Chapter 87: The Frail Healers

Ashe said, "Honestly, I'm the type who can't pee with someone watching. Could you turn around?"

Iger stepped closer and glanced at him. The corner of his mouth lifted as he let out a soft chuckle. "Is that so? I see. No wonder."

Ashe cursed under his breath and slipped into a stall.

Ronna scanned the restroom, frowning. "What's so special about this place that it earned the Fraudster's favor?"

"There's nothing special about this restroom at all," Iger said. He wet his fingers with clean water and gently rinsed his eyes. "What's special is that a restroom, as a medium, can become the medium for deceiving the chips."

He continued calmly, "Before I was imprisoned, I worked in the insurance industry as a contract sorcerer. Of course, I didn't just sign contracts. Sales were part of the job. And I didn't only sell insurance. I had access to all kinds of goods. Since I was already working, I simply worked a few more jobs at the same time."

"That actually sounds pretty inspiring," Ashe said with interest. "So why did you end up in here?"

Iger sighed. "That's the part I feel most wronged about. I only helped clients buy products they truly wanted. Somehow, that earned me a conviction for especially severe fraud."

Ronna suddenly spoke, "If I remember correctly, your most impressive achievement was persuading a tycoon to bankrupt himself buying a cup of water."

Ashe asked, "A cup of water? Just an ordinary one?"

Iger replied, "That water wasn't ordinary. It was the elixir that sustains life, the origin of all living beings, the medium of miracles, and the mother that gave birth to sky and earth..."

Ashe realized at once. Iger was exactly the kind of person who could score full marks on interview questions like "Sell me this pen for a thousand dollars."

He cut in, "All right. There's no target audience for you here. Save the sales pitch and explain how the restroom helps deceive the chip."

Iger nodded. "Among the products I once handled was a life-monitoring device. It could receive life signals transmitted by Miracle Chips and analyze a user's condition based on various vital signs. The device itself isn't the key. What matters is what I discovered while studying its functions.

"Miracle Chips do not transmit life signals continuously. They send them at fixed intervals. The default frequency is once every six hundred seconds, or once every ten minutes. The frequency can be adjusted, but the higher it is, the greater the demand on the receiving equipment. For example, the highest-grade device I sold could receive signals once every five seconds. Even without added premiums, the device itself was extremely expensive.

"The processors in Shattered Lake Prison that collect and analyze our vital data are undoubtedly military-grade. Even so, the prison would never be so wasteful as to have our chips transmit signals continuously. Under the chip's restrictions, escape is impossible. Even at the longest interval, the only difference is that they discover our sudden death a little later.

"The only place in the prison where life signals are transmitted continuously should be the Death Match Club. When our signals indicate unconsciousness or death, the arena immediately lifts our attack restrictions. That alone proves the monitoring is real-time."

Ashe sensed this was important, but he still didn't see the connection. "Interesting trivia, but what does this have to do with escaping?"

Iger glanced at him. "If you remove the chip and it stops transmitting life signals, how do you think the processor will judge your condition? Even a corpse emits signals."

Ashe understood immediately. "It would conclude that I removed the chip and alert the prison that a prisoner has escaped."

Iger said, "Exactly. But to escape, we must remove the chip. Otherwise, we can't even leave the island."

Ashe nodded. When they had observed the harbor earlier, they had seen a yellow line along the shore marked with the words

Please do not cross.

Despite the polite wording, it was an absolute boundary for prisoners. The moment a toe touched that line, their body would freeze completely.

Iger continued, "So, the window between the chip being removed and the processor detecting the escape is our safest period of action. During that time, all restrictions are lifted, and the prison hasn't yet detected anything abnormal."

He glanced around the restroom. "That is the time gap we must seize."

"Reaching this point is already the limit of my research. As for the signal frequency, all we can do is hope it stays at the default ten minutes."

Ronna said softly, "That's already impressive. I thought this was reckless nonsense, but Iger, you've proven me wrong. You've given me hope."

Even Ronald nodded along, his survival instinct stirring just enough to restore a trace of clarity.

Ashe praised himself, "I expect no less from the man I chose. Looks like I really do have good taste in men."

Then, he asked, "But what role does the men's restroom actually play?"

Iger smacked his lips. "A restroom is for relieving oneself. What else would it be for? Eating? If that's your hobby, feel free to demonstrate."

As he spoke of his research, Iger grew animated. "Now we know we must exploit the time gap in the chip's signal transmission. But there's still one problem left. How do we know when the last signal was sent?

"Death row prisoners are absolutely not transmitting their signals at the same time. That would place an enormous instantaneous load on the processor. Instead, the signal timings are almost certainly distributed evenly across the ten-minute window.

"If the processor detects a special situation, it temporarily increases the signal frequency. Then, after midnight, it resets every prisoner's chip back to the default frequency.

"These so-called special situations exist for one reason. The processor needs immediate access to our life signals to lift certain restrictions. In the entire prison, there are only three places where such situations can occur."

Iger raised two fingers. "The first is the Death Match Club. When a Death Match begins, the chip lifts the attack restrictions. When the match ends, those restrictions are restored.

"At both moments, the processor must interface directly with the chip, forcing it to transmit a life signal immediately. Once the match ends, the chip returns to its default frequency and will not transmit again for another ten minutes."

Iger concluded, "In other words, by deliberately entering a special location like the Death Match Club, we can force a frequency reset and take full control of the time gap."

By now, even Ashe understood it completely.

He glanced around the restroom, his gaze drifting toward the row of urinals. "So the restroom is the second place?"

Iger smiled. "In theory, we could use Death Matches to manipulate the signal frequency. But Death Matches are fights to the death. Compared to that, the restroom is far more convenient.

"As for why the restroom produces the same effect as the Death Match Club... That is because the prison does not allow inmates to relieve themselves wherever they please.

Hahaha

."

Ronna froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Because the prison strictly required inmates to use designated restrooms, every time a prisoner entered one, the processor proactively lifted their excretion restriction. Just like the Death Match Club, this counted as a special situation.

Without that permission, even if someone were so constipated their body felt ready to burst at the slightest pressure, the chip would forcibly clamp down on the sphincter and seal everything shut. Not a single drop would be allowed to escape. If things truly became unbearable, the only remaining option would be to vomit it out from the other end.

For prisoners, this was an unspeakable humiliation. That was why Iger and Ronna, both seasoned inmates, laughed so hard. The prison's own cruelty had turned into an accomplice for their escape. The irony was simply too much not to laugh at.

How much of that laughter was also directed at themselves was something no one could say.

"Then what's the third place?" Ashe asked.

Iger's laughter faded as he turned to Ronna.

Ronna thought for a moment. "The couples' rooms?"

Like restrooms, couples' rooms temporarily lifted certain restrictions on death row prisoners and even loosened attack limitations to some extent. After all, personal preferences were considered a form of freedom.

However, just like the Death Match Club, couples' rooms required prior approval. In terms of convenience, they could not compare to a restroom.

More importantly, couples' rooms required at least two applicants. Ronna and Ronald aside, there was no way Ashe would apply for one with Iger.

Leaning against the wall, Iger said, "You now know everything you need to know. So I'll formally explain the escape plan."

Ashe asked, "Are we not looking for a fifth member? We still lack logistical support. Someone fast, with healing capabilities."

Ronna, a Moonshadow werewolf, excelled in frontal combat and could serve as the vanguard. Ronald specialized in firearms and trap-setting, making him ideal ranged support. As for logistics, healing, and rapid movement, Ashe and Iger had searched for days without success.

As for Ashe and Iger themselves, Iger managed manpower and coordination, while Ashe controlled the core technology. Neither of them was meant to fight on the front lines.

"We've already searched everyone we can. We can't delay any longer. Not everything can be perfectly prepared before action. More often than not, you have to move fast, because opportunities don't wait."

He glanced at Ashe. "And even if we could wait, can you?"

Ashe had no reason to believe that Professor Syrin would simply allow him to live out his days peacefully in Shattered Lake Prison.

Leaving even one day earlier meant placing another day between himself and Professor Syrin's schemes.

Iger explained, "The escape plan itself is straightforward. We blend in with a transport ship and leave."

He dipped a finger into the water and drew a small boat on the mirror. "But to board a transport ship safely, removing the chip is not enough. We also need a legitimate identity.

"Conveniently, there is a group within Shattered Lake Prison that can board transport ships without submitting any application at all. More importantly, they are perfect disguises. No one would question them."

Iger drew a crow mask on the mirror. "They are the frail healers."