Chapter 136: Prisoner Revolt
In Washington, D.C... specifically within the High Command Security Headquarters...
The tattooed prisoner—whose name was "Jack"—had already succeeded in rallying and organizing hundreds of inmates, hitmen, and dangerous gang members. They all stood together like a roaring human wave before the armored electric gate that barred their ascent, separating them from the floor directly above.
Under Red Alert emergency conditions within this ultra-high-security facility, all hydraulic and security elevators were automatically paralyzed and locked down inside steel capsules to prevent prisoners from exploiting them for a swift escape to the surface.
The prisoners on the 8th subterranean level had no alternative or way out other than standing bewildered before those armored electric gates... None of them knew for certain whether the strange gray cards in their hands could open those massive barriers. Nor was this the only obstacle standing between them and the light of day...
The cost of merely approaching or accidentally touching these doors meant absolute and incinerating death! High-voltage electric currents coursed through the gate’s body, capable of charring any living organism to ash in less than a second unless turned off and officially unlocked from the building’s central Command and Control rooms.
The High Command Security Headquarters was no ordinary administrative building... It was a massive military fortress constructed atop the largest and most formidable subterranean secret prison in the world! Subterranean levels 1 through 8 served merely as temporary intake and holding sectors, whereas the levels residing beneath the 12th floor constituted the true dark prison—unannounced to the outside world—where the most hardened criminals and international threats were buried alive!
And now, with blaring alarms echoing across every corner of the facility and soldiers mobilizing in all sectors, this electric gate seemed to everyone like nothing more than a free, guaranteed death sentence for any fool bold enough to approach it!
Everyone retreated in sheer exhaustion and terror...
Yet from the midst of those frightened, hesitating crowds, Jack stepped forward with steady strides, his heart untouched by fear! He harbored absolute, unwavering faith deep within that the man who had handed him these wondrous cards—the man who had spoken to him telepathically—would never push him to destruction. He knew with absolute certainty that the possibility of these gates being locked down had been precisely calculated in that man’s mind!
Jack stepped courageously toward the towering gate and extended his slightly trembling hand holding the gray card toward the electronic scanner, watching with his own eyes as blue electrical currents compressed and exploded before his face in terrifying crackles!
However... the moment the card nearly brushed the edge of the gate!
Jack witnessed a true miracle unfold before his eyes; in less than a single second, the terrifying crackling sounds of electric sparks vanished entirely, and the blue glow died out as though the current had been instantly dissipated!
Jack shut his eyes tightly for a brief moment... fearing this might be the final instant of his life and that he would be incinerated on the spot! But instead of pain or electrical shock, a muffled mechanical hiss echoed down the hallway, followed by the heavy clatter of hydraulic locks disengaging and retracting to swing the armored steel gate wide open before his eyes!
He slowly opened his eyes, barely able to believe the miraculous sight unfolding before him!
In the very next instant, as shouts of triumph and awe erupted from the hundreds of prisoners standing behind him—cheering his name and hailing him as their savior—Jack gripped the glowing gray card tightly within his fist, smiling with pride and victory!
A storm of joyful shouts, thanks, and gratitude exploded behind him...
That man affiliated with the Smile Organization had not deceived him!... He had planted complete faith and an unshakable certainty within Jack’s heart toward this savior who had extended a helping hand, placing him a few short paces away from total liberation and winning back his freedom!
Jack turned toward the roaring crowd, raised his hand holding the card, and bellowed in a thunderous voice that shook the foundation of the corridor:
"Brothers!... My brothers in... Do not thank me!... I am unworthy of your thanks or gratitude! Thank the great benefactor and the hidden hand that granted us this golden opportunity to start a new life for us all!... The foolish world believed that the Smile Organization was dead and gone... but they are still here! They are still protecting us and saving us!... Long live the Smile!"
At that moment, Jack raised his hand high toward the heavens and let out a resounding roar that struck a psychological earthquake into the hearts of everyone who bore witness:
"LONG LIVE THE SMILE!... LONG LIVE OUR SAVIORS!"
The rebellious human mass responded instantly; hardened killers and criminals smiled as the warmth of hope coursed through their veins, shouting at the top of their lungs in a single voice that rattled the concrete walls of the building:
"LONG LIVE THE SMILE!... LONG LIVE OUR SAVIORS!" "LONG LIVE THE SMILE!... LONG LIVE OUR SAVIORS!" "LONG LIVE THE SMILE!... LONG LIVE OUR SAVIORS!"
Jack cast a stern, resolute gaze upon them, feigning dissatisfaction as he roared once more: "Say it louder so those bastards at the top can hear us!"
Everyone responded as a single body, surging like a roaring flood up the stairs toward the upper floors:
"LONG LIVE THE SMILE!... LONG LIVE OUR SAVIORS!"
Their thunderous voices echoing through the narrow hallways created an unimaginable collective rally! Hundreds of prisoners transformed into a single cohesive unit, resembling a human wave moving with terrifying unison and harmony to sweep away everything standing in its path!
Jack had already distributed the remaining magical cards in his possession to the gang leaders and prominent hitmen, ordering them to rapidly fan out across all corridors and hallways without concern for danger, liberating as many wrongfully detained and high-risk inmates alike!
Everyone was shocked by additional astonishing properties they had not anticipated within those gray cards; they did not merely unlock cell doors and electric gates, but they also disabled and paralyzed all technological protection and sensor systems the instant they touched any security panel!
Furthermore, they discovered that simply pointing the card toward surveillance cameras or electronic hubs caused interference and issued an immediate emergency shutdown command!
The prisoners went wild with this unexpected victory; they rushed forward, seizing weapons from the stunned and fallen guards, picking locks, and storming control rooms and surveillance hubs to utterly destroy equipment and shatter monitors to pieces!
During that exact same tumultuous moment...
On the upper floors, specifically inside Colonel "Ryan’s" private command bridge...
The colonel stood behind his massive desk, drenched in cold sweat along with the rest of the commanders... watching this catastrophic scene unfold through surveillance cameras... or rather, he had been able to watch and track it previously! As for now, every time he attempted to bring up a live feed for any floor, the screen was dyed solid black or marred by total static the moment the prisoners reached it!
Alarm sirens were struck and urgent reinforcement requests were dispatched to all adjacent military bases... while the main monitors in the command room turned a deep blood-red indicating maximum emergency!
The entire army and rapid response forces would be mobilized to blockade the facility...
Yet what drove Colonel Ryan into sheer madness and flaming wrath—far beyond a mere prisoner revolt—were those roaring chants and slogans sung by the inmates down the corridors, captured by microphones moments before their destruction!
They were shouting the name of the "Smile Organization"!
Colonel Ryan slammed his fist against his desk in a burst of rage, breathing heavily: "This is impossible!... This is completely out of the question! I personally supervised their collapse, and we caught their last remaining prominent leader with our own hands and transferred him to the deepest point!... How on earth can these devils still exist and execute an operation of this magnitude in the heart of Washington?!"