The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!

Chapter 329: Prison Break

The three of them huddled together in a small storage room, the faint smell of damp wood in the air. Adeline sat on a broken crate, Layla leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, and Aaron stood near the door, peeking through a crack every now and then.Layla was the first to speak. "We don’t have a lot of time," she whispered, her eyes sharp. "The meeting should be ending soon. Once that happens, this place is going to be swarming with people."

Adeline immediately perked up. "Then let’s use the fact that there is one entrance and exit to our advantage. We could block it and use traps. They could walk right in, not knowing that their end is near." Adeline spoke like an evil gremlin again.

Aaron turned away from the door and shook his head. "That’s the thing. This is the only entrance and exit we know of. These kinds of groups always have a secret tunnel or a hidden door. If we focus everything on that one exit and they have another, we will fail."

Adeline let out a long sigh. "You’re right." She pushed a stray hair out of her face. "Then before we take on the big group, we pick them off one by one. Guards, magic users—whoever’s around. Quietly. So we don’t get swarmed."

Layla grinned. "Now that I like."

Aaron nodded. "Exactly. If we cut down their numbers in the shadows, it’ll even the odds. And once we’ve thinned them out enough..." He paused dramatically, earning two blank stares. "...we stage a jailbreak."

Layla’s eyes lit up

"Yup," Aaron said with a smirk. "Let the prisoners run wild. Their forces will split up to chase them. It’ll be easier to pick them off in smaller groups instead of taking them all at once."

Adeline leaned forward, hands resting on her knees. "Simple plan. But it works."

Layla, who was initially nervous, was now bubbling with energy. She was in the mood to fight.

Aaron looked at the two of them and nodded. It wasn’t some grand, complicated strategy, but with just three of them, they had to be smart.

Layla raised her hand like a student. "I’m in."

Adeline gave a thumbs-up. "Let’s do it."

Aaron clapped his hands softly. "Great. Guess we’re splitting up again."

Layla cracked her knuckles, practically bouncing on her toes. "Let’s do this."

Aaron turned to Adeline. His usual teasing tone softened just a bit. "Hey," he said quietly. "Stay alert. And stay alive, okay?"

Adeline’s mouth twitched into a half-smile. "Yeah, that’s the goal. I don’t want to die."

"Awww..." Layla chimed in.

"Cough, you too, Layla. Don’t take unnecessary risks." Aaron quickly added.

Layla nodded, "Gotchu."

Adeline handed some more safety amulets to the two, "Just in case, have more." The more the better. With these holy power amulets on, she believed that they wouldn’t be subdued by the enemy. She had had enough of people close to her becoming puppets to their cause.

---

Aaron moved like a shadow. He kept low, his steps silent against the stone floor. His eyes were sharp, scanning corners before turning them.

He spotted two guards patrolling a narrow hallway. They were talking lazily, clearly not expecting trouble. Aaron waited for them to pass a pillar, then slipped out from behind it. In a quick motion, he looped an arm around the first guard’s neck, covering his mouth, and pulled him backwards. The second turned, but Aaron was faster—he slammed the hilt of his dagger into the man’s temple with a dull thud.

Both guards went down quietly. He dragged them into a side room, tied them up, and left them unconscious.

As he moved on, he came across a cell with three men inside. Their faces were thin, their wrists bruised from shackles. One of them whispered, "Who are you?"

"I am here... To set you free."

As he went deeper into the lair, he knocked out guards and set people free. He directed them towards the exit. They were physically weak but, they seemed so hopeful when Aaron let them go.

Layla’s style was... Less subtle, but still effective. She loved close combat. She found three guards playing cards around a crate, laughing quietly.

She crept up behind them, waited for the right moment, then grabbed one by the collar and yanked him back. Her elbow met his face with a thump. The second turned, but she kicked the crate into his knees, making him stumble. The third reached for his weapon, but she twisted his arm and flipped him over her shoulder.

Within seconds, all three were on the ground. She tied them up with their own belts, grinning to herself. "Easy."

Then she noticed a cell behind them. Inside were two teenage girls, terrified but alert.

Layla crouched by the bars. "Hey. I’m Layla. We’re breaking you out."

One of the girls whispered, "Is this a trick?"

Layla shook her head. "Nope. Trick’s on the bad guys this time." She picked up a guard’s keyring and unlocked the door. "Stick to the walls and move quietly."

---

Adeline moved more cautiously. She was thinking about the sheer number of people imprisoned. In her heart, she knew why. They were being used for experiments. These people were continuing the experiments that Dimitri fought hard to stop.

They were turning humans into monsters...

She spotted a single guard sitting by a door, nodding off. Perfect. She decided to use her powers to put him to sleep.

The shock wasn’t lethal—just enough to make him jolt and slump over, unconscious. She exhaled in relief and dragged him out of sight.

She found a row of cells next, with a woman clutching a child inside one. The woman flinched when she saw Adeline, unsure if she was friend or foe.

As Adeline came closer, she saw the muddy, bloodied clothes. They were abused, tortured. The child looked no older than two years of age.

"Please, don’t hurt my child. Please..." The woman quickly kneeled and put her forehead to the ground. Her voice cracked as she begged.