After I gave him a few stern looks, Ba Yi quickly covered his mouth, terrified that I might somehow squeeze out and beat him up.
"You pighead! You know how disgusting she is. Do you really think someone as handsome as me would be interested in her?"
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the iron bars, weakly continuing my rant.
I was fuming. When I get out, I'm definitely going to settle the score with them.
"You mean..."
Ba Yi, the wooden-headed, straight-laced science and engineering guy, finally figured it out after a solid 98 seconds.
"I'll explain when I get out."
I glanced around and gave him a look to keep his mouth shut.
"Got it, bro."
Ba Yi nodded in a way that showed he half-understood, looking so adorably clueless that I couldn't help but laugh and be annoyed at the same time.
"Get to work before you get caught."
I urged him to leave quickly. If a lackey delivering slop found him here, he'd definitely get a beating.
It wasn't worth him getting hit just for me.
"Don't worry. I'll work hard to get better food and secretly bring it to you."
Ba Yi clenched his fists, speaking with determination.
"Don't come. If all goes well, I should be out today. Go now."
If all goes well, it means something will go wrong. Whether I can get out depends on whether Professor Ace shows up today.
If he doesn't, I'm definitely dead tonight.
Lady Luck smiled on me last night, but she won't be here tonight or any night after.
"I don't care. I'll bring you food, no matter what!"
Ba Yi retorted stubbornly and ran off before I could scold him.
His 1.85-meter-tall figure running towards the morning sun was so full of youth.
It's ironic how we spend the best years of our youth miserably trapped in this hellhole.
Out here, I realized how sweet the air outside is; how peaceful the 9-to-5 life is; how happy it is to see the sunrise and have dinner with family...
"Wrench, what's happened to you? Please, don't let anything bad happen to you. I won't rest in peace if something does!"
Staring at the fiery red sun, I muttered, feeling utterly unsure.
"Ha ha ha, grandpa's here to give you all a bath again."
The lackeys' taunting laughter echoed once more.
So noisy.
I opened my eyes, annoyed at the sight of them preparing the high-pressure water hose, worried about the girls and whether they could endure this.
With infected wounds and no treatment, their lives were at risk.
"Whoosh"
The water jet hit me hard, hurting like hell.
The water created several puddles beneath the cage, big enough for goldfish and turtles.
"Ahhhh!"
The girl in the neighboring cage screamed in pain as the lackeys held her down, spraying her swollen, bleeding private parts and chest.
It was heartbreaking and tear-inducing.
I buried my head in my knees, unable to listen to their cries anymore. If this continued, I wouldn't last long either.
The daytime heat was unbearable, and being sprayed with high-pressure water for two hours was torturous. At night, the temperature dropped, making even an iron man sick.
As I convulsed in the cage from the spray, the water suddenly stopped.
"Professor Ace, why are you here?"
In my daze, I heard the lackeys mention Professor Ace's name.
I thought it was just the end of the time, but Professor Ace, the old fox, actually came!
Was he really here?
Excited, I tried to pull myself up by the bars but fell back down due to exhaustion.
Mud splashed on my face, making me look utterly pathetic.
Gritting my teeth, I endured the pain and clung to the bars, pulling myself up again.
I didn't want Ace to see me as a worthless wreck.
Not a defenseless, useless person.
Forcing my swollen eyes open, I looked into the distance, thrilled.
It was him!
Ace had really come!
I had a glimmer of hope!
Wrench had overcome all odds!
"Cough, cough," I coughed violently, clutching my aching chest, gasping for air.
I couldn't tell if my face was covered in mud or tears.
"If I hadn't come, you would've been tortured to death by now. Get lost!"
Ace angrily scolded the lackeys.
"Yes, yes!"
The lackeys quickly dragged the hose and ran off.
"These useless scum, only good at torturing the piglets," Ace muttered disdainfully, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses as he strode towards me.
The wet ground dirtied his shiny black shoes and white trousers.
"Professor..."
I clung to the bars, tears choking my voice as I looked at his elegant figure.
"Open it, let him out. I don't like talking to people while they're squatting."
Ace ordered, and the bodyguard behind him immediately opened the cage and let me out.
Clinging to the hope of survival, I crawled out of the cage and leaned weakly against the bars.
"Thank you."
"So, what do you have to trade with me?" Ace asked calmly.
The old fox, I knew he wouldn't offer terms first. He wanted me to make the offer.
He would weigh it.
Only if he thought the benefits outweighed the costs would he let me return to the workshop.
Clutching my chest, I weakly said, "Professor, if you can make Liu Eleven stop torturing me, I guarantee a big order within a week."
"Oh? How big?"
Ace asked, intrigued, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"At least this much, and I'll find a way to get it into your account."
I waved my swollen fingers, making a firm promise.
Ace smirked, "And if you fail?"
I met his gaze firmly, "Then you can do whatever you want with me!"
He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, scrutinizing me for a full 10 seconds.
Finally, he spoke slowly, "Alright. But I have one more condition..."
"Go ahead. If you can guarantee my safety in the camp, I'll fulfill your next condition!"
I steeled myself, deciding to gamble everything.
Better to risk it all than live as a stray dog in Myawaddy camp.
As long as Ace could keep me safe and alive, I would follow his instructions.
"Do you know about the Shura Arena?"
"Not really. I heard it's a place where piglets fight to the death for entertainment."
"Naive!" he laughed, "It's an arena where major camps gamble their lives. The big camps here have a few fighters who participate in underground fights regularly, with very high stakes. The fighters sign death warrants.
Because in the arena, one must die to end the match.
So, it's rare to see mutual destruction.
In just over a month, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be a grand match. The opponent is the Southeast Asian underground champion with ten consecutive wins..."
"You mean you want me to fight in an underground match for you on the Mid-Autumn Festival?"