We detoured around and saw a staircase leading down. The group cautiously descended, with Xiao Yuan De leading the way. I followed closely behind him, with Liu Yu Ning and the others trailing.
After walking for an unknown duration, I felt the path narrowing and growing darker. My body seemed to move forward uncontrollably, as if pulled by an invisible force from below. My muscles felt constrained, forcing me to continue downwards.
It wasn't until my feet touched a hard surface that I looked down and saw that the ground was made of interlocking iron plates.
Xiao Yuan De immediately gestured for silence, urging us to tread lightly.
Wan Xun Zhen appeared to have anticipated this situation. She was even more cautious than I was. Gao Ming Qiang and Xie Chu Chu covered their mouths, holding their breath, their bodies trembling involuntarily.
Liu Yu Ning and He Xin were doing better, at least their bodies weren't shaking. We pressed forward, with Xiao Yuan De at the vanguard, until we discovered dense rows of prisons on either side. These were surrounded by rusted iron railings, imprisoning many people. Most were women, with a few men among them. Their eyes were vacant, their bodies emaciated, and they shivered slightly. They showed no reaction as we passed, as if stunned.
We called out to the people in the cages, hoping to get their attention, but they seemed like animals, unable to comprehend our words.
"Hello! We are the police, here to rescue you. Please respond! How can we open these cages?" Liu Yu Ning called out.
Wan Xun Zhen scanned the surroundings and reminded us, "There are no keys here. I escaped before by pressing a mechanism I saw over there!"
"You don't know where the mechanism is?" I asked.
"No, I pretended to have a stomachache and escaped on the way to the restroom. Let's search everywhere!"
That was our only option. Fortunately, we had flashlights. As I approached one of the prisons, a girl, who looked about eighteen and had been lying down, suddenly sat up when the strong light hit her. Her clothes were in tatters, there was blood on her lower body, her hair was disheveled, and her limbs were covered in wounds. She appeared to have been violated.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the girl asked us agitatedly.
"Police! Were you imprisoned recently?" I asked.
"Finally, you're here! Am I dreaming? Police officers, please save me quickly, I can't hold on much longer!" the girl cried, weeping inconsolably, her body trembling violently, as if on the verge of collapse.
"It's alright. Do you remember how these cages are opened?" I asked her.
"Behind a candle on the left, there's a lever. Try it!"
The girl's words prompted me to move. Just then, several burly men with tattoos on their bodies came running from nearby. Xiao Yuan De and Gao Ming Qiang, noticing the commotion, immediately came to our aid. The three of us engaged in a brawl with the thugs. Liu Yu Ning and He Xin also joined in. Xie Chu Chu, with no other option, seized the opportunity to pull the lever.
The sound of clicking echoed from nearby, indicating that the cages were being opened. At that moment, one of the thugs swung a chair at me. I dodged the attack with a few somersaults and then jumped up, striking out with a palm. However, my strength was insufficient, and the thug was forced back a few steps. Xiao Yuan De then charged at him like a bull, delivering a Mantis Fist strike to his chest. The thug let out a scream and collapsed onto his knees before losing consciousness.
Another thug swung a wrench at us. Xiao Yuan De grabbed his arm, tilted his head, and fiercely slammed it against the thug's head. The man became disoriented, unsure of what was happening, and fainted with his eyes rolling back.
Gao Ming Qiang and Liu Yu Ning then subdued another thug together. Xiao Yuan De directly punched him in the abdomen. The scoundrel yelped, lost all strength, and fell to the ground, his abdomen feeling as if it had been drilled through.
Fortunately, the soundproofing here was good. Their shouts likely didn't alert anyone else. We turned back to see that the prison cells had been opened and immediately went to rescue the people. Things should have proceeded smoothly, but at that moment, a familiar voice boomed from a speaker in one of the cells: "Haha, you thought it would be this easy to rescue them? How naive! Farewell!"
I thought I recognized the voice of Du Qi Tai. I had no time to ponder what this scoundrel was up to when a rustling sound came from both sides. Inadvertently, I noticed sprinklers appearing in crevices above the prison cells, spraying a large amount of green gas!
"Everyone, cover your mouths and noses!" I shouted. However, it was too late. Everyone had already inhaled a large amount of the toxic gas.
Within minutes, our limbs went numb, and our heads felt incredibly heavy. At this point, Wan Xun Zhen let out a sinister sneer. She donned a gas mask and, picking up a walkie-talkie, said, "It's done, boss!"
"Good, well done! You can leave now. I'll handle the rest!"
I weakly held on until the last moment, hearing the sound of rapid footsteps. We were lifted up by some burly men and carried away. The prison doors were closed again. I think I heard the desperate cries of a few people trying to escape. Bang, bang, bang! The thugs raised their weapons and shot them dead.
Several corpses lay on the straw in the cells, twitching. Blood stained the ground. Despite our resentment, we were powerless at that moment.
I felt them dragging me somewhere. I thought they would imprison me like the others. However, when I opened my eyes, I found myself bound to a wooden chair. Looking around, I realized everyone else was gone!
I was bound to the chair alone. It was a small room with very low visibility. Before me was a round wooden table, on which sat a vase of bright red roses. The walls of the room seemed to have been soaked for a long time, causing them to discolor. A dim, old incandescent light bulb hung overhead, casting a weak glow on my emaciated figure, making me feel like a solitary shadow trapped in an abyss of suffering.
Just as despair began to set in, Du Qi Tai's voice echoed from outside: "You've all woken up, haven't you? Leave your rooms now and go to the large hall upstairs. I'll tell you what to do then."