Fate always seems to be toying with me.
Before Li Fei made an appearance, that despicable Abu showed up at the water dungeon first. I had never imagined that Abu would actually come in person to such a disgustingly filthy and stinking place as the water dungeon. Once he arrived, all the plans Yu Xiu and I had just formulated were instantly thwarted.
Unsurprisingly, I was taken away by Abu. Before departing, Yu Xiu and I simply exchanged a tacit glance, without uttering a single word. It appears that if I aim to be transferred to work under Li Fei in the porn business, I'll have to seek another opportunity.
I initially thought that Abu would compel me to continue calling home to demand money. In reality, I have no idea what this scoundrel is plotting. In the subsequent few days, he simply locked me in a cell and left me in isolation.
It wasn't until the morning of the fifth day that I was removed from the cell. These scoundrels from northern Myanmar first had me take a bath, then arranged a simple breakfast for me, and afterward led me to a room that resembled a classroom.
The instant I stepped into this room, I was under the illusion of being back in a middle - school classroom. Rows of old desks were arranged with great precision. A cursory look suggested there were perhaps hundreds of them. When I arrived, more than half of the desks were already occupied. I even spotted a few familiar faces among these people. They were the comrades who had been deceived and brought to northern Myanmar with me, my former colleagues in Banna.
"Go and find a seat to sit down," Abu said, standing on the podium with a smile and gesturing to me. I had already witnessed this villain's cruelty a few days prior. I knew better than anyone else that beneath his guise of a friendly neighborhood lad lurked a heart as brutal as that of a beast.
I hung my head in silence, quickly surveyed the surroundings, and then hastened to the vacant seat beside Xie Fangfang and sat down meekly like the others.
It had been over ten days since we were tricked into this hellish place, and everyone had endured inhumane torture to some degree. This was evident from their terrified and numb gazes.
Compared to before she came to northern Myanmar, Xie Fangfang had lost a significant amount of weight. Her eye sockets were sunken, and her eyes were vacant. She showed no reaction at all to my sitting beside her and seemed lost in thought. When I recalled what had befallen her on the second day she arrived here, I couldn't help but heave a deep sigh in my heart.
If at first I had felt a tinge of guilt and remorse for not rescuing her when I watched that scoundrel of a cook drag her away and assault her, that bit of guilt and remorse had long since vanished. In this infernal place, no one can even take care of themselves. Who has the energy to care about others?
Speaking of our fates, I'm hardly better off than Xie Fangfang. When my toenails were brutally ripped off and my toes were sawed off alive, who cared about me?
Anyway, although Xie Fangfang was violated and ravaged by several northern Myanmar scoundrels, at least her body remained intact. But with one toe missing, strictly speaking, I've become a cripple. With this thought, the little sense of guilt in my heart dissipated completely.
As groups of people were led into the classroom one after another, within a few minutes, this vast classroom was filled.
"Some of you already know me, while for others, this is the first time we've met," Abu said. "Let me introduce myself first. I'm Abu, the team leader of the Ninth Group in the Park's Telephone and Network Information Business Department. If nothing unexpected occurs, you will be under my command in the upcoming period.
"Our Ninth Group is distinct from the others. If you perform well while working with me, I assure you that you'll be safe and prosperous, enjoying fine food and drinks. Power, women, and even freedom will be within your reach!"
I must admit that Abu is truly a master of manipulating people's hearts. Sometimes, he seems to be able to read our minds like a worm in our bellies. Even though I was fully aware that he was painting an alluring but false picture, I still couldn't help but start daydreaming along with his words.
"Of course, there are rewards as well as punishments. Our group will conduct a minor assessment every three days and a major one every seven days. Whoever fails to fulfill the task will face a rather tragic end," Abu said with an even broader smile. But his smile sent chills down my spine. Not long ago, it was with such a smile that this brute personally sawed off one of my toes.
"Next, I'll first guide everyone to visit our group. After the visit, I'll arrange lunch for everyone, and the formal training will commence in the afternoon."
Then, under Abu's guidance, we first arrived at the basement floor of this low - rise building. I had been to this floor once before. The cell where my toenails were ripped off and a toe was sawed off was located on this floor.
"To be frank, the accommodation conditions on this floor are truly poor," Abu said. "However, you'll all have to stay on this floor initially. Whoever achieves good performance can move to a room with better conditions upstairs."
Abu was like a professional tour guide, leading the group on the tour while providing detailed and earnest explanations.
We thus toured from the basement floor all the way to the top floor. The basement floor had the worst conditions, being dirty, smelly, and damp, just like a prison cell. The luxury suites on the top floor were bright and clean. There was not only an independent bathroom and shower in the room but also a pure wool carpet on the floor. It was almost comparable to the suites in a five - star hotel.
According to what this scoundrel Abu said, as long as one performs well, one can live in the luxury suites on the top floor permanently. One can consume as much of all kinds of delicious food in the park as one desires every day. Red wine, champagne, and cigars will also be supplied in limited quantities.
Moreover, as long as one resides in the top - floor suites, if there are women in his group who have completed the performance level two or more levels lower than oneself, one can have sexual relations with them at will. What made my scalp crawl even more was that the people living in the top - floor suites could not only order around, scold, and beat those of lower levels at will but also had the right to kill once a month!
If one can live in the top - floor suites for three consecutive months, one can move freely throughout the park. If one lives in the top - floor suites for six months, the park will transfer 500,000 yuan to an account specified by you. If one can live in the top - floor suites for one year, congratulations, you'll regain your freedom completely. For those who are willing to leave, the park will also provide an additional 500,000 yuan for travel expenses. Those who choose to stay will directly become senior partners of the park. As for what rights one can enjoy as a senior partner, Abu didn't mention a word.
Even so, after visiting the top floor, I still noticed a kind of longing in the eyes of many people. I know that it's the yearning for better living conditions, for freedom, and even for power!
Not only the others, but I myself also felt my heart racing because of what this scoundrel Abu said. Before I knew it, a voice emerged in my mind: Complete the task, live in the top - floor suites!