Chapter 1: Prison Break

  The dark and musty prison cell was eerily quiet.

  Wang Lei sat in the corner of his cell with his knees hugged to his chest, thinking to himself: "It's been two days since I arrived here, I can't just sit and wait for death, I must think of a way to escape." Two days ago, Wang Lei was an agent of the Huaxia National Security Bureau, but now he had become someone with the same name and surname as him.

  However, his identity has undergone an earth-shaking change.

  In this life, he was a captured criminal who would soon be put to death.

  This year was the sixth year of Zhongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (189 AD). Emperor Ling of Han died, and his son Liu Bian ascended to the throne. The powerful general He Jin, who came from a humble background as a butcher, would die this year. Dong Zhuo, like a wolf or tiger, would enter Luoyang this year, opening up the grand scene of the heroes at the end of the Han Dynasty.

  But this has nothing to do with Wang Lei.

  Wang Lei was eighteen years old and a notorious thug in Ye County, Jizhou. Due to his parents' early death, Wang Lei began hanging out on the streets of Ye County at the age of thirteen, relying on his fierce temper to gradually establish himself. At eighteen, Wang Lei was tall and robust, already over 1.85 meters tall, and because of his ferocity, he was known as "Wang the Tiger" among the street thugs in Ye County.

  Wang Lei was involved in a group fight and accidentally killed someone, then he was caught and put into prison.

  Even if the original Wang Lei had a strong sense of inferiority, he would still be intimidated by the authorities and wouldn't dare to oppose them, so he would definitely wait for death. But now, the soul in this body is an elite special agent from a later generation, not bound by rules and regulations, and has no qualms about taking action, it's impossible to just sit and wait for death.

  For the past two days, Wang Lei had been thinking about escaping from prison. Wang Lei was not a historical fool, on the contrary, he was familiar with the history of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, and knew that an unprecedented great era was about to begin. Wars broke out everywhere, human lives were as cheap as grass, but such an era was also the time when heroes rose to prominence.

  With his ability, people who followed Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could easily become a general.

  "Wang Lei, dinner is ready."

  A quacking sound came, footsteps getting closer and closer.

  In an instant, a short and stout black-faced prison guard walked over.

  "Hiss!!"

  The prison gate opened, and the jailer walked to Wang Lei's side, put down the food, glanced at him with a slanting eye, and shouted in a haughty tone: "This is your last meal, eat it." The plate was full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, good wine and dishes, which were vastly different from the flatbread and thin porridge of the previous two days. Wang Lei's heart was as clear as a mirror, knowing that this was the last meal before his execution.

  He looked up at the prison guard standing still on the spot, didn't refuse, stretched out his hand to press down the roast chicken, tore off a chicken leg, and ate it with wine, drinking big mouthfuls of meat and big mouthfuls of wine, getting his mouth full of oil stains.

  Wang Lei looked up again at the prison guard who hadn't left after eating half of it.

  "Prison guard, big brother, there's too much food and wine, I alone can't finish it, you come too. Such good wine and dishes, it would be a pity to waste them." Before the prison guard could speak, Wang Wei continued: "If only I had known today, I wouldn't have fought with those rascals, regretting not doing so earlier."

  The tone is desolate, with a strong sense of regret.

  This sentence instantly made the prison guard relax his vigilance.

  The jailer's eyes fell on the wine and meat, and he swallowed his saliva. The jailer's family was not well-off and could not often eat good wine and meat, so he was quite moved. Moreover, seeing Wang Lei's sincere eyes, the jailer nodded, lifted his robe and sat down, smiling and saying: "You little devil is a dead man, eating good wine and meat is really a waste. Never mind, I'll help you out, do you have any last words to say? Just speak up, I'll try my best to fulfill them."

  The greedy worm in his belly could no longer hold back, stretched out his hand to grab the wine jug and poured it into his mouth, but did not notice a hint of coldness in Wang Lei's eyes.

  "Gurgle! Gurgle!!"

  The prison guard opened his mouth and didn't take Wang Lei seriously.

  "Brother Jailor, I've been wandering alone in Ye County for many years and have saved some money. I'm willing to give all my money to Brother Jailor, just ask him to help me with one thing."

  Wang Lei's face showed excitement as he looked at the prison guard.

  "Frankly speaking, I'll help you finish it."

  The prison guard patted his chest, with a thick smile on his face, unexpectedly gaining an unexpected fortune, which was also considered good luck.

  Wang Lei said with a smile: "There are ears on the other side of the wall, and Big Brother Prison Guard is leaning in to listen."

  "Alright, alright!! Be careful."

  The prison guard stretched his head over without any suspicion, but suddenly saw Wang Lei grinning.

  "Not good!!"

  The prison guard's heart skipped a beat, but it was already too late.

  In the blink of an eye, a large hand emerged from the darkness and clamped down on the prison guard's neck like a pair of iron pliers. The enormous force instantly caused the guard's brain to become congested with blood, filling his eyes with bloody streaks. The guard let out a loud wail, his voice filled with endless terror. He had never dreamed that the scoundrel in front of him would dare to take action and seize him, and it was a premeditated move at that.

  Wang Lei's eyes were icy cold as he said in a low voice: "Behave yourself, or I'll kill you."

  The prison guard's heart was cold and he secretly scolded himself for being too careless, while repeatedly nodding his head in response.

  "Undo the shackles on my feet!" Wang Lei ordered.

  "Yes, yes!!"

  The sound is muffled, but can be heard clearly.

  The jailer endured the pain in his throat and took out the key to unlock the shackles on Wang Lei's feet. Without the shackles, Wang Lei was finally free. He pinched the jailer's neck, and the two of them walked out, one in front of the other. As they went further out, Wang Lei's heart became increasingly excited.

  "Someone's coming!"

  Wang Lei and the prison guard walked out, suddenly hearing scattered footsteps.

  "Someone has escaped!"

  A loud and forceful scream suddenly echoed through the prison cell.

  The prisoner on the right side of Wang Lei burst out laughing, his eyes icy cold. In an instant, rapid footsteps rushed in, several prison guards charged in, the sound of clanging metal echoed through the cell, a number of sharp steel knives were aimed at Wang Lei and the guard he was holding hostage, quickly surrounding him.

  The jailer rushed in with a ferocious face and shouted: "Release him immediately, otherwise kill without pardon."

  Wang Lei coldly laughed twice and said in a low voice: "I was originally a dead man, what's the point of killing someone who can't be pardoned? Ridiculous."

  The prison guards were stunned and didn't know how to respond.

  "Wang Lei, release him immediately, I'll spare your life this once."

  A slender middle-aged man walked in, wearing a black long gown, with a high crown on his head, a jade belt around his waist, and his hands clasped behind his back. He slightly raised his head, his piercing eyes staring straight at Wang Lei, exerting immense pressure.

  "Your Honor!"

  The captured prison guard shouted, his face deathly pale.

  "Magistrate Zhuo is here!"

  Wang Lei's mind flashed with the information of the county magistrate of Ye County. The county magistrate in front of him was a historical figure, who had assisted Yuan Shao in competing for Ji Province and was captured by Cao Cao after Yuan Shao's defeat. He refused to surrender and was killed.

  Facing Zhuo Shi, Wang Lei remained calm.

  He grasped the jailer's neck with his hand, not loosening it in the slightest, and said in a low voice: "I killed first, escaped later, and also took the jailer hostage. According to Han law, I should be executed, but the county magistrate said he would spare my life, probably to calm me down. Once I release the person, the county magistrate will immediately send someone to capture me. A small trick like this can't deceive me. Let go, I'll release the person as soon as I leave the city."

  Juexu stared at Wang Wei, suddenly bursting into laughter.

  Wang Lei furrowed his brow and shouted: "Get out of the way immediately, or I'll kill the prison guard."

  He immediately exerted force with his hands, causing the prison guard to cry out in pain.

  Zhuo Shou didn't rush, but slowly said: "A small trick in front of this official is really a clumsy move. This official gives you a hundred chances, and you still can't kill him. At least before the situation becomes desperate, it's impossible to kill the protective charm. Once the prison guard dies, you will definitely die."

  "Ah-CHOO!!"

  Wang Lei's expression was grave, and he secretly said that Shi Shu was formidable.

  In one sentence, it reveals his situation.

  Ju Shou raised his hand, pointing at Wang Wei, with an overbearing air, and said loudly: "People say that the East City's Wang Laohu is a brave but brainless man. Today, I didn't expect to see that a street thug like you would have such cunning. Very good, very good." After a brief pause, Ju Shou continued: "I'll make a deal with you, release the prison guard and help me with something, and I'll spare your life."

  "How can I trust you?"

  Wang Lei's heart was as still as water, unmoved by the setback.