[Na: Luke]
[Physique: 1.5]
[Psionic: 1]
[Specialty: Prisoner Fitness LV3 (MAX): Physique Bonus 0.5]
[Specialty reached maximum level. New ability unlocked: Adaptive Resistance]
[Adaptive Resistance: Through relentless tempering, your will and body have grown tougher. When taking damage, you continuously gain slight resistance.]
A warm current surged from deep inside him, flooding every inch of his body.
Luke felt his muscle fibers tighten and harden, his bones as if they'd been forged in fire.
The physique bonus had jumped from 0.2 to 0.5. His total now sat at 1.5—well beyond any normal man.
More importantly, the new ability.
Adaptive Resistance.
He could feel an invisible layer of toughness wrapping around both his body and his mind.
Next ti that eerie chanting ca, he wouldn't be nearly as helpless.
He even felt confident he could survive a full-scale riot if one broke out.
Thud.
A heavy, muffled impact snapped his attention to the cell across from him.
The thing he'd been waiting for had finally happened.
The big guy was dead.
His massive body slid off the edge of the bed and hit the concrete with a sickening crack. He didn't move again.
The sound drew every eye in the block.
These n might have blood on their hands, but they still feared death.
Soone scread in raw terror.
Soone else laughed with vicious glee.
Most of them had no idea what was happening—they just fed off the sudden chaos, howling and roaring to vent the pressure that had been crushing them for days.
The noise exploded through the entire underground wing.
It finally brought the guards running.
Two of them dragged the big guy's body out with obvious disgust, moving like they'd done this a hundred tis before.
Luke quietly noted the ti.
From the first scream to the body being hauled away, it took nearly an hour.
No wonder so many inmates had died here and no one had ever found the real cause.
Only an outsider like him had figured it out.
A few minutes later, two more guards ca for Luke.
As they led him out, he glanced at the cell next door, finally getting his first real look at his neighbor.
Hannibal stood right against the glass, watching him in perfect silence.
He looked exactly like the movie version—only younger.
And he wore the sa mysterious, knowing smile.
On anyone else it would have seed warm.
On Hannibal, it made your skin crawl. Like he'd already marked you as prey.
Hannibal raised one finger and tapped the glass twice, then silently mouthed three words.
"See you soon."
…
"Officer Luke, how was your stay? Find anything useful?"
Warden Holden got straight to the point the mont Luke sat down.
Luke didn't waste ti either. He laid out everything— the chanting in the walls, the way it had driven the big guy to death.
Holden froze.
His voice cracked with disbelief.
"You're telling there's singing inside the walls? And it killed him?"
He was so shocked he didn't even notice the cigar ash falling onto his shirt.
Only when he slled burning fabric did he frantically brush it off.
"So now we have to tear the entire underground block apart and inspect every inch," Luke said firmly.
Holden didn't agree.
He took a long drag instead, forcing himself to calm down, then slowly blew out a smoke ring.
"Officer, your thinking is far too simple."
He walked to the window and looked out over the prison grounds.
"In this world, every problem eventually cos down to money."
"Why did I bring you in undercover? To solve this with the lowest possible cost."
"Now you're telling the whole damn prison is compromised. What exactly do you expect to do?"
Holden turned back, eyes hard.
"This underground wing has stood for decades. It's never been repaired once since it was built."
"You want to open it up now? Who takes the bla when sothing goes wrong?"
"? Or you?"
Luke opened his mouth, then closed it. Every plan he'd made had depended on the warden's support.
Now that support was gone.
Holden's tone softened slightly.
"You did remind of sothing, though. There might actually be a problem down there."
"But you need to drop the cop mindset. Why do we need to find the truth?"
Luke started to answer, then stopped as the real answer hit him.
"To find the prison's weak points?"
"Exactly. And you've already done that, Officer Luke."
Holden smiled.
"The solution is simple. In a few days we just move every inmate out of the underground block. Why waste ti chasing ghosts?"
Luke thought it over.
Holden was right.
If the underground section was compromised, just abandon it.
The truth didn't matter to anyone.
The knot in his chest loosened.
His job was finished. In a couple of days he'd walk out of here with a hundred thousand dollars and two guaranteed promotions.
"Alright. I understand."
"That's what I like to hear."
Holden picked up the phone, satisfied.
"I'll have soone escort you out. Your undercover days are over."
At that exact mont, a faint tremor ran through the floor beneath Luke's feet.
He steadied himself against the wall.
"Warden… did you feel that?"
Holden laughed.
"Hah! Luke, my boy, you've been underground too long. Everyone gets jumpy down there—"
His words were cut off by a violent lurch that slamd the entire office sideways.
Pictures flew off the walls. Chunks of ceiling plaster rained down.
"Earthquake!"
Holden's face went white. He tried to bolt for the door.
Luke grabbed him.
"Didn't your teacher ever tell you? During an earthquake you run to the strongest room—the bathroom!"
Holden snapped out of it and the two of them scrambled into the private restroom attached to the office.
They barely made it inside before the real quake hit.
The world turned upside down.
They were thrown into the air, slamd against the walls, then hurled to the floor again. Up and down lost all aning.
In the deafening roar of cracking concrete and twisting steel, Luke heard it again.
The chanting.
Only this ti, it was no longer a whisper.
It was a roar—rising from the depths like sothing ancient had just woken up.
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