Over a dozen minutes later.
Hurried footsteps shattered the silence.
It was Warden Joseph of Blackgate Penitentiary. He stumbled as he ran, and there was a coffee stain on his right sleeve.
There was a bruise on his right cheek... perhaps from a club. The injury on his forehead had definitely come from crashing into the corner of the wall opposite the warden's office.
That spot looked like a "high-accident area." Anyone who walked without looking up would definitely slam into it hard, and the swelling would not go down for two or three weeks.
Two more people followed behind Warden Joseph, strolling along as though they were wildcats toying with a mouse.
"You said that if I cooperated, you wouldn't..." Warden Joseph shouted anxiously.
Bang~
A ball-ended club mercilessly struck Warden Joseph in the back, sending him rolling facedown onto the floor.
Behind him stood two strange figures wearing black masks.
"You should know him. He never leaves anyone alive," said one of the black-masked men.
Warden Joseph's disobedient legs trembled as he struggled to crawl forward on his knees.
The two black-masked figures were still enjoying the thrill of playing with their "prey."
In the cell opposite Li Zu's, the one-eyed middle-aged man pretending to sleep turned over and continued lying still.
The muscular bald bastard who had shouted at Li Zu earlier shrank his neck in fear, as though the two people holding iron clubs were something terrifying... or perhaps what those masks represented was even more frightening.
Christmas Eve was strangely peaceful.
"No! You can't do this!" Warden Joseph cried as he climbed up from the floor.
No one stopped him, allowing him to run away on trembling legs.
The two black-masked men chased after him.
The prison block where Li Zu was held fell quiet as well.
Boom~
Violent tremors and loud noises could be heard from outside.
The silent prison began to boil over.
This was the signal for a jailbreak and a riot. Several people had already fixed their eyes on Li Zu, making no effort to hide the vicious gleam in them.
The muscular bald bastard was no exception.
They clearly wanted to use Li Zu to scratch their fists' itch.
"This place looks like it isn't very safe..."
Li Zu sat on the bed and scratched his head.
The prop box lay beside the bed. Li Zu practically climbed halfway into it as he rummaged through it.
Other than a few toy dolls, it was empty.
He stood up clutching the Meat Saw toy. With his left hand, he easily Toyified the iron bars and stepped out of his "room."
"Mm..."
Li Zu stood in the corridor barefoot, stepping on the cold stone floor.
His toes shifted slightly. The ground really was cold.
"So cold."
As he stood in the corridor "spacing out," every prisoner in the cells on both sides turned their attention to him.
They were all shocked that he had turned the supposedly indestructible iron bars into flexible plastic and simply swaggered out.
Even the one-eyed middle-aged man pretending to sleep sat up and silently watched Li Zu, intense "interest" filling his single eye.
"Mm, I'll do this first!" Li Zu nodded as though he had made up his mind.
He started toward the one-eyed middle-aged man's cell door, then suddenly turned and went next door.
Seeing Li Zu standing in front of his cell, the muscular bald bastard barked fiercely despite his inner fear, "Bastard, do you want me to smash your head into your stomach?"
Turning iron bars into toys was an ability so bizarre it made one's hair stand on end.
He had no desire to find out whether his muscles or steel were tougher.
Li Zu grabbed the barred door with his left hand.
Toyification
In an instant, the iron-barred door turned into a plastic toy.
Li Zu smiled and raised the Meat Saw in his hand.
At some point, the plastic toy Meat Saw had become an iron blade, gleaming with lard.
The coarse cloth tied around the saw's handle was black with a glossy sheen.
Splat—!
Something splashed across the wall.
Liquid passed through the Toyified iron bars and splashed onto the floor.
Something else splattered onto the ceiling.
The smell permeating the air drove people mad.
Accompanied by screams, all the people who had looked at Li Zu with "terror" in their eyes instinctively shrank their necks.
"I only cursed at you once. Why are you... Don't kill me, please!" The muscular bald bastard's pained voice carried disbelief and pleading.
"You really should have kept shouting like you did earlier."
Li Zu raised the Meat Saw high.
The red on the blade and the red on his cheeks reflected his smile and the contempt in his eyes.
"An angry bastard deserves a grand exit more than a cowardly bastard begging for mercy."
As he spoke, he slowly lowered the raised Meat Saw.
No one knew what had happened.
They only knew that from the muscular bald bastard's screams during that brief encounter, it was easy to tell who had held absolute dominance and who had suffered utter defeat.
Li Zu dragged the heavy Meat Saw as he walked out without interest.
The muscular bald bastard trembled and let out a breath of relief.
The pool of blood beneath him kept growing. Even if that Meat Saw covered in "teeth" had not come down, how much longer could he cling to life?
Li Zu dragged the Meat Saw out, his body swaying slightly.
It was obvious that he had not rested thoroughly, and the Meat Saw was still somewhat too heavy for him.
People had already escaped from their cells.
Warden Joseph was being hunted by the mysterious Black Mask Organization, and Blackgate Penitentiary was now in a state of "freedom." This was the perfect chance to start a rebellion!
Some also took advantage of the chaos to release those who had been locked up.
Yet these people escaping from their cells were strangely crazed, while sharing one unspoken understanding... they all stayed far away from Li Zu.
The prisoners rioted.
Blackgate Penitentiary's guards suffered the backlash immediately.
Li Zu arrived at the one-eyed middle-aged man's cell door. Even with a riot breaking out here, the one-eyed middle-aged man remained unmoved in his cell.
Hearing Li Zu's footsteps, the one-eyed middle-aged man unusually sat up from his bed and watched Li Zu with his single eye.
"How do I get out of here?" Li Zu asked directly, as though he was certain the other man knew a way out.
"How much are you offering?" the other man asked.
"Money?"
Li Zu looked surprised. "Can I put it on credit?"
Li Zu wandered through Blackgate Penitentiary alone.
The yellow prison uniform was his pass.
The prisoners were rapidly taking over the place, while he walked forward with ease. Even after walking for ten minutes, he still had not managed to leave.
Clearly, the one-eyed middle-aged man did not accept credit.
"Found them~"
Li Zu stopped.
At the corner ahead, he saw a group of black-masked figures. One of them, also wearing a black mask, was surrounded in the center.
"Batman is here," someone reported.
"Leave first."
Before leaving, the black-masked figure turned his head and glanced at Li Zu.
He had noticed Li Zu too.
Boom~
A plastic explosive blew open the wall.
A black figure shot inside in an instant.
His cape spread wide.
He was like a humanoid bat with its wings unfurled.
Batman from the "restored" timeline had appeared.
That also meant Li Zu's next seven hours would not pass peacefully.
Thanks to "Forged Intestine Man" for the 100 Qidian Coin donation, thanks to "Wu FU_Bi K Speaks" for the 100 Qidian Coin donation, and thanks to "Half a Day by the Mountain" for the 500 Qidian Coin donation.
(End of Chapter)
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