Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Riot (2)
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7:24 AM.
In stark contrast to his newly awakening senses,
Crow couldn't tell if this was reality or an illusion.
Amid the wretched pain and dizziness churning in his mind, all he could do was twitch his fingers and let out a hazy breath.
But he was undoubtedly coming back to life.
No, even before that—
How many days had it been since they injected him with that powerful drug that suppressed his physical abilities?
No one was taking any special measures with Crow, who had already become a wreck.
Of course, he was putting on the same ragged, wheezing show as any other junkie. But he was Crow.
Everyone treated his actions as negligible variables, too busy pushing their own plans forward.
7:30 AM.
[It is mealtime.]
With the announcement signaling breakfast in C Wing, the door slid open.
The inmates lined up in orderly fashion, ready to choke down another bland meal as usual,
but two Guards and a Correctional Officer cut through them and entered the wing.
Among them, the Correctional Officer strode haughtily toward Crow's cell, gripping her baton tightly.
She had only one purpose.
"Open the door."
Knock knock—
7:31 AM.
Creep and Lily's eyes met for a split second. The moment they heard Orca's voice, they realized a new variable had entered the equation.
But they had to act natural. Creep opened the door and greeted Orca.
"Oh my, Correctional Officer!"
"Out of the way."
Orca ignored Creep entirely and headed straight for Crow's bed. She spared no glance at Lily sprawled on the floor either.
"Crow, come with me."
Orca's mind was fixed on pulling Crow out and isolating him in a solitary cell. First, she'd take him to the infirmary for a simple IV drip to aid his recovery, then let him rest in isolation.
But Creep and Lily didn't want that. Especially Creep.
"...If you take my baby away, I'll be really upset. At least tell me why~"
"Hands off."
Even so, Orca shot Creep a cold glare.
"Unless you want another hole in your head."
"..."
Creep couldn't keep up her facade and stared at Orca with a stiff, hardened gaze. She was clearly pissed.
But she had to rein in her emotions. Sure, she could drown Orca right there on the spot. But if Orca didn't drop dead in one hit, it would spiral into the worst-case scenario.
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry."
So she flashed a willing smile and bowed subserviently. Orca had no trouble dragging Crow out of C Wing.
7:41 AM.
The two Guards grunted as they supported Crow. They were helping him walk, but today he felt unusually heavy and resistant.
They finally dragged him to the infirmary and dumped him there. Normally, they'd inject him with another dose to suppress his physical functions, but Orca skipped the drug and hooked him up to an IV instead.
The needle pierced his vein, pumping nutrients straight into his bloodstream.
"You two, take a break. Good work on the night shift. Go wash up and head home."
It was like the military. Personnel who pulled an all-nighter on duty were exempt from the next day's shifts.
With no telling what might happen, Orca sent the on-duty staff home an hour early, just like always.
All she wanted
was Crow.
7:53 AM.
As Crow lay there receiving his IV,
Deoksoon poked at her breakfast, trying to calm her anxiety.
But human hearts don't settle that easily.
'We're screwed... This is really bad...'
With tears welling up, Deoksoon let out a self-mocking sigh at the ominous future ahead.
She could've just quietly served her sentence and regained her freedom.
How did things end up like this?
All Deoksoon wanted was to hook up with the man she'd idolized her whole life. She didn't have some grand personal code or unwavering beliefs.
She just liked Crow. It was like a schoolgirl's crush.
But a few mistakes had dragged her into something far bigger. All she wanted was to sleep with Crow a dozen times, then go back to society and brag about it endlessly...!!
"Sob... Hic..."
Deoksoon wouldn't have much of a role to play today.
But Lily had given her specific orders.
[Survive no matter what. Never die. If things get dangerous, buy as much time as possible.]
And one thing emphasized above all.
[Do not leave Lily's side.]
8:30 AM.
Right on schedule, the Guards reentered C Wing.
"If you're ready, line up and move out."
They took Lily and Deoksoon with them. It was better to head to the courtroom a bit early.
Handcuffs clicked onto Lily and Deoksoon's wrists. The unfamiliar restraint felt as oppressive as ever.
Once the two Guards, Lily, and Deoksoon had left,
C Wing fell into a relative quiet.
Creep stepped out of her cell, stretched, and loosened up.
Her eyes scanned the interior. Some inmate was mopping the floor since morning, others gossiped while shuffling cards...
"..."
Of course, what drew Creep's attention most was Scardi's crew.
Scardi smoked carefully, all the while watching Creep intently.
The ashtray overflowed with butts. A sign she had a lot on her mind.
Beyond the ashtray, still wafting smoke, Scardi beckoned with her hand. Come here.
Creep had no obligation to comply, but she sauntered over with a playful bounce and plopped down right in front of Scardi.
"Hello, Boss! Sleep well last night?"
"..."
Unlike the cheeky Creep,
Scardi tapped the table with her index finger and cut straight to the chase.
"What are you plotting?"
Creep rolled her eyes for a moment,
then grinned brightly.
"In one minute, I'm going to kill you."
Current time: 8:34 AM.
Creep laid out everything she planned to do to Scardi.
"I'll kill you and that sword-swinging samurai bitch over there, your ragtag underlings below, those girls there too, and any Guards who come rushing in to stop it. What do you think?"
No more "Boss" now. Instead, Creep peeled thick, sticky gel from her fingertips and crushed the ashtray in half with it.
Seeing the ability in action, Scardi and Rin flinched. The minions around them went pale. Only three kept their cool: Rin, Scardi, and Creep.
"...I don't know what's going on, but killing me now won't get you anything."
"Oh yeah?"
Scardi stayed especially composed. Only the chain of cigarettes betrayed her inner turmoil and tangled thoughts.
Having already thought it through, Scardi leaned forward with interlaced fingers and spoke first.
"What did Lily offer you?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll kill that bitch on my way out anyway."
"Doubt it. Looks like Lily purged the drugs from your body somehow, which means she has abilities too. You can't beat her."
30 seconds passed.
In 30 more, Creep would swallow up her old crew sweating bullets at the table behind her.
"So let me make a counteroffer. Leave Lily to me. Her one weakness is Crow. Nothing else works. I'll shake things up between Crow and Lily."
"How?"
Creep took interest.
She wrapped her hand in black gel, its sharpened tip tapping the table—tok tok—like a demon's claw.
Or a beast's paw.
Its aggressive form pierced right through the steel table.
"I have proof. Proof that Lily framed Crow."
"Oho."
The two kept talking, heedless of eavesdroppers.
Everyone around sensed the ominous vibe, breaking into cold sweats or stifling hiccups while stealing glances...
But holding such a crucial conversation
meant they planned to leave no survivors.
"So leave her to me."
"You think you can convince Crow? He can't even live properly without Lily now."
"No convincing needed. Just show him. Crow knows the gist of my [Contracts] anyway."
Drugs that suppress abilities have limits. Humans still didn't fully understand them, so they damaged the user's overall physical prowess to curb ability use.
Abilities weren't magic. They were just new weapons born from the body.
The prison drugs weakened users to the point they couldn't wield them,
and that worked on most abilities,
but could they suppress one already activated?
"My subordinates can't lie to me."
To rule a prison full of Villains required solid backing.
It wasn't just charisma or loyal minions that made her C Wing's boss.
Abilities the drugs couldn't fully control yet...
Normally, such users ended up in the Special Supervision Wing,
but the warden, connected to Scardi, had allowed her to stay in C Wing.
"Hmmm..."
Creep smiled.
"Guess we're on the same team then?"
At the same time,
she stood on her chair, dyeing her body black.
"Haa... It's been a while..."