The next morning, Nie Zhenzhen was jolted awake by the harsh glare of sunlight.
With no curtains to block the light, even sleeping in until she naturally woke was a luxury.
Fortunately, after a full night’s rest, her strength had mostly recovered.
But her throat, parched from going so long without a single drop of water, was dry and itchy beyond endurance.
The burning, searing sensation was so intense that even swallowing saliva made her wince in pain.
The second day had only just begun.
Nie Zhenzhen felt like she could barely hold on. She turned to glance at Xiang Wan beside her.
Xiang Wan was staring vacantly at a spot on the ground, her eyes hollow, her entire body devoid of any sign of life.
The sun in Southeast Asia was notoriously merciless, hanging high in the sky year-round.
Rain was a rare commodity—days without a single drop were the norm—which only added another layer of despair to the girls’ already helpless hearts.
Around noon, the guards escorted several newly arrived girls, slowly making their way toward the wooden stakes.
Occasionally, a girl who had endured three full days of exposure would be released from her post.
Watching scene after scene unfold before her, a deeper fear crept into Nie Zhenzhen’s heart.
After three days, where would she be taken? What kind of scene awaited her?
She didn’t dare to think any further…
After all, she had to survive this ordeal first before she could even hope to find a way out…
…
Nie Zhenzhen and Xiang Wan finally endured the full three days of torment under the scorching sun.
For three days, not a drop of water had passed their lips, not a single grain of rice had touched their stomachs. Hunger and thirst had long since worn down every ounce of their strength.
Their lips were cracked and pale, their throats as dry as if packed with sand, the agonizing thirst drilling into their very bones.
Their empty stomachs convulsed with cramping pain.
Wave after wave of hunger surged up, clouding their vision with black spots, their bodies swaying precariously.
When the guards untied the restraints behind them, the girls’ legs gave way and they collapsed to the ground like helpless shells devoid of any resistance.
Their souls seemed to be slowly draining away as the guards roughly and carelessly dragged them off…
The dungeon was hidden in the deepest recesses of the compound, underground, where not a single ray of sunlight ever reached. It was lifeless and oppressive.
Damp, chilling air seeped continuously from the cold stone walls, mingling with the stench of rot, mildew, urine, ammonia, and a faint trace of blood—so thick it made one’s chest feel tight and suffocated.
The walls were mottled and peeling, covered in slick, dark green moss.
The floor was pitted and uneven, with pools of blackened, stagnant water that felt sticky and cold underfoot.
Heavily rusted iron bars sealed the cells shut, thick chains wrapped around the railings, hung with ice-cold shackles—everywhere exuding the despair of imprisonment.
In the corner lay only a pile of moldy, withered straw, filthy and disheveled, while mosquitoes and flies buzzed aimlessly in the darkness.
Nie Zhenzhen and Xiang Wan were callously thrown into the cell, like trash casually discarded.
Besides the two of them, the cell held over a dozen other girls around their age.
Each one was gaunt and haggard, their faces pale and sallow, their eyes veiled with a dead, ashen emptiness—not a spark of life in any of them.
Some curled up on the moldy straw piles, arms wrapped around their knees, disheveled hair covering their faces, eyes vacant and lost;
Others slumped against the cold, damp stone walls, their bodies utterly spent, shoulders drooping, limbs limp and powerless—too weak to even lift their eyes, only the faint rise and fall of their chests showing they were still alive, numbly enduring;
Still others hid fear and terror in their eyes, bodies trembling uncontrollably, gazes darting away, afraid to meet anyone’s eyes, fingers unconsciously scraping at the rough ground, their brows etched with cowardice, exhaustion, and the dejection of resignation.
The silence was terrifying, broken only by the relentless drip-drip of water seeping through the stone walls.
The entire dungeon was like a living tomb buried deep underground—oppressive, cold, despairing…
No one spoke. Only the faint sounds of muffled sobbing and stifled breathing drifted through the deathly stillness.
They were like broken rag dolls whose souls had been ripped away, trapped in this sunless cage, waiting for an unknown fate…
Before long, water and bread were tossed into the cell one after another.
Instantly, the girls around them turned into a horde of mindless zombies.
Just moments ago, they had been lifeless, scattered throughout the cell.
Now, they surged recklessly toward the same direction in a frenzy.
Desperately fighting over the water and food.
The moment they got their hands on the food, they shoved it into their mouths, barely even chewing.
They were like a pack of starving wolves, stripped of all humanity and dignity.
Nie Zhenzhen and Xiang Wan were deeply shaken by the scene before them.
By the time they snapped out of it and moved forward to claim their share of food and water,
They found the ground already in complete disarray—there was no clean water or bread left…
The two exchanged a speechless glance, their eyes filled with shock and helplessness.
The cell quickly returned to calm, so calm it was as if the frantic scramble for food had never happened at all.
In the corner, there were a few girls like Nie Zhenzhen and her companion who hadn’t managed to get any food.
Probably newcomers, just like them…
Because anyone locked up here long enough would likely become just like the others—numb, devoid of all reason and dignity.
“Zhenzhen, at least they provide food and water here.”
“Judging by the way they were acting just now, it shouldn’t be poisoned. We can eat it safely.”
Xiang Wan glanced at the other girls in the cage and said to Nie Zhenzhen, her voice weak and listless.
“I don’t know when the next meal will be…”
“I really can’t hold on much longer…”
Nie Zhenzhen pressed one hand hard against her stomach, her fingertips turning white from the force. Her other hand rested limply on the cold, damp ground. Her voice was so faint it seemed she might breathe her last at any moment.
Wave after wave of cramping pain surged through her—her stomach was both empty and convulsing, the agony making her entire body tremble.
Before she knew it, she had drifted into a dazed sleep…
…………………………
The next day at noon (the dungeon had no concept of time; this is noted for the reader’s convenience)
“Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen, wake up!”
“I managed to grab food and water for you…”
“Wake up, don’t scare me!”
Her consciousness was scattered, and a series of muffled, indistinct calls reached her ears.
After a long moment, Nie Zhenzhen finally opened her eyes from her stupor.
It turned out that in the dungeon, there was only one feeding per day—just barely enough to sustain the girls’ most basic lives.
Just now, the guards had thrown in food and water, and Xiang Wan had fought with nearly all her strength.
Combined with her natural advantage in height and build, she had barely managed to snatch two portions from the circle of other girls.
Xiang Wan struggled to twist open the bottle cap and shoved a bottle of clean water, along with a loaf of bread, into Nie Zhenzhen’s arms.
“Here, take it. Be careful not to choke.”
Xiang Wan gently stroked her back with one hand while tightly clutching her own portion of food and water with the other.
As if grasping at her last lifeline, she was terrified that another girl might seize it from her at any opportunity.
Nie Zhenzhen couldn’t afford to care about dignity or looking pathetic. Her small hands trembling, she grabbed the water bottle, tilted her head back, and gulped it down fiercely into her parched, smoke-dry throat.
The moment the clean water slid down her throat, she felt as if she had been given a second chance at life, swallowing greedily.
Then, she frantically grabbed the bread and stuffed it into her mouth in huge bites.
She wolfed it down, her throat tightening from choking, yet she refused to stop.
Days without food or water had long since shattered the last shred of her rationality.
At this moment, all that remained in her eyes was the primal instinct to survive…