Chapter 300: Eight Escaping Prisoners

The labor offenders were escorted by a large group of guards into a stretch of wasteland.

Zhong Gaoliang pulled out a “work diagram” and examined it. “Our Gaojia Village plans to build a new road from this spot, leading straight to Fengyuan Town,” he declared loudly. “Your job is to dig in that direction, all the way to Fengyuan Town.”

The labor offenders gave a feeble acknowledgment and got to work.

Zao Ying’s gaze swept over the group of prisoners, scrutinizing them carefully, then flickered toward the Gaojia Village guards. “If these fellows suddenly cause trouble,” she whispered, “your guards won’t hold them back.”

Thirty-Two nodded. “True. They wouldn’t hold.”

Zao Ying raised an eyebrow. “Yet you show not the slightest fear?”

Thirty-Two lifted his eyes to the low clouds drifting in the sky and smiled. “Foolproof.”

Zao Ying stared blankly. “???”

Utter confusion painted her face.

As the labor offenders dug, Zao Ying soon noticed something amiss. Eight of them were acting strangely. While ostensibly digging, they were subtly inching toward the edge of the worksite.

She leaned in close to Thirty-Two. “Third Manager, I fear those eight need closer watching.”

Thirty-Two glanced at the positions of the eight men, then lifted his gaze. The low clouds above had drifted directly over them. “No need, no need,” he chuckled. “Don’t fret, Mistress Zao.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than chaos erupted on the worksite.

Old Nan Feng suddenly lunged upward with explosive force, shoving the nearest guard. The guard, hardly a skilled fighter—merely one of Gaojia Village’s earliest batch of reformed labor offenders, possessing the combat ability of an ordinary villager—was no match for a hardened border army warrior. Sent staggering by the shove, he landed hard on his backside.

With a whistling sound, Old Nan Feng darted past him.

Seven subordinates sprinted hard on his heels.

All eight were exceptionally agile; their running speed, in modern terms, would rank them nationally as Class B track athletes. In the blink of an eye, they’d surged past the worksite perimeter and vanished behind a small earthen mound.

The other guards were utterly slow to react…

Several seconds later, the fallen guard finally bellowed, “Ow! Labor offenders escaping!”

Zao Ying couldn’t contain her whisper. “Third Manager, should I gather my brothers? We can mount up swiftly and pursue them for you.”

Thirty-Two shook his head with a smile. “Thank you for the kind offer, Mistress Zao. Relax and enjoy your visit. We have this handled.”

With that, he raised his voice and called out to the entire worksite, “Steady! Everyone remain calm! Hold your positions. Those eight are being dealt with by the Deity himself.”

The guards paused momentarily, perplexed, then noticed. A low cloud was trailing in the direction the escapees had fled…

Understanding dawned on them.

The guards began to chuckle. “The Deity’s got ’em.”

“Ah, never mind then. Let ’em run.”

“Let’s see who’s faster: men on the ground or a god in the sky?”

“Hahahahaha!”

Old Nan Feng and his men covered several zhang in mere moments. They flipped over a slope, vaulted a ditch, and sprinted dead north.

Though unclear about the local terrain or their exact location, they knew they were in Chengcheng County. Huanglong Mountain certainly lay to the north. Once they reached its cover, fear would abandon them.

Li Daoxuan watched the eight prisoners flee in disarray, thinking: How should I deal with you?

Simply smacking you home with one palm? Too dull!

These eight fellows deserved a far greater shock.

Since you enjoy prison escapes, I’ll let you experience the phrase “escaping prison” to its fullest thrill.

He frantically rummaged through the miniature toys he’d bought home and soon discovered something perfect: “Hamster Adventure.”

It was a large half-meter-square box filled with various “ferocious” traps: rotating plastic blades, terrifying plastic cockroaches, flipping traps, water pits, and more. To play, you’d place a hamster at the entrance and food at the exit. Then the little hamster would “bravely advance,” “overcoming every obstacle” to reach the goal for its meal.

Li Daoxuan adjusted his view northward, found a clear area big enough for the “Hamster Adventure,” and carefully set the box down. He followed the instructions: filling water where needed, placing rolling balls where indicated, arranging plastic cockroaches in their spots, inserting batteries, and flipping the switch…

Ready!

He then shifted his focus back to the eight escapees.

They were still running frantically, constantly glancing back over their shoulders.

The work site was now far behind, with no pursuers in sight.

Old Nan Feng cheered: “Seems we made it!”

The other seven also rejoiced: “Fantastic! Sticking with Brother Nan Feng was the right call, hahaha!”

Old Nan Feng felt quite smug: “Those amateur guards thought they could hold Old Nan Feng? Utterly delusional! I’ll escape clear to Huanglong Mountain, far from this cursed place—never returning.”

A subordinate whispered: “Aren’t we going to seek revenge?”

Old Nan Feng snapped: “Seek revenge? Against what? Did you not see that Dao Xuan Deity? That enormous hand? So huge! How do you fight that? Escaping alive is heaven’s mercy—and you talk of revenge?”

The subordinate murmured: “I didn’t dare consider revenge, merely asked.”

Old Nan Feng: “I deliberately didn’t harm the guards while escaping—just pushed them aside—precisely to avoid provoking vengeance…”

Hearing this, Li Daoxuan smirked: Interesting, he knows restraint. Useless, though. Restrained or not, he’ll return to labor camp. And before that, punishment for escaping! Time to feel the Dao Xuan Deity’s terror fully.

He slipped on the Thanos Gloves and—whoosh—brought one hand crashing down onto the ground right before the eight runners.

They were sprinting wildly when a massive golden hand suddenly descended from the sky ahead—THUD—slamming the earth directly in their path, identical to the scene witnessed earlier outside Chengcheng County.

“Aaaah!” All eight screamed in unison, collapsing to the ground with a collective thud.

“It’s over… can’t escape!”

“We’ve been spotted.”

Their faces twisted in despair, hearts sinking with dread.

No good outcome followed prison escapes. But he had avoided harming guards—perhaps leniency might yet be possible?

Just as this thought surfaced, the colossal golden hand slid behind them, looming like a massive wall pushing forward to crush them.

Utter terror seized the eight. They scrambled back up, sprinting desperately forward: “Run! It’s coming for us!”

Li Daoxuan carefully steered his hand, driving the eight figures toward the “Hamster Adventure” like panicked ducks.