"Gurgle..." Minotaurus Zebra's head was gradually forced upwards by the constricting pressure, his eyes bulging, pupils dilating, blood flowing from his nose. The cracking of bones, like popping beans, echoed from within his body.
As the giant serpent tightening around him increased its constricting force, the bones within Minotaurus Zebra's body shattered completely.
"Thud!" The swamp released silently, and Minotaurus Zebra's body, without support, crashed to the ground.
His eyeballs were completely white, saliva mixed with blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth. Minotaurus Zebra's body was twisted and deformed, as if squeezed by something immense.
"Gurgle..." The swamp shifted and coalesced into a human form. Wilder appeared, his expression calm.
Vice stood dumbfounded nearby, muttering in disbelief, "Minotaurus Zebra is just... dead?"
"He's not dead. That guy has a strong life force," Wilder said casually, glancing at him. After a moment of silence, he added, "Vice, right? Are you interested in following me?"
…
The fighting grew increasingly brutal. The fall of Minotaurus Zebra boosted the prisoners' morale. Minokoala and Minorhinoceros also saw Minotaurus Zebra's condition, their eyes instantly turning bloodshot. They swung their weapons madly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" A large number of prisoners and jailers were sent flying, but soon, even more prisoners surged forward.
The fighting continued. Jailers and prisoners clashed, while the Jailer Beasts went berserk. Whether jailer or prisoner, anyone who entered their sight was met with a smashing blow from their weapons. The scene was utter chaos.
Amidst this chaos, Wilder and Vice disappeared without a trace.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Behind the prisoners, a Jailer Beast resembling a cow appeared, taking heavy steps. It held a short spiked mace, and the moment it appeared, it sent a large group of prisoners flying.
"It's Minotaurus!"
"Damn it! Why is that guy here too!?"
"Everyone, run!"
"Scatter! Don't stay grouped together!"
In a place beneath the bridge that no one noticed, a mass of swamp shifted in the shadows, then stilled.
"Nyehehehe... The plan... is a success." A low voice, mixed with a sinister chuckle, sounded from within the swamp. The swamp slowly shifted, flowing towards a certain direction.
Creating chaos and the jailbreak were merely groundwork for Wilder's next plan. Inciting the prisoners to escape was because it served his purposes better.
The jailbreak... was doomed from the start.
The farcical jailbreak was quickly suppressed, ending like a joke. Before it could cause any real trouble, it was forcefully put down.
The escaped prisoners were either dead or wounded. The result was that the surviving prisoners were tossed into the boiling cauldron for a "bath" of fire.
And the only person who caused a stir in this incident, Wilder, his name instantly spread throughout the Great Underwater Prison, Impel Down.
The escapee, Wilder Lucifer, this name quickly reached the office of Impel Down's Warden.
Besides him, the names of several other "successfully" escaped prisoners, still in hiding, were also listed: Vice, Barkley, Somalies, and Yves.
"Magellan! You must give me an explanation for this! And a follow-up! I must hear that the pirate called Wilder or whatever has been recaptured!" An angry roar erupted from the Den Den Mushi, spittle practically spraying onto the face of the man who looked remarkably like Satan.
Impel Down's Warden, Magellan, his face was as dark as a piece of charcoal. Embarrassment, anger, frustration – a variety of complex emotions played out on his face.
"I understand, Fleet Admiral, sir. I guarantee this matter will be resolved quickly." Magellan sighed. The head of the Den Den Mushi in his hand drooped, hung up by the person on the other end.
"Wilder Lucifer!"
"Gurgle!" Putting down the Den Den Mushi, Magellan's face was dark and menacing, his veins bulging.
"Men! Search for the escaped prisoners with all your might!"
"Yes, sir!"
A massive search, encompassing all of Impel Down, quickly began.
Large numbers of jailers began to search the corridors and hidden places in each level of Hell.
Some of the prisoners in the prison were terrified, but many more were excited and looking forward to the show.
"Wilder Lucifer, eh? Heh heh heh! Interesting, interesting." Inside a dark cage, a massive figure let out a hearty laugh.
"The rookies these days are truly terrifying, actually escaping prison." A calm voice, laced with the amusement of a spectator, spoke.
"So... will you be the next Golden Lion? Wilder Lucifer... I'll be watching. I hope you don't disappoint me, hmph heh heh..."
Wilder's actions not only spread his name throughout the various levels of Hell but also sparked some ideas in the hearts of some ambitious individuals.
"Ahahaha! Finally, there's someone in this Impel Down who's halfway decent! Escape! Escape! Don't get caught! Ahahaha!" The madmen cheered and prayed.
"An astonishing fellow..." A voice of amazement sounded in the darkness.
"Is Impel Down about to change again? How exciting, ya-hm." A short figure, grabbing the iron bars of the cage with both hands, bounced up and down with excitement.
Countless eyes opened in the darkness, the fangs of ambition bared, each with their own schemes.
But under the watchful eyes of countless beings, the search seemed to hit a dead end. The escaped prisoners, including Wilder, seemed to have vanished into thin air. Their presence had completely disappeared from the Great Underwater Prison.
Days passed, and soon ten days had gone by. The search yielded no results.
The prisoners, led by Wilder, seemed to have completely disappeared from Impel Down. No matter how hard the prison authorities searched, they couldn't find a single trace.
Warden Magellan was furious, but the intensity of the search gradually decreased.
"Tap... tap... tap..." Rhythmic footsteps sounded.
On the corridor of Level 2, a jailer pushed a meal cart, placing meal boxes in front of each cage. When he passed the cage where Wilder had been held, he paused slightly.
On the left side of the cage's iron bars, a strange mark had been carved at some point. The jailer seemed curious, turning his head to look at the mark. He couldn't help but reach out and touch the mark on the bars.
A small paper ball-like object popped out from his palm and landed deep inside the cage.
Without a change in expression, the jailer retrieved his hand, pushed the meal cart, and continued walking forward.
"Eigg, remember your mission." Just as he took a step, a low voice entered the jailer's ear.
He didn't nod, didn't make any unnecessary movements, and his stride didn't falter in the slightest. The jailer, as if he hadn't heard anything, pushed the meal cart further and further away.
"Nyehehehe..." In the darkness of the cage, swamp was shifting. The paper ball-like object on the ground was picked up by a hand that emerged from the swamp.
Wilder's pale and gaunt face emerged from the swamp, an irrepressible, excited laugh echoing within the cage.
____
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