đźź Chapter 7:
We began slipping one by one through the broken wall. The tunnels lay ahead of us, and the guards were still asleep. I asked Raynar to show us his map, which was tattooed on his body.
"Raynar, show us the tattoo."
He had told me before that the tunnel map was etched onto his body, drawn by his father. He rolled up his sleeve to show us.
"Here it is… wait, no, this one's outdated. It's from thirty years ago. Also… it's upside down. The correct map is on the other arm."
"And how old is that one?"
"Twenty years."
Twenty years! Damn it, we're relying on extremely old maps. I just hope nothing major has changed in the tunnel structure over the years. Either way, we have no choice.
I took off my shirt and grabbed a piece of charcoal I had taken from the food storage room.
"Alright, now it's my turn."
Ren looked at me, puzzled.
"Takeru-dono, what are you doing? We should be running."
"Hold on, Ren. Raynar, draw me the tunnel path that leads directly beneath the city's reception building."
Everyone froze. No one expected that I wasn't just planning to escape. I was the only one who had discovered crucial information, and I'd be a fool to run away without it. I didn't want to be just another fugitive. I wanted to leave this prison as a completely innocent person.
"What are you talking about, you idiot?! Run before the guards come!"
The two prisoners, Zeke and Rick, panicked, even though they had nothing to do with this. I had to explain my plan to everyone because things were about to take a different turn.
"If you want to escape, the way is clear. The only person I need here is Ren."
Ren looked at me in shock. He didn't expect this. But I still needed his skills—they would be useful. Besides, this was also for him. He was in the same situation as I was.
Rick and Zeke didn't react much since Raynar had the map, while Raynar himself stared at me with wide, confused eyes.
"Wait, Takeru… why are you doing this? Didn't we agree to escape together?"
It was shocking for him. After we agreed on the escape, it would be strange to tell him that each of us must take our own path—but he needed to understand that our situations were different. He was a criminal, but I had been imprisoned unjustly.
"Look, Raynar, I understand how you feel, but don't worry. You need to break your family's curse and become the first to escape this prison. Even if we take different paths, our goal is the same: to get out of this disgusting place."
Even if this wasn't what he expected, things had gone too far to turn back now. No need for a stupid argument. Honestly, what more could I do for him? He had the map. The guards were sedated. This was his once-in-a-lifetime chance. Still, he clearly hoped we'd meet again outside.
"Alright. But promise me you'll make it out."
"Of course. I promise. Now go!"
Raynar finally nodded and continued down the tunnel alone. The other two prisoners followed. That left me and Ren—with the path leading to the reception building. All we had to do now was wait. Ren seemed extremely confused.
"Takeru-dono, I trust you and all, but… why are we still here? Aren't we supposed to escape?"
I couldn't stay silent. I had to tell him, even if it sounded insane.
"We're waiting for the guards to wake up and follow us."
This shocked Ren even more, to the point he became angry.
"What? Are you insane? Why would we want them to chase us? Weren't we supposed to escape? What exactly are you planning?"
"Ren, trust me. I know what I'm doing. If we escape to the outside, we'll just become wanted criminals. I didn't go through all this just to be captured again."
"Same thing again… Why don't you just explain your goal?"
His trust in me seemed to waver. He didn't want to follow something he didn't understand. I had to tell him what I heard that night.
"Look, Ren, a week ago I overheard a conversation behind my cell. Boral was talking to one of the guards. There are traitorous guards in this prison who work with Boral, and I want to expose them."
After I told him this, Ren looked at me skeptically, but he decided to trust me anyway.
"Alright. Fine, since you told me this, I'll trust you. I just hope your actions don't lead us into trouble."
"Thanks for trusting me once again."
We waited a while for someone to come… then we heard footsteps from beyond the broken wall. Two guards had already woken up. When they saw us, they ordered us to go back.
"You there! Stop right now and come back here!"
Now, with some of the guards awake, it was time for our little show.
"Alright, Ren! Let's run!"
We took off at full speed. Only two guards were still chasing us. We followed the map I had drawn on my shirt. At first, we had to follow a straight path. Moments after our escape began, more guards started appearing—either the gum's effects were wearing off, or someone had woken them. Either way, it didn't matter. In the end, I hadn't taken my physical abilities compared to the guards into account.
"Wait… they're getting closer. Damn, I'm too slow. We can't let them catch us now."
But with Ren, this problem was solved.
"Takeru-dono, leave this to me! I'll carry you!"
"What?!"
I thought he would carry me on his back, but Ren grabbed me with one arm like a sack of flour. There were two paths—one to the right and one to the left—and according to the map, we had to take the right path.
"Ren, head right!"
"Okay."
Because carrying me slowed him down, I asked him to use his skill so the guards wouldn't catch up.
"Use your skill, Ren! We have to reach the target point!"
"Leave it to me!"
Suddenly, Ren's speed surged—he was like a Bugatti Chiron. Well, maybe not that extreme, but we shot far ahead of the guards in an instant. Even though I didn't want the guards to catch up, I didn't want us to lose them completely either.
"Slow down, Ren! Don't get too far from the guards!"
He looked surprised when I said that.
"What?"
But then he remembered—we were waiting for them to chase us.
"Oh, right. You want them to follow us eventually. Got it!"
The guards gained on us again, and we were almost at the spot.
"Ren, turn left and go straight!"
"Okay!"
The chase continued a bit longer—until we finally reached the place marked on the map.
"Here we are, Ren! Stop here!"
The guards were closing in, but despite everything, the plan went as I wanted. Now the moment of truth had arrived. We were about to see what awaited us above.