Seeing Lu Yuan deep in thought, the other person took a few puffs of his cigarette to ease the pain in his fingers. When Lu Yuan turned around, he continued, "However, getting into the underground fortress is very difficult. We don't know how many spots are left! If you really want to get in, you'd better hurry! Because if you waste a second, hundreds of people might enter the underground fortress!"
Lu Yuan nodded heavily. Of course, he wanted to enter the underground fortress as soon as possible. The blizzard hadn't arrived yet, so they still had a chance, but he didn't know if the underground fortress would give them that chance.
"By the way, aren't there over five million people gathered at the various entrances right now? Where are all these people gathered?"
Ma Bin gave a bitter laugh: "Where else can we stay! Of course, it's the county towns at the entrances outside! The reason for choosing these places is firstly because of their geographical location, and secondly because although these places were also affected by the earthquake, they all have one thing in common: the damage is not very serious. If you're lucky, you might even be able to find a house that hasn't collapsed! Of course, such places are extremely rare. Even if you do find one, it will have already been occupied, unless that person is dead or has already been selected to enter the underground fortress."
Lu Yuan remained indifferent, then looked up at the distant sea. The firelight was still flickering on the surface, and it seemed that several more boats were approaching, preparing to salvage the vessel. However, seeing a pristine white yacht sailing towards them in the distance, everyone tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy.
Wang Pinghai originally planned to escape with the ship and his identity token, but he clearly overestimated his abilities and underestimated the power of the black market. His shiny bald head was his most distinctive feature. Upon hearing that the ship had been destroyed, the higher-ups in the black market immediately sent men to capture Wang Pinghai, who was trying to sneak into the underground fortress.
The dimly lit room was lit only by a small, flickering light that seemed to be running out of power at any moment. The floor was littered with all sorts of garbage, and a strong smell of decay emanated from it.
Suddenly, a low, labored breathing came from the corner of the dark room, like a dying person's cry for help, sending chills down one's spine.
Then a creaking sound came from the corner. A beam of flashlight shone in and revealed a rickety chair leaning against the wall. A man was tied to the chair. The man was covered in wounds, his cotton coat had been removed, and blood was flowing from the back of his hand. If you looked closely, you could even see a rusty nail embedded in the back of his hand, nailed to the armrest of the chair.
The man let out another gasp, his head drooping limply in front of his chest, blood flowing uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, forming a long, thin line that trailed to the ground.
Two burly men wiped the leather whips in their hands, occasionally tearing off small pieces of flesh from the whips, chewing them a couple of times, and then swallowing them.
"Pah! It's all fucking rotten! Damn it!"
Another man sneered, "You know it rots and you still eat it! This isn't meat, it's all ash! How disgusting!"
"Damn it! Stop talking! I'm about to throw up from all your talking! Hurry up! I need to rest a bit more! You go and play for a while!"
The other person nodded, then stood up and tugged at the leather whip in his hand, making a "crack" sound.
He walked up to the man and patted his bald head. "Haha! Boss Wang, are you going to tell the truth or not? The brothers are waiting! If you don't tell the truth, we'll have to keep working. What's the point of you stubbornly holding on? You'll have to hand over your identity token sooner or later anyway!"
Upon hearing the man's words, Wang Pinghai, who was tied to the chair, took a few deep breaths and then spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother, I really...don't have an ID tag. I panicked...and fell into the sea. I really don't! There are monsters in the sea! You need to tell the boss immediately, whatever you do, don't go back into the sea!"
Wang Pinghai was terrified. He was afraid that he would lose control and hand over his identity token. It was his life. Although the people above kept scolding him to hand over the token, he knew that as soon as he did, he would be dead. It was his lifeline, something he had worked so hard to obtain! He couldn't give it to anyone.
Seeing that Wang Pinghai still refused to reveal his identity card, the other party could only sigh and say, "Damn it! I really wish I could stab you to death! Beating someone up is hard work! Just confess already! I promise I'll give you a quick death! Please stop suffering like this, okay? I feel the pain for you!"
Wang Pinghai shook his head with difficulty: "Brother, even if... you beat me to death, I... didn't! This thing really... fell into the sea! I'd be a bastard if I lied to you!"
"Fine! I'm not going to waste my breath on you! I'll start eating now, dinner'll be served soon!"
As he spoke, the other party swung the leather whip in his hand and lashed it hard across Wang Pinghai's body. At this moment, Wang Pinghai had no strength left in his body, and even breathing was difficult, let alone shouting. He couldn't make a sound at all.
As the whip lashed his body, Wang Pinghai felt his flesh twitching uncontrollably, as if it were cramping. After a while, Wang Pinghai lost count of how many times he had been beaten, how many times he had passed out and been woken up. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself alone in the room.
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