Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Riot (1)
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7 AM.
Two guards enter C Wing and conduct a perfunctory roll call.
They check if any inmates have fallen ill, and once they confirm there are no issues, they promptly notify Lily and Deok-soon of the day's schedule.
"You two should wash up and get ready after breakfast. You know it's your trial day, right?"
Lily and Deok-soon
simply nod.
One is far too calm,
and the other far too tense.
Of course, Deok-soon always sweats profusely and wears her nerves on her sleeve, so it doesn't feel awkward at all.
7:06 AM.
In the shower room, five or six inmates gather with towels and soap, chattering away as they wash up.
They scrub their necks, debate what breakfast will be, mention debts from card games, and keep the conversation flowing.
But as soon as Deok-soon enters the shower room, they start glancing sideways warily. And when Lily follows a few seconds later, they abruptly end their chatter. They're clearly afraid that getting too chummy with the pair might draw Creep's ire again.
"Fuck, ruining the mood."
Of course, even as they drip water while hurrying out, they shove past Lily and Deok-soon's shoulders in an aggressive exit.
It could easily sour anyone's mood,
but Lily and Deok-soon ignore the petty provocation and quietly focus on drying off.
7:08 AM.
Crow's room, now empty of Lily.
With Lily and Deok-soon in the showers, Creep turns her affections on Crow instead.
"Honeyyy! Pet my hair for me."
Her words might make you think she'd regressed to her old deranged self, but she's perfectly sane.
She's just so enchanted by Crow's gentle touch and embraces that she's shamelessly demanding love and acting coquettish.
"…"
Crow strokes Creep's hair with violently trembling hands. Just like he used to with Lily—slowly, warmly.
In response, Creep stretches out languidly like her body has gone limp, yawning contentedly. She looks utterly pleased.
Today is a crucial day,
and in just a few hours, Creep's ability will engulf the entire prison,
but for now,
she revels in the ecstasy of Crow's touch, soaking up every bit of love and affection.
Of course, even as she does, Creep is plotting a flawless prison escape along with the most chaotic mayhem possible.
Inside her head, as Crow strokes her hair,
visions of pitch-black, blood-soaked carnage flicker one after another.
7:11 AM.
Scardi brushes out her nearly dry hair one last time and heads to the common area for a smoke. She always showers before morning roll call, so she hasn't run into Lily or Deok-soon today.
But as she lights up and thinks things over, she suddenly notices an awkward vibe in the air. It's from one villain still covered in soap suds on the back of his neck—he clearly hasn't rinsed properly.
Spotting that they've rushed out mid-shower for some reason, Scardi orders two of her underlings to go finish washing up. She tells them to quietly observe if anyone's inside and note anything unusual.
They grab towels without a word and head straight for the showers.
It takes exactly three minutes to get there.
Current time: 7:14 AM.
Inside the shower room are Deok-soon and Lily.
As soon as Scardi's underlings enter to shower, the pair clamp their mouths shut and silently wipe away the water.
Between Deok-soon and Lily stand two empty showerheads. To anyone watching, it would look like they're showering separately.
Plus, Lily seems to have already finished washing her slender frame; she roughly dries off and starts getting dressed.
Deok-soon hasn't even finished shampooing her hair.
"Ah, you're splashing water everywhere."
"Huh? Oh... yeah..."
Lily unleashes a burst of irritation at Deok-soon, who's showering nearer the entrance, then slips out naturally.
She briefly makes eye contact with Scardi at the door.
Lily gives a quick bow in greeting,
and Scardi lightly waves back.
Both pretend not to notice each other,
yet they already find the other suspicious.
"Rin."
"Yes."
Scardi lights her cigarette and asks Rin.
"Doesn't it seem a bit off? Her trial could go any way, but she doesn't look tense at all."
"She's always expressionless, isn't she?"
"No."
This isn't mere intuition. Scardi already views Lily with suspicion, so her mind is dissecting every inappropriate attitude or reaction from her.
"She killed the Director just to get Crow. She even followed him into this prison. But if this trial goes south, she might never see him again. Crow's getting life. Lily's manslaughter charge won't get her life, no matter who the victim was—even Justice."
"She'll still be in here for a few years."
"A few years?"
Scardi snorts.
She can never see Lily as normal. Maybe because she's cut from the same cloth, she understands her all too clearly.
"No way. Even if she gets five years, she'll lose her mind and off herself right away. Just five years with Crow? What then?"
That's why Scardi smokes furiously, racking her brain. Why is Lily acting so nonchalant? What's the point of pretending everything's business as usual?
"...Whatever it is, stay alert. I have a bad feeling."
Her sharp insight faintly grasps Lily, Creep, and Deok-soon's plan. But even so, Lily returns to her room without a care.
After all, even if she's caught,
in just a few hours, everything will go to hell anyway.
So she heads back to the room where Creep and Crow are cozied up together and quietly prepares the next phase.
She sets the dazed Crow aside for a moment
and exchanges a glance with Creep.
"...Hey, Gum-Chewer. Trial day for you today, right?"
Creep approaches, picking a fight to harass Lily, making Crow flinch and tremble again.
He squeezes his eyes shut, desperately avoiding looking at Lily. That gives her free rein to use her ability on Creep.
Of course, Creep's violence plays out as is—sound and pain can't be faked. But she dials back the intensity just right as she kicks Lily.
Thud—thud—
After a couple kicks, Lily crumples. At the same time, she raises her hand and plunges it into Creep.
It's an eerie sight. Lily's fingertips sparkle like a nebula of purple stars stitching the galaxy. Ominous yet mystical light.
With that, the drugs saturating Creep's veins and nerves begin to wash away. Lily's irrational ability defies explanation, restructuring reality itself.
"...Fucking hell."
But contrary to Creep's hopes,
Lily doesn't fully restore her powers.
Traces of the drugs still linger in her body. Meaning she can use her ability, but must do so carefully.
"Die, you bitch!"
She can't rampage like in her prime. That's Lily's final leash on her.
Creep lashes out at Lily in irritation for a moment, but soon loses even that spark, clicking her tongue and resigning to the situation.
Lily's just worried she'll cause too much trouble. But even with this level of power, Creep can turn the prison upside down.
The real issue is what comes after.
Lily might come for her once the drug-weakened Creep becomes a liability.
Fighting her was always tough, but at least she could survive and be a thorn in her side. With the drugs' constraints, who knows what disaster awaits.
"Scram. I'm gonna play with my Crow-daddy~ Oppa~"
In such a situation, recognizing her own limits and possibilities is key.
As Creep clings to Crow and acts cute, she tests her ability bit by bit.
A viscous black substance oozes from the wall. Creep can generate and manipulate this sticky, grotesque tissue at will.
Molding it into spears pierces armored vehicles and buildings. Wrapped around the body, it's superb armor; its tackiness subdues foes.
It demands creative thinking. Creep calls these inky blobs "jelly" and loves them sickeningly.
"...No girls I hate in sight today, so play with just me, okay~?"
Conditions are met.
All that's left is waiting for Lily and Deok-soon to leave the room.
"…"
However, there's one element no one has noticed yet.
Today, Crow's condition is especially unstable.
His tremors are worse, his eyes more vacant,
and he's hypersensitive to stimuli.
But thanks to that cursed sensitivity, he picks up on things others miss.
For example,
how Creep, who had been hitting Lily lightly all day, suddenly struck her brutally...
Or
how something profoundly alien stirs behind him right now...