I Start with a Mysterious Island

Chapter 350 - 269: Superpower ’Shadow Traveling

"Aah..." A patrolling prison guard yawned.

His partner, patrolling alongside him, asked, "What’s with all the yawning today? What’s going on?"

"My friends invited me out for drinks yesterday. I was out with them until two or three in the morning, and I only got a few hours of sleep before my shift. That’s why I’m so tired now," the yawning guard explained to his partner.

"Seriously? You have the night shift, and you still went out drinking that late? It’s going to be a long night for you," his partner said, shaking his head.

"Sigh, I’m regretting it now. I used to be able to pull an all-nighter and still come to work the next day feeling great. Now that I’m older, I guess I have to admit I can’t keep up anymore..." the yawning guard lamented.

"Give me a break! You’re only twenty-seven! If you’re old, then what does that make me at twenty-nine? I’m no geezer. I’m still young..."

The two guards, flashlights in hand, chatted as they patrolled. They walked past a large, leafy tree by the high wall and headed toward their next checkpoint.

After the two guards left, the flat-headed man emerged from behind the large tree. Following a mental map of the prison he had memorized, he quickly crept toward Tie Qiu Heng’s cell.

South District Prison had several cell blocks. Tie Qiu Heng was in Cell Block Two.

He had originally been held in Cell Block One, but due to his prior escape attempt, he had been moved to Cell Block Two, where the security was much tighter.

Cell Block Two, first floor, Cell 105. Some of the dim, yellow light from the hallway filtered into the small cell, piercing the pitch-black darkness within.

A 1.9-meter-tall man with a square face, a clean-shaven head, thick eyebrows, and knotted muscles lay with his hands behind his head. He stared blankly at the dark ceiling, his thoughts a mystery.

Suddenly, in a dark corner of the small cell, the shadows roiled, and a figure as black as ink emerged.

Lying on the bed in the dimly lit cell, Tie Qiu Heng didn’t notice the new arrival.

"Tie Qiu Heng."

A faint voice suddenly echoed in the dim cell. Startled, Tie Qiu Heng, who had been resting his head on his arms, shot upright and stared toward the source of the sound.

Tie Qiu Heng was about to shout, but he stopped when he saw the intruder. The man who had suddenly appeared in his cell raised his right index finger to his lips in a "shush" gesture. Tie Qiu Heng immediately lowered his voice and whispered his question.

"Who are you...?!"

The flat-headed man first glanced out through the gaps in the bars, confirming that the hallway was empty. The inmate in the opposite cell was asleep, letting out rumbling snores. Only then did he slowly walk toward Tie Qiu Heng.

Tie Qiu Heng’s brow furrowed as the man approached. He watched him with a wary expression...

Looking at Tie Qiu Heng’s guarded expression, the flat-headed man introduced himself. "Hello. My designation is 707. I’m with the intelligence department..."

"Phew..." Tie Qiu Heng sighed in relief upon hearing the flat-headed man’s introduction. ’So, he’s one of us!’ he thought. His face lit up with excitement. "Are you here to rescue me?"

The flat-headed man shook his head. "No. The rescue operation failed. The higher-ups sent me to find out why."

"Uh..." The excitement on Tie Qiu Heng’s face vanished when he heard the man wasn’t there to rescue him. The light in his eyes faded.

But he understood. Breaking him out of South District Prison once had been difficult enough. Now that the plan had failed, the prison would have tightened security across the board.

It wasn’t that another rescue was impossible, but under the current circumstances, it certainly wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

Seeing Tie Qiu Heng’s downcast expression, the flat-headed man offered some words of comfort, hoping to secure his cooperation.

"Don’t be too disappointed. The heat is on right now. Once things cool down, the organization will likely try another rescue."

"Right." Tie Qiu Heng nodded, though his expression remained glum. He knew better.

’When he said "after some time," he probably meant in a few years.’

"The next patrol will be here in ten minutes. We’re short on time. Can you walk me through what happened during the failed operation?" the flat-headed man said.

"I can." Tie Qiu Heng had no reason to refuse a request from a comrade.

"Here’s what happened. That night, we made it to the rendezvous point on the riverbank, just like we planned, and were waiting for our pickup boat. But that’s when we ran into him—the bastard who landed me in this prison in the first place..."

Meanwhile, miles and miles away, a young man relaxing in his air-conditioned hotel room and watching TV suddenly sneezed.

"ACHOO..."

’Why’d I suddenly sneeze? Is someone talking trash about me?’

Tie Qiu Heng recounted the events in detail to the flat-headed man. The more the man listened, the more his brow furrowed.