162.

The room still had that not-so-bright light on.

Qi Kexin walked quietly to a corner of the room. It was only at this moment that He Jiaojiao noticed a hidden little door there.

Then, Qi Kexin took out a small wire and patiently started manipulating the door lock.

The room became extremely quiet. After a while, there was a soft clicking sound.

Great! He Jiaojiao almost couldn’t help but cheer.

But then, she managed to calm herself down. This woman had been trapped for seven years; how could she have discovered an escape method so quickly after He Jiaojiao arrived? She asked cautiously, “How did you get this wire?”

Qi Kexin whispered, “It was used to secure the light originally. I took a piece of it.”

“What’s the method to open the door?”

“I’m afraid of being discovered, so I only dared to try it when Tan Li was sleeping.”

He Jiaojiao asked again, “Are you sure this is safe?”

Seeing He Jiaojiao’s hesitation, Qi Kexin’s expression turned cold, “If you’re not going, then stay here.”

He Jiaojiao looked around the room, hesitated for a moment, and then followed Qi Kexin.

Coming out of the room, they found a long upward corridor. The place had been dug out by people, with almost no visible steps, just a few wooden boards to step on.

Qi Kexin was very weak, needing to stop every few steps to catch her breath.

He Jiaojiao followed behind, climbing up with her hands and feet. After a while, they encountered a second door. Further up, there was a third door. Thankfully, these locks weren’t very difficult to open.

The whole process took about half an hour. Qi Kexin went out first, followed by He Jiaojiao.

Only now did He Jiaojiao realize that the place they had been held was deep underground. Her feet finally touched the ground, and her heart raced. Freedom was right in front of her.

She then took a look at the surroundings outside the room and froze.

It should be twilight by now, and the windows of the entire place were covered with a thin film, providing inadequate light.

She rubbed her eyes and looked again; it seemed like a warehouse. It was filled with various objects wrapped in plastic film. Some boxes were haphazardly half-open, containing wreaths, funeral garments, and paper money.

She was surprised, her eyes wide open. It turned out that this place was actually a storage room for a funeral supplies shop.

He Jiaojiao felt cold; she tightened her clothes, her teeth chattering.

She consoled herself, at least she had escaped from that dungeon.

She thought that after she got out, she would apologize to her mom. She shouldn’t have been so disobedient.

She resolved to study hard.

To always pay attention to her safety.

She didn’t dare to call out, afraid of attracting the man.

They walked through dozens of square meters of the warehouse. Eventually, Qi Kexin seemed unable to go on; she lagged behind, and He Jiaojiao opened the door.

Inside, she saw the man who had kidnapped her sitting in a chair by the door, smoking. He was waiting for them, just like a trap.

He Jiaojiao was stunned, then she saw Qi Kexin kneel down, crawl over, and prostrate herself at the man’s feet.

It was a trap. Everything was a trap.

At this moment, He Jiaojiao realized she had been deceived.

Qi Kexin had deliberately lured her into escaping, and she had been too eager to leave, not withstanding this test.

The man patted Qi Kexin’s head, then tossed a bag to her, and she thanked him profusely. Then the man took an apple from a nearby basket and gave it to her. Qi Kexin accepted it carefully and held it close to her chest.

This was the reward she had gained by deceiving He Jiaojiao.

He Jiaojiao felt furious; she clenched her teeth, trembling with anger.

Although she was not very experienced, she didn’t think of herself as easily fooled. She had even suspected that Qi Kexin might be deceiving her but had assumed that as fellow victims, they would help each other.

She didn’t want to think so poorly of this woman.

But she never could have imagined that this would be the outcome…

Just a minute ago, she thought she was free, imagining her life after going home.

However, reality had shattered all of her thoughts.

The man walked a few steps forward, touching her hair, “How is it? Angry and scared? This is what you, as a new member, need to learn. No matter how much you struggle, there’s no escaping.”

He lifted He Jiaojiao’s chin.

He Jiaojiao started to resist, but the difference in their strengths was immense.

The man began to beat her. He slapped He Jiaojiao repeatedly, then kicked and punched her.

He Jiaojiao endured the pain, not making a sound.

The man looked at her lying on the ground, barely conscious.

He watched the light in the girl’s eyes gradually fade, satisfaction on his face.

Then, he kicked He Jiaojiao again, pointing at Qi Kexin beside him, “Initially, they all went through this stage. But now, one by one, they’re as obedient as dogs. Good children who listen will be rewarded; naughty children who do wrong will be punished.”

How long can this stubbornness last? One day? Two days? A month, three months, a year?

Some of them have time, some have methods; they can wear her down bit by bit.

When Su Hui and Lu Junchi arrived at Yan Xiaorui’s house, it was already 8:30 in the evening.

Initially, Yan Xiaorui’s parents had refused to cooperate with the police and were reluctant to have them visit.

Using the reason of cooperating with the investigation, Lu Junchi directly brought his team over.

Yan Xiaorui was a pale and delicate young girl. She was twenty years old now, but she went missing when she was just fifteen, and when she returned, she was eighteen.

According to her parents’ testimony, after two years of normal life, she had recovered from her initial state of being non-verbal and could communicate normally.

Qu Ming and Lu Junchi began to question her about the details of her disappearance.

“How were you taken back then?”

Yan Xiaorui pursed her lips. “I was taken by a car… I walked up to a car, and the door suddenly opened. Someone came out and pulled me in and took me away.”

“What did the person who took you look like? How old?”

“I can’t remember.”

“What happened afterwards?”

Yan Xiaorui blinked, and her gaze was like that of a frightened deer. “Later… I was taken to a room.”

Lu Junchi asked, “Were there other girls in the room?”

Yan Xiaorui hesitated for a moment. “I can’t remember.”

Qu Ming pressed further, “You lived there for two years. How could you not remember? A girl went missing yesterday…”

“Stop asking me!” Yan Xiaorui covered her head, starting to cry. She cried loudly, her emotions agitated, shaking her head non-stop. “I really don’t remember…”

At this point, Yan Xiaorui’s mother came out and embraced her daughter. “Officers, please don’t pressure her. She really doesn’t remember. If she tries to recall those memories, she might break down. We’ll cooperate with the investigation, but we need to ensure our own safety… Do you want to drive my daughter crazy again?”

Qu Ming frowned. “Your daughter has been missing for three years. Haven’t you ever wondered or wanted to find out what happened to her?”

Yan Xiaorui’s mother said, “Now you want us to cooperate? When we reported it back then, we begged you to find our daughter. What did you say? Lack of evidence, no relevant information found. I went to the police station over and over again, looking for you for information, and came back disappointed every time. Now that my daughter is back, what happened doesn’t matter to us anymore. I just want to live a peaceful life!”

Qu Ming tried to persuade them further, “Can’t you think about the parents of other missing girls?”

Yan Xiaorui’s mother said, “During those three years when my daughter was missing, I learned a lesson: everyone has their fate. People must accept their fate. We can help with other people’s matters, but if we can’t help, so be it.”

At this point, she and her daughter embraced, both crying.

Lu Junchi looked at Yan Xiaorui. He could sense that she knew something, that the truth was in her mind. But she wouldn’t tell them, and without that, they couldn’t obtain crucial information.

Su Hui patted him and gestured him to come to the kitchen. He said softly to Lu Junchi, “She’s very frightened. She probably won’t tell you.”

Lu Junchi nodded. “I’ve noticed that too. Her fear seems to stem less from what happened back then and more from the presence of us police officers.”

Su Hui continued, “I think her fear isn’t just about the initial abductor, but more about us who have come here.”

Lu Junchi’s brow furrowed. “I have the same impression. She doesn’t seem to have escaped on her own; it’s more like she was released. Could she be suffering from Stockholm syndrome?”

Su Hui shook his head. “Stockholm syndrome refers to a hostage’s fear turning into other emotions toward their captor. As they move away from the dangerous environment, those emotions gradually diminish. It doesn’t make sense for it to persist for two years. She didn’t escape; she was released. She doesn’t seem to be in love or deeply attached to the abductor. It’s more like she’s keeping a secret.”

Su Hui paused for a moment and seemed to understand something but wasn’t ready to confirm it.

He continued, “I think, with her parents here, it’s better not to push her too hard. Prevent her from making any extreme moves out of fear.”

“She knows now that the police are investigating. If she still has connections to the criminals, she might try to contact them.” Lu Junchi said, “I’ll keep a close watch on that line of communication and continue the investigation.”

He Jiaojiao was dragged by her hair and thrown back into that small dark room.

Upon hearing the noise, Tan Li also woke up. She yawned, seemingly unfazed by these kinds of events.

Once the man left, He Jiaojiao didn’t care about the pain on her body anymore. She jumped up and grabbed Qi Kexin by the throat, pinning her against the wall.

She hated the woman in front of her even more than she hated the man.

She tightly choked Qi Kexin’s throat, a stream of foul language poised on her lips.

Qi Kexin didn’t have much strength left. Her face turned purple as she used her fingers to try and pry He Jiaojiao’s hands away.

He Jiaojiao suddenly snapped out of her anger. Was she about to kill someone? If she did that, what would differentiate her from the people who brought her here?

She let go of Qi Kexin.

Coughing and panting, Qi Kexin laughed, “You’ve only got this much skill, huh? You don’t even dare to kill me.” Her tone seemed somewhat anticipatory.

“Nuts,” He Jiaojiao cursed under her breath.

Tan Li chuckled softly.

He Jiaojiao looked at the two women before her, her anger evident. “Why can’t you two unite? Don’t you want to get out of here?”

Tan Li had been watching them fight with a smile just now. Now, hearing the question, she responded, “Little sister, you don’t know, do you? There’s a video surveillance system in this room. That man can see us anytime, anywhere, and knows what we’re doing, what’s happening. So, your little tricks are useless.”

Qi Kexin had rested for a while, and her complexion had finally returned. “I just wanted to make you understand the situation you’re in. You have no way to escape. It’s better for you to realize this early. You’re just getting beaten up; for me, it’s exchanging for a week of life. It’s very worthwhile.”

At this point, she handed the apple to He Jiaojiao. “Don’t be angry. In the future, you might do the same.”

He Jiaojiao stared at her with

fury, then knocked the apple out of her hand.

Qi Kexin sighed and lifted the bedding under He Jiaojiao’s sleeping board, revealing a cement platform underneath with wooden boards covering it.

She lifted the wooden board, releasing a nauseating stench. Then, she pushed He Jiaojiao forward.

Peering down, He Jiaojiao saw what appeared to be a several meters deep well. The dim light allowed her to see some objects at the bottom, along with tattered cloth, emitting a strong foul odor.

Qi Kexin said, “As long as we give birth to girls, he’s afraid of being discovered and won’t dare to bury them outside. He’ll just throw them in here.”

Only now did He Jiaojiao realize that the persistent foul smell in this room had a source.

She knew what was causing the smell.

For the past two days, she had been sleeping on top of corpses.

Unable to live, unable to die.

She finally understood the meaning behind the phrase “hell on earth.”

TN:

F*ckin hell?!! What the hell is this?! I’m breaking out in goosebumps. Another instance where I almost dropped this novel.