The bald, muscular man had spoken out after a long moment of contemplation. Cornelius retorted impatiently, “Don’t be foo lish! There are formidable barriers and numerous expert fighters out there. We won’t stand a chance of escaping!”
When he was still powerful, he knew there wasn’t any possibility of them succeeding. Now that he was weakened, he knew it was just a far-fetched dream.
“Mr. Adler, we’ll di e anyway. Why not try our best to escape?” The bald, muscular man gritted his teeth and said, “I’ve thought about it. If we manage to take the correctional officer hostage, there might be hope for us to survive.”
“That’s right! We might stand a chance of escaping if we have a hostage.” Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Of course, it was impossible if it were just a regular prison officer. But the correctional officer was the warden’s brother-in-law. He would be their most powerful bargaining chip since he was important.
“No one has ever managed to escape from Azkaban, and the consequences for those who fail are something all of you should be well aware of. It better you abandon the idea.” Cornelius shook his
head.
“Then what should we do? Are we just going to sit here and wait for our deaths?” the bald, muscular man said with a mournful expression.
“We still might be able to reverse the situation, but I’m worried about this young man. I don’t know if he’ll be able to survive.” Cornelius looked at Dustin, leaning against the wall, and felt sorry for
him.
“How can this madman remain so calm when he created chaos as soon as he came in? I guess he hasn’t realized the gravity of the situation.” The bald, muscular man sighed and threw a dagger at Dustin, which landed by his feet.
“Hey, man, I truly admire your courage. Consider this knife a gift from me.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need it.” Dustin shook his head in response.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be needing it soon.” With a serious expression, he continued, “Trust me, once you realize that you can’t make it through, end your life with the knife. It’ll save you from more
suffering.”
Dustin was speechless. He thought the man had given him a weapon for self-defense. But as it
turned out, it was to k ill himself. How sweet of him.
“Someone’s coming!” Suddenly, a startled cry broke the silence.
When they looked up, they noticed a group of men rushing toward them from the end of the corridor. To their surprise, the one leading the group was none other than the warden himself- Caius Rosewell!
“S hit, the warden came personally. This is serious!” Cornelius’ expression turned to one of worry.
The rest of the group were similarly flustered and panicked. Azkaban’s warden was a prominent figure to them, and he controlled their fate.
“Hahahaha…” After seeing Caius, the well-dressed, portly guy suddenly sprung up, laughing devilishly.
“Brat, you’re dead meat! My brother-in-law is here. Not even the Emperor can save you now!”
“What the heck? This guy has been pretending to be unconscious all this time?” Everyone was shocked
“You bu nch of ba stards, I’ll report all of you for planning to escape!” With a cold smile, the well- dressed, portly man ran up to Caius and cried out, “Caius, these ba stards have acted out of line and even beat me up. You must stand up for me!”
“Oh, cra p, we’re done for!” Everyone broke out in cold sweat, and their faces grew pale as they took in the scene before them.
“Quick! Everyone bow down and apologize to the warden!” Cornelius yelled as he bowed. “Hurry!”
Everyone bowed in a neat row without hesitation, looking fearful. They had no other choice but to beg for mercy.
“Young man, what are you doing? Bow down!” Cornelius’ eyes darted frantically as he tried to signal Dustin.
“That’s right, surviving is all that matters now! If you admit your mistakes, you might still have a chance at living!”
“Stop trying to be brave! The warden controls our lives and holds absolute power here. If you don’t bow, you’ll be signing your death warrant!”
“Come on, bow down!”
Everyone began to persuade Dustin, trying to make a last-ditch attempt to save him.
“Caius, they beat me up. You-” The well-dressed, portly man had huffed and puffed as he rushed forward.
“Get lost!” But before he could complain, Caius kicked him to the ground and rushed up to Dustin. Amidst the prisoners’ shocked, bewildered, and fearful gazes, Caius bowed and greeted Dustin in a loud and respectful tone, “Your Grace, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Caius Roswell, Azkaban’s warden.”
