Volume I, Military Penitentiaries Chapter 2: The Rain Comes to the Mountain
By Xiao Xiang Dong'Er Translated and Arranged by Angel Chua
Edited by Angel Chua 01 June 2019
At midnight, Chu Qiao shut the bathroom door. She went to the wash basin and washed her hands.
The prisoners were dead, and not the slightest sound could be heard. This time of day was one of the most exhausting. Even with the rigorous training of special forces for alertness and physical strength, energy was slightly diminished. Chu Qiao looked calm as she washed her face, picked up the towel on the shelf, and carefully dried herself. The sound of the rushing toilet made her pulse quicken, counting the silence of time.
Ten, nine, eight, … five, four …
Time to... Chu Qiao calmly turned toward the bed.
Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed, and water gushed out as subtle fire burst from a pipe under the impact of the water. Chu Qiao, standing nearby, was hit by the torrent. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor.
Outside the prison, the guards were caught off guard. Chu Qiao saw the prisoners breaking out, some hit by explosions. She couldn't count who was alive or dead. Panic gripped her as her hands and feet shook. Two prison guards rushed to press the switch password, holding submachine guns. However, the brief pipeline blast had disrupted communication. For five seconds, only the rustling of an unknown signal could be heard at the station.
As the guards approached the bathroom to investigate, the previously unconscious woman suddenly opened her eyes. With the agility of a cat, she sprang forward toward the door. The guards were stunned, but before they could shout, the door slammed shut.
Chu Qiao paid no attention to the guards' frustration as she moved closer to the monitoring room. Before long, the video footage was sent to a small DV. She quickly cut and deleted parts of the video, dragging a chair to climb out. She saw the prisoners and took the camera outside, reversing the DV screen to face the camera. After setting up the playback, she returned to the monitoring room and cut off the radio signal transmission.
Time was on her side. The simple blasting device had self-repaired, and the water pipe leak was quickly sealed. Inside the prison, the two guards roared in frustration, unable to escape their sealed cage. The monitor returned to normal, displaying footage from an hour earlier: a peaceful scene of Chu Qiao sitting quietly on her bed while the guards patrolled.
Chu Qiao, with her sharp eyes, surveyed the area for security guards.
Back in the control room, she found a box, changed out of her wet clothes, and donned a prison guard's uniform. She grabbed an HK pistol with a silencer, holstered it at her waist, and walked out.
The two guards opened the gate recklessly, letting Chu Qiao pass by unnoticed.
The fourth prison, adjacent to the capital, was a secret detention facility. It was where national senior military court hearings for repeat offenders were held. Security was of utmost importance. Each dormitory had its own defense system, linked to the latest security technology. The detention center was equipped with high-end weapons, strong monitoring systems, and strategic personnel deployment. The setup was designed to be flawless. Each post had three national special military guards, with two gates, just as Chu Qiao's dormitory had. A password was required to open the gates, and outside the prison, entry required fingerprint scanning and verification.
Three prison guards rotated in shifts, but only two were present. Chu Qiao, having prepared a fingerprint film in advance, docked it against the scanner. A click confirmed the access. Wearing the standard uniform, Chu Qiao was indistinguishable from the officers in the eyes of the two national soldiers, allowing her to slip out unnoticed.
After exiting, she found herself in a long corridor. The prison was underground, and she still had a long way to go to achieve her goal. She had one hour of recorded footage, and time was running out.
Four individuals were detained, awaiting rulings from the military court. Three were major offenders, while the fourth floor housed the officer's office. The second floor was the prison lobby, where foreign guests were received, and staff meetings occurred. Chu Qiao's mission was to reach the lobby and escape unnoticed. She recalled all her escape training as she began her journey.
It took her about two minutes to reach the end of the corridor, leaving the prisoners behind. Armed with heavy machine guns, senior fighters guarded the area. There were no air ducts, no sewer pipes—only the concrete corridor. The chances of escaping were slim.
A soldier spotted Chu Qiao, his face tensing. He raised his weapon and shouted, "Stop! What's your password?!"
Chu Qiao, unblinking, walked steadily toward him, her back straight, holding a thick file. "I am from the Military Law Department, Colonel Liu Fanghao. I have an order for station 12658. I'm here to deliver an important document."
The soldier hesitated, confused. He frowned and said, "Report to Executive Colonel Tan Zongming. He isn't on duty tonight. Please provide your password credentials."
Chu Qiao responded, "The fourth prison's military law department doesn't require such documentation. I was personally invited by the warden to assist with a case. Colonel Liu Fanghao sent me three days ago. You weren't informed?" Chu Qiao frowned and scrutinized the soldier. "Which army are you from? I don't recognize your code."
The soldier, recognizing the mention of senior military personnel, was taken aback. "Report, Executive. I am from the Southern Eighth Army, 309 Army, 571 brigade task force. We were assigned here two years ago, so we weren't briefed on Colonel Liu Fanghao's orders."
Chu Qiao's expression softened slightly as she nodded. "You're with the Southern Eighth Army? How is Deputy Governor Liu? Did you escort him to Beijing?"
The soldier, in awe, quickly replied, "Deputy Governor Liu is well. Our group was transferred to the fourth prison but didn't return to the south with the main force."
Chu Qiao nodded. "I'm also from the Southern Eighth Army, once part of the Intelligence Inspection Service. We're comrades. I'm here on behalf of Colonel Liu Fanghao. There are tasks to complete. Take this document to the transmission station, inform Zhang's Chief of Staff, and ensure the Commander knows that Colonel Liu will visit the military law school at six in the morning."
She turned and walked away, leaving the soldiers stunned, holding the file.
Out of the dormitory, Chu Qiao leaned against the wall, panting softly. She checked her watch: ten minutes had passed. Time was slipping away. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and continued forward.
After passing through layers of security—fingerprint decoders, infrared scanners, and retina scanners—she reached the second floor. She looked at the military law school's room and smiled slightly. She had found the password and fingerprint she needed to unlock the final door.
"Very good," she whispered. She had found the password and fingerprint to unlock her path to freedom.