Into the Torture Chamber

Hancock was only one year old, and she was still a little girl. It was only natural for her to be afraid. Ye Chen frowned, his eyes darting rapidly. This could not go on. Even if there were slaves ahead of them, their turn would come sooner or later. Never mind what that brand represented; just the thought of having it burned onto his skin was something Ye Chen did not want to experience.

Everyone was crying and struggling, desperately shrinking back. No one wanted to be taken away first. Ye Chen took Hancock's hand and retreated toward a corner. Sandersonia wept incessantly, tears streaming down her face. Everyone was terrified. Though Hancock was filled with fear, she tried several times to pull her hand free from Ye Chen's grasp.

After observing for a while, Ye Chen discovered that the torture chamber was at the end of the corridor. Usually, two slaves were taken away at a time. The guards who entered did not count heads. They did not truly make anyone line up; they merely grabbed two people at random and dragged them away. The so-called line was completely meaningless.

These guards were strong and powerfully built. No matter how the slaves hid, they were always seized roughly. The guards showed no mercy, whether their victims were male or female. Ye Chen watched helplessly as a ten-year-old girl was dragged back by her legs. The pain made her pass out immediately.

After one glance at the girl, Hancock gritted her teeth and turned her head away in fright. Though she was far tougher than children her age, her eyes were still filled with fear and unease at that moment. Yet her hands continued to tightly grip her two younger sisters, hoping to offer them some comfort in the simplest way she could.

Ye Chen surveyed the cell. Though it was spacious, there was nowhere to hide. His mind ran like a machine at full speed, constantly producing all kinds of ideas, yet not a single one satisfied him.

Escape? That was simply impossible. There were plenty of guards in the corridor, and they had clearly been carefully selected. None of them were weak.

Otherwise, why would they be able to watch over so many captured slaves? Before being captured, many of them had been highly wanted criminals with enormous bounties. Even with collars around their necks, they remained unruly. The collars were merely the most extreme means of threatening slaves to prevent them from escaping.

As long as the slaves did not run, no one would casually detonate their collars. That was why these pirates were still dangerous. They could smash someone's head apart with a single punch. If the guards were not formidable, how could they ensure the safety of the Dragon People?

Screams rang endlessly in his ears. One slave after another was dragged out, and most were dragged back in. Any woman generally could not endure the pain and fainted. From his observations, Ye Chen found that the Dragon People were slightly more considerate toward women. After all, once a woman's face was ruined, she was nearly worthless. Thus, women were branded on their backs, while for men, it was entirely up to the Dragon People's whims. Wherever they wanted to brand them, they did.

Some were branded on the forehead, some on the buttocks, and some even on the face... There were marks everywhere. Before the Dragon People, these slaves did not even qualify as human beings, so naturally, they showed no courtesy.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, and no chance to escape. It seemed he could only adapt as things came.

However, no matter what, Ye Chen would not let the Dragon People carelessly burn that hateful slave mark onto his body.

The crying in the cell never stopped. Everyone was like lambs in a flock. No matter how they screamed, nothing would change. Those powerful pirates kept struggling desperately, unwilling to be taken away by the guards, but the guards always managed to seize them and drag them out of the cell because they were simply too strong.

Despair and fear hung heavily over everyone's hearts, yet everyone knew that sooner or later, it would be their turn.

"Come here!" At last, after an hour, a fierce-looking guard reached out and grabbed at Sandersonia.

"Big Sister, I'm scared... I don't want to go." Sandersonia gripped Hancock's hand tightly and struggled with all her strength. Hancock gritted her teeth and used her small body to shield her sister. Even if fate could not be changed, as the elder sister, she should stand in front of her younger sister.

"Hmph, how interesting. Fine, since you're protecting her, we'll take you instead." The guard glanced at Hancock and grinned disdainfully. He released Sandersonia, then grabbed Hancock's hand.

Another guard was about to seize a slave when someone unexpectedly pushed a Ghost out, as though he were walking right into the trap. This pleased the guard immensely. Hancock was dragged away with tears in her eyes and her teeth clenched. When she saw that Ye Chen was being taken away with her, she felt a faint bit of comfort.

Ye Chen winked at her, signaling with his eyes that she should not be nervous.

"Let go of me! No!"

"Let go of me! I'm terrified of pain!"

"I'll die!"

Although he had not thought of a way to deal with this, Ye Chen continued struggling and shouting all along the way. Of course, he was doing it deliberately. He also wanted to shout a few times to bolster his courage. After all, having a red-hot branding iron pressed against his body was no joke.

Anyone who said they were not afraid was lying. Only Ghost would believe that no one could be afraid of something like that!

The more Ye Chen shouted, the more delighted the guards became. After a while, the two of them were led, one after the other, into a dark, damp torture chamber.

The torture chamber was spacious, but the lighting was dim. Chilly gusts blew through it, cold enough to pierce the bone. Even the air seemed saturated with resentment, making one's hair stand on end. Countless people must have suffered merciless torture here. Since it was a torture chamber, there was naturally no shortage of cruel instruments.

The surrounding stone walls were solidly built, and all kinds of torture tools hung from them. Two long tables had been placed carelessly on the ground. A group of vicious-looking Dragon People bared their teeth as they sized up Ye Chen and Hancock.

Ye Chen quickly swept his gaze around. Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly. Faintly, he heard the sound of a ferocious beast coming from behind the wall. Though the sound was low, it carried a terrifying pressure. Ye Chen remembered that when they had first arrived, the Dragon People had mentioned taking slaves to the arena. Judging from that sound, it had to be some terrifyingly powerful beast.

Bang! The two were shoved into the torture chamber, and its door immediately slammed shut. This made a trace of delight flash through Ye Chen's heart.

The two long tables were close together. They were pressed onto them almost at the same time, both face-down. One Dragon Person glanced at Ye Chen and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad-looking. I heard Prince Rambo took a fancy to him as soon as they came ashore. I think we should brand his back too. If he really survives, he can bring Prince Rambo a little more pleasure. If we brand somewhere else and ruin his face, this brat won't have any value left to live."