Chapter 135: The victim's fate (2)

*Xin Lei*

Silence.

I was shivering and the brutal moment when that man plucked out that woman's nail was still so vivid in my mind. That was simply too cruel.

The desperation to escape and that hope with which the woman looked at Duan Deming to save her made my heartache.

How would she be feeling to realize that he betrayed her?

Those bastards... they were laughing as if she was not even human.

"Xin Lei…"

I felt a hand on my head, and I raised it to look at Bai Li, who seemed concerned.

"Are you okay?" He gently asked.

I simply rested my head on his shoulder and slowly nodded.

Shi Ruiling went over to Liao Huifang's side, who seemed terrified and frozen.

"Dear, it's okay. I know it's difficult, and I praise you for being so strong…"

She patted her shoulder.

Liao Huifang said while sniffling. "My sister...did they torture like that to my sister too?" Tears were streaming down her eyes as they were looking red and tired.

Nobody responded.

"No...that cannot be...my sister...did she really die such a horrible death?"

I got up and hugged her. She tightly embraced me as she broke down into tears.

Luo Zhiqiang slowly nudged her and offered her a glass of water. "Drink some. You will feel better."

Liao Huifang sniffled and took a sip.

I looked at bro, and he seemed grave. It might look like he was unaffected, but I could sense that he was stressed out with the recording.

It took a while before we calmed down a bit.

Bro said, "Both of you can leave. The rest of us will see the recording."

Bai Li seemed to agree too. "Yes. Don't fret it. I don't think we will get any clue out of this. So, you can skip it."

I shook my head and typed. "No, bro, Bai Li. I will see it. I want to know what these bastards want and how far they can go. We have to know what they did with others to get a full grasp of the situation."

Yuan sighed. "No. Mr. Xin is right. It can be too brutal for you to keep watching, especially for Liao Huifang, whose sister was kidnapped. If Liao Chuntao is there in the recording, then...it's best to stay out of it."

Shi Ruiling nodded as well. 

Liao Huifang wiped her tears and seemed determined. "No. I will watch it. It just took me by shock with what they did, but I am okay. I want to see if my sister is there."

I glanced at Luo Zhiqiang, who was staring at her for a long time.

We sighed.

I went back to sit with Bai Li, and bro switched on the tape.

Once again, her painful and blood-curdling screams and cries resounded in the room. Everyone in that room simply enjoyed what was happening to her.

And just like that, she died…

Under their torture, she breathed her last.

"Che! She lasted only an hour. What a waste!"

"No spark at all!"

I clenched my dress and bit my lip hard. I stared at those men in the dark with disgust and hatred.

I was so angry! They don't even deserve to be called humans! They are monsters! Cold-blooded monsters!

As the recording went on, we saw numerous other victims just like that woman before. They didn't have any specific age bar. But they made everybody suffer in their last breaths.

All those victims, they would have never imagined that they would die such brutal deaths at the hands of such insane people.

Their methods of torture varied too. Some of them used acid to throw on them, some used knives and scalpels to pierce their flesh agonizingly, some used boiling water to hurt them while some hit and beat them until their bones broke.

But there was no easy death. Those bastards made it sure that all the victims got a slow and painful end.

I really felt the need to gag, but I held on.

And then...we saw Liao Chuntao.

Just like I thought, Liao Huifang froze. She was mildly shaking, and I could see digging her nails in her palms. She kept staring at the video without even blinking her eyes for a moment.

From the video, we heard Liao Chuntao speak, "You…where am I?"

She seemed blank, and there was no expression on her face. I know she must be terrified like hell, but it didn't show on her face.

"Woah! Look! The bitch looks so calm and composed."

One of the men laughed. "Poor her. I think she hasn't understood what is going on."

"Is she mentally crack?"

I gritted my teeth, enraged.

You are mentally crack bastards!

I felt my eyes going wet as I saw her helpless.

Liao Chuntao asked, "What is going on? Where is Fang Mo?"

That must be another fake name of that bastard, Duan Deming!

"Here I am, darling."

In all the videos, the men made sure that they didn't come in the light or expose their face. They were near to the victims, yet they did everything in the shadows.

"Fang Mo…" She looked up at the figure in the dark.

"Do you like my surprise, babe?" He chuckled, and I had the urge to rip off his face.

I felt Bai Li's hand on mine, and he softly whispered. "I know. I know what you are feeling right now. Even if I cannot see, I understand how cruel their deaths might have been."

I lowered my head and tried to hold back my tears.

He intertwined his fingers in mine. "Imprint this image in your mind, Xin Lei. Burn these memories inside you. Their time is going to end soon. Those bastards are walking dead men. We will soon have our justice."

I wrote on his palm, "Yes, Bai Li. Those bastards will pay for sure."

Bai Li smiled.

In the video, Liao Chuntao said nothing. She calmly watched at Duan Deming, who was simply standing there.

"I see...this is all a scam. You lied. You never loved me."

Liao Huifang softly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

There was silence.

"Hey, aren't you scared of what will happen to you? You are stuck here with us!"

"We are going to have fun with you! Do you know what kind of fun?"

"The kind where there will be a lot of mess and blood. Oh yes...that beautiful sight of blood…"

Liao Chuntao still said nothing.

She didn't resist, she didn't cry, and she didn't try to fight back.

It felt as if she had already accepted her fate.

But I could see her faintly whisper something as she shut her eyes. Nobody could hear her. I think nobody even noticed that she spoke something. The movement of her lips was too light and hardly noticeable, but I still caught it.

What did she say?

But the men seemed to be agitated. They lost it even more compared to the previous victims.

Something was different with them. 

After she realized that she was fooled, Liao Chuntao said nothing. From the moment Duan Deming revealed his true colors, she didn't say a word. She calmly sat there, not responding at all.

Then it began—her torture.

They beat her up so much that it could send shivers down one's spine. She looked pained, but she didn't complain.

She only watched towards the direction where Duan Deming was standing. She didn't divert her sight from him even for a second.

No matter how much they beat her, she didn't cry. She only kept looking at Duan Deming's way.

Even I could feel how intense her gaze was as she stared at him without batting her eyelids. I sensed a strange determination in it. I felt that she was trying to send him a message like… 

'Your end will come soon.'

It was so distinct that even I shuddered. It felt like she was cursing him, which he obviously deserved.

I wondered if Duan Deming was affected by it? Was he scared even just a little bit?

Liao Chuntao seemed stubborn and the men attacking her grew fierce and harsh.

Was it because she was not giving them the reaction they wanted? 

"The fuck! She wasn't that good at all."

"Che. I can see her blood, but it is not satisfying as before."

"She completely ruined my mood."

Liao Huifang broke down into tears as we all saw her sister's battered state. It was horrible. Her body had turned all black and blue. We could see her bones hanging from inside her skin.

I saw her tears trickling down her eyes. Liao Chuntao was heavily breathing heavily, and she looked like she was going to say something as she moved her lips. It seemed so hard for her to talk. It seemed as if she was using every last bit of her strength in saying those words.

Liao Chuntao glanced at everybody in the video, and then it finally settled on Duan Deming once again.

Once again, her gaze looked sharp and intense. She softly whispered,

"Everyone of you…will pay...for your sins...You will... suffer retribution...one day for sure…"

And just like that, Liao Chuntao collapsed on the ground, lifeless and her eyes shut forever into the deep slumber.