Chapter 491: Prison Break (3)

The guards couldn’t simply open fire. Not here, not with hundreds of inmates scattering through the prison in every direction. The corridors were crowded with desperate prisoners trying to escape, and a stray bullet could easily strike someone who had nothing to do with the confrontation. A burst of uncontrolled gunfire could turn an already chaotic prison riot into a massacre within seconds. Even if the guards wanted to eliminate the threat in front of them, they would have to think carefully before pulling their triggers.

Damien’s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation.

The hesitation of the guards was already working in his favor. Their firearms were powerful, but the presence of so many prisoners made using them recklessly far too dangerous. That meant they would probably try other methods first, relying on their numbers and whatever non-lethal equipment they had available before resorting to their rifles.

And if they eventually decided that shooting him was their only option, Damien already had an answer for that.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the surrounding prisoners. There were dozens of bodies moving through the corridor, each one another potential obstacle between him and a bullet. If the guards truly decided to fire, he would simply find something—or someone—to put between himself and their weapons.

A cold smile gradually spread across his face at the thought, but he kept the plan to himself. There was no reason to reveal his intentions before he needed to. For now, the most important thing was to observe the guards and see what they would do.

The officer standing at the front of the group lowered his weapon slightly before barking another command. "Take him down!"

Three guards immediately stepped forward.

Unlike the heavily armed security personnel who were still making their way toward the cell block, these men weren’t carrying firearms. The prison had descended into chaos too quickly for every guard to properly equip himself. Those who had arrived first had grabbed whatever equipment was immediately available, while the more heavily armed security teams were still moving through the facility toward the source of the disturbance.

Damien didn’t retreat. He remained exactly where he was, watching the approaching guards with an unsettling calmness.

The first guard suddenly charged at him, lowering his shoulder as he attempted to tackle Damien to the ground before the strange strength in his body could become a greater problem.

Damien waited until the very last possible moment.

Then he stepped aside.

The guard rushed past him, his momentum carrying him forward as he suddenly realized that his target was no longer in front of him. Before he could recover his balance, Damien reached out, seized his arm, and used the man’s own momentum against him. With a powerful pull, Damien redirected him toward the wall.

BAM!

The guard’s body slammed violently into the concrete. The impact reverberated through the corridor as his shoulder and back struck the hard surface, leaving him momentarily stunned. He collapsed heavily onto the floor, struggling to regain his senses.

The second guard attacked almost immediately.

He swung his baton toward Damien’s head with enough force to seriously injure an ordinary man. Damien reacted instinctively, raising his arm to protect himself.

CLANG!

The baton smashed against his forearm.

The guard’s expression changed almost instantly.

Damien didn’t even flinch.

He slowly glanced down at his arm as though inspecting the spot where the weapon had struck him. There was no serious pain, no fracture, and not even the reaction the guard had expected from a normal human being.

Damien then raised his eyes toward him.

Before the guard could swing again, Damien reached forward and grabbed the baton.

The guard instinctively pulled backward, attempting to wrench the weapon from Damien’s grasp, but the effort was completely useless. Damien’s grip felt immovable. No matter how hard the guard pulled, the baton didn’t move even an inch.

Then Damien tightened his fingers and yanked.

The baton tore free so effortlessly that the guard nearly stumbled forward.

Damien tossed the weapon aside without giving it another thought. Before the guard could recover, Damien planted one hand against his body and shoved him backward.

The force behind the movement was far beyond what the guard expected.

His feet actually left the ground as his body was launched several meters backward before crashing heavily onto the concrete. He rolled across the floor and came to a stop, dazed and unable to immediately understand how a man of Damien’s size had produced that kind of strength.

The third guard had been preparing to attack, but he stopped.

After watching his two companions get thrown aside with almost no effort, whatever confidence he had possessed disappeared. His grip on his weapon tightened, but his feet remained firmly planted where they were.

Damien slowly turned toward him.

The guard instinctively took a step backward.

His face had gone pale, and the fear in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.

For a moment, Damien didn’t answer.

The question struck closer to home than the guard could have known. Damien himself still didn’t understand what had happened to his body. He didn’t know what had triggered the sudden transformation, where this incredible strength had come from, or what exactly the strange power coursing through his muscles represented.

He only knew that he was no longer the same man who had entered the prison.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I don’t know yet," Damien finally replied.

He took a slow step forward, forcing the frightened guard to retreat another step.

"But I’m starting to like the answer."

The guard’s fear intensified. Whatever courage he had left finally abandoned him, and he turned around and ran. His footsteps echoed through the corridor as he disappeared around the corner.

Damien watched him leave but made no attempt to pursue him. There was no point wasting time on a man who had already decided to flee.

His attention shifted toward the security doors ahead.

Beyond those doors were more checkpoints, more security barriers, and eventually the outside world. The prison was still filled with chaos, but every second he remained inside increased the chance of encountering a response team capable of stopping him.

Freedom was within reach.

Damien took another step toward the security doors.