CHAPTER 428: CHAPTER 264 THE TURN OF THE TIDE_1

The guard was petrified by the scene in the solitary confinement room. If it had been any other time, if a prisoner were holding a thumb-sized test tube and yelling it was an explosive, he would have dismissed them as an idiot. But everything before his eyes forced him to believe.

At this moment, the test tube in Dean’s hand, full of fibrous material, had begun to bubble furiously. Even Dean, with his usual rock-steady composure, couldn’t help but grow anxious. "There are ten seconds at most before this test tube explodes! If you don’t want to die, open the door now!"

His urgent tone finally snapped the guard back to reality. The guard merely glanced at the violently reacting test tube, not daring to think further. He hastily fumbled out his keys and shakily unlocked the solitary confinement door.

The moment the door opened, Dean quickly withdrew his arm, tossed the test tube inside, and rushed out of the room.

The next moment—BOOM! A faint shockwave rippled outwards. The already open iron door was violently blasted further open. Simultaneously, a cloud of pungent chemical gas, mixed with the heavy scent of blood from the confinement room, billowed out. The bewildered guard, still standing foolishly in place, was overwhelmed; his eyes rolled back, and he fainted from shock.

Dean lay prone on the ground, waiting for the gas to disperse before shakily getting to his feet, his heart still pounding from the close call. Luckily, he had been cautious enough to prepare a means of self-preservation. Otherwise, with his current weak physique, facing the prison’s malice, even if he had killed that burly man, escaping so smoothly would have been impossible.

He wiped the bloodstains from his face, his expression grim as he walked over to the unconscious guard and began to search him. According to Barton, each guard worked a six-hour shift, with patrols at irregular intervals. Additionally, every two hours, the on-duty guard had to clock in electronically to prevent any incidents. So, even if no one had noticed the commotion here, the situation couldn’t be concealed for long. For Dean, time was his lifeline.

...

After his search, Dean exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and pleasure, "Thank goodness for the arsenal these guards have!" Perhaps due to his duty assignment, the guard only carried a Glock pistol with two magazines, totaling less than forty bullets. But in the duty room, there was an AK-74 assault rifle!

With the gun in his hand, a surge of confidence, a feeling of being in control, welled up within him. The Glock’s specifications naturally surfaced in Dean’s mind. He only needed to fire one or two shots to familiarize himself with its trajectory and recoil. Dean was confident he could once again become a master marksman within fifty meters!

As for who should receive the first bullet... Dean turned his gaze to the guard on the ground. But before that, he needed to interrogate him for the prison layout and Barton’s phone number!!!

...

After several heavy slaps, the unconscious guard whimpered and regained consciousness. Faced with the dark muzzle of the gun, the man swiftly chose to plead for mercy. "Don’t kill me! I can help you escape!"

"I need the layout of this prison. Also..." Dean tossed the cellphone he’d taken from the guard in front of him. "Do you have Barton’s phone number?"

This guy... his phone only had his family’s numbers stored. Not a single colleague’s!

"No problem!" The guard hastily scrambled up, took a pen and paper from the drawer, and sketchily drew a map of the small prison. He explained as he drew, "The entire prison is divided into light and heavy detention areas, each with corresponding support and checkpoint zones. These are marked by two squares here. On the periphery are dormitories, kennels, and recreation areas..."

As he spoke, he wiped away the sweat that fear had brought to his brow. "The solitary confinement room we’re in is located between these two zones. It’s usually used for dealing with inmates who’ve been... marked by higher-ups. Afterwards, they’re taken to the morgue. To facilitate body transport, the morgue is on the outermost edge of the prison. If you disguise yourself as a guard and help me transport the body from in there, you can use the morgue building to climb over the wall and escape! The captain already gave instructions that no one should come by for a while, so you have enough time to leave!"

This guard was clearly trying to save himself. If Dean wanted to disguise himself as a guard, he would need his cooperation. And that was his only chance to survive.

Dean, however, just shook his head and aimed the gun at the phone. "Dial Barton’s number!"

The guard, shivering, took the cellphone and began to press the keys.

Damn it! If this prisoner knows Barton, then I’m worthless, aren’t I? I’m doomed! What should I do now?!

Just then, the desk phone in the duty room suddenly rang!

The guard breathed a sigh of relief. He looked pleadingly at Dean.

Dean nodded. "Put it on speaker!"

Obediently, the guard pressed the speakerphone button.

Immediately, a deep male voice came from the other end. "Ailer, have you dealt with that idiot detective yet?"

Ailer, the guard Dean held at gunpoint, looked at Dean imploringly and mouthed, "That’s the guard captain, the one who gave the orders."

Dean grinned and nodded, gesturing for him to answer affirmatively.

Ailer did as he was told. The captain, suspecting nothing, hung up immediately.

This left Ailer, who had hoped to stir up some trouble, with no choice but to pick up the cellphone again and reluctantly dial guard Barton’s number.

But the call went unanswered.

"Are you sure you dialed the correct number?"

"This really is Barton’s number!"

"Alright then!"

BANG!

Dean didn’t hesitate and pulled the trigger!