"Ah!"
The excruciating pain made me scream out loud. Seeing my left big toenail being completely pulled out by Liu Shiyi, tears of agony streamed down my face.
"Ahh," I panted heavily, clenching my fists, seething with anger and pain.
"How does it feel? Pretty intense, right? There's a saying, 'Good things come in pairs!' I'm pulling out two toenails, because one just isn't enough, hahaha!"
Liu Shiyi threw the bloody toenail on the ground and grabbed the other toenail on my other foot.
The pain was unbearable, at least a level 6 on the pain scale. With red-rimmed eyes, I glared at him, wishing I could kill this sadist right then and there.
The big toe from which he had pulled the nail was bleeding profusely, completely numbed by the pain.
Not satisfied with just that, he had his henchmen bring a 10-centimeter long steel needle. He forced my hands open and drove the sharp needle under my fingernails.
Both hands were now a bloody mess. The pain, as the needle pierced under my nails, was indescribable, making my scalp tingle and leaving me breathless. With a dirty sock stuffed in my mouth, I couldn't even scream. It was sheer torture.
I'd rather take ten punches from Pai Tun than have steel needles driven under my nails. The pain was indescribable. As he continued, I felt I would break.
"That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
Seeing me shaking and drenched in cold sweat, Liu Shiyi put down the bloody needle. He patted my face and said, "Don't die on me. Otherwise, I'll have to explain to that old fox Ace, hahaha!"
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see his disgusting face. At the same time, I silently vowed that if I ever got out of here, I would kill him.
After Liu Shiyi left, his henchmen threw me into the dungeon. Looking at my swollen, bleeding fingers and toes, I lay helplessly on the ground, just hoping to survive this.
Besides me, there were five other people in the dungeon, one of them a woman. They were all in similar states, badly beaten and bruised.
"Hey, what did you do to get locked up here? I recognize you."
A man sitting in the corner suddenly spoke.
"Killed someone," I said weakly. I tried to sit up but found my body too sore to move. I lay there like a dead dog on the concrete floor. My swollen arms occasionally sent sharp pain through my brain. Pai Tun's punches and kicks were indeed powerful.
"Did you kill a manager?"
Seeing I couldn't move, the man walked over and helped me sit up. It turned out we had attended Professor Ace's class together before, though we hadn't interacted much.
Leaning against the damp, moldy wall, I rasped, "One of Liu Shiyi's right-hand men—one I kicked into the hospital and the other I killed."
"!!!"
The man was shocked, staring at me in disbelief for several minutes before slowly speaking, "Are you serious? You really killed Pai Tun!"
Seeing his skeptical look, I forced a smile more painful than crying, "Does it not look like it?"
He shook his head and said honestly, "No, you look more like a professor or a lawyer, not a martial artist!"
I didn't respond. My chest hurt as if a heavy stone was crushing it, making it hard to breathe.
"If you really killed Pai Tun, Liu Shiyi will torture you to death."
The man looked at my bleeding hands and feet with sympathy.
"Then so be it. I just feel a bit unwilling..."
I turned my head away, tears uncontrollably streaming down my face.
"Hey, does your family have money? Maybe they can pay to get you out."
"Useless. No amount of money will get me out."
"Same boat, then. I'm probably going to die too. At least we can keep each other company on the way."
"Hmm?"
I looked at him puzzled. He didn't look like he was going to die. Apart from his tattered clothes, he didn't have any obvious injuries like the others. Maybe he'd be let out in a couple of days.
"My performance was poor, so they locked me up here. The supervisor said there's a 'pig riding and dog walking' contest in two days. The losers will be fed to the crocodiles."
"You mean we're both going to die. At least we won't be lonely on the way to the underworld."
He leaned against the wall and gave a bitter smile.
In the dim light, I saw his face clearly. He had a crew cut, yellowish skin, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a square face, a straight nose, and a broad mouth. His eyes were resolute, his face thin, but he exuded an air of integrity. He was about 1.75 meters tall, neither fat nor thin, and seemed a few years older than me.
"Hunan?" I asked, looking at his bloodshot eyes.
"Yes, you sound like you're from Changsha."
He turned to look into my eyes and grinned.
His yellow teeth revealed he was a heavy smoker.
"Yeah. Who's your supervisor?"
"We're in the building next to yours. The supervisor is an old pervert named Yang."
"Old buddy, I won't die, but Liu Shiyi will make my life hell."
I closed my eyes, the pain making me not want to talk anymore.
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly pleaded, "My name is Luo Fei, 28 years old, from Shaoyang. They call me 'Screwdriver.' If you get out, can you call my family and tell them to cancel my engagement and report her family to the police? She tricked me into coming here."
He began crying again. "I feel like I've disgraced my old unit. Boohoo!"
I twitched my mouth, not knowing what to say to comfort him. I painfully lifted my swollen right arm and gently placed it on his shoulder.
"It's not disgraceful. I was also tricked by a female classmate."
"You have internal injuries."
He wiped his tears, looking at the blood at the corner of my mouth.
"I won't die. My master said I have a long life ahead."
But my master is already in his nineties. Will he live to see me return?
"Take him out."
Suddenly, Wrench came in with a gun, followed by Abu and others.
My heart sank. Liu Shiyi must be planning more torture.
"Where are you taking him?"
Screwdriver clenched his fists, standing in front of me protectively. I had underestimated his courage.
"Move!" Abu aimed his gun at him, ready to hit.
"Abu, give me some face. Don't hurt him."
I tried to stand, but my body failed me, and I fell again.
"Old buddy, are they going to bury you alive?" Screwdriver held me up anxiously.
"No. Don't worry. I won't die. Show your worth, and you won't die either. Trust me."
I grabbed his hand, enduring the intense pain.