WMSR – QT Chapter 2

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 2

By

siofra

Chapter 2

Thinking of how all the little brats had been completely quiet when he tossed them into the cellar just moments ago, the burly man gave the tall, skinny man a knowing look.

After exchanging information, the tall, skinny man patted the burly man’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ve got some food and drinks prepared. Let’s go grab something hot first, and we’ll hit the road again tomorrow. Bangzi and the others are already waiting at the old spot; once we reach the destination, these brats won’t be our problem anymore.”

Hearing that the tall, skinny man had prepared hot food and wine, the burly man’s eyes lit up. The weather was getting colder by the day, and being able to eat something hot out in these desolate wildernesses was naturally the best thing possible. Soon, the two walked off with their arms slung around each other’s shoulders, leaving behind the yellow dirt patch covered with a layer of straw that looked no different from its surroundings.

……

Night gradually deepened. In that dark cellar, however, day and night looked no different. The only change was that even most of the toddlers who had previously cried out for their mothers were now curled up together, fast asleep from sheer exhaustion.

In the darkness, Bai Yichen mechanically bit down on the rope in his hands with his sore and aching teeth. Although these ropes had conveniently been tied in front, they were knotted using professional techniques, and tied very tightly at that. In this pitch-black darkness where the knots couldn’t even be seen clearly, trying to untie them was extremely difficult.

Enduring the strain, Bai Yichen kept biting away for god knows how long until his cheeks practically lost all sensation. He felt his limbs grow even weaker and limp, but every single time, he forced himself to rally his spirits and persisted, because he was now racing against time.

Finally, without even knowing which crucial point he had pulled or tugged at, the rope in his hands loosened.

Bai Yichen’s spirits instantly lifted, and he immediately wrricated his hands free. The moment his hands were free, he groped around in the dark to liberate his feet as well.

Bai Yichen originally felt that he might no longer have the strength to walk, but a fierce desire to survive still made him steady himself against the wall and stand up shakily. The cellar was pitch-black with no light source whatsoever, but perhaps after spending a long time in the dark, Bai Yichen was still able to faintly distinguish some darker shadows on the ground. He knew those dark silhouettes were the other kidnapped children, but at a time like this, scouting for the exit was far more important. If feasible, he would naturally take these kids along to escape together.

He leaned against the wall, carefully avoiding stepping on the children lying on the ground, and groped his way upward step by step.

Passing through the area where the children lay, he climbed the stairs and soon reached the location of the top hatch. He raised his hands and pushed upward with all his might, but Bai Yichen’s heart couldn’t help sinking.

Because he heard it… the rattling sound of iron chains.

Bai Yichen tried a few more times, confirming that the outside of the hatch was tightly secured with chains. For a moment, a sense of near-despair washed over him.

With this level of security, even if all the children here were untied and pushed together, it would be impossible to force it open.

Of course, he thought. Human traffickers committed crimes punishable by death; how could they possibly make such a careless oversight?

Knowing that he couldn’t escape, Bai Yichen slid down and sat against the wall. Since this cellar wasn’t meant for storing vegetables, its sealing was poorly done; there were even ventilation ports intentionally arranged throughout, making it icy and cold, with drafts cutting through from time to time. The draft blowing in right at the hatch where he sat was even stronger, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

The season right now should be winter, shouldn’t it?

He turned his head back to look toward the area he had just walked from. He knew that the kidnapped children were all lying over there, but he wasn’t worried about them because, according to the information he had acquired, this gang of traffickers would be captured in one fell swoop during their transport of the children, and every single one of these kids would be rescued.

As for him… he wouldn’t be able to last until then.

The chilly wind blew against his burning forehead, and Bai Yichen could only feel his temples throbbing with pain. His limbs grew even more limp and weak; he knew he had started running a fever, and his established cause of death was weakness of constitution leading to death by high fever.

Things had clearly reached the absolute worst-case scenario. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.

Bai Yichen gritted his teeth, a resolve hardening in his heart. Gathering his final remnants of strength, he began to beat against the upper hatch.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thud after thud, his tiny, tender fists struck the solid wooden hatch, sending the sound echoing outward.

Some of the children fast asleep were startled awake by the noise, but because they couldn’t see anything in the pitch black, they opened their eyes wide in terror and huddled together in silence.

Bai Yichen’s throat was hoarse, incapable of producing any sound, yet he stubbornly struck blow after blow, trying his utmost to make the knocking carry farther.

But no one came. No one came at all…

Not even the human traffickers came to check.

His eyelids felt unbearably heavy. Maybe it’ll be tonight, he thought. Just tonight—the moment I fall asleep, everything will be gone. This chance that was handed to me like a joke by the heavens will be gone…

In Bai Yichen’s mind, his short life flashed past: a youth showered with praise, a smooth sailing existence, right up until his late twenties when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Following that was a grueling battle against the disease; yet despite suffering every imaginable hardship and enduring the torture of chemotherapy, he ultimately had to leave the world with endless regrets. Just when he thought his consciousness was about to dissipate like that, he heard the voice of that system…

A trace of fierce resentment flared up in his heart. Bai Yichen’s eyes snapped open, a defiant, burning light shining within his dark pupils. He refused to let it end like this. He had already died once; this hard-won opportunity was not something he wanted to lose. He wanted to live—to live!

As long as there was even a sliver of hope, he wanted to fight for it…

He wanted to survive. What did he need? A warm blanket and a fever-reducing pill might be enough to keep him alive. But right now, not even a trafficker was coming to check; getting a fever pill was completely out of the question. A blanket? There wasn’t one here either. But he absolutely could not keep letting the draft hit him like this. He needed to go somewhere warmer, somewhere warmer…

Leaning against the wall with effort twice as agonizing as when he came, Bai Yichen dragged himself back to the area where the children were lying. Just as he intended to find the most sheltered spot to lie down, his hand brushed against a patch of wildly different material—something much smoother, and not nearly as ice-cold.

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