general sectors, but the cells in the general sectors could also be affected by their jailbreaking tactics, which might cause the cell doors to unlock automatically. If there’s a mass jailbreak among the general population during this, it could become quite problematic. Therefore, we must make the general population believe this is just a normal procedure within the prison... so, when you go back, inform the inmates that there will be a day off from facility renovations tomorrow, but choose a time to conduct a fire drill."
That very evening, the three general sectors issued a notice to the inmates that there would be a fire drill the next day and that the inmates should be ready in their cells at all times.
They also informed the inmates in advance that the prison doors had been modified to open automatically under special circumstances, so not many inmates suspected anything.
Furthermore, with the guards directing the scene in an unhurried manner, almost no one was suspicious of this "fire drill."
"Hurry up! Move faster!! If there was a real fire, do you want to get burned alive?" The acting warden on-site got into character at the scene, "Be serious! No laughing, got it?"
Soon, the inmates gathered in front of their respective cells, just like when they were lining up for work.
"Proceed orderly to the yard for shelter! Don’t push, don’t crowd!!" The warden commanded the guards to lead the inmates to the yard.
In this act, the guards performed the tension of a real fire so convincingly that some of them even wiped away sweat, knowing full well that an actual emergency was taking place.
However, the deceived inmates were not at all anxious; many were even secretly talking and laughing, saying the drill seemed quite realistic.
For them, as long as they could get a day off, having a fire drill was no big deal.
...
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the core area was entirely different, as the core, being the target of the jailbreak, could not employ this ruse.
Soon after the alarm bells rang, the sirens in the core area also began to sound.
The guards stationed at various posts in the core area changed their expressions, while a burst of cheering erupted from the cells.
The locks on the district’s main gates started to loosen, and the doors of each individual cell unlocked and swung open automatically.
The two from Cell Six were the first to fling open their door and rush out of their cells, with the pirate Anna raising her arm and shrieking, "Anyone with guts, come out! The time for freedom has arrived!!"
In Cell Thirteen, Annie Drake calmly put on her shoes and stood up from her bed.
"Time’s up, I’m leaving," she said, looking at Succubus Phyllis across the way, who was staring at her with a wary and fierce gaze, "I really have you to thank for these past few days. Do you want a free ride out? Once we’re outside, I’ll be sure to repay you properly."
She had long realized that the incident in the bathhouse where Camilla dislocated her shoulder was mostly orchestrated by the succubus.
"Have a nice trip! I’ll keep your bed warm for you," Phyllis said with a smirk, waving and insincerely blowing a kiss, "I’ll miss you! Let’s hope Lord Aiden leaves your body intact!"
"Just stay here and regret it!" Annie snapped back before leaving the cell, "I’ll be counting the days outside waiting for your release!"
Although she was itching to beat the succubus black and blue at that moment, she knew her father’s The Codex had rules that were effective for everyone within its range.
Meanwhile, the witches in Cell Twelve also noticed that their door had been unlocked.
"Daili, this couldn’t be..." Presia said with a somber expression.
"It’s divine speech, or perhaps an artifact with the power of authority," Daili nodded in agreement.
They both could still feel their magic power being suppressed, which indicated that the prison’s barrier was still functioning normally.
Under these circumstances, ordinary black magic couldn’t take effect. Some special magic items might still work, but to affect the whole core area of the cells, it probably would take the power of authority to achieve that scale.
With just a glance, they decided to stand down.
In prison, they could continue studying magic just as they had on the outside, and Aiden had promised to return their "Divinity" when they were released.
Once outside the prison, even if they successfully escaped, they’d revert to being hunted by the Heretic Inquisition and the bounty hunters. More importantly, they would become enemies of Aiden—and they weren’t yet sure just how much power the warden wielded or how strong his backers were.
From his behavior yesterday, it was clear Aiden had been prepared for this situation.
A rash escape was undoubtedly the worst strategy for them.
The other strong inmates in the prison essentially followed the same course of action.
Avansa, Camilla, Asenna, Ophelia... The inmates designated with red and orange warning levels, whether leaning against the wall with crossed arms or sitting quietly on their beds, were staying in their cells as Aiden had instructed the day before, silently waiting.
Those who voluntarily came out of the prisons were mostly clad in blue and white prison garb, essentially all weak; after all, Aiden had preemptively transferred any high-risk inmates with tendencies to escape to the Heretic Inquisition. The only orange-level prisoner who left her cell was the madwoman Halo, lured out by the noisy commotion in the corridor.
The majority of the inmates were still hesitating inside their cells. Although they were tempted by this once-in-a-lifetime chance to leave the prison, the threat from the warden yesterday was still ringing in their ears.
Veronica, who was on duty in the core area control room, immediately blew the whistle upon seeing this unfold. She was just about to try intimidating these inmates back into their cells to stabilize the situation when a command materialized in her mind:
"It is forbidden to restrict anyone’s personal freedom by any means; violators shall be punished with imprisonment."
