Night at the Kingfisher Bar was less noisy and more alluring than the day; brightly dressed girls stood throughout the bar, waiting for customers to offer prices.
Once the price was agreed upon, they would head to the room area behind the front desk for the transaction.
High-end girls, who were more expensive, had their own private bedrooms on the second floor to provide better service.
As soon as the beautiful and graceful Levi appeared, he quickly attracted many gazes.
However, Lorraine stood by his side, signaling that Levi’s price was high and not something an average person could afford.
Thus, many cast fiery looks and spoke vulgar words, but no one actually came over to ask for a price.
Levi felt that these patrons were more fanatical, hungrier, and more lustful than the johns he had seen before.
Few were local residents of Iron Cross Street; most were decently dressed and had come from elsewhere specifically for pleasure.
Gang thugs stood in various corners of the bar, arms crossed or hands in pockets, watching the drunks making trouble and the girls who weren’t working hard.
A gang thug saw Lorraine and hurried over, whispering in her ear:
“Lorraine, that bitch Biki hasn’t been back for three days.
We can’t find her anywhere.
Should I issue a execution order in the Underground Market?”
A execution order was a ruthless method used against girls who dared to run away; the fate of those caught was extremely miserable.
Lorraine glanced at him:
“Wait another two days.”
“But…”
Before the thug could say more, Lorraine spoke again:
“Biki is the star of the shop.
Issuing a execution order would be bad for business.
Let’s just wait and see.”
The thug shook his head noncommittally and returned to his corner against the wall.
Levi looked at Lorraine and asked:
“The shop’s star girl ran away?”
Lorraine said with a complex expression:
“To be precise, she’s missing.
Girls go missing from the shop from time to time.”
Levi showed a look of realization:
“So, Samira wants to train me to be the star to fill her vacancy?”
Lorraine nodded:
“Perhaps.”
Just then, a scream rang out.
Levi turned his head and saw an ordinary-looking girl, appearing to be in her teens, being grabbed by the hair by a thug and dragged to the back rooms.
Soon, miserable screams and pleas for mercy were heard.
Levi clenched his fists and looked at Lorraine.
Lorraine sighed and said slowly:
“That girl was just bought by Samira.
She didn’t want to take guests, so she deliberately quoted a very high price.
But clearly, the thugs won’t allow that to happen…”
Levi nodded.
He didn’t question why Lorraine didn’t help; in this environment, even if she could save one, she couldn’t save them all.
After a while, the young girl limped out of the room area, her clothes disheveled, sobbing quietly, one eye clearly swollen.
Throughout the process, no one spoke up, and no one felt anything was wrong.
Only a new customer walked haughtily toward the young girl and took her back to the rooms for a very low price.
Lorraine sighed again and said:
“Girls like her, who aren’t particularly attractive, will soon break down under the weight of exhaustion and disease.
When that time comes…
come with me and see.”
Saying this, Lorraine led Levi into the back room area.
She first went to the kitchen, found some bread, vegetables, and meat, placed them on a large tray, and then carried the tray through many twists and turns to a dilapidated Door.
Before even pushing the door open, a foul, fishy stench wafted out from the room.
Levi subconsciously frowned and couldn’t help but want to cover his nose.
Lorraine, as if used to it, pushed the door open and walked straight in.
In the dim room, a very wide ‘bed’ sat against the wall.
Rather than a bed, it was more like a wooden board propped up on junk and covered with some ragged cloth.
Seven or eight women lay on the bed, some old, some young.
Every one of them was pale and bloodless, their eyes devoid of life.
Seeing Lorraine enter, one of the older, ordinary-looking women scrambled up.
As she rose, a rotten, fishy smell was stirred up, making the air in the room even more pungent.
“Lorraine, Ms.
Lorraine, Madam Lorraine…
please, I can still do it.
My body is better now.
Please let me take guests.
I really am better…”
She spoke tremulously, murky tears flowing from the corners of her eyes.
Her lips and tongue were covered in white pustules, causing her to hiss in pain with every word she spoke.
Lorraine didn’t speak.
She gently placed the tray at the head of the bed and took a small bottle from her inner pocket, placing it on the tray.
“Apply it to the affected areas; it can reduce the pain…”
She spoke softly and turned to walk out of the room.
“Lorraine, Lorraine, don’t leave!
Don’t leave!
I still can, I can still take guests…”
Compared to the woman screaming with all her might, the other women were more like Zombies, just lying there breathing faintly.
Levi felt his mind go numb.
He had an impulse to burn the place clean, as if that might give these women some relief.
But on second thought, he had no right to take the lives of others, even if they were in extreme pain and despair.
He could only sigh deeply and follow Lorraine out of the room.
The two walked for a long time before Lorraine slowly spoke:
“The day after tomorrow, Samira will send them to the Factory Workshop District.”
“Why?”
Levi asked, somewhat dazed.
Lorraine said with eyes devoid of emotion:
“There are many vagrants and poor workers there.
They have no money to marry, they need a release, and they don’t care if they catch a disease.
Even if they don’t get sick, they won’t live long anyway.”
Levi was stunned.
He hadn’t expected that he still thought of evil and suffering too simply.
His hands were tightly clenched, his fingernails digging into his flesh, drawing beads of blood.
“But the Factory Workshop District is the Black Scorpion Gang’s territory!”
Levi tried to find a loophole in Lorraine’s words, hoping to make this tragic speech a falsehood.
Lorraine smiled contemptuously:
“To make money, Samira would cooperate with a Demon.”
She continued:
“They won’t last long before they die.
Then, Samira will sell their bodies to the Hospital as experimental material for studying venereal diseases…”
“Enough!”
Levi growled, almost roaring, nearly exposing his original voice.