Their Past 3

(This chapter is from Cui Ji's perspective!)

(1)

Compared to Nicole finding Anby in a trash heap, Cui Ji faced utter Despair.

Somewhere in New Eridu, inside a dim, frigid room, Despair was the only theme. The cold seeped into the marrow and lingered, while an old exhaust fan constantly expelled the smells of mold, disinfectant, and blood.

At the center of the room stood an iron-framed bed, followed by a workbench covered in all kinds of instruments and tools.

Curled up on the bed was a living body—or rather, a young girl. Her messy silver-white hair covered half her face. Her features were delicate but utterly lifeless, and beneath the thin green cloth, she wore nothing at all.

Most horrifying of all, the girl had no limbs. Only a short section of her body remained.

She was merchandise. After being traded countless times in the underworld of New Eridu, she had ultimately been sent here.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The heart monitor emitted its monotonous, piercing sounds at intervals, tediously recounting Cui Ji's condition of survival.

The overhead light was like a blade, forcing Cui Ji's consciousness to struggle between drowsiness and clarity. The restraints cinched so tightly around her that her chest could barely rise and fall.

She was afraid, panicked. She wanted to escape, wanted to hide, but having lost her limbs, she could do nothing!

She was heartbroken and furious. She wanted to scream and curse, but her body, riddled with Ether Corruption, could only produce the whimpers of a dying beast.

Yet this was only the beginning of her Despair. Soon, a figure in a white coat entered her field of vision.

The other person first tore away the green cloth covering her, then injected a tube of icy medicine into Cui Ji's veins. Finally, Cui