Volume 1, Chapter 19: The Approaching Boundary

The moment Zhao Hao’s body was dumped into the sewage, the icy touch triggered an instinctive struggle. Splashes of filth, mixed with rotting debris, hit his face and slid into his throat, followed by a pungent, acidic stench that surged into his nasal cavity, nearly making him vomit on the spot.

"Choke on a few mouthfuls, and you'll settle down," Scorpion’s voice seemed to emerge from an abyss, laced with a sickly, mocking playfulness.

Zhao Hao tried to jerk his head up, but a powerful hand pinned the back of his skull and shoved him violently back into the sludge!

"Glug, glug—"

The cold, filthy liquid flooded his nose, the stench like a viscous, toxic slurry clogging his windpipe. His limbs thrashed wildly as he tried to break the surface, but his head was held down with lethal force. His lungs contracted violently; the sensation of suffocation felt like a rusty blade hacking away inside him.

He was dying!

The explosive pain in his lungs caused his consciousness to blur. White spots flickered in his vision, and his body began to give up the struggle. Just as his consciousness was about to fade entirely, he was yanked out!

"Cough, cough, cough!" Zhao Hao gasped violently, like a phantom crawling out of hell, vomiting sewage as his face turned paper-white. Even his breathing was ragged and broken.

"Look at you, not much endurance, are you?" Scorpion crouched down, watching him with amusement. "But don't rush; the water torture is just the appetizer."

He gestured to a guard nearby.

Zhao Hao’s hands were crudely bound behind his back, and his body was shoved against a concrete wall. A second later, a dark shadow smashed into his legs.

"Crack!"

The sharp sound of bone fracturing echoed through the water prison. Zhao Hao’s scream was like that of a flayed animal, so shrill it made one's scalp crawl.

A rusted steel pipe had crushed his right leg, snapping the bone instantly. Agony flooded his brain, distorting his face. Tears mixed with sewage as he let out intermittent, agonizing wails.

"That's enough. Lock him up with A-Qiang and let them have a good chat about life," Scorpion said, clapping his hands in satisfaction as if admiring a broken piece of art.

Zhao Hao’s body was dragged away, blood dripping from his shattered leg into the sewage. He no longer had the strength to make a sound, only faint, shallow gasps proving he was still alive.

[Deep in the Water Prison]

Zhao Hao was thrown into the darkest corner, his body like discarded trash, in too much pain even to moan.

He opened his eyes slightly to see a figure in a similarly wretched state—A-Qiang.

A-Qiang was soaking in the sewage, his legs swollen and his skin covered in festering sores, the entire man exuding the scent of decay. He lifted his head weakly, glanced at Zhao Hao, and a mocking smile tugged at his cracked lips.

"New here?"

Zhao Hao’s lips trembled, his eyes filled with terror. He couldn't even imagine how A-Qiang had survived this long.

A-Qiang leaned slowly against the wall, a low, hoarse laugh rattling in his throat like a ghost who had seen through life and death.

"You'll get used to it." His voice was light, yet carried a chilling sense of despair.

Zhao Hao’s heart felt as though it had been gripped by a vice. He realized, finally, that this was the true hell.

[Late Night, Li Yang’s Dormitory]

The room was dim, illuminated only by the faint, pulsing red light of the security camera at the end of the hall, staring like an unblinking eye.

Li Yang leaned against the bed, his forehead pressed against the cold iron frame. The pain in his chest was harder to bear than any physical injury.

He could feel himself being pushed, step by step, into the abyss.

The sensation of the stun baton still lingered on his fingertips; the image of Zhao Hao’s agonizing convulsions and Scorpion’s cold smirk replayed in his mind.

"Have I become their accomplice, too?"

He stared at the cracks in the wall and closed his eyes tightly, his fingers fumbling under the sheet for a small scrap of paper—a copy of the transfer record he had secretly hidden, documenting the 500,000-yuan incomplete fraud involving "Cao Zhiguo."

He had to record it. He had to escape and expose everything here to the world.

But his reason reminded him once again: "You can't escape."

Just then, heavy footsteps echoed outside.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Someone was at the door.

Li Yang’s heart tightened. He quickly shoved the paper under his pillow, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.

The door opened to reveal a figure both familiar and strange—Da Xiong!

The guy who had been missing for a long time. Once a brutal enforcer on par with Scorpion, he was now a shadow of his former self—thinner, pale, and covered in unhealed scars, clearly having been subjected to his own share of torture.

"You..." Li Yang froze. "You're still alive?"

Da Xiong grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Of course. Mr. Wang let me come back to work."

He lifted his sleeve, revealing a large patch of unhealed electrical burns. "In this place... nobody gets to die that easily."

Li Yang was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Where did you go?"

Da Xiong’s smile vanished, his eyes turning cold. "Someone tried to escape last time, and I was sent to the back hills to 'reflect' for a few days."

"Escape?" Li Yang felt a jolt. "Who?"

Da Xiong glanced at him and said slowly, "A girl, from the KTV side. Heard she was... dragged back."

Li Yang’s heart skipped a beat. Xiao Ling!

He stared at Da Xiong, his voice trembling. "Xiao Ling... is she still alive?"

Da Xiong shrugged. "Alive, but who knows for how long? Mr. Wang’s take is... she’s already 'broken'."

"Broken?"

"Yeah." Da Xiong gave a cold laugh. "You know how it is. Here, anyone who’s broken is just... waste."

Da Xiong stood in the doorway, a cryptic, cold smile on his lips, as if he were watching a trapped beast.

"You mean... Xiao Ling?" Li Yang’s throat felt parched; his fingertips turned icy.

Da Xiong huffed, leaning languidly against the doorframe. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly. There was no pity in his eyes, only a cruel, playful curiosity.

"Yeah, dragged back," he said, flicking his lighter, the flame reflecting in his murky eyes. "But... she’s already broken."

Li Yang’s heart constricted. He could almost hear his own blood running cold. His fingernails dug into his palms as he tried to suppress the emotion surging within him.

"How is she broken?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Da Xiong raised an eyebrow, his smile widening. "How else? The people at the KTV were rough. She took a bad fall when she tried to run, ruined her legs. You know, 'broken' goods aren't worth much. Might as well squeeze out whatever value is left."

His tone was casual, as if he were discussing something mundane, showing no sign that he found anything pathetic or wrong with the situation.

Li Yang’s fists tightened, his chest feeling as if it were being crushed, making it hard to breathe.

"Xiao Ling... where is she now?" He tried to keep his voice steady, though he knew Da Xiong could hear the agitation in his tone.

"Where else? The small warehouse behind the KTV, where they keep the 'broken' goods." Da Xiong flicked his ash, glancing at him sideways. "Want to go see?"

Li Yang didn't answer, his eyes dimming.

"Don't look at me like that," Da Xiong laughed. "You're management now. If you want to see someone, you need Wang Meng’s permission. The KTV isn't a place you can just walk into."

Li Yang looked up at Da Xiong. He knew this man was Wang Meng’s right-hand, and that he had returned with a task. Sure enough, Da Xiong didn't wait for him to speak. He patted Li Yang’s shoulder with a laugh. "Wang Meng wants you to hurry up and get that five million. Stop obsessing over useless things. You’ve already got one million, haven’t you? Keep pushing."

One million... Li Yang’s heart jumped. He instantly understood what Da Xiong meant.

"Liang Zhenghua’s wife transferred five hundred thousand, and Liang Zhenghua transferred another five hundred thousand," he said heavily.

"But that’s still a long way from five million," Da Xiong grinned. "Wang Meng’s patience is limited. You should know that better than I do."

Li Yang was silent for a few seconds, his gaze deep.

"Got a way?" Da Xiong glanced at him, his tone mocking.

Li Yang took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Liang Zhenghua’s wife should be on her way to the school by now."

"Yeah," Da Xiong shrugged. "But what if you could get her to transfer another sum?"

Li Yang’s mind raced. He knew the excuse of the child being sick wouldn't work again. But that didn't mean they were out of options.

"If she finds out she’s been scammed, her first instinct will be to call the police," he said slowly.

Da Xiong laughed. "So, you have to make sure she doesn't have time to call the police."

Li Yang lowered his eyes, tapping his fingers on the table as he quickly pieced together a new plan.

"What is she most afraid of on her way to the school?" he muttered.

Da Xiong’s eyes lit up slightly. "That something actually happened to the kid."

"Exactly." Li Yang nodded, a cold curve forming on his lips. "Make her believe the child has been kidnapped."

Da Xiong roared with laughter and patted Li Yang’s shoulder. "Interesting. I like it."

Li Yang closed his eyes, knowing he had taken another step into the abyss.