Along the way, the two girls huddled together in the cramped back seat of the van.
The vehicle jolted and swayed over the bumpy, uneven road.
The air conditioning hummed softly, blowing cool air that shut out the heat outside and gradually soothed the girls’ frayed nerves.
Nie Zhenzhen leaned quietly against the window, her gaze fixed blankly on the scenery outside as dense stretches of forest sped past behind the van.
Her thoughts slowly settled as she calmed herself and began to think seriously.
That man earlier had said his boss had spent a fortune to host this art exhibition.
So he should be someone with money.
But then why… had they been picked up in such a shabby van…
Out of politeness, she ultimately suppressed her intense curiosity and didn’t ask.
After nearly an hour and a half of driving.
The vehicle turned onto an even more remote, more primitive jungle path.
A strong sense of unease surged through the girl’s heart.
She spoke up cautiously, a hint of probing in her tone.
“Excuse me, brothers, where exactly are we going?”
“How much longer until we get there?”
The man in the passenger seat exchanged a knowing glance with the driver.
Then he turned around, his face breaking into a fawning smile.
“Almost there, almost there—just two more turns ahead.”
“It’s like this in the countryside. Stay a few days and you’ll get used to it.”
“So when can we see the exhibition?”
“We’d like to see it as soon as possible and leave as soon as we can.”
“After all… we have other plans lined up afterward…”
Nie Zhenzhen deliberately made up excuses, but the look in her eyes grew more and more panicked and lost.
“You’ve come all this way—no rush! Settle in and stay a few days, relax!”
“Our boss is a warm and hospitable man. He’ll throw you a welcome banquet and treat you right!”
The man tried to soothe the girl’s nerves, his tone as gentle and ingratiating as possible.
“Zhenzhen, since we’re already here, let’s just enjoy the exhibition.”
“Who knows—maybe that big boss is generous, and seeing that we’re loyal fans of his good buddy, he might even gift us a genuine piece or two as souvenirs!”
Unlike the girl’s tense and anxious mood.
Beside her, Xiang Wan was brimming with excitement at the prospect of seeing her idol’s paintings.
Nie Zhenzhen looked at her best friend’s thrilled expression, and her own unease eased somewhat.
She took a long, deep breath, trying to push aside those chaotic thoughts.
About half an hour later, the vehicle drove onto an extremely secluded, winding path.
But soon, the view opened up.
Finally, it came to a steady stop on a wide, open stretch of ground.
Before them stood the Grey Terror Compound, nestled deep in the dense jungles of the Southeast Asian border.
“Girls, get out!”
“Welcome to our compound—time to start your new lives!”
The man in the driver’s seat announced cheerfully, his manner sloppy and carefree.
Before the girls could even react, the two men had already gotten up.
They circled around to the back of the van, reached out, and yanked open the rear door.
Their movements carried a hint of force and impatience, signaling for the girls to get out quickly.
The two girls instantly sensed that the atmosphere around them was strange and hostile, and their hearts sank.
Instinctively, they shrank back, pressing themselves tightly into the corner of the seat, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Their eyes were filled with terror, their gazes darting about in panic, hands clutching nervously at their clothes.
Staring at the compound outside—heavily guarded and exuding a sinister air.
Their legs went weak, their hearts flooded with fear and helplessness.
No matter how the men outside urged them, they sat frozen in their seats, refusing to get out.
This act, without a doubt, completely wore away the men’s patience.
Their faces darkened instantly, and one of them muttered under his breath,
“Stupid bitches, don’t push your luck!”
Without another word, he strode forward, reached out with a pair of thick, powerful hands, and grabbed the girls’ slender arms. Ignoring their terrified struggles and flinching attempts to pull away, he forcibly dragged them out of the van.
The two stumbled, their bodies yanked off balance, and were dumped unceremoniously onto the ground, fear seizing their hearts in an instant.
They collapsed onto the ground, their terrified gazes sweeping frantically across their surroundings.
What met their eyes were concrete walls several meters high.
The tops were wrapped in dense layers of barbed wire and high-voltage electric fencing.
Every few dozen meters stood a cold, forbidding watchtower.
Guards armed with loaded rifles patrolled back and forth, their faces expressionless.
Their eyes were fierce, radiating an oppressive aura that warned strangers to stay away.
The entire compound was sealed off by two layers of fencing, like an open-air prison cut off from the world.
Surveillance cameras were everywhere, running 24/7 without pause.
Once you fell in here, there was clearly no chance of escape.
Inside the compound stood rows of gray buildings, four or five stories tall, their walls old and mottled, coated in tropical dust.
Signs at the entrance pointed to the administrative area, living quarters, processing zone, detention area, and punishment zone.
Not far off, there were even a small shop with a signboard, a rudimentary medical clinic, and hidden entertainment venues—a self-contained, closed-off city of sin.
The roads inside the compound were pitted and muddy, with stagnant water pooled in the corners of the walls.
The air was thick with a stifling, musty stench of mold, mixed with the nauseating smell of urine, the sour reek of sweat, and a faint, lingering trace of blood.
The heavy iron door slammed shut with a thunderous clang, its dull vibration echoing as it closed heavily behind the girls.
Then came the sharp click of a lock turning.
It completely sealed off the path behind them, trapping them firmly within this unfamiliar, oppressive cage.
Beyond the iron door stretched endless tropical woodlands, their greenery deep and shadowed.
Yet they only made this compound feel more like a living hell buried deep within the forest—a place where, once you entered, escape was nearly impossible.
Before Nie Zhenzhen and Xiang Wan could even process the scene before them, a man’s harsh bark cut through the air.
“Take them down and run the process!”
The man who had driven them here issued the order in a low voice to the two guards approaching from the front.
“Where are you taking us?”
Nie Zhenzhen reacted immediately, her mouth moving faster than her mind as she voiced her protest.
“Let go of me, don’t touch me!”
Xiang Wan, the tougher of the two, finally snapped back to her senses as well.
With one hand shielding Nie Zhenzhen and the other pointing at the man before her, her voice trembled and broke apart.
“Stay back!”
“Or else… or else I’ll… I’ll call… call the police!”
Nie Zhenzhen and Xiang Wan leaned on each other, struggling to push themselves up from the ground.
Their legs went weak and trembled from sheer terror.
They scrambled backward with all their might, dodging and evading, their words defiant and voices sharp with threats.
“Hahaha, yeah right!”
“You dare resist even here!”
“In a minute, we’ll teach you both the rules of this place!”
The man spat on the ground after speaking, then snatched the small bag from the girls’ bodies.
“Your things… big brother here will keep them safe for you.”
“Take them down and keep a close watch!”
The two towering, expressionless guards immediately stepped forward.
Their rough, powerful hands clamped down on the girls’ slender arms without mercy.
Their grip was brutal and forceful, dragging the trembling, frozen girls deeper into the compound.
The girls struggled desperately in terror.
But their feeble resistance was nothing in front of them.
Like a kitten’s scratching, it only fueled the guards’ urge to dominate.
Each guard grabbed one girl, locking them in an iron grip.
Ignoring the despair and panic spilling from their eyes, they half-dragged, half-carried the girls forward.