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Xia Zhiyao's mind was completely blank. She could only force her stiff legs to keep moving.
The four girls who had been classified as Grade A were escorted to a crude, run-down bungalow.
"Get inside!" A guard barked as he shoved them forward.
The room was completely bare. Several water pipes protruded from the walls, and a filthy floor drain sat in the center of the concrete floor.
"Take off all your clothes!"
The guard's command was blunt and merciless.
The girls froze where they stood, the color draining from their faces.
"Can't you understand human language?"
Another guard impatiently raised the high-pressure water gun in his hands, its black nozzle aimed directly at them.
It was no ordinary water gun. It was an industrial-grade pressure washer, capable of producing an immense amount of force. A direct hit from it was excruciatingly painful.
One of the girls hesitated for only a moment.
Hiss!
An icy jet of water lashed viciously across her body.
"Ah!"
She let out a piercing scream as her thin dress was instantly soaked through, clinging tightly to her body. The tremendous force slammed into her, knocking her off balance before sending her crashing onto the floor.
"Hurry up and strip!"
The girls exchanged despairing glances. Tears streamed down their faces as they slowly began to obey.
Xia Zhiyao closed her eyes. Tears of humiliation mingled with the sweat on her face as her trembling hands reached up to untie the tattered camisole dress she had been wearing.
In this place, dignity was worth nothing.
Freezing jets of water lashed mercilessly against their naked bodies. The torrents were fierce and relentless, scouring their skin and sending waves of stinging pain through them. Every blast drove them backward, leaving them trembling as they struggled to remain standing beneath the brutal force.
The girls were blasted from side to side, left in a miserable state. They could do nothing but shield themselves as best they could while enduring the utterly inhumane washing.
The freezing water made Xia Zhiyao shiver violently, but it also cleared her mind.
She gritted her teeth and allowed the relentless torrent to continue battering her.
Only one thought remained.
She had to survive.
Only by staying alive would she have a chance to escape.
Only by staying alive would she have a chance to take her revenge.
The humiliating washing continued for nearly ten minutes.
By the time the water finally stopped, the girls' bodies had been blasted until their skin was flushed a painful red, while their lips had turned pale from the cold.
"Get dressed."
The guards tossed several clean white dresses into the room. The dresses were plain and made of coarse fabric, but they were enough to cover their bodies.
The girls hurriedly pulled them on. Before they even had a chance to catch their breath, the door was pushed open once more.
"Come with me."
This time, they were escorted into an entirely different building.
Compared to the dilapidated structures outside, this building was clearly part of the compound's central area.
The room they entered was spacious and sparsely furnished. Every door and window had been sealed with thick iron bars, leaving no possibility of escape.
"Listen carefully," one of the guards said through the iron door.
"You're all newly arrived merchandise. According to the rules, you have to be presented to Master Ba first. If you're lucky enough to catch Master Ba's eye, you'll live a life of luxury from then on. But if you don't know your place..."
He let out a cold, sinister chuckle and slowly drew a finger across his throat.
The girls huddled together in a corner of the room, too terrified to utter a single word.
One hour passed.
Then another.
Time crawled by in agonizing silence.
Several more hours slipped away. Dusk gradually settled over the compound, yet there was still no movement outside the door.
The girls' expressions slowly shifted from anxious anticipation to overwhelming dread.
The torment of waiting for an unknown fate was even more unbearable than receiving an immediate sentence.
"Why hasn't Master Ba come today?"
"I heard an honored guest has arrived. Master Ba is personally entertaining him over at the main building."
"Then what about us?"
"Who knows..."
The guards' hushed conversation drifted intermittently into Xia Zhiyao's ears.
An honored guest?
Who could possibly be important enough for Master Ba—the man who ruled this entire region, to put everything else aside and personally entertain him?
Then, with a bang! the door was thrown open.
"All of you, come out and follow me. Master Ba wants you brought over."
It was time.
The moment of judgment had finally arrived.
Xia Zhiyao's heart leaped into her throat. Her legs had become so weak that they refused to obey her. She was practically shoved forward from behind as she stumbled after the others.
They passed through several winding corridors before arriving at the main building, a traditional stilt house built in the local architectural style.
Two rows of heavily armed guards stood at the entrance, their expressions cold and stern. A murderous aura seemed to radiate from every one of them.
The upper floor was brightly lit, and faint laughter, conversation, and music drifted down from above.
The girls were escorted onto the second-floor terrace.
The moment they stepped into the open space, everyone's attention was irresistibly drawn to the man seated at the center.
He lounged in a broad teakwood chair, one long leg stretched out lazily, the mud-stained sole of his military boot resting arrogantly on another spotless chair.
He wore a plain black T-shirt that clung tightly to his powerful frame, outlining muscles as hard and sharply defined as carved stone. Thick veins bulged along his exposed forearms, hinting at the explosive strength hidden beneath his calm exterior.
He was exceptionally tall. Even while seated, he towered over everyone around him.
The light fell across him at an angle, casting deep shadows over his sharply chiseled features. His pronounced brow ridge, straight nose, and razor-sharp jawline looked as though they had been sculpted with a blade.
It was an extraordinarily handsome face—striking in an almost predatory way.
Yet it was those pitch-black eyes, utterly devoid of warmth, that made him truly terrifying.
He sat there without saying a word or making a single movement, yet he resembled a powerful beast lying in wait within the darkness, radiating an overwhelming pressure that made it difficult to breathe.
Standing beside him was the man known as Master Ba, his face covered with an ingratiating smile.
Master Ba appeared to be in his forties. He was heavyset, with fleshy features that made it obvious he was a ruthless man in his own right. Yet in front of this young man, he bowed and scraped like an obsequious shopkeeper.
"Mr. Shen, please have a look," Master Ba said with a flattering smile as he gestured proudly toward Xia Zhiyao and the others.
"This is our latest batch, fresh and full of life. They're all college girls who were brought over from Huaguo just a few days ago. They're clean."
"If any of them catch your eye, please feel free to take your pick," Master Ba said again with an ingratiating smile. "Or, if you prefer, you can take them all. Consider it a small token of my respect for you."