Chapter 312: Seventeen

Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Seventeen

In the desolate moss-covered permafrost, the karst landscape had forged a massive underground world with unparalleled craftsmanship.

Only a few kerosene lamps scattered their feeble warmth within the vast space, casting faint reflections of various colors on the cave ceiling and walls adorned with metal and ores.

Damp, cold, silent, and oppressive.

In this secluded place, almost like another world, deep underground where human presence rarely treaded, a massive iron cage enclosed a square area of several hundred square meters. Thick steel pillars, as thick as a human arm, connected the ground to the cave ceiling, forming a sturdy enclosure.

The only entrance to this iron cage was secured by a hefty, rusted lock.

This was an isolated place, devoid of sunlight year-round, where fresh air was a distant memory. The chill and dampness of the underground could erode and consume anyone's spirit.

Yet within the iron cage, dozens of frail figures huddled in various positions—some lying down, others curled up hugging their legs, and a few clinging to the steel pillars.

These were children who appeared no more than ten years old, their slender bodies clad in thin gray short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

There was no food; their survival depended solely on occasional drops of groundwater seeping through the cave formations above.

Days of relentless hunger and cold had left most of the children on the brink of collapse.

What was even more terrifying was the silent and mysteriously dark atmosphere of the underground world. Even adults would feel oppressed and uneasy in such isolation, but for these children trapped in the icy iron cage, despair continued to breed relentlessly.

In the past few days, some children had succumbed to their inner fears and cried, expending precious energy. Now, all that remained of them were still forms, their bodies frozen in the eternal chill of the underground, their decay slowed by the extremely low temperatures, leaving them in a state of eerie stiffness.

In the darkness devoid of sun, moon, or stars underground, they had lost track of time. Gradually, the remaining dozen or so children became the last hope for survival.

Inside the vast iron cell, no one spoke. Each breath was hushed, for they knew that to live, every ounce of strength must be conserved.

Then, one slightly larger child, enduring unimaginable hunger, finally made a move. Using the least energy possible, he slowly maneuvered towards the nearest corpse of a child, similar in size to himself.

In the blackness, the boy bent down, opened his mouth, and decisively sank his teeth into the neck of the lifeless body.

Soon, the silent cell echoed with the distinct sounds of teeth tearing and chewing raw flesh—sounds that would never be heard by ordinary people, but now seemed mundane and unsurprising to the remaining children.

Following the first child's search for sustenance, three more children began scavenging and gnawing on corpses.

Their teeth proved sharper than expected, and as they swallowed the cold flesh, they did so in silence, accompanied only by heavy, labored breaths.

With a few bites, the children gradually regained strength, and the biting sounds grew louder.

In a corner of the cell, another boy couldn't resist any longer. He crawled toward the nearest bodies—a girl and a boy lying motionless for over a day. The girl, despite her slighter frame, now posed no difference from the boy; they were just food.

Without much deliberation, the boy swallowed his bitter saliva, opened his mouth, and leaned towards the girl's corpse.

"Are you afraid of me?" the girl sneered contemptuously.

"Don't try to provoke me with childish taunts. Show me what you've got," the boy mocked.

Suddenly, the girl flashed a seductive smile completely incongruous with her age, her dewy eyes exuding a powerful allure.

"Two foolish men thought they could overpower me, only to be slain by my hand. You're stronger than them, but there's one thing you have in common," she paused, her voice low and irresistibly tempting, "You're a man too. Just like them, you desire women. You crave release."

There was a slight abnormality in the boy's eyes, and he remained silent for a moment. "You're not the only woman here," he said

"That's right," the girl said with a hint of pride on her lips, "but you know very well that I am the most beautiful among them."

The girl finished speaking and elegantly began to remove her tight short sleeves, gradually revealing her fair and alluring skin from her delicate and tight waist.

The young girl clearly received professional training, and every move was extremely captivating. It's hard for anyone to imagine that this is a move made by a thirteen or four year old girl!

At the moment when the young girl's green and astringent body, which was still in the developmental stage, was fully presented in front of the boy, the boy's eyes were finally no longer calm, and the flames ignited.

"I want to live, and you also want to live. As a weak person, I exchange my own body for your assistance." The girl no longer showed off any women's weapons and stood in front of the young man with all her body exposed. She solemnly asked, "Thirteen, do you dare to take me?"

"How can I believe you?" The young man clearly suppressed something. He had understood the relationship between men and women, and the madness of being suppressed for a long time. He did need an outlet to prevent himself from collapsing due to the huge load on his brain. However, he was also well aware that the owner of his body in front of him was the always beautiful poisonous scorpion.

The girl bit her thin lips, her eyes so resolute and cold, and said in a clear voice, "I have no evidence, but I can tell you this is, my first time."

The boy didn't ask any more questions, and with a fierce pounce like a leopard, he knocked down the girl's body, which had already given up its strength.

After a violent storm, calm returned to the dead leaves.

"What's your name?"

"The 17th."

"Your original name?"

I don't know

"Why so persistent in wanting to live and die is actually liberation."

"I want to go back to my hometown and meet my parents."

"Why?"

"I want to ask them my name."