We see Adrian a couple of days after discovering he had High Spec. He's crouched over a makeshift workbench—really just a dented table missing one leg—staring at something that looks like a child's failed science project.
"If this book is right, I can heat metal with this and melt through small locks… maybe even weld stuff."
In his hands is what can only be described as a hobo welder—a Frankenstein tool barely held together with duct tape, a bent spoon, and wires that spark more than they connect. It looks like if someone sneezed too hard, the whole thing would explode and make the LEGO brick sound effect.
Building it wasn't easy.
"First, I had to wait for some inmate's mutant ability to go wild and break a chair. That gave me the wood. Then, I managed to swipe a battery from a guard's walkie-talkie during a scuffle—I thought my heart was gonna burst out of my chest, man. I felt like I accidentally activated King Engine."
He wipes sweat from his forehead, looking at the janky tool.
"And the wiring and filament? Had to steal those from a busted lightbulb. Took me two tries not to electrocute myself."
Adrian sighs. It isn't much. But it's something.
"With High Spec, this is what I came up with after three days and a dozen books. Guess genius isn't instant. Still… better than nothing."
He glances at the clock. 8:24 AM.
"Six more minutes before room-by-room inspection. Gotta hide this."
He surveys the room, eyes darting around. Then he remembers something.
"There was this ninja video I watched once—people don't notice stuff placed at a above a 45-degree angle. And would you look at that... a beautiful 45-degree corner above my door."
He climbs up silently and shoves the welder into the crevice, securing it with duct tape—the same roll he's been rationing like gold.
"Hope this works... but just in case—maybe a little distraction will help."
Room Inspection Begins
Footsteps echo down the hallway. Metal doors creak open one after another. It's time.
"528, stand by for inspection!" a voice barks from outside.
Adrian sighs and gets up from his bed, arms behind his back, eyes forward. The door unlocks with a heavy CLUNK, and two guards step inside.
One starts pacing around the room, eyes sharp. The other leans against the doorway, arms crossed.
The first guard's gaze lands on the top of the door.
"Shit."
Adrian's heart skips. The guy takes a step forward. Inches from spotting the welder.
So Adrian panics—intelligently.
"Hey, hey—did you know there's a weird humming sound in the pipes at night? Might be a gas leak, I read in Plumbing for Dummies that—"
WHAM!
A punch to the gut cuts him off. Adrian buckles forward, coughing.
"Shut up. You think we care what books you read, freak?"
The guards finish the inspection without noticing the welder and leave.
Door slams shut. Lock engages. Adrian gasps on the floor.
"Ughhh... worth it. But yeah. Dick move."
Later That Day – The Lab
A robotic voice echoes through the hallway:
"Prisoner 528—report to Hall 4. You've been selected."
"FUCK..."
He knows what that means. Another experiment.
Two guards drag him to the lab—sterile white walls, humming machinery, and scientists who don't even make eye contact.
"Hold still," one of them says, strapping his arm down.
A needle gets jammed into his vein. The serum glows faintly pink.
"What is that?" Adrian asks, panic creeping in.
"Accelerated gene mutation stimulant. Try not to die."
"...You guys suck."
The injection burns like liquid fire. His vision swims, heart hammering, brain fog thick as syrup.
Back in His Cell
Adrian stumbles in, legs jelly, arms shaking. He tries to lean on the table—but his hand slips.
CRACK.
He faceplants straight into the floor.
Only... it doesn't quite feel like the fall should have ended there.
For a second—less than a blink—he felt as if he passed through something. Then pain.
"Ow... damn it... my head... my ribs... oh god..."
He groans, crawling toward his bed, dazed. He reaches under the table, rubbing his scalp.
"How the hell did I hit the bottom of the table on the way up?"
The thought is fleeting. The fog in his brain is heavy, his limbs numb. He collapses onto his mattress like a broken puppet.
Two Days Later
We see Adrian sitting at his desk, a dark bruise under his left eye, but a new gadget in his hand.
It's not pretty—but it's a keypad decoder.
"Finally built it. Took forever. High Spec helps, but it doesn't hand you knowledge on a plate. I still had to study eight books on digital locks, circuits, and logic boards... in a row."
He sighs.
"Now I just need to test it out. If this works, I can access low-clearance doors. Armory first. That's the target."
He glances at the wall clock. It's ticking slowly, but he's not resting anymore.
Not truly.
"They hurt me again. My head still rings. But I remember something: pain is temporary. Knowledge is forever."
His eyes flick to the ceiling. A guard walks past his door.
"Soon… I'll be out of here. Not because I'm the strongest. But because I'm the smartest."
His lips curl into a cold smile.
"Time to outthink the monsters.