As time gradually slipped away, I had gone through the entire list of the first batch of pre - screened targets with my calls, yet not a single one had fallen for the trick. My anxiety grew ever more intense, gnawing at me like a relentless beast.
I was left with no alternative but to once again set my sights, with a heart hardened by desperation yet filled with internal conflict, on those elderly people, pregnant women, and rural migrant workers I had previously marked. These were the most vulnerable among us, and targeting them felt like a stab to my own conscience, but I was driven to this point by the direst of circumstances.
The money held by these people could well be their hard - earned life savings for their twilight years, amassed through countless days of toil and frugality. Or perhaps it was the college tuition they had painstakingly saved for their children's future, a symbol of their hopes and dreams for the next generation.
But what options did I have?
Was I supposed to refrain from deceiving these people and simply resign myself to having my kidneys harvested, my blood drained, and my body reduced to fertilizer by those despicable criminals in northern Myanmar?
No!
I couldn't bring myself to accept such a horrifying fate. I was just an ordinary person, not some paragon of virtue. I was driven by the most primal of instincts - survival. Because, in truth, I had no other way out.
Silently, I gazed at the remaining part of the list in my trembling hand, and with a heavy heart, whispered an apology. Then, clenching my teeth so hard that my jaw ached, I dialed the number of an elderly man whose name was at the top of the list.
"Hello, is this Zhang Guangshou? This is the Second People's Hospital of Guancheng. Your son Zhang Tao has been in a car accident and is currently undergoing emergency rescue in our hospital. At present, we require the family to pay the surgery fees..." The moment the call connected, I launched into the telecommunication fraud routine as dictated by the script I had been forced to learn over the past few days.
Hearing the worry and eagerness in the old man's voice on the other end of the line, a powerful sense of guilt washed over me like a tidal wave. But what did that matter? Compared to the overwhelming fear of having my organs removed and my lifeblood taken, this guilt seemed almost insignificant.
I wasn't sure if I was lucky or not, but this fraud call was surprisingly successful. The elderly Zhang Guangshou was immediately taken in by my deception over the phone and promised to rush to the nearby bank to remit the money as quickly as possible. He implored us to save his son at all costs, his voice thick with fatherly love and desperation.
After hanging up, I immediately dialed the number of the old man's son, Zhang Tao, and pretended to be a client, engaging him in a conversation that lasted over ten minutes. The purpose of this lengthy chat was to keep his line occupied, preventing the old man from reaching him and thereby uncovering our fraudulent scheme.
After speaking with Zhang Tao, I resumed my guise as a staff member of the Second People's Hospital of Guancheng and called to press the old man, Zhang Guangshou. One reason was to minimize the chances of him attempting to contact Zhang Tao again, and the other was to heighten his sense of urgency, further ensnaring him in our web of deceit.
In this manner, I alternated between playing the roles of a hospital staff member, a client, and other fabricated identities, constantly making calls to the old man and his son. I was like a juggler trying to keep multiple balls in the air, doing everything in my power to prevent the two from making contact.
It wasn't until over forty minutes later, when a sum of 30,000 yuan for the surgery fees arrived in the account, that I finally let out a deep sigh of relief that seemed to come from the very depths of my soul.
I had never expected that the first successful amount of telecommunication fraud in my life would be as high as 30,000 yuan. You must understand, that was a significant sum of money over ten years ago. This money was likely the life - long savings that the old man had accumulated through years of hard work. Ironically, with just a few phone calls, I had managed to swindle away the fruits of the old man's entire life of labor.
After hanging up the phone, my emotions were in an extremely complex state. I was both elated and reluctant, both fortunate and guilt - ridden.
What brought me happiness and a sense of luck was that with the money in the account, I had successfully completed the telecommunication fraud assessment. This meant I no longer had to face the terrifying prospect of having my kidneys removed or being bled dry.
Moreover, according to the standards set by that scoundrel Abu, as long as one achieved a performance of over 20,000 yuan on the assessment day, one could be directly promoted to a Level B salesperson. This promotion came with a host of benefits. I could move from the dank and gloomy basement cell on the negative first floor to a more comfortable triple room on the second floor. I would also be able to enjoy white rice and delicious meat dishes for every meal in the coming week, and even take a hot bath daily. In addition to this significant improvement in living standards, there would also be an extra pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine every week. Cigarettes and wine were truly precious and scarce commodities in this hellish place. Many people had never set eyes on them from the moment they entered this nightmare - like environment until the day they died.
However, what weighed heavily on my conscience and filled me with guilt was the thought of what would happen when the old man and his son discovered they had been deceived. They would surely be consumed by rage, and the emotional turmoil could drive them to take extreme actions. Especially the old man; it was entirely possible that he might be so devastated that he would consider taking his own life because of this betrayal. But the situation had already reached this point, and I felt so helpless. All I could do was silently hope in my heart that the father and son would be able to find some measure of peace and understanding.
Previously, I had been single - mindedly making phone calls to deceive people, driven solely by the desire to save my own life. Now that I had completed the assessment, there was no longer a need for me to continue defrauding others. As for achieving 100,000 yuan on the assessment day and moving directly to the penthouse suite to experience the treatment of an S - level salesperson, I had never even considered such a thing. Being able to move from the filthy and stinking basement cell to a relatively better triple room on the second floor was already more than I could have hoped for, an unexpected stroke of good fortune in this otherwise desolate situation.
Damn it, I hadn't been truly brainwashed by those despicable criminals in northern Myanmar like Abu. I had no intention of wholeheartedly climbing the ranks to become an S - level ace salesperson. What I truly yearned for was simply to escape this hellish place alive, not to become part of the power - hungry and cruel hierarchy that dominated this already nightmarish place that operated under the law of the jungle.
But I never dreamed that in the subsequent period, although I had never planned to ascend the ranks by any means in this cut - throat environment that operated under the law of the jungle, circumstances would force me to attempt every possible way to reach the top of the food chain. And the only reason for this was to save my own life!
After having the good fortune to scam 30,000 yuan, in order to avoid attracting too much attention from those northern Myanmar criminals, I still dutifully picked up the phone and continued to make calls. But this was just a pretense, a way to deal with those villains, not a genuine attempt to defraud more money.
Just when I thought the telecommunication fraud assessment would pass without incident, something completely unexpected happened around four o'clock in the afternoon.
Some guy, whether through extraordinary luck or some other unknown factor, managed to scam a staggering 118,000 yuan in one go. After confirming that the other party had actually transferred the money, the guy was beside himself with joy. He was jumping up and down, shouting and laughing maniacally in the office like a deranged monkey let loose from its cage.
This incident even caught the attention of Abu, who came over specifically to praise him a few words in person and gave him a pack of cigarettes as a reward.
After receiving Abu's reward, the guy's face was flushed with excitement, holding the cigarette box high above his head as if he were an Olympic champion clutching a gold medal. He looked so proud, as if he had achieved something truly remarkable instead of engaging in a heinous act of fraud.
Seeing this ludicrous scene, I couldn't help but roll my eyes in disbelief. It was a combination of being amused by his absurd behavior and exasperated by the situation as a whole. I couldn't believe that someone could be so quickly and thoroughly brainwashed.
However, this simple act of rolling my eyes brought me unexpected and unwanted trouble. The guy noticed my expression and charged over, jabbing his finger at my nose from above and shouting angrily, "What was that look just now? Were you unconvinced or jealous?"
Unconvinced? Jealous? I'd have to be crazy to be jealous of the pack of Hongta Mountain cigarettes that cost only 7.5 yuan in China in his hand! I furrowed my brow in annoyance and chose to remain silent. I had no desire to waste my energy arguing with this lunatic in front of me.
But the more I tried to ignore him, the more riled up he became. He directly poked his finger on my forehead and sneered, "I remember you. Don't think that just because you've got blood on your hands, I'll be afraid of you."
I was a bit confused. What on earth was he talking about? His words made no sense to me.
After saying that, the guy then turned his head and groveled towards Abu, wearing a sickeningly obsequious smile. He asked, "Group Leader Abu, I remember you said that if one completes a performance of over 100,000 yuan on the assessment day, one can be directly promoted to an S - level ace salesperson, right?"
Abu gave him a knowing look and nodded with a bright smile, "To be exact, one can temporarily enjoy the treatment of an S - level ace salesperson for a week. In the next week, you can live in the penthouse suite, eat and drink well, and also smoke good cigarettes and drink good wine."
"Thank you, Group Leader Abu." After getting Abu's affirmative answer, the guy arrogantly lifted his chin and continued to ask, "Can I sleep with any woman I want this week? And can I order around, beat, and scold anyone of a lower rank than me?" When he said this, especially when he mentioned ordering around, beating, and scolding others, he deliberately looked at me twice, as if trying to intimidate me.