An uproar engulfed every corner of Ironclad prison. Rumours about Bruno and his battered men spread as quickly as a fire consuming dry straw. However, one thing the prisoners were curious about was, who would have the courage and capability to do such a thing?
There were no witnesses who could confirm who the culprit was. There were only whispers full of speculation among the inmates.
"Bruno was beaten? How is that possible!" One of the inmates exclaimed in disbelief.
"There were twenty of his men, there's no way he could have been beaten like that!" another inmate exclaimed in a panicked tone.
"Could there be another group trying to challenge his power?" someone added suspiciously.
Who is crazy enough to kick Bruno's arse? Is there a new group secretly eyeing the throne in this prison? Or had the guards finally started to make their move?
The questions kept swirling in the minds of the inmates, but no one had a definitive answer.
Bruno wasn't just a ruler, he was a monster inside Ironclad. More than five hundred inmates were under his control, and anyone who opposed him would usually vanish before they had a chance to put up a serious fight. Bruno's power was so great that the thought of anyone being desperate enough to challenge him seemed like a joke.
But now, reality said otherwise. Whoever it was had beaten Bruno and his men. This is not just an idle rumour, but an undeniable fact.
One thing's for sure, whoever did it... it's only a matter of days before they're finished off. Because challenging Bruno is tantamount to signing the death ticket.
~o0o~
In another corner of the prison, in a room that looked more like an empty warehouse. Standing in front of the punching bag, his face still looked bruised and swollen, like a badly beaten troll monster.
With red eyes filled with rage, he continued to hit the punching bag with his fists.
"Bastard! Fuck! Fuck!" Bruno growled, his hard fists slamming into the punching bag until it swayed violently.
"That scum... That loser... How can he be that strong?!"
His hands continued to pound the punching bag with full force, but his anger did not subside. How could it be Rick. The loser he used to torment, suddenly turned into a monster?
From the corner of the room, one of his loyal men, albeit with a bruised face, tried to speak.
"Boss... I hear something," he said in a hesitant voice.
Bruno turned his head sharply, his eyes glinting with distress. "What?"
His subordinate swallowed before continuing. "Information from outside the prison... About the world coming to an end. About some people who suddenly got 'Awakened' and became powerful."
Bruno was silent for a moment. It was not the first time he had heard about the awakening of power. However, he refused to believe that Rick was one of them.
And as the thought crossed his mind, he laughed out loud.
"You're kidding, hahaha! That loser! Gaining power?! Don't make me laugh!" Bruno swung his hard fist once more, slamming into the heavy bag until the rope almost broke.
Her bruised face turned even redder as she continued in an arrogant voice. "If there's someone who should get that power, then that person is me! I deserve it, not that rubbish!"
All of Bruno's men were silent, no one dared to argue.
However, Bruno's arrogance blinded him from reality.
With eyes full of hatred, Bruno tried to devise a plan. He turned around, looking at his men with a cruel expression.
"Gather everyone who is on our side," he ordered. "I want all my men to be ready. We're going to finish Rick off."
His men looked surprised. "But boss... Rick is alone. Do we really need that many to fight him?"
Bruno glared. "If that loser really got a 'resurrection', then we can't take him lightly. I don't care how strong he is now, against more than five hundred prisoners, he will definitely die."
His cruel plan began to take shape.
He wanted to create a mass riot inside Ironclad prison. A fake uprising, where Rick would be the main victim.
When the riot erupted, the guards would not be able to stop the bloodshed. In the end, Rick would die amidst the chaos, and people would think it was just an accident.
"An inmate dies in a riot... Who will care?" Bruno thought with a sly smile.
His blood was boiling. He could already imagine Rick lying on the cold prison floor, his body mangled by hundreds of hands that beat him mercilessly.
It didn't matter if Rick had superpowers or not. If he had to fight more than five hundred inmates, it was impossible for him to win and survive.
Bruno smiled with satisfaction. Tonight would be a bloody night in Ironclad prison.
~o0o~
In one of the other corners of the Ironclad prison, Rick sat leaning against the cold concrete wall. His face looked flat, but in his heart he was savouring the results of his plan which had gone much more smoothly than he had expected.
He had calculated various possibilities, but the fact that Bruno and his men were tight-lipped about the morning's events only made things favourable for Rick.
While playing with a small piece of bread in his hand, Rick heard approaching footsteps. He didn't need to turn his head to know who it was.
Grady, his cell neighbour and the only inmate he could consider a friend. He walked casually then plopped himself down next to Rick.
Without preamble Grady immediately asked Rick.
"Rick, did you hear the news today?" Grady immediately opened the conversation, his voice slightly suppressed. "Bruno and his men were beaten."
Rick remained silent, his expression not changing in the slightest.
Grady glanced at him quizzically. "I knew you were the only one who had a big problem with them. You also happen to work at the same place as them. But still..." Grady shook his head.
"Twenty people, Rick. No matter what I think, I don't think it's possible for you to take them on alone."
Rick did not respond. He just stared straight ahead, as if the news was not important to him.
Grady watched Rick for a while longer, trying to read something from his expression. But Rick didn't give an inch.
Silence briefly filled the space between them before Grady finally asked the question that really bothered him.
Grady sighed, then finally asked Rick directly while leaning his back against the wall.
"I know this sounds crazy, but... Don't tell me it was you who beat them up?!"
Rick turned his head slowly, looking straight into Grady's eyes. Without changing his expression, he replied with one word.
"Yes."
That word alone was enough to make Grady freeze in place. He stared at Rick with widened eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"You're kidding me, right?!" Grady chuckled, trying to dismiss the possibility from his head.
"No way. Bruno as well as his men are twenty people. You're on your own. And all this time, you've always been the victim of their torture. So how could... "
"I wasn't joking... " Rick cut him short, his expression remaining flat.
Grady was silent, trying to digest Rick's answer. Then, as if he had just realised something, he immediately bombarded Rick with various questions.
"How did you do it? Did you use a weapon? Did someone help you? Didn't you realise that Bruno would take revenge? What if they kill you?"
However, Rick remained calm, he did not answer any of the questions. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't feel the need to answer. Grady may be curious, but the fewer people who know about his strength, the better.
Seeing Rick remain silent, Grady grumbled in annoyance. "Damn, you really are such a mysterious person. At least give me one answer, Rick. Are you really sure about what you're doing? Bruno definitely won't stay silent, you know that, right?"
Rick finally smiled a little. "Of course I know."
"Doesn't that scare you?"
Rick smiled thinly. "No, they're the ones who should be scared."
Grady shook his head, still finding it hard to accept the fact that the person who had always been the victim of torture could suddenly turn around and wipe out twenty people by himself.
But before Grady could ask any more questions, Rick changed the subject.
"I need your help."
Grady winced. "What favour?"
Rick brought his face closer to Grady's and began to whisper. Grady listened carefully, but the more words that came out of Rick's mouth, the more his face changed.
When Rick finished speaking, Grady looked at him with a surprised expression. "You're crazy, Rick!" he hissed softly..
Rick just smiled a little. "Maybe. But it's the only way."
Grady paused, considering everything in his head. What Rick was asking of him was no small thing. If caught, they could both get into much bigger trouble.
"But, there's no guarantee this will work," Grady said finally.
"I know," Rick agreed. "But I've got everything planned out. Maybe just ten per cent more, and I can get out of this place."
Grady sighed, feeling like he had no other choice. Finally, reluctantly, he nodded.
"All right. I'll help you," he said, though there was still doubt in his eyes.
Rick smiled with satisfaction. One by one everything was going according to his plan, just one more step and everything would be perfect.