Later, as my father recounted, after witnessing the live video of those scumbags in northern Myanmar sawing off my left little toe, he and my mother were overcome with emotion.
A man in his forties, my father, burst into wailing tears on the spot. My mother was crying inconsolably, berating and hitting my father as she was determined to come to northern Myanmar immediately to find me.
Just an hour after my toe was cut off, my father managed to gather 200,000 yuan and transferred it to the accounts of those northern Myanmar scoundrels.
Upon receiving the money, the attitude of these villains towards me improved significantly. Abu, who had personally severed my left little toe, even fetched a doctor to treat my wound and moved me to a clean room.
Compared to the dog cage I was locked in on the first day and the stinking cell from the previous night, the current room was like paradise. The room, over 30 square meters, was carpeted. The 1.8 - meter - wide large bed was soft and clean, and the large French window was spotlessly wiped.
Biting back the searing pain in my left foot, I dragged my exhausted body and lay on the clean and soft bed. For a moment, I was in a daze, unable to distinguish between reality and a dream. I was truly exhausted, both physically and mentally during these two days. Lying there, I soon fell into a deep slumber.
When I woke up again, it was already dark outside. I propped myself up and slowly got out of bed. Just after I used the toilet, Abu entered with a Myanmar man, opening the door. He was holding a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.
"You're injured. I specifically asked the kitchen to make some light food for you," Abu said with a smile as he handed me the bowl of noodles, looking quite solicitous.
Looking at the steaming bowl of noodles in my hands, my stomach rumbled embarrassingly, and I couldn't help swallowing several times.
"Let's talk after you've eaten your fill," Abu smiled and signaled another Myanmar thug with a gun to step back to the corner. Then he lit a cigarette, pulled up a chair, and sat with his back to me by the window, as if admiring the pitch - black night view outside.
This scoundrel was right. No matter what, one had to fill their stomach first. I picked up the chopsticks and began to eat ravenously. In less than two minutes, the entire large bowl of tomato and egg noodles was gone, not a drop of soup left. Strictly speaking, since I was tricked into this dreadful place the night before last, this was the first proper meal I'd had. I never imagined that this ordinary bowl of tomato and egg noodles would become a delicacy that I would yearn for in the long time to come. I don't know how many nights, whenever I thought of the taste of this bowl of noodles, my mouth would water.
"When will you let me go?" I put the chopsticks and bowl aside on the coffee table and couldn't wait to ask.
"It seems you were really hungry," Abu walked over, looked at the empty bowl with no soup left, and casually extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table.
"You yourself said yesterday that as long as my family could come up with 200,000 yuan in ransom and transfer it, you would let me go," I tried my best to control my emotions and refrain from shouting. At this moment, I still hoped that these scoundrels would keep their word.
"Of course, I'm the most trustworthy person," he said. "Originally, once the 200,000 - yuan ransom arrived, you could have left. But because of your father's cleverness and caution, we had to use a little trick to make him believe your actual situation and predicament. My friends and I went through so much trouble..." Saying this, Abu shrugged, pointed at my bandaged left foot, and continued with a smirk, "It's not too much to ask for some compensation for our hard work, right? And getting a doctor to treat your wound, including the room you're in today, and that bowl of noodles just now. These expenses are not included in the 200,000 - yuan ransom."
After hearing what this villain Abu said, it was as if I had been doused with a bucket of cold water in the middle of winter. I shuddered all over, and my teeth chattered with anger. I desperately wanted to lunge at this scoundrel and tear him apart. They had pulled out all the nails on my foot and sawed off one of my toes alive, and now they had the audacity to ask for more money. If it weren't for the last shred of reason left, constantly warning myself not to be impulsive in my heart over and over again, I would have definitely pounced on Abu.
The dream of being rescued by my family with ransom money shattered instantly at this moment. I wasn't stupid. I was just so desperate to leave this horrible place before. Now I had completely come to my senses. They could use treating my wound and providing food and accommodation as excuses to demand more money the second time, and might even use breathing the air as an excuse to ask for money again and again. It would be endless until my family had no more money.
I truly regretted it. If I hadn't been so eager to escape this terrifying place, this den of monsters, my parents wouldn't have used their life savings to feed these dogs. But now that the money had already been transferred to the accounts of these northern Myanmar scoundrels, it was too late to say anything.
"How much more money do I need to pay to leave here?" After fully realizing the situation, I sneered inwardly but asked calmly on the surface.
"30,000 yuan," Abu lit another cigarette and held up three fingers with a smile.
"Okay, I'll call my family tomorrow. You must keep your word this time," I pretended to clench my teeth and agree. After all, since 200,000 yuan had already been paid, most people could accept paying another 30,000 yuan.
"Don't worry, I Abu am the most trustworthy. As long as your family transfers another 30,000 yuan tomorrow, I promise to let you leave. Have a good rest here tonight, and I'll arrange for someone to send you off tomorrow," Abu said. After hearing the answer he wanted, the smile on his face grew even wider. Before leaving, he didn't forget to show some concern for me.
After seeing Abu and the Myanmar thug with the gun leave, I pretended to go to the toilet and entered the bathroom. As soon as I closed the bathroom door, tears began to stream down my face uncontrollably. I bit my hand hard to stop myself from crying out loud. Just a few minutes after I woke up, Abu, this Myanmar scoundrel, walked in with a bowl of freshly cooked tomato and egg noodles. This indicated that every move I made in the room was likely being monitored by these villains. I knew that I was probably doomed. I might end up perishing in this horrible place!
"I can't involve my parents anymore. Death is just facing upwards. At worst, I'll die here and rot here!" After crying, looking at myself in the mirror, with a tired face and bloodshot eyes, I made a silent decision in my heart. All the previous illusions disappeared with the complete severing of that little toe. From now on, either I'll die and rot here, or I'll escape from this hell on earth by myself.