Chapter Two: The Work Environment

"Ha! Here comes another one with a death wish!"

Someone sneered mercilessly.

Having stood up, I froze where I was. I was already beginning to regret my reckless action just moments ago, but things had come to this—there was no turning back. All I could do was grit my teeth and face the fat man.

"Let her go!"

The fat man halted, looking at me, the troublemaker, with a hint of confusion. The girl he had been dragging lay collapsed on the ground, her hair in disarray, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at me.

Clap, clap, clap!

To my surprise, Brother Can smiled faintly and began to applaud.

"Not bad, kid! Out of everyone here, you're the only one who still acts like a man!" Brother Can said, casting a meaningful glance at the girl on the ground. A wicked smile curled his lips. "You know, in the natural world, animals fight for the right to mate with the females! So..."

Brother Can abruptly cut himself off, but his lackeys understood. One of them tossed a hunting knife at my feet, while another flung a machete to the fat man.

"Three minutes on the clock! When time's up, I only want to see one of you standing!" Brother Can finished, pulling a Black Star pistol from beneath his military coat. "Otherwise, you both die!"

"Damn it! You bastard! Acting all high and mighty! It's not every day I get a shot at a woman! Why the hell do you care? You're going to get me killed!"

While I was still stunned, the fat man snatched up the machete and charged at me with a wild roar. The murderous gleam in his eyes told me he was coming for my life.

Though I'd never killed, I didn't dare hesitate. I grabbed the hunting knife from the ground and raised it just in time to block his machete.

He might not have had formal combat training, but a man nearly two hundred pounds still had a clear advantage in brute strength.

After a desperate struggle and countless tugs, I was slashed seven or eight times by his machete. I collapsed weakly to my knees, my blood trickling down to pool at my feet.

Strangely, I didn't feel much pain. Odd as it was, I had no time to dwell on it—my mind was already growing fuzzy.

"Thirty seconds left!"

Brother Can suddenly shouted.

Perhaps convinced of his victory, the fat man swaggered over, exuding triumph.

"You dumb bastard! Remember this in your next life—mind your own..."

Crack!

"Ah!"

Before he could finish, the fat man let out a bloodcurdling scream, staring down in terror at his lower half. My sudden slash had turned him, on the spot, into a eunuch.

As his screams echoed, I twisted my wrist and struck again.

"Dumb bastard! Now that you've won, so what?"

There was a cold edge in my voice that even I had never heard before. With a sharp yank, I drew out the hunting knife.

"No! I'm not..."

Before he could finish, the fat man collapsed, silent and still. Whether he was dead or just unconscious from pain, I didn't know.

The girl on the ground saw the fat man fall and managed a look of relief.

But I was anything but calm. Staring at the blood-soaked ground, a sudden clarity pierced my mind. I looked down at my own bloodstained body, and the knife slipped from my numb fingers.

What had I just done?

"Time's up!" Brother Can's shout snapped me from my thoughts.

"Very good! You win! You can have her now!"

Brother Can's oily voice slithered from behind as he patted my shoulder, a twisted smile on his face.

Have her? What did that mean?

A terrible premonition rose in my chest, a wild, terrifying thought flickering through my mind.

Brother Can raised his hand, pressing the cold barrel of his gun against my temple.

"Do it, or die!"

At his words, the girl slumped on the ground fell into utter despair, tears streaming unchecked down her face.

I understood now—these men were not only monsters themselves, they intended to turn others into monsters too.

"Hurry up! I'm counting to three!"

"One!"

I didn't move.

"Two!"

Still, I didn't move.

"Three!"

I remained motionless. The girl on the ground spoke up, "It's okay! Go ahead! I won't blame you! You saved me! Consider this my way of thanking you!"

A pang of sorrow tightened my chest. Seeing I was still unmoved, she forced a tearful smile. "Thank you!"

The next moment, she suddenly snatched up the machete from the fat man's body and lunged straight at Brother Can.

No one had expected such a turn. Caught off guard, Brother Can tumbled backward in panic, fumbling with his pistol.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shots rang out. I watched as the girl fell beside me, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

"You and your sister... You're both good people... good people..." Her lips trembled.

"My sister? Tell me where she is!" I pressed urgently.

But the girl would never speak again. I finally snapped, roaring in rage. Determined to take one of them with me—two if I could—I swung my fist with all my might at the nearest mask-faced man.

I put everything I had into that punch. The masked man's nose broke on impact, and his mask shattered to pieces.

Only then did I see his face—a sight I would never forget. On his cheeks and forehead grew clusters of eyes, large and small, crowded together!

It was no human face.

I had no time to think—several electrified batons crackled as they rained down on me.

Agony and convulsions shot through my body.

Brother Can swore, swinging his pistol to aim at my forehead.

I felt death looming. At that critical moment, a lackey in a suit cried out, "Brother Can! The phone!"

Brother Can froze. "Who is it?"

A flicker of fear flashed in the lackey's eyes. "It's... the Admiral!"

At the mention of the Admiral, Brother Can's expression changed drastically. He snatched the phone, his voice trembling with deference.

"Hello! Yes, it's me! What are your orders..."

While he spoke, he glanced at me with a strange, unreadable look.

Because of blood loss, I collapsed weakly to the floor. The chaos around me faded into a dull ringing, my vision blurring. The only thing I could still see clearly was the girl's corpse. I tried desperately to memorize her features, but my head suddenly dropped, and consciousness deserted me...

In a haze, I seemed to see that familiar outline again.

"It's alright! You have amber inside you! You're not going to die so easily! Live on! Only you can kill him and end this!"

At the sound of that familiar voice, my heart surged. It was my sister, she was alive—right here!

I tried with all my might to rise, but my body wouldn't obey.

I don't know how much time passed before I finally came to. Propping myself against the wall, I staggered to my feet, only to sense something odd. After a few steps, I realized my knife wounds were already mostly healed—even the pain was gone.

Thinking back to that voice, I understood that my condition must be connected to the "amber" my sister spoke of.

Looking around, I took in the mildewed lime walls and the rusty barred door. I seemed to be in a long-abandoned holding cell—likely a pigpen cell in the park.

Hunger gnawed at me, my mouth parched. Glancing around, I spotted a bowl of rice gruel and a hard lump of bread on an old wooden table.

Driven by hunger, I lunged for the bread, only to find it as hard as a block of wood.

I forced myself to soak the bread in rice gruel, tearing off small pieces to eat.

Suddenly, the cell door was shoved open. Two mask-faced men brandishing machetes barked, "Everyone out!"

I glared at them, but unwillingly shuffled out.

As I expected, the corridor was lined with identical holding cells. From nearly every cell, the crackle of stun batons and shrill screams echoed. Moments later, battered piglets were herded out.

In under a minute, dozens of us were clustered in the corridor. There were clearly fewer of us now. Looking closely, I saw that the pretty women from before were all gone.

At the corridor’s end, I caught sight of a man—Brother Can.

The memory of the girl’s tragic death sent anger surging within me. I took a few steps closer toward Brother Can.

"Are you looking to die? This place is crawling with AKs!"

A fair, delicate hand suddenly yanked my arm.

I snapped out of it. The one who’d stopped me was a pretty girl with twin ponytails.

"Thanks for the warning," I said, collecting myself and offering my thanks. Then I asked, "Why are you the only girl left? Where are the others?"

She lowered her head, fear filling her eyes. "They were all taken to the Red House!"

"The Red House? What's that?" I pressed.

"It’s... where they entertain clients and reward outstanding employees," she replied. "Because I have... that illness, they kept me here."

I wanted to ask more, but Brother Can suddenly pointed in our direction. "Those two! Bring them over!"

"Don’t be afraid! Today you two are going for training—and to tour the work environment!" Brother Can forced a twisted smile. "That way you’ll work obediently in the future!"

I wondered why, out of so many people, he’d chosen us two. What was Brother Can plotting?

Under escort from several mask-faced men, we were brought to the plaza, then led into the tallest building. At the entrance, a heavily made-up woman in a cheongsam handed us uniforms.

"You! Number 2048!"

A uniform was tossed into my hands.

"You! Number 2050!"

Another uniform was handed to the girl.

We exchanged glances, staring at the blue vests emblazoned with numbers.

"Remember those numbers! From now on, that's your work ID! Here, your work ID is your name!" Brother Can narrowed his eyes. "Get changed and follow me!"

We took the elevator to the tenth floor. As the doors slid open, a wave of pungent sweat hit us.

"This is the customer service department. You’ll work here from now on. Your dorms are upstairs," Brother Can declared.

Before he finished, a deafening chant thundered from both sides of the corridor: "Fight for it! Third-generation rich! Risk it all or you'll fail! To succeed, you must go mad! Charge for money, no matter what! Go! Go! Go!"

"See? Not a bad work atmosphere, right?" Brother Can cackled, closing the elevator doors and continuing upward. "Now let's see your dorms."

On the fifteenth floor, the elevator doors opened to reveal a spotless hallway. On either side stood rows of beautiful women in red cheongsams, smiling and bowing in greeting.

But I noticed the obvious bulge of L-shaped objects at their waists—they were all carrying weapons.

I dared not look any longer and silently followed Brother Can.

"This is where you’ll be staying." As he opened a door, I saw the room within—a space of thirty or forty square meters, a small bed, a writing desk, a private bathroom, and a computer.

Brother Can forced a fake smile, removing his sunglasses to reveal a scarred, pockmarked face. "You two were recommended internally, which is why you get this treatment. Any other piglet without sales would be in the black cell!"

Recommended internally?

I was taken aback, then understood—it had to be my sister!