During his rapid flight, Alex swiftly shifted his breathing pattern, slipping silently into a stealth technique.
In an instant, the noise around him vanished—no wind, no rustle—nothing but silence.
He glided toward the high prison wall like a shadow.
Using a strand of cobweb, Alex landed silently on the walkway atop the wall.
As a state prison, security here was exceptionally tight.
On the high wall's passage, watchtowers stood at regular intervals, massive spotlights sweeping across the compound.
Armed guards inside the towers scanned the prison below, their eyes sharp and unyielding.
Patrol teams roamed the inside, guarding against both escapes and intrusions.
The moment Alex touched down, a searchlight swept toward him.
If caught in its beam, he'd be fully exposed.
"So many damn lights," Alex muttered, eyes scanning the beams.
He raised his hand.
Whoosh! A strand of cobweb launched, anchoring to the top of a nearby watchtower.
Alex catapulted himself into the air, an arrow in motion.
The spotlight followed him, almost catching his silhouette—
—but Alex landed flawlessly on the back of the tower.
The spotlight swept over the front... and found nothing.
Below the tower, two guards stood on alert.
One squinted toward where Alex had vanished. "Did you see something just now?"
The other scanned the walkway and the wall. "Nope. Nothing there."
"We're in New York State Prison. With security like this, who would be stupid enough to sneak in?"
"Keep your eyes open," the first said. "The inmates here aren't your everyday criminals. One slip and it's not just our jobs—it's our lives."
"Yeah, no paycheck's worth getting killed."
The guards turned back to their patrol.
Above them, Alex clung to the edge of the tower's roof.
He surveyed the prison.
Red-tiled, gray-walled buildings filled the compound like industrial warehouses. No structure rose above three stories.
Designated activity zones were fenced off with metal railings.
"Where's the lab…?" Alex whispered.
Kurt's intel only said the lab was deep inside—but no exact location.
Alex needed answers.
Not from tower guards, though—they reported in groups and were rarely alone.
Instead, he'd target resting patrol guards. They walked the grounds every day—they'd know.
The layout was open. Even at night, between the sweeping lights and frequent patrols, it was easy to be seen.
But there was one advantage: Alex could study the entire prison system from this vantage point.
As the searchlights rotated, he memorized their timing and angles.
He logged every patrol route, number of men, and their exact schedules.
Within minutes, he built a complete mental model of the prison—each blind spot, each safe path.
Then, from the edge of the guard's vision, he dropped down silently.
He calculated over a dozen safe entry paths. He picked one—and sprinted into the prison's depths.
"Those two compact buildings... not prison cells. Must be guard dorms."
As he approached, the two-story buildings came into view.
Alex scaled the outer wall and peered in.
Some rooms were occupied, some empty—each with a single bed and one person.
Prison guard uniforms hung neatly inside. No doubt about it—this was the guard's dormitory.
He spotted a rotating camera above the corridor.
From his pocket, he drew a custom USB stick.
When the camera turned away, he sprang forward, leapt up, and plugged in the USB.
Seconds later, a green light blinked. The camera was now looping empty footage.
The USB also gave Alex access to the prison's intranet.
He checked a phone linked to the device—no unusual alerts had gone out.
Satisfied, he scanned the shoes outside each room.
Patrolling guards had more worn, dirt-covered shoes compared to those working indoors.
Alex found his target.
He picked the lock and crept inside.
A middle-aged white man was sound asleep.
Alex pulled a pistol and pressed the cold barrel to the man's forehead.
The guard snored on.
Alex frowned. "Really? This guy's this careless?"
He ended his silence technique and tapped the man's face.
Still snoring.
"...I choose the big ones... kiss..." the guard mumbled, lips puckering.
Expressionless, Alex slapped him.
Smack!
The guard jolted awake—only to stare down a gun muzzle.
Fear drenched his face.
"I ask, you answer. You scream—you die."
The guard nodded frantically.
"Where's the laboratory?"
"I—I don't know! I swear! We only have a gym, exercise yard, and a labor workshop. No lab!"
Alex pressed, "Any strange or restricted zones?"
"Not in my area," the man whispered. "I patrol the perimeter. Core areas are guarded by another team."
"Who's assigned to that?"
"Dorm 123. Right side as you exit."
Alex knocked him out.
He quickly found Dorm 123, repeated the process, and this time—success.
"There is one place," the second guard admitted. "The warden's private building."
"No patrols. No visitors. Off-limits."
Alex demanded the location, then knocked him out cold.
Moments later, he stood before the warden's villa.
A standalone three-story building, wrapped in layers of surveillance.
Unlike other areas, armed soldiers patrolled here.
Military uniforms. Rifles. Not guards—southern-region soldiers.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "So this is where the lab is..."
He observed: only the ground floor had patrols. The second and third floors were empty.
"That means the lab's either here—or below."
He disabled external surveillance with his device.
But the building's system was on an isolated internal network—he couldn't hack it remotely.
Alex activated his stealth mode and darted through shadows, dodging lights and guards.
He slipped inside and reached the local control room.
He plugged in another USB.
Success. He accessed internal surveillance.
Dozens of feeds lit up on-screen.
He found a room with no one inside and crawled along the ceiling to it.
Then—he spotted it.
A vast underground laboratory with sealed experimental rooms.
It was dead silent, save for a lone researcher flipping through a notebook, then fiddling with a phone.
Clearly underground. No visible stairs or elevators.
Then, he saw someone enter a storage room—and later reappear inside the lab.
Alex's eyes lit up. "The storage room is the entry point."
The newcomer changed into a lab coat and relieved the person on duty.
As the off-duty worker left, Alex raced to the storage room.
It appeared empty.
But behind a wall—he heard the sound of an elevator.
He clung to the ceiling above the wall.
Ding.
A section of wall opened to reveal an elevator.
The worker stepped out.
Click-clack.
Her heels echoed as she walked away.
Alex dropped silently onto the elevator roof and rode it down.
On the lab floor, the new person on duty glanced toward the empty elevator, confused.
"Did he forget something?"
The doors shut again.
Then—a hand slipped between them.
They reopened.
Alex emerged quietly.
He scanned the lab, eyes gleaming.
Finally—he was in.
He dropped silently behind the distracted worker.
The man felt a chill and turned.
A black-clad figure stood behind him.
He froze. His hand darted for the alarm.
Thwip! A web shot out, binding his arm to the table.
Alex raised his pistol and leveled it at the man's forehead.
"One word—dead. The Super Soldier Program. Did a prisoner named Carl gain powers here?"
The man nodded quickly. "Yes!"
A glimmer of triumph crossed Alex's eyes.
He had found it.