"Unfortunately, the devil always stays one step ahead."
As Yang Ming's voice faded, only the patter of rain against umbrellas remained.
The insulated cutters in Tim's hand stopped against the copper wire.
Jason's hand had already reached the metal strip at his waist, his shoulders sinking slightly. He glanced around, calculating his escape route.
Yang Ming stood ten meters away.
Farther out stood two patrol instructors.
Dick was still on top of the wall.
If we force our way out, how many of us can escape?
Jason had barely lowered his center of gravity when Yang Ming raised his eyes.
"Jason, don't move."
Jason froze.
Yang Ming turned to Tim. "Cut that, and the current from the entire wall will surge backward into the distribution box. Best case, you knock out power to the dorms. Worst case, you fry all three of yourselves."
Tim stared at the power box, his expression changing.
He quickly lowered his head to inspect the wiring. A few seconds later, he found a thumb-sized silver device beside the main control wire.
It wasn't part of the school's original equipment.
Someone had altered the wiring in advance.
"This isn't an anti-theft feature." Tim looked up. "You left this vulnerability on purpose."
"Congratulations." Yang Ming exhaled smoke. "You finally noticed."
Jason whipped his head around. "You used us as bait?"
"Wrong," Yang Ming corrected him. "I'm giving you a practical lesson."
"A practical lesson requires turning the electric fence into a trap?" Tim asked.
"A real security system wouldn't let you get this far." Yang Ming glanced at the plans in his hand. "If you made it to the back wall without trouble, it means every blind spot you saw was one I allowed you to see."
Dick swallowed atop the wall.
Suddenly, this escape felt less