C77 Betrayal

Just before the door shut, moonlight illuminated her face—it was the girl I had seen yesterday, the one raising money for her father's surgery.

She appeared to have been knocked out by the fall. I called out to her several times, but she didn't respond. I wondered why Boss Wu had captured her too.

Could she have been driven to desperation, pawning her family's possessions, only to be wrongfully imprisoned here as a thief by that scoundrel?

I waited silently for the girl to regain consciousness, but she showed no signs of waking up even as dawn approached.

Concern for her well-being gnawed at me, but tied up as I was, I could do nothing.

The room was engulfed in darkness and silence. Overcome by drowsiness, I eventually fell asleep in the chair.

Time passed, and then the door creaked open, letting in a sliver of light. Boss Wu had arrived with his men. I noticed his ears were now bandaged.

"Boss Wu, your ears okay?" I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm.

"I got a couple of rabies shots, just to be safe. Hmph, you'd better worry about yourself. I've told you, I have plenty of ways to deal with you," Boss Wu said, his face darkening as he approached. He noticed the girl on the floor and kicked her twice, barking, "Stop faking it! Get up!"

"What are you doing? She's just an innocent, pitiful girl!" I exclaimed in anger.

At that moment, the girl came to, clutching her stomach in pain. I immediately asked with concern, "Are you okay? Was your dad's surgery successful?"

Before she could reply, Boss Wu beside me burst into laughter, followed by his cronies who doubled over in mirth.

"What's so funny?" I asked, bewildered.

Boss Wu's face twisted into a contemptible grin. "Kid, are you a fool? This girl is just like you, a thief. She's adept at tomb raiding and even better at conning and sleight of hand."

"What?!" I turned to the girl, and that's when I noticed her arms were perfectly fine, and the red birthmark on her face had disappeared.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured, her head bowed, avoiding my gaze.

I had overheard Boss Wu earlier saying that the girl was adept at deception and sleight of hand, which in this context meant theft. My heart sank as I asked her coldly, "So you not only conned me out of 3,000 yuan, but you also stole over 20,000 yuan from me, right?"

Her silence was as good as a confession. I exhaled deeply, berating myself, "I must have been blind. What a fool I've been."

My anger was palpable. If it hadn't been for her, I might already be on a train, well on my way to the provincial city, ready to catch a flight to Sichuan.

"Enough," Boss Wu interjected icily. "This isn't a courtroom. According to the customs of the Eight Outer Sects, you either sever your right hand or you're buried alive. Make your choice."

"I'll be buried alive!" the girl blurted out before I could even process the options. To be buried alive... that's tantamount to a death sentence.

Before I could voice my thoughts, Boss Wu declared, "Fine, I'll have someone bury the both of you soon. Enjoy a few more breaths of fresh air, even though the air in here isn't much better."

With a malicious grin, Boss Wu exited. I quickly asked the girl, "Why would you choose burial? Doesn't that mean certain death?"

"You don't understand," she sighed. "Burial isn't meant to be lethal. It's a punishment for tomb raiders. They're buried up to their necks, left without food or water for three days and nights. Survive, and you're off the hook. Fail, and... well, then you really do die."

I nodded, understanding the cruel logic. Three days of agony seemed preferable to broken limbs. At least there was a chance of survival.

Soon after, we were led to two freshly dug pits. To my dismay, I was still bound, my limbs shackled.

The strong men pushed us into our respective pits and began shoveling dirt over us, leaving only our shoulders and heads exposed. After the burial, they were about to tamp down the loose soil when Boss Wu stopped them. "That's enough, that's enough. You two seem eager to finish them off. Let's leave it at that."

Boss Wu, flanked by his two henchmen, walked away. As he left, he flashed a sly smile and remarked, "I hope you'll still be around to talk to me in three days."

"Hmph, rest assured, I'll outlive you for sure. Remember, my name is Zhao Changsheng," I retorted with an icy edge.

Surveying the soft earth before me, I reassured myself, 'It's just three days without food or water.' I clenched my teeth and braced myself; it was nothing I couldn't handle.

But as night fell, my sense of despair grew. I even began to regret my decision. I had grossly underestimated the agony of being buried alive—it was a torment that felt like dying a thousand deaths.