Chapter 296: Fire Drill At that moment, the alarm bells in Block One, closest to the main gate, also rang loudly, signaling the prison's emergency status. However, the inmates currently on their lunch break showed little surprise. An inmate napping on her bunk lazily rolled over and mumbled, "Starting already?" Simultaneously, guards and riot squad members appeared at the block entrance, yelling loudly: "Fire drill! All inmates, exit your cells in work order and form lines!!" The inmates from the regular blocks stood up without any sense of urgency and walked to their doors. Normally, during work shifts, guards had to come and unlock each door sequentially with keys. But this time, the cell doors unlocked and opened by themselves. "Wow, they really modified them to open automatically!" an inmate turned to her cellmate. "When did they do that?" "Maybe while we were at work... Alright, stop blocking the door and let's go," someone behind urged impatiently. Almost all inmates were unsurprised by this situation because this was the "fire drill" announced by the prison last night. Aiden stood at the head of the round table, hands resting on it, addressing the chief guards of regular Blocks One, Two, and Three: "The jailbreakers' target is the Core Block; normally, they wouldn't enter the regular blocks. However, the cells in the regular blocks might still be affected by the area-of-effect of their jailbreak methods, potentially causing the cell doors to open automatically. If inmates from the regular blocks also attempt a mass escape at this time, things will become difficult to manage. Therefore, we must make the regular block inmates believe this is just a normal prison procedure... So, go back and inform the inmates that tomorrow, work will be suspended for facility renovations, but a fire drill will be conducted at some point." That same night, the three regular blocks notified their inmates about the next day's fire drill, instructing them to be prepared in their cells at all times. They also informed the inmates beforehand that the prison doors had been modified to open automatically in special circumstances, so few inmates were suspicious. Coupled with the guards calmly directing the process on-site, almost no one doubted the legitimacy of this "fire drill." "Hurry up! Move faster!! If this were a real fire, would you wait around to be burned alive?" The chief guard on duty, fully embracing his role, personally supervised the scene. "Take this seriously! Stop laughing, you hear me!" Soon, the inmates gathered in front of their respective cells, just like during work shifts. "Proceed orderly to the exercise yard for evacuation! No pushing, no crowding!!" The chief guard directed the guards to lead the inmates towards the yard. Throughout this performance, the guards skillfully "acted out" a level of tension comparable to a real fire, some even wiping away cold sweat, because they knew very well—this was a genuine emergency. The deceived inmates, however, felt no tension, many even whispering and laughing about how realistic it seemed. For them, as long as they got a day off, having a fire drill didn't really matter. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Core Block was completely different. After all, being the target of the jailbreak, the Core Block couldn't use this tactic. Shortly after the main alarm sounded, the Core Block's bells also began ringing. The guards stationed at various posts in the Core Block turned pale, while cheers erupted from within the cells. The lock on the block's main gate clicked audibly, and simultaneously, the doors of every cell automatically unlocked and swung open. The two from Cell Block Six were the first to burst out. The pirate Anna threw her arms up and shrieked, "Anyone with guts, come out! Freedom is here!!" In Cell Block Thirteen, Anne Drake calmly put on her shoes and rose from her bed. "Time's up. I'm leaving," she looked at the succubus Fei, who was watching her warily across the cell, her eyes glinting menacingly. "Thanks for your hospitality these past few days. Want to hitch a ride out? Once we're outside, I'll definitely repay you properly." She had long realized that Carmilla dislocating her shoulder in the showers was likely this succubus's doing behind the scenes. "Have a safe trip! I'll keep your bunk warm for you," Fei waved at her with a fake smile, even blowing a mock kiss. "I'll miss you! Let's hope Lord Aiden leaves your body intact!" "Stay here and regret it!" Anne retorted before leaving the cell. "I'll be counting the days outside until your release!" Although she desperately wanted to beat this succubus senseless right now, she knew the rules inscribed on the Codex her father possessed affected everyone within range. Meanwhile, in Cell Block Twelve, the two witches also noticed their door had opened. "Dailey, could this be..." Priscilla expression turned grave. "It's divine word, or an item with an Authority effect," Dailey nodded. They could both still feel their magic suppressed, indicating the prison's wards were functioning normally. Under these circumstances, ordinary black magic wouldn't work. Some special magic items might still function, but achieving an effect encompassing the entire Core Block's cells... likely only the power of an Authority could accomplish that. After a brief exchange of glances, they made up their minds—stay put. In prison, they could still research magic just like outside, and Aiden had promised to return their stored "Divinity" upon release. Once outside, even if the escape succeeded, they would return to being hunted by the Inquisition and bounty hunters. More importantly, they would become Aiden's enemies—they still weren't sure how much power this Warden possessed, or how strong his backing was. Judging by his actions yesterday, Aiden was well-prepared for this situation. Rashly escaping was undoubtedly the worst option for them. The other powerful individuals in the prison mostly acted in concert with them. Read complete version only at novel⟡fire.net Evangeline, Carmilla, Arsena, Ophelia... the red and orange alert level inmates either leaned against the wall with crossed arms or sat quietly on their beds, remaining in their cells as instructed by Aiden yesterday, waiting silently. The inmates who voluntarily exited their cells were almost exclusively wearing blue and white uniforms—all small fry, essentially. After all, the high-risk inmates with escape tendencies had been preemptively transferred to the Inquisition by Aiden. The only orange-level inmate who left her cell was the mad Hailo, drawn out by the noisy commotion in the corridor. Most inmates still hesitated in their cells. Although they desperately wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave the prison, the Warden's threat from yesterday still echoed in their ears. Veronica, stationed in the Core Block duty room, witnessed this scene and immediately blew her whistle. Just as she was about to try threatening the inmates back into their cells to stabilize the situation, a command surfaced in her mind: "Restricting the personal liberty of others by any means is forbidden. Violators shall suffer the punishment of imprisonment."