With Yu Xiu's assistance, I managed to clamber out of the water dungeon with tremendous difficulty.
Lying on the edge of the water dungeon, which was teeming with maggots and flies swarming about chaotically, I was like a fish on the brink of desiccation, gasping for air raggedly.
After pushing me up from the water dungeon and then struggling to haul herself out, Yu Xiu was also utterly exhausted. After all, she had been immersed in the water dungeon for even longer than I had.
"You two filthy piglets reek even worse than the filth in the cesspool!" The despicable guard of the water dungeon, his nose wrinkled in disgust, spat out a curse. Then he dragged a water hose over from the side and snatched up a high - pressure water gun, aiming it at us and starting to spray.
On the night when I was first lured to northern Myanmar and deceived, I was also locked in a dog cage and doused with a high - pressure water gun. It was an experience filled with both excruciating pain and demeaning humiliation at that time.
However, now, as the high - pressure water gun blasted against me, I actually felt a sense of strange enjoyment and relief welling up within me. The impact of the high - pressure water gun on the body was undeniably uncomfortable, yet it also managed to wash away the grime clinging to my body. In a certain sense, it played a role in debridement and disinfection to some extent.
I lay prostrate on the ground, curling my body tightly and shielding my head with both hands, allowing this northern Myanmar scoundrel to spray the high - pressure water gun at me. I even silently prayed in the depths of my heart that he would continue spraying for a while longer, so that I could be cleansed more thoroughly.
Two or three minutes later, the high - pressure water gun ceased its spraying. Only then did I gradually loosen my grip and open my eyes to sit up. Although a stench still lingered on my body, it was far less pungent compared to when I was in the water dungeon.
As soon as I lifted my head, I saw Yu Xiu also rising from the ground. The prison uniform with the same number was plastered completely to her body, making the contours of her figure stand out with remarkable clarity.
Yu Xiu's skin was fairer than that of my fellow villager Xie Fangfang. Her figure was a vision of alluring curves, with long, shapely legs, a slender waist, and an ample bosom. Even on the first night when I entered the park, I had witnessed the naked forms of all my companions, among them several young women. However, compared to Yu Xiu at this moment, the figures of those female companions paled in comparison.
Even though I knew deep in my heart that it was both inappropriate and rude, my eyes remained fixed on Yu Xiu's body as if drawn by an irresistible magnetic force that I couldn't break free from. After all, I was just a 22 - year - old, hot - blooded young man this year, a fresh graduate from university who had only experienced one romantic relationship.
Until... Yu Xiu raised her head and nonchalantly gathered the long hair that had been cascading in front of her behind her head. When I beheld her face clearly, all the desires and impulses that had just surged within me vanished in an instant, without leaving a single trace.
Good heavens! What a face it was! Scarlet scars crisscrossed wildly, there were wounds seared by cigarette butts, and scratches of unknown origin. I could vouch that if Yu Xiu's face were to be seen by the children at the kindergarten entrance, not a single one of them would be spared from being terrified into tears.
"You damned whore! How dare you play me? Looking like this, you still have the nerve to repay me!" This northern Myanmar lowlife was also taken aback by Yu Xiu's face after she was washed clean. Cursing vehemently, he charged forward and began punching and kicking her savagely, as if he had suffered the gravest of insults.
It was evident that this northern Myanmar brute was seething with rage. He showed no mercy in his violent assault on Yu Xiu, pouring all his strength into each blow.
When I saw the scoundrel guarding the water dungeon grabbing Yu Xiu's hair and attempting to hurl her back into the water dungeon, I quickly scanned the surroundings and noticed that the nearest northern Myanmar thug with a gun was several hundred meters away from the water dungeon.
Should I just kill this bastard? At this moment, a fierce determination took root in my heart. Yu Xiu had landed in this dire situation because she was trying to save me. I simply couldn't stand by and watch her be beaten to within an inch of her life and then tossed back into the water dungeon.
Just as I was stealthily getting to my feet to take action, Yu Xiu also caught sight of my intention. After giving me a look that cautioned me against being rash, as if she had reached a momentous decision, she seized the opportunity to clutch the thigh of the thug who was dragging her.
"Big brother, although my face is ruined, my body is fine. After all, you don't have to look at my face, right?" Yu Xiu's words brought the thug's dragging to a halt, as if he had been jolted awake by her statement.
I saw the thug's eyes roving wantonly over Yu Xiu's body for a couple of rounds, and the lascivious fire in his eyes burned with an increasingly fierce intensity.
"Go and strip off your clothes and wash yourself thoroughly with soap, inside and out. I don't want to catch any diseases," the thug snarled ferociously, grabbing Yu Xiu a few times. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he halted his attempt to undress her.
Yu Xiu cast a discreet glance at me, replied with an affirmative, and walked towards the faucet. In full view of me and this northern Myanmar thug, she slowly removed her already sodden clothes.
"This bitch has a really nice body. If it weren't for that ruined face, she could definitely fetch a high price!" The thug was ogling Yu Xiu as she bathed, his breathing growing heavier and heavier as he muttered to himself. If it weren't for the fear that she had been soaking in the water dungeon for too long and might be carrying a large number of toxic germs, this brute would probably have pounced on her already.
I, too, was staring at Yu Xiu blankly. I was certain that this naked body before me was the most beautiful and captivating female form I had ever laid eyes on in my entire life, be it in real - life encounters or in pornographic movies.
The thought that in a few minutes, Yu Xiu would be brutally violated and tortured by this northern Myanmar thug stabbed at my heart like a thousand needles.
What on earth was wrong with me? I couldn't help but question myself inwardly. In this living hell where one's kidneys could be cut out at any moment to be used as fertilizer, I still had the mental space to think about such things.
Hah! I forced myself to avert my eyes from Yu Xiu's bathing and, even more so, to block out the thoughts of her impending violation by this northern Myanmar thug. However, the more I tried to suppress those thoughts, the more vividly they emerged in my mind.
But what could I do at this time? Yu Xiu had done all this. Part of the reason might have been for her own escape from the water dungeon, but more importantly, wasn't it for my sake? Perhaps, ultimately, she intended to use me to break free from this nightmarish place. But for now, it was definitely to prevent me from perishing in the water dungeon.
If I were to recklessly rush forward and kill this thug in front of me, the fates of both Yu Xiu and I would surely be doomed to a most tragic end.
At this moment, my mind was in utter turmoil. After much agonizing thought, I finally watched helplessly as the freshly - washed Yu Xiu was led by the water - dungeon - guarding thug to the small house not far away.
Before leaving, Yu Xiu quietly pointed at the soap for me.
Watching Yu Xiu's receding figure, I subconsciously clenched my fists so tightly that my fingernails dug deep into my flesh and I nearly ground my teeth to powder.
Until Yu Xiu and that thug entered the house, I remained mute, not uttering a single word.
"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!" Not knowing how to release the pent - up emotions within me, I could only lash out at myself, slapping my face furiously.
After slapping myself seven or eight times, I wiped the tears from my face and picked up the soap to scrub my body vigorously.
At this moment, there was only one thought dominating my mind.
Escape alive! And take Yu Xiu with me!