Chereads / Hunter From Inside The Prison / Chapter 3 - Crazy Plan

Chapter 3 - Crazy Plan

The morning inside Ironclad Prison felt as bleak as ever. Sunlight filtering through the iron bars did little to dispel the cold, dreary atmosphere of the cell.

In the cramped corner of the room, Rick remained curled up under his thin blanket, reluctant to move. His empty gaze was fixed on the wall, his mind still racing over last night's events-the mysterious status window, the Hofund sword that seemed straight out of mythology, and most of all, the wounds on his body that had inexplicably vanished without a trace.

He let out a long sigh.

"There's no way I can just walk out like this... If they see me completely fine, there'll be too many questions," he muttered under his breath beneath the blanket.

A low groan broke the silence.

Old Man Harvey, his cellmate who had been locked up here longer than anyone else, began stirring from his creaky bed.

Rick peeked from under the blanket, watching the old man grumble as he pulled on his tattered prison uniform, just like every other morning.

"Hey, kid," Harvey's rough voice called out. "Still sleeping? Get up! The morning routine starts soon."

Rick stayed silent, pretending not to hear. He pulled the blanket tighter over himself, shielding his face.

Harvey let out an irritated huff. "Listen, kid. I know this place sucks, but you need to get out before the guards come and beat the crap out of you like usual. I don't want to get dragged into your mess."

Rick remained motionless, guilt creeping in. Harvey was never the type to meddle in other people's business, but he always warned Rick not to make things worse for himself.

'I can't go out," Rick thought. "If they see me without a single wound, there will be too many questions.'

Harvey sighed and stepped closer, placing a rough hand on the blanket.

"Rick, this is my last warning. If you stay here, I won't be able to help you when the guards start losing their temper!"

Still, Rick did not move. He had no other option but to continue playing dead.

Harvey exhaled heavily, then shrugged. "Suit yourself, kid. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Without another word, the old man walked out as the guards began their cell inspections. Rick listened as Harvey's footsteps faded down the prison corridor, followed by the clang of cell doors opening and shutting.

He waited a few moments, ensuring the coast was clear. Then, he cautiously peeked out from beneath the blanket, scanning the room. Slowly, he sat up, his gaze falling on his hands-hands that had been covered in bruises and cuts just hours ago. Now, his skin was flawless, as if nothing had ever happened.

"I wish this was just a dream..." he whispered, staring at his own hands.

He took a deep breath, trying to make sense of everything. The outside world had probably already turned into hell with the appearance of portals and strange creatures. But in here, even the smallest change could turn into a huge problem.

"If I'm not careful, they'll start getting suspicious," he thought.

Rick lay back down, strategizing his next move. He couldn't hide under the blanket forever, but he also couldn't step out without raising questions, especially if someone noticed that his injuries had completely disappeared.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of familiar footsteps approaching from the far end of the corridor.

"Those two guards..." Rick muttered under his breath.

He could hear them clearly, even from a distance. It was strange, his hearing had never been this sharp before. Thanks to the enhanced perception granted by his new skills, he could feel their footsteps vibrating in his mind like an internal drumbeat.

As they walked closer, their tonfa batons clanked against the metal bars of other prisoners' cells, the sharp clangs echoing through the corridor.

Rick swallowed hard, feeling his heartbeat quicken. If they saw him fully healed, there would be many questions he had no logical answers for.

Then, a wild idea popped into his mind. A crazy, ridiculous plan. But it was the only way to avoid suspicion. A smirk formed on his lips beneath the blanket.

"Alright... Let's give this stupid idea a shot."

A loud clang rang out as one of the guards struck his baton against Rick's cell bars, making him fake a startled jolt beneath the blanket.

"Hey, you worthless piece of shit! Get up! Time for work!" one of the guards barked, his voice filled with irritation.

Rick stayed silent, suppressing the laughter bubbling inside him.

"Did you hear me, huh?! Lazy bastard! Always looking for an excuse to slack off!" The second guard joined in, his words followed by a string of curses, just another part of Rick's daily routine.

"Pull that damn blanket off before I rip it apart and strangle you with it!"

Rick slowly pulled the blanket away, moving sluggishly as he climbed out of bed. His expression was one of annoyance and exhaustion, like someone rudely woken from a deep sleep.

With a lazy glare, he stared at the two guards and muttered in a mocking tone, "What do you want? You're making so much noise, like a couple of jobless monkeys."

The larger of the two guards immediately turned red with anger.

"What did you just say, you little shit?! You wanna die?!"

Rick gave a weak, mocking smirk. "Come on, cut me some slack. I'm still sore from last night's 'party' with Bruno and the others… At least show me some sympathy."

The two guards exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from rage to suspicion. One of them stepped closer, inspecting Rick's face. His brows furrowed.

"Huh? Wasn't he all beaten up last night?" the thinner guard mumbled, puzzled.

Rick watched their reaction closely, preparing himself.

"You playing games with us, bastard?!"

The larger guard swung his baton at Rick in a furious arc.

Rick smirked, his eyes sharpening as his body moved faster than ever. With a swift dodge to the side, he countered with a brutal uppercut to the guard's chin. The impact sent the man's head snapping backward, his body stumbling unsteadily.

The second guard reacted quickly, drawing a stun gun from his belt. But before he could pull the trigger, Rick lunged forward, delivering a sharp kick to his stomach.

THUD!

The guard was sent flying backward, slamming into the cell wall before collapsing onto the ground with a pained groan.

Rick straightened up, a satisfied grin on his face. "Hah... You're even weaker than I expected." His voice dripped with mockery, relishing the small victory. But he wasn't done yet, he had one more step to complete his plan.

Just as expected, the half-conscious guard instinctively squeezed the trigger of his stun gun.

TZZZZT!

His body trembled, stiffened, and finally collapsed to his knees on the floor, shaking uncontrollably. The sensation of the electric shock coursed through his entire body, but it wasn't as severe as before, thanks to his enhanced physique.

The larger guard, now back on his feet, let out a triumphant laugh.

"Aha! How's that, you filthy rat?!"

Rick fought back a grin beneath the pain. This was exactly what he wanted.

Without wasting any time, the two guards began unleashing their anger. Their tonfa batons struck Rick's body repeatedly, hitting his back, stomach, and face. Every blow felt piercing, but Rick held himself back, staying silent and refusing to show an excessive reaction.

"You cocky little shit!" The thinner guard spat on him, grinning. "Look at you now. Nothing but trash."

"Kh..." Rick coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his lips, but his sharp gaze remained unbroken.

Blow after blow landed until, at last, they stopped, assuming he had passed out.

"Heh, that's enough. We need to get back to patrol," one of them muttered, adjusting his cap.

After they had truly left, Rick, still sitting with his back against the wall, slowly opened his eyes. He let out a faint smile despite the blood still trickling from his temple.

"Worked like a charm," he murmured.

His entire body was now covered in bruises, his clothes were dirty, and the wounds he needed had finally returned to their original state. No one would question his condition anymore.

"I almost ended up enjoying this," he murmured softly, staring at the ceiling of the cell.

The pain was certainly there, but more importantly, his plan had gone smoothly. Now, he could leave the cell safely without arousing suspicion.

With the remaining energy he had, Rick began to walk out of his cell, preparing to carry out the next phase of his plan.