Arno sighed in relief. Everything went smoothly. His eyes were still glued to the monitor screen, making sure there were no problems left behind. One of the screens showed Grady who had also completed his task. That meant they had all carried out their respective parts according to plan.
Arno immediately pressed the communication button, contacting Grady. "Grady, everything is done. Oslan has also completed his part."
From the other side of the communication device, Grady's voice was heard. "Good. My task here is almost finished too."
Arno nodded even though Grady couldn't see him. "Then, once you've finished everything, head to the garage as planned. Rick has also succeeded and is on his way there to meet Oslan."
There was a pause for a few seconds before Grady answered. When he spoke again, his tone was lighter, even a little relieved. "Finally... I was worried that he would fail."
Arno smiled faintly. "Yes, I had my doubts at first, but he did much better than I expected. I knew he was crazy, but taking out Bruno's men all by himself? That's beyond reason."
On the other hand, Grady was still in his own thoughts. His worries about Rick were not without reason. Before this, he had doubts about whether Rick was really capable of facing Bruno and all his men alone. Even though Rick had experienced a power awakening, facing so many opponents in such conditions was still not an easy matter.
Moreover, Grady had doubts when Rick asked him to cut off all the electricity in the dining room. It was a decision that sounded crazy, fighting in total darkness, relying only on instinct and fighting skills. At first, Grady felt like it was too risky a gamble. However, it turned out that Rick managed to turn the situation around.
Even now, Grady still finds it hard to believe that Rick really defeated Bruno and all his men alone. It sounds like a nonsense story that is difficult for common sense to digest. But in reality, Rick succeeded.
While Grady was still deep in thought, his communication device rang again. Arno's voice was heard again.
"Grady, I have deleted all the CCTV footage today, including data related to the four of us. I make sure we won't leave any traces behind."
Grady heard rapid typing from the other side of the communication. "Okay. Make sure everything is completely clean," he said.
"I will also delete some other data that could hinder their investigation later," Arno continued. "After that, I will leave the surveillance room."
Grady listened intently. "Understood. Then, is there anything else I need to do?"
"Yes." Arno pressed a few more buttons before continuing. "This is your last task after I erase all the data. I want you to disconnect the power supply to the communication room as well as the backup power to the entire prison."
Grady smiled slightly. "Understood. I will do it after I get your signal."
"Good."
Their conversation ended. Grady prepared himself for his last assignment, while Arno returned to his work.
His fingers moved nimbly on the keyboard, deleting all of today's CCTV footage, one by one. Every trace of their existence was erased without a trace. In addition, he also extracted several important files into four flash drives that he had prepared beforehand.
However, Arno did not stop there. As a final step, he also destroyed the security software system of the prison server. He corrupted the entire database, changed the login system, and even inserted some viruses into the server. This way, even if someone tried to recover the surveillance room computer after this incident, they would face great difficulty.
After everything was done, Arno put the flash drive in his pocket. He then took a deep breath, making sure that nothing was missed.
"Alright, time to go."
Arno walked towards the surveillance room door, then closed it tightly. Quickly, he locked the door from the outside, making sure that no one could easily access it. After that, without wasting any time, he started running towards the garage, where they would all gather for the next step.
~o0o~
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Rick was walking briskly down the corridor towards the garage, his body still filled with adrenaline from the previous fight. Whenever he encountered a patrolling guard, he would immediately incapacitate them with quick, precise strikes. No need to kill them, just enough to knock them unconscious so they wouldn't hinder his escape.
After a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived at the garage. There, Oslan, the figure he was looking for, was standing far away from the row of black cars.
Rick approached casually, then greeted him in a light tone, "Have you been here long?"
Oslan, only glanced briefly before answering in his flat voice, "Just a few minutes."
Rick raised his eyebrows, pretending to be surprised. "That was fast. You're really reliable."
Oslan just grinned thinly. "When it comes to that, you're even crazier." He stared at Rick for a moment before adding, "If anyone deserves praise in this mission, even if they didn't play a direct role, it's you."
Rick shrugged, ignoring the compliment. "We all did our part. That's all."
Oslan didn't deny it, just answered simply, "Yes." Then, without further ado, he reached into his shirt pocket and tossed a key toward Rick. "Here's your key."
Rick caught the key easily, then Oslan asked in a curious tone, "What about Bruno? Did you finish him?"
Rick grinned, a cold glint in his eyes. "Not just finishing him. Bruno is having a good time in hell now."
Oslan frowned, unable to understand Rick's words. "What do you mean?"
Rick smiled faintly, then replied in a flat tone, "I killed him."
Oslan took a deep breath, as if in disbelief. "You're really crazy. The plan was only to paralyze him, not kill him." He wiped his face with his hand, then looked at Rick again seriously. "You left his body in the dining room?"
Rick stared at him for a moment before replying casually, "I've secured his body in the safest place."
Oslan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Safest place?" He wanted to ask further, but then shook his head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."
In his mind, Oslan still found it hard to believe this reality. Rick, who used to be a victim of torture by Bruno and his men, had now completely turned the tables. He had single-handedly defeated Bruno and hundreds of his men? It sounded like something impossible.
Oslan was still lost in thought when Rick suddenly asked, "After we get out of here, where are you going?"
Oslan turned his head, slightly surprised by the question.
"The outside world is already very chaotic," Rick continued. "If we stay here, we will continue to be trapped, but at least there is still a guarantee of safety. While if we go out, there is freedom, but the dangers that await are much greater. The outside world is full of chaos, and out there, monsters roam uncontrollably. So, whatever our choice, the risk is still there."
Oslan was silent for a moment before finally answering, "I will live by my own decision. It is better to die outside than to rot in this prison." He stared at the gloomy garage ceiling, then added, "At least in the outside world, I can determine how to live my own life."
Rick smiled slightly at that answer. "Good answer. That is the principle of a true man."
They both fell silent for a moment, letting the calm atmosphere fill the room.
However, the silence was immediately broken when footsteps were heard from the darkness. Rick and Oslan reflexively got ready, but immediately lowered their guard when they saw that the figure that appeared was Arno.
With calm steps, the man stepped out from behind the shadows, his sharp gaze radiating from behind his glasses, as if able to penetrate the darkness in front of him.