The bleeding body in cell zero looked like something in between a corpse and a zombie.
The crystalline structure that grew out of the wall behind him covered his eyes, ears, and nose, sealing his senses shut.
His arms and legs were tightly bound, and each of his joints was pierced, making movement impossible.
Adding to it all, the crystal had grown into his body, piercing internal organs, making it impossible for him to heal.
He was living a life of perpetual pain.
Anyone else in his place would have succumbed to madness under the torturous methods inflicted by the so-called heroes to imprison him.
However, he refused to yield. He still had one name left on his list. The one who had made his life a living hell. The one who had destroyed his family, friends, and everything he held dear. The reason for all his suffering.
Through the tiny gap in the crystal, Oliver Thorne took a deep breath of fresh air.
Hatred was the sole fuel, driving prisoner zero, Oliver Thorne, through this ordeal. The burning hatred he felt toward the man who had ruined his life.
He wanted to escape and skin g*dd*mn s*n of b*tch with his very own hand.
Revenge consumed his every thought.
As pain worsened, he grasped his remaining sanity and tightened his muscles around the crystal spike pinning him to the wall.
For years, he had been subtly manipulating his blood and the crystal shards he picked up to erode the spikes.
Oliver could not use mana. His body was not strong enough to break the crystal. So, he had devised this plan to break free from it.
Instead of trying to overpower it and break out, he decided to bide his time and slowly grind away the crystal by using the crystal shards he collected from his surroundings.
It was a gruelling process.
All the hours in the day were used to slowly grind away at the crystal without anyone knowing.
At last, he got the perfect chance.
"Crack"
"Crack"
The crystals began to crack, albeit slowly.
His muscles, which should not have been able to use mana, responded and showed strength he never thought he could muster.
Maybe it was the side effect of years of being drowned in a healing solution. His muscles seemed to have evolved the ability to use mana.
Oliver regained hope and pushed through.
—-
"Crack Crack…"
The noise coming from cell zero intensified.
"Tin… Ting…"
One after another, the crystals pinning Oliver's right arm fell.
The anxious warden looked through the monitor at this scene, not knowing what to do.
"Sir, should we arm the nuke?" An officer came up to the warden and asked.
His face was grim as he spoke.
The use of nukes was a last-ditch effort.
If prisoner zero escapes and frees the other prisoners, it would be pandemonium. Demons were attacking from one side, and the supervillains joining the fray was the last thing they wanted.
"NO." The warden firmly said. "The nuke we have may not be enough…" His voice trailed off at the end.
'Maybe this really is the end of humanity.' The warden said in his mind.
Although prisoner zero was someone in the same rank as the warden, the thought of subduing him on their own didn't even go through their mind.
It was over the moment he broke away from the crystal binding him.
"Sir, his brain activity is increasing."
"Sir, the healing solution is not working."
"Sir, the electric shocks are not working."
"Sir, the drainage system and incinerating furnaces are being overwhelmed. He is releasing more blood than usual."
"Sir, we need to send healers right now. Or else, he will notice our current situation."
"Sir, we can't show weakness."
The chatter continued in the surroundings. However, the warden was busy observing the monitor, which displayed Oliver. His eyes were watching closely to see what he was going to do next.
In his opinion, Prisoner Zero seemed to have already realised they were low on manpower. The suppression team that was always on standby didn't make a move even after he released one of his arms. What else is it, if not weakness?
They missed the chance already.
All he could do now was wait and see what Oliver would do.
"Focus on what his hand is doing," Warden asked one of his subordinates the moment he saw it moving.
The camera zoomed in to show a detailed image of the hand moving.
Oliver's hand quickly moved to break the other crystal spikes attached to his body. At the same time, he was releasing a tremendous amount of blood from it.
"He is not trying to kill himself like usual." The warden came to a quick conclusion.
"Fuck!" One of the people in the command centre cursed out.
This time, Oliver intended to escape alive rather than revive. This was the worst-case scenario.
The level 10 containment zone was situated a hundred meters below ground. And yet, this didn't give them any comfort.
If prisoner zero escapes, it wouldn't take him much time to reach the surface where the command centre was located.
And if he released other prisoners while he was climbing up, it would be the end for everyone. Nuking the entire prison was the best option. But that still wouldn't kill all the prisoners in level ten. It would still be a disaster.
"Sir, the nukes?"
"No." The warden shot down the idea once again. If all the nukes were to be used, everyone there would die. Thinking about his family and his subordinates, the warden hesitated. Like him, all the people here have families.
Gritting his teeth while looking at his subordinates, the warden finally came to a decision.
"I will go down to level 10. Use the time to evacuate. Once the evacuation of the personnel is completed, arm the nuke. If I die, detonate all of it. Let me see what I can do."
The warden quickly spoke and synced the vital signs shown on his watch to the computers.
"Yes, sir."
It took a while for everyone to respond. But they knew they wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. So, they looked gratefully at the warden and began to vacate the area.
The warden was not going down to level 10 without a plan. This time, he was trying to do something risky. This was something he could only do with prisoner zero.
Soon, the warden descended through the elevator to level 10.