The leader bowed slightly. "This way, please. We're almost there."
I covered my ears, trying to block out the pitiful cries of the innocent girls, but their voices still seeped in, unavoidable.
The truly horrifying part was yet to come.
I saw several dark-faced men standing at the end of the corridor. Their gazes were icy and piercing, and they held AK-47s.
Even though I was already dead, meeting those bloodthirsty, sinister eyes still sent a chill down my spine.
The leader went over and exchanged a few words in the local language. The men scrutinized Lu Shiyan and his group, then took out a key and unlocked the door.
I saw the tension on Lu Shiyan's face. Even my father's fingers unconsciously clenched the fabric of his trousers.
If I didn't know I was already dead, I would have been affected by their nervous atmosphere too.
The door creaked open.
The light inside was dim. As soon as we entered, I saw women huddled together. A quick glance suggested twenty or thirty of them.
The leader said carelessly, "This is the latest batch. There was turmoil at sea before, and when they were transferred to the compound, they ran into civil unrest. Lots of delays in between. You're lucky; they haven't been touched yet."
Hearing this, Lu Shiyan's brow relaxed slightly.
But seeing the women's disheveled state, the stench emanating from them, each one curled up in a corner trembling, too afraid to lift their heads—it evoked a sense of pity.
Their clothes had been stripped away. They wore only their underwear.
Even if they hadn't been violated yet, this was enough to strip them of all dignity.
They all knew their fate. They kept their heads down, not wanting to be led away like goods.
The leader took an electric baton and casually struck the leg of the nearest woman.
"Look up!" the leader snarled.
They were like a flock of helpless lambs. Facing the hungry wolves, huddling together for warmth was useless.
Trembling, they raised their heads, faces full of helplessness, tears welling in their eyes.
As a woman myself, my heart ached for them. I even saw a familiar face among them.
It was Huang Ying, the daughter of a nanny from our residential compound. She was a hardworking child. Every day after school, she waited in the compound for her mother to finish work.
Several times, when it was snowing heavily outside, she would rub her hands together while reciting vocabulary words.
If I remembered correctly, she was a senior in high school this year, with excellent grades and a guaranteed university admission.
The last time I saw her, she smiled and greeted me, saying she could do some part-time work later to help her family, so her mother wouldn't have to work so hard.
So, was she tricked here while doing part-time work? Was she the missing person Huang Yu was investigating?
I felt deeply saddened. Such a motivated young girl shouldn't end up like this. She had clearly changed her fate through studying, but fate played a cruel joke on her.
It seems I'm not the only one suffering in this world.
Huang Ying was huddled in a corner, her eyes vacant. At this moment, I desperately wished she could pull herself together. What if my father recognized her and could save her, pull her out of here?
But her pupils held no focus. She seemed to have resigned herself to her fate.
Lu Shiyan's gaze swept over each woman's face one by one. When encountering uncooperative ones, the leader would grab their hair or lift their chin with the butt of his gun, forcing them to look up.
As the number of women dwindled, Lu Shiyan and my father grew anxious.
They hadn't seen my face among the crowd.
After checking the last one, my father spoke coldly, "Is this all?"
"What, the person you're looking for isn't here?" The leader also seemed disappointed.
"No other women? I remember there should be one more woman."
Lu Shiyan had previously contacted Boss Gao, who confirmed there was one who looked very much like me. But after this round, none resembled me.
"Oh, right. There's one more who was taken away."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Where is she? Where is she now?"
"That bitch is a bit feisty..."
Before he could finish, Lu Shiyan grabbed him by the collar. "Watch your mouth!"
Instantly, the atmosphere grew tense. The mercenaries my father brought and the compound's men immediately placed their hands on their guns. A confrontation was imminent.
My father stepped in to mediate. "Let go. Let's find the person first."
They had no choice but to follow the leader to another small building. Clearly, this manager held a higher status than the others. The environment here was much better than the previous building.
Before they even got close, the sounds of interplay between a man and a woman came from inside.
"Louder! Make more noise! Don't you know how to moan? Do I have to teach you that too? What an idiot."
Before the leader could knock, Lu Shiyan couldn't wait any longer. He kicked the door open violently.
"Wanwan!"
He rushed in recklessly. In the dimly lit room, a man was, gripping a woman's hair tightly.
As Lu Shiyan burst in, the two stopped their actions.
"Who are you?"
The leader hurried forward and whispered a few words in the manager's ear. The manager pulled up his shorts.
Lu Shiyan walked towards the woman with her back to him, his steps heavy.
He didn't know what emotions to face me with. My father stood by the door, afraid to confront the scene.
"Wan... Wanwan?" Lu Shiyan called my name, his voice trembling.