Without weapons, supplies, or support, we only had three areas available for movent: the platform, the stairwell, and the five prison levels below. The police had gone into hiding; it was impossible for us to launch an attack. With Sam Country's assault imminent, Luo Zheng had run out of options. Hearing the madman's words, he was suddenly filled with excitent and looked at the madman with eyes brimming with expectation.
The designer was also surprised and looked at the madman in disbelief. Was there really a way out in such a dire situation? The madman didn't respond imdiately; instead, he looked to the side where many inmates were bringing out combustible materials. A lot were half-burnt bed sheets, which they arranged into the letters SOS and set alight, causing thick black smoke to billow forth.
With surveillance satellites from various countries overhead, Luo Zheng believed that this international distress signal would spread quickly. As for which nations would take notice, that was up to luck. Luo Zheng watched the burning piles with a somber face and breathed a sigh of relief. He trusted that Huaxia Country would detect the situation and beco suspicious. What he needed to do now was to stay alive and wait for rescue.
However, Sam Country would certainly try to suppress the news and might even resort to killing to keep it quiet. After all, this incident going public would tarnish the national image—sothing nobody could afford to be reckless with. Luo Zheng glanced at the madman, who, with a grim expression, said, "Resistance isn't wise; it would provoke a deadly response. Our aim is self-preservation and waiting for rescue." He spoke in Huaxia, and at this point, the madman had no intention of hiding his connection with Luo Zheng.
"What's your plan?" Luo Zheng asked in a low voice, also in Huaxia.
"First, seal off the entrance between the platform and the lower levels, so when enemy reinforcents arrive, they can't attack us from there. We'll delay them as long as we can. Second, find a way to cut off power and water supply to create the illusion of an all-out attack and negotiate with the prison warden to obtain communication devices to establish contact with the outside world. Third, hold our ground until assistance arrives. We'll determine the specific tactics based on the situation," the madman said calmly.
After pondering for a mont, Luo Zheng's eyes shone with understanding, and he nodded. Looking at the flas that started to roar and the approaching figures of Jeff and others, he smiled and gestured for them to co over and asked, "How's it going? Is everything smooth? Are the police showing any sign of movent?"
"No, it went smoothly. What's next?" They asked with serious expressions, clearly not too optimistic about the outco and becoming worried. There would be no regrets if there had been no hope to start with, but having barely escaped, they naturally felt discontent.
Luo Zheng looked at everyone, each face anxious, clearly they were all concerned. They weren't fools; a big commotion like this would not end well. They all looked to Luo Zheng, who had beco the de facto commander. Taking a deep breath to quell his irritation, Luo Zheng put on a smile and spoke earnestly, "Everyone, don't worry, things will get better. The distress signal has been sent. Now we need to focus on self-preservation."
"Just tell us what to do, brother. We'll all follow your lead," Jeff shouted, and the others quickly agreed. It wasn't that everyone had absolute faith in Luo Zheng's ability; they just couldn't afford to waste ti. They needed soone to step up and lead them, and Luo Zheng's decisions had so far been very correct; they didn't want to waste any more ti.
"Those with guns, guard the entrances on each level to prevent police counterattacks. The rest, split into two groups for two tasks. First, create pressure on the police inside, whether by cutting off water and electricity or sothing else. Put your heads together; the only goal is to make the police panic and then enter negotiations with us. The second task is to block the entrance. Even if Sam Country's reinforcents arrive, they won't be able to break through and attack us. We'll buy as much ti as we can," Luo Zheng said seriously.
"I'll take the lead in the first task. Guys, let's go," Jeff commanded, charging into the fray. As a soldier, he liked to attack, and creating pressure was in line with his personality.
Seeing half the group leave with Jeff, Luo Zheng called to the others, "Let's get moving. Collect all the bed fras and pipes, pile them at the entrances, and block them off."
"Understood." Everybody sprung into action upon this command. The platform was completely exposed, with no defenses to speak of, and without any weapons, it was better to give it up. The entrance to the subterranean levels from the carrier's deck was the only one, so if they sealed it, they could delay Sam Country's rescue efforts. Luo Zheng was unsure of the outco but knew they'd have to adapt to the situation when the ti ca.
"Big brother, I need you to keep a lookout here and watch the sky. If you spot an enemy aircraft, retreat below to take cover. I'm going down to take a look," Luo Zheng said, turning to the madman with a serious request.
"Okay, be careful," the madman replied. His mobility was limited, so running up and down was indeed inconvenient. It was better for him to stay and observe from the platform.
Luo Zheng glanced at the designer, who was older and slower, and decided to leave him on the platform to assist the madman. He then hurried downstairs, where he saw the inmates' high spirits and relaxed a bit as there was no organized police retaliation. He continued down the stairs to the very bottom level.
The five levels of prison cells were all the sa, Luo Zheng took a mont to observe and noted that, aside from the bedfras, there was not much else to use—the walls were cast with steel. The carrier was fixed in the ocean like an oil platform, with all its propulsion devices removed. The passages leading to the section below the ship's hull were welded shut with steel plates, impossible to open, and even if they could be opened, they wouldn't have anything useful.
After a round of observation and finding nothing of use, Luo Zheng headed back upstairs. He stopped at the entrance on the top level to greet two ard inmates on guard and examined the heavy blast door. He couldn't see what the police had used to lock it; breaking through was not an option.
In helplessness, Luo Zheng saw the inmates continually carting pipes up, stacking them at the doorway, which was already getting quite high. So, he stepped outside, ready to call the madman in, when a sudden inspiration struck him. Excited, he rushed out to the designer and asked urgently, "If the inside is sealed, how are ventilation and water supply systems handled?"
"That was designed by another designer, who was also imprisoned here. He committed suicide a month later," the designer said with so gravity.
Hearing this, the madman's eyes lit up, and he said, "If it's sealed below, the vents can only be on the top. If not on the platform, then they must be on the sides." With that, he hobbled excitedly toward one side and called out, "Brother, you go check the other side."
"Understood." Luo Zheng, filled with excitent, dashed to the opposite side, and urged the nearby inmates to help search. A sealed prison had to have thought about ventilation—otherwise, how would the people inside survive?
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