They were all holding guns in their hands.

Now, the muzzles were pointed directly at them.

Several girls still had food in their mouths that they hadn’t swallowed yet; the sudden commotion made them tremble with fear.

They hastily tore off their veils, and in their haste, their hair came loose.

“Listen up—be good now. Go inspect the goods. No crying, no screaming, no running.”

The Lead guard scanned the room with a cold tone. “Anyone who disobeys won’t be worth living. The consequence will be—”

His gaze settled on something.

Qin Qinxi’s heart suddenly clenched.

He was looking at her. The man raised his gun, aiming it straight at her.

Qin Qinxi froze in place.

She wanted to dodge, but her legs wouldn’t obey. She wanted to close her eyes, but her eyelids wouldn’t cooperate.

All she could do was stare at that dark, gaping muzzle—and at the finger pressing down on the trigger.

“A ‘pfft’—and the shot rang out.

Warm liquid splattered all over her body.

A scream erupted suddenly.

The women huddled together, shoving toward the corner of the wall, their cries mingling into one chaotic roar.

Qin Qinxi stood frozen, slowly turning her head.

It was that girl.

The one she had just saved.

Nineteen? Twenty?

The one whose eyelashes were still streaked with tears.

At this moment, she lay sprawled in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open, her pupils dilated, staring up at the ceiling.

Tears silently streamed down Qin Qinxi’s face.

She clamped her hand over her mouth tightly. Her heart was pounding so fast she felt it might stop any second.

But she dared not make a sound, dare not move—not even tremble too obviously.

“Who’s screaming?”

Another gunshot rang out. Another woman fell.

The room fell completely silent.

No one dared cry or scream anymore.

The women covered their mouths, their shoulders shaking violently, too afraid to make a single sound.

Then came several more gunshots.

It was as if they were picking through vegetables—

looking at the weak, the unsteady, the dazed-eyed…

One by one, a finishing shot.

“Carry them off to feed to the tigers.”

Someone came in, unlocking the doors for them and dragging the corpses away.

Blood left long trails on the floor, stretching all the way to the door.

Qin Qinxi turned deathly pale with fright, staggered to her feet, and followed the group outside.

The gun barrels were right behind them, just a few steps away, but she could feel that icy stare.

The next room was huge—like a bathhouse, except it had none of the usual features. There were no showerheads, no stalls—just a shallow pool of water flowing slowly in a circle.

The water circled around, like an automatic car wash, with rotating towels hanging along both sides of the pool, rolling round and round across the surface.

“Take off all your clothes and jump in!”

The girls were already terrified.

Their fingers trembled as they undid their buttons; when they couldn’t pull them apart, they just ripped them off, afraid that even a second’s delay would mean getting shot.

Then they lined up, one after another, and jumped into the moving water channel.

The instant Qin Qinxi plunged in, water rushed into her nose and mouth.

She flailed frantically, her feet slipped, her head sank under and then popped back up.

The current was so strong it felt like an invisible hand was pushing her forward.

The rotating towels swept over her body—not wiping, but scraping, painfully so.

In those few dozen seconds,

Qin Qinxi felt as though she’d lived a whole lifetime.

When she reached the exit, she grabbed the edge and gasped for breath.

She glanced back at the water channel.

They were like cans on an assembly line—being washed, rinsed, and pushed onto the next stage.

The next room was even bigger.

There were large machines, and people in white lab coats.

The girls stood naked, shivering, trying futilely to cover themselves with their hands.

No one gave them any clothes.

“Next one.”

Qin Qinxi swallowed hard, watching the girl ahead walk in and then walk out.

She didn’t know what they were doing inside, but when that girl came out, her legs were trembling.

It was her turn.

“Lie down properly. Spread your legs.”

End of Chapter 10: Chapter 10