The sun blazed ferociously today. Before noon, the temperature had already soared past thirty degrees.
Exposed to the sun's intense rays, it seemed as though every fly and maggot in the entire water dungeon had sprung to life, whether they were on the water's surface or lurking beneath.
As the weather grew hotter, the indescribable stench became increasingly intolerable.
The scorching sun had dried out my lips, and my head spun dizzily, making me feel like a fish on the brink of death from dehydration.
Even more unbearable was that the wounds on my body had been soaking in the filthy, bacteria - ridden water for several hours, causing them to throb with an agonizing itch.
Especially my left foot, where the toenails had been yanked out and a toe had been sawed off. Every instant, it felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at it and frantically burrowing into my flesh. The urge to scratch was maddening, yet I couldn't reach it, an indescribably torturous sensation.
I knew all too well that if this continued, I likely wouldn't survive much longer.
"You've got a fever," Yu Xiu said with great concern as she waded through the water and reached out to touch my forehead.
"I know. It must be from the wound infection," I replied weakly. My drowsy head lurched, and then I plunged into the water, swallowing two large gulps of the dirty water, which sent me into a violent coughing fit.
"Hold on. Try to keep your head up. Don't drink the water in the dungeon," Yu Xiu exclaimed, startled. She held my chin firmly to remind me.
After choking on the dirty water, I regained a bit of consciousness. I struggled to face upwards and clutched the prison bar tightly to prevent myself from falling back into the water.
"Help!"
"Somebody! There's a person dying here!"
"I know I was wrong. Please let us out."
Seeing my condition, Yu Xiu immediately began shouting at the top of her lungs. She yelled for over half an hour until her throat was parched and her voice became hoarse. Finally, a Burmese thug with a cigarette in his mouth came over, frowning.
"Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" the Burmese guard of the water dungeon bellowed as soon as he arrived, clearly enraged by our shouts. I suspected that if Yu Xiu hadn't annoyed him so much with her yelling, he wouldn't have bothered to come.
In this sweltering heat, the water dungeon reeked so horribly that an ordinary person would likely vomit on the spot if they got anywhere near it. No wonder the guard was so reluctant to approach.
"If we stay in the water dungeon any longer, he'll die. Please let us out. We truly know we were wrong and will never do it again," Yu Xiu pleaded hoarsely while surreptitiously kicking me in the water.
Now that there was a glimmer of hope for escape, I didn't want to perish in this water dungeon either. I quickly summoned my strength and looked up at the Burmese thug.
"Brother, I was wrong. I really know that," I said. "I promise to be obedient once I'm out. I'll do whatever you ask."
"Brother, if you let me out, I'll be forever grateful."
In this devil's lair of northern Myanmar, where one's life was constantly at risk of being taken and organs harvested, dignity and pride were worthless. For the tiniest chance of escaping alive, not only would I call this Burmese thug "brother," but I'd even lick his shoes without hesitation.
"Grateful to me?" the Burmese thug sneered. "You lowly scum, not even worth as much as a dog. Do you think you deserve to be grateful?" He walked over to me, a sinister grin on his face, and then stomped on my right hand.
The pain made me scream out loud, jolting me fully awake.
"Brother, have mercy on his hand. Don't break his fingers. Otherwise, Sister Fei will be furious," Yu Xiu cried out. She quickly tried to pry the thug's foot away while rapidly bringing up Li Fei, one of the four managers in the park.
Not only were the captives in the park terrified of Li Fei, but even the local Burmese workers were extremely cautious of her.
So when Yu Xiu invoked Li Fei's name, the Burmese thug removed his foot from my hand.
The Burmese thug's eyes scanned Yu Xiu and me back and forth twice before he furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you Sister Fei's people?"
"I'm Yu Xiu. I take care of Sister Fei's pets. I was punished and locked in the water dungeon because I accidentally spilled the food of her pet," Yu Xiu explained.
"He's Li Qiang. He just entered the park three days ago. Sister Fei has seen his information and is interested in him," she added.
Seeing that Yu Xiu's story seemed plausible, the Burmese guard believed her about eighty percent.
Although the four managers in the park were supposed to have distinct responsibilities and not interfere with each other, Li Fei's domineering manner, her abnormal control - loving nature, and more importantly, her complex relationship with the big boss behind the scenes made the other three managers reluctant to cross her.
"Brother, please help us send a message to Sister Fei. Tell her we're truly sorry. Once we're out of the water dungeon, we'll be loyal to her. From now on, we'll follow her orders without question. Please ask her to give us another chance," Yu Xiu pleaded.
"Brother, as long as we can get out of this water dungeon, I swear I'll repay you handsomely. I'll fulfill any of your requests. You know Sister Fei's standards for choosing people. I'll make sure you're satisfied," she continued.
I was completely bewildered by Yu Xiu's last statement. Wasn't she just making empty promises?
Could this Burmese thug really be taken in by her big talk?
"You'll really repay me and meet all my requirements?" the Burmese thug's eyes lit up as he leered at Yu Xiu and licked his lips.
"I promise!" Yu Xiu nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with sincerity.
I couldn't help but wonder. Yu Xiu had been trapped in the telecom fraud park for over two months. What could she possibly have of value left? What could she use to repay this Burmese guard?
It seemed that all she had left of value at the moment was her body. Was she planning to use it to repay the guard?
Also, she said that Li Fei was interested in me after seeing my information. Was that true or just something she made up?
As I listened to the conversation between Yu Xiu and the Burmese thug, one doubt after another filled my mind for no apparent reason.
Perhaps Yu Xiu's promise had touched the Burmese thug, or perhaps he was simply afraid to let us die easily in the water dungeon. After all, being assigned to guard the water dungeon indicated that his status in the park wasn't high.
After Yu Xiu talked to him a few more times, the Burmese thug hesitated for a moment and then opened the water dungeon.