Taken to the Torture Chamber

Hancock was only one year old, still just a little girl. It was only natural that she was afraid. Ye Chen frowned, his eyes darting rapidly. This couldn't go on. Even if there were only a few Slaves, their turn would come sooner or later. Never mind what that brand represented—just having it seared onto his body was something Ye Chen had no desire to experience.

Everyone was crying and screaming, desperately shrinking back. No one wanted to be taken away first. Ye Chen also pulled Hancock by the hand and retreated into a corner. Sandersonia wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. Everyone was terrified. Though fear filled her heart, Hancock tried several times to wrench her hand free from Ye Chen's grasp.

After watching for a while, Ye Chen discovered that the torture chamber was at the end of the corridor. Each time, they usually took away two Slaves. The guards who came in did not count heads. Though they called it lining up, they simply grabbed two people at random and dragged them away. The so-called line was nothing but meaningless words.

These guards were strong and sturdy. No matter how the Slaves hid, they were always violently seized. The guards showed no mercy, regardless of whether their victims were men or women. Ye Chen watched helplessly as a ten-year-old girl was dragged back by her legs. The pain had made her pass out cold.

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

Ye Chen surveyed the cell. Though it was spacious, there was nowhere to hide. His mind ran like a machine at full speed, endlessly coming up with all sorts of ideas, yet none of them satisfied him.

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

Otherwise, many of the Slaves who had been captured were highly wanted criminals before being taken. Even with Collars on, they remained unruly. The Collars were merely the most extreme deterrent against escape.

As long as the Slaves did not run, no one would casually detonate their Collars. So these Pirates remained dangerous. They could easily smash someone's head apart with a single punch. If the guards were not powerful, 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. Women, in particular, generally could not endure the pain and fainted. Through 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 practically worthless. That was why women were branded on their backs, while the men were left entirely to the Dragon People's "on-the-spot creativity." Wherever they wanted to brand them, they did.

Some were branded on the forehead, some on the buttocks, and some directly on the face... There was no place they would not brand. Before the Dragon People, these Slaves did not even qualify as human beings. Naturally, they showed no restraint.

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 to the situation.

Still, no matter what, Ye Chen would not let the Dragon People casually stamp 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. Even the powerful Pirates struggled desperately, unwilling to be taken away by the guards. Yet the guards always managed to seize Slaves and drag them from the cell, because they were simply too strong.

Despair and fear weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, but they all knew that sooner or later, their turn would come.

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

"Big Sister, I'm scared... I don't want to go." Sandersonia clutched 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 sneered disdainfully. He released Sandersonia, then grabbed Hancock's hand.

Another guard was about to grab a Slave when, unexpectedly, Ghost was "pushed" out by someone, as if he had delivered himself straight into the trap. The guard was quite pleased with himself. Hancock bit her lip and was led away with tears in her eyes. When she discovered that Ye Chen was being taken along as well, she felt a little relieved.

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

"Let me go! No..."

"Let go of me! I'm most afraid of pain..."

"I'll die..."

Though he had not come up with a way to deal with it, Ye Chen continued struggling and shouting all the way there. Of course, he was doing it deliberately. He also wanted to shout a few times to bolster his own courage. After all, having a red-hot branding iron pressed against his body was no laughing matter.

Anyone who said they were not afraid was lying. Nobody was unafraid of something like that!

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

The torture chamber was spacious, but the lighting was dim. Chilly gusts swept through it, piercing to 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, it naturally contained all kinds of brutal instruments.

The surrounding stone walls were solidly built, and all manner of torture devices hung from them. Two long tables had been casually placed on the floor. A group of vicious 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. From behind the wall, he faintly heard the sound of a ferocious beast. Though low, it carried a terrifying pressure. Ye Chen remembered that when they had first arrived ashore, the Dragon People had mentioned taking Slaves to the Beast Arena. Judging by that sound, it had to come from some terrifyingly powerful beast.

Bang! The two were shoved into the torture chamber, and the door immediately slammed shut behind them. A flicker of secret delight passed through Ye Chen's heart.

The two long tables stood close together. The pair were pressed down onto them almost simultaneously, both facing downward. A Dragon Person looked Ye Chen over and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad-looking. I heard that Hard was taken with him as soon as he came ashore, and Prince Rambo took a liking to him. I think his brand should go on his back as well. If he really survives, he can provide Prince Rambo with more amusement. If it's branded somewhere else and ruins his face, this Ghost will have no value in staying alive."