Chapter 294: Time to Choose Sides At that moment, on the Core Block exercise yard, Anne Drake sat on a bench, frowning as she questioned the two inmates from Cell Block Six: "What's going on?" "This..." Anna and Catherine, standing by the bench, stared blankly at each other, completely clueless. Since the afternoon, they had noticed the dangerous inmates they had specifically informed about the escape being taken away one by one, never returning. Just as they started their recreation time on the yard, the guards even took away the most powerful Lich among the inmates they had persuaded yesterday. All the inmates they had approached were rounded up and "dealt with" within a single day. No matter how you looked at it... "Does this even need thinking? There's obviously a mole," an inmate in a red uniform appeared near the bench, addressing them. "A mole?" The three turned their heads simultaneously. Standing there was the Vampire Princess, Ophelia Kaodo, who had "accepted" their persuasion yesterday. The trio's silence lasted about five seconds before Anne finally spoke: "Why were you the only one not taken away?" "Who knows?" Ophelia shrugged. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NovelHub(.)net "You're the mole!" Catherine reacted. "Are you crazy!?" Anna blurted out instinctively. "Just a little insurance. I wasn't sure if your escape would succeed, and I can't afford to be screwed over again," Ophelia replied casually, one hand on her hip. "I sell you out first, so if your escape plan fails, I have a fallback." "Damn you... Don't you want out anymore?" Anne glared at Ophelia. "I'm the only red-alert level inmate you've talked to left. Are you really going to give up on me?" Ophelia pointed nonchalantly at the two from Cell Block Six. "Then you can only take a bunch of small fry like them out." Both Anna's and Catherine's eyes twitched slightly. Anne, however, leaped up from the bench in a rage, pointing at Ophelia's nose and cursing, "Fuck! None of you damn Vampires are any good!!" Being betrayed by this Vampire, she couldn't help but recall the fact that her own pirate crew had been wiped out by three high-ranking Vampires. Then, staring face-to-face with the other woman, Anne suddenly realized something else. "You really look like that bastard..." she muttered subconsciously. This vampire before her bore a striking resemblance to the male Vampire who had beaten her senseless and captured her on her pirate ship. However, she didn't dwell on it further, only feeling her disgust towards this vampire deepen slightly. "What did you say?" Ophelia, unaware of the circumstances leading to Anne's imprisonment, didn't understand. A sharp, loud whistle suddenly pierced the air, interrupting the confrontation. "You lot!! What are you doing over there!?" The guard on duty noticed the apparent dispute and issued a warning. Simultaneously, the guard in the nearby watchtower raised a shotgun, aiming in their direction. Anne glanced towards the guards, then lowered her voice. "Get lost. Don't appear in front of me again." "Good luck. If your escape fails, I'll be counting on catching you lot for meritorious service," Ophelia turned away nonchalantly. At that moment, she truly felt it—the sheer pleasure of actively sabotaging someone else's troublemaking plans and watching their teeth-grinding frustration. No wonder Aiden took such endless delight in capturing escapees and punishing disobedient inmates. She, who had always been Aiden's source of joy, finally experienced his pleasure through this role reversal. Anne sat back down on the bench, her face dark. Having been played, her mood was naturally far from good. Fortunately, the jailbreak plan itself wasn't significantly affected. In that case, no more relying on these useless inmates. During the escape, she would just destroy as much of this prison as possible and steal anything valuable—which was, after all, their job as pirates. That night, Aiden sat at the round table in the conference room, issuing instructions to the chief guards of each block and the heads of several departments. "...Since there are no further issues, this is the plan. Blocks One, Two, and Three in the regular section... I don't anticipate problems there. The crucial area is the Core Block; that's the jailbreakers' main target," Aiden scanned the room. "Note that these are extraordinary circumstances. Everyone must hold their posts. That is all. Now, regular block personnel, go inform the inmates... I'll handle the Core Block personally. Franda, Veronica, let's go." The regular block chief guards and related personnel stood up and left. Franda and Veronica remained, waiting for Aiden to rise and walk to the conference room door before following closely. The three arrived at the Core Block. After the main gate opened, Aiden entered the corridor but didn't proceed directly inside for inspection as usual. Veronica struck the duty room's iron door with her baton, then yelled loudly, "Warden's address! No interruptions, or it's immediate solitary confinement! Now, everyone to your doors!! Immediately!!" The authoritative voice echoed down the corridor. The inmates in their cells sensed the tense atmosphere and came to their doors. This time, no inmate dared to shout curses against the wind. Only two inmates remained largely unmoved: mad Hailo, sitting dazedly in her cell as usual, and Anne Drake, still sitting primly on her bed. "Good evening, ladies. Perhaps some of you already know, the Empire's renowned Red Shark Pirates intend to break into this prison. They've announced their arrival for tomorrow. Therefore, we will halt work for one day to properly welcome our 'distinguished guests'. I plan, along with them, to play a 'little game' with everyone." The inmates looked at each other, bewildered. Aiden ignored their baffled reactions and continued, "Tomorrow, we will implement defensive measures and wait until the jailbreakers enter the Core Block before containing them. At that time, some cell doors here might be opened. Anyone present who chooses to leave their cell without authorization will be considered attempting escape. I expect you all to remain obediently in your cells and wait for me to handle the situation. I hope none of you make decisions you will regret." "What... does that mean?" an inmate muttered softly. "Simply put, tomorrow you can choose your side. But if you choose the jailbreakers' side and hitch a ride to escape..." Aiden smiled. "...you'll face the consequences." Hearing this, Anne sneered silently from her bed. Hmph, knows he can't handle the jailbreak method, so he tries to bluff everyone with this mysterious talk? The power of the artifact in Father's hands is absolutely unbreakable!