Warning! Proceed without a heart.
[6 Years ago]
Sound of splashing water in the puddle disturbed the silence of the night. It was a little drizzle with the bone chilling wind. The thunder would soon join, highlighting the eeriness.
Wang Zhuocheng was trying his best to keep his heavy eyes open. The blood oozed out, trickling like the rain fall. His body was marked with the blue and red blotches of wounds that were recently created.
Silently he prayed that his brother was not caught.
The previous night, Wang Zhuocheng was returning home from his prep school. The college entrance exams were far but the Jiangs liked to be prepare before-hand.
His peaceful mind was disturbed when a man older than him approached him, but what made a scowl appear on his face was that he recognized him. Zhuocheng didn't deem him worth his time and carried out his route. But what he said next made him halt not just his steps but his world.
"ZhanZhan is in danger!" The man was panting terrible, he looked like he had run here.
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Wang Hao Xuan?" Zhuocheng asked astonishingly calm.
"ZhanZhan! Where is he?!" Wang Hao Xuan asked, his face pale. It lost colors when his friend told him that they had made their move – asked him to protect Xiao Zhan.
"Explain." Zhuocheng demanded. He was no longer the child who was afraid of him.
"PengPeng...he said, Xiao Zhan is in danger! Please tell me he's inside the mansion safe and sound."
Zhuocheng turned towards the man, raising an eyebrow he asked,
"How would I believe that It's not another way for you to torment him?"
Wang Hao Xuan was wonder-struck. It was true that he used to bully Xiao Zhan along with Nyle Feng and He Peng but even so, they had a reason.
"I know what we did was wrong and you don't want to trust me. But I swear he's in danger. You have to believe me this time!" The desperation was dripping out of his tongue. If Wang Hao Xuan could turn back time, he would do things differently. Even so, they were just children afraid of outside world.
Zhuocheng looked at his watch, his tone didn't shift carrying the same coldness he questioned,
"You have a minute to explain and get out of my sight."
A minute was too little, Wang Hao Xuan gulped and took the chance.
"PengPeng's father...He's been after Xiao Zhan for some time now. We have been trying our best to distract him but he has finally sent out his men to find him."
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
"Why is he after Zhan gege? Does his father also want the company and kill his uncle now?!" Zhuocheng's tone turned icier, even the winter would be less cold.
It was true that He Peng killed Liu Tingyu and that was the reason he was now in jail now. Wang Hao Xuan visited him and that's when he told him that his father, Xiu Qing had successfully completed his lab and his next step would be gathering the victims.
"Not his uncle, but him! –PengPeng's father wants to kill him! You gotta believe me!"
"The minute is over, get lost." Zhuocheng didn't let the elder speak any further and reached back his mansion.
However, right after, he called Xiao Zhan because his elder brother went to Luoyang to surprise Wang Yibo.
The number you have dialed is not answering, please try again later.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
He called again but same response.
It was 7 PM, his parents would be at work for at least another 2 hours. Without wasting any time, Zhuocheng booked a ticket to Luoyang and rushed to airport. On the way, he called another person, his brother in law to be precise.
"Zhuocheng?"
"Yu gege, I need your help."
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
What would he tell him? he didn't know himself.
"I am going to Luoyang to look for Zhan gege, there is a laboratory there, I don't know the name but it's somewhere close to Luoyang River. Arrive there with the police and don't let A-Jie know of this."
"What? What's wrong? What happened to Xiao Zhan?!"
"I am not certain but an acquaintance told me that Zhan gege's life is danger."
"Alright I will follow you soon."
"Thank you." Zhuocheng cut the call and prepared to board the plane. Back then Cao Yu Chen and Wang Zhuocheng were not close, despite being a family now, they still acted distant and it was the first time, Zhuocheng asked for help.
Arriving at Luoyang, Zhuocheng tried again but the call was still unanswered. Worry begun to crawl up in his stomach. It has been more than 6 hours and still no response. With the last straw, Zhuocheng called Wang Yibo.
"Hello?"
"Wang Yibo! Where is Zhan gege?!"
"Zhuocheng? What do you mean by that? Isn't he with you?"
Xiao Zhan had been Luoyang for whole day already and Wang Yibo didn't know of this? Something was very wrong.
"He came to Luoyang to meet you yesterday; he still hasn't reached you?"
"What?! No!"
"I am also in Luoyang; I came to look for him."
"Share your location, I am coming right away!"
Zhuocheng hit the red button and shared his location. Right after, he tried calling Xiao Zhan once again.
Zhan gege, please be safe.
At this point, Zhuocheng cursed himself for not listening to Wang Hao Xuan. Had he listened properly, he would have known where to go, he didn't have his number either.
Zhuocheng was deep in the chaos of his mind that a scene captured his attention. There was a little kid – 7 or 8 years old. Crying when a man was pulling him with him. From observing them, Zhuocheng could tell that he wasn't the father of the child. So, he approached them.
"Excuse me, but you're hurting the child." Zhuocheng said, deadpan.
"Sorry sir, but my child is a little stubborn. He's sick and needs to get the injection. You know how children are, afraid of needles." The man looked too suspicious to be the father, moreover the way he pushed the child, it was not something parents would do.
Zhuocheng squatted down next to the child. The child was also looking at him with his tear-filled face.
"Is this man your father?" Zhuocheng asked to which the child shook his head.
The suspicious man, immediately pulled the child behind him and with a smile he said,
"Hahaha, I told you he's sick, he suffers from short term memory loss. Sometimes, he forgets even his own family."
Zhuocheng was not buying all that crap, he pulled out the kid from his grip to which the man audible gasped, not expecting it at all.
"If he's sick, that's all the more reason for you to treat him well." Zhuocheng said wiping away the tears of the child. From the sound that child make, Zhuocheng could guess that he was mute. He couldn't even ask for help even if he wanted to.
"Young man, aren't you interfering too much in family matters, I can sue you for this."
Zhuocheng stood up, meeting the gaze of the man while holding the child firmly.
"And I will sue you for domestic abuse."
The suspicious man gritted his teeth in frustration. But the moments later, it turned into a smirk, oddly he stated,
"Alright, why don't you come with us? Then you'll know that I was really taking my son to get an injection."
Zhuocheng was wary of the situation. Just in case, he turned on his location and shared it with Cao Yu Chen.
"Alright, lead the way."
The entire way, Zhuocheng was holding on to the child, who appeared to be terrified of the man claiming to be his father.
Their path led them to a busy street where a newly established clinic was. But instead of going through the main entrance, the man led them to the back alley. That's where Zhuocheng's suspicion heightened.
The child started to behave oddly, gesturing Zhuocheng with his wordless voice.
"Aaaa! Aaaaa! Aaaaa!"
"What is it?" Zhuocheng squatted down next to him but before he could clarify a thing, a very strong force blew on his head, making his world go black.
Wang Zhuocheng didn't know how much time has passed. Was it even the same day? He was tied down, his body ached all over, his throat was dry but there was one thought in his mind, their safety. He could only pray for the child and Xiao Zhan to be safe.
The door creaked open, casting the light on his bruised face. A man way older than him appeared before him, a disgusting grin on his face.
"Wang Zhuocheng, son of Lu Jian Min, the future heir of Jiang Corps. You are quite the catch young man."
"...Where is Zhan gege?"
"Where indeed?" The man sat crouched down, bringing his face eye to eye, he pulled Zhuocheng's chin up bringing pain to his wounds.
"The genes run in the family, more beautiful than the other." The man caressed his wounds with the cold blade of knife.
"What fun would it be to mess you up." The man said licking his lips.
Hearing that, Zhuocheng spat on his face, wriggling his face out of his grasp.
"You disgusting scum! Tell me where is Zhan gege!"
The man wiped the spit off his face, his tone shifted to a mocking one.
"I have already messed him up, wish to see him?"
"You piece of shit!!!" Zhuocheng struggled to free, his anger rising hearing that statement, with more force, new wounds appeared on his body but he had no audacity to care.
The man landed a hard slap on his face, making the wound on his head bleed again, with immense pain.
"Argg!!"
"Be quiet! If you obey me, I will let you live. Otherwise you'll become one of the test subjects like the rest."
Test subject?
Before Zhuocheng could protest more, his vision become blurry, he had already lost too much blood. Losing the light, he fainted.
. . .
Xiao Zhan arrived in Luoyang to surprise Wang Yibo. The latter was called back home by his uncle but refused to go meet him. Wang Yibo had lost trust in his uncle, he didn't know that he was drugged but he did know that his father was in that state because of Zi Teng Huang. Xiao Zhan however, not knowing anything urged Wang Yibo to meet his uncle. He's your family he said.
Family don't hurt each other.
Defeatedly, Wang Yibo ended up going to Luoyang. Even though Zi Teng Huang treated him normally, Wang Yibo couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling bubbling in his stomach. Last time his uncle called him was when Xiao Zhan lost his grandmother. Wang Yibo wasn't there by his side when Xiao Zhan needed him and he blamed it on his uncle fully.
Even after a week when Wang YIbo didn't return, Xiao Zhan decided to go to him. He wouldn't miss his birthday even if it was the end of the world. After arriving at Luoyang, Xiao Zhan spent the entire day arranging for Wang Yibo's birthday. He bought tickets for Yuntai Mountain tour because Wang Yibo once mentioned wanting to go hiking and reserved the Daxia restaurant because Wang Yibo wanted to try Korean Cosine. He was so engrossed in the preparation that he forgot to call back home and the next day when he was ready with everything, Xiao Zhan tried to call Wang Yibo. Due to poor reception at the mountain, he climbed down but unfortunately, he bumped into someone and his phone cracked.
"Aish...!"
He apologized even though it wasn't his fault and picked up his route to personally get Wang Yibo. He didn't know his address exactly – Wang Yibo didn't like talking about his family much. At least, Xiao Zhan knew the area where he lived.
Before Xiao Zhan could reach his destination, he felt someone was following him. Turning around, his suspicion did confirm when he spotted eerie looking figures in the distance. Analyzing the situation, Xiao Zhan chose to stay in the crowded area – expanding the distance between him and the odd figures.
Reaching at the telephone poll, Xiao Zhan quickly dialed Wang Yibo's number which was busy with some other call.
"Bo-di, pick up!"
The prowler knocked at the door, startling Xiao Zhan. It was broad day-light, Xiao Zhan was careful with responding. Putting back the unanswered phone, he stepped out, looking at the man who approached him –They decided to split up – Xiao Zhan could see the others in the distance.
"What can I do for gentlemen?" Xiao Zhan asked, politely.
"We have your brother, come with us."
What kind of sick joke is that? A-Cheng is back home in Jiujiang.
"I'm sorry, you got the wrong person." Carefully but sternly, Xiao Zhan added, "But if you really kidnapped someone's brother, I am inches away from calling the cops."
The pursuer gestured his fellows and the other followed up, while Xiao Zhan took a step closer to the telephone poll, ready to slam the door on their faces.
One of the men raised a cell phone in front of Xiao Zhan, revealing Zhuocheng beaten up in a dark room.
"A-Cheng! What did you do to him?!" Xiao Zhan demanded, his face losing the remaining colors. What happened? Who are these people? Are they after Uncle Jian's wealth now?
The higher you rise, the harder you fall.
Xiao Zhan was more than aware of the corrupted world of business, they were all vultures, ready to eat each other and it was always the nicest that got minced.
"Come with us and we will set him free."
Oh? So, they are after me?
Xiao Zhan let a bitter laugh. How many more people are you going to hurt?
"Set him free first, then I will follow you." Xiao Zhan said, his voice deprived of emotions.
The kidnappers exchanged a glance,
"Right after you sit in that van, we will call our men to let him go."
"What guarantee do I have that you will do that? You could be lying."
"What guarantee do you have that you will obey?"
"I can shout for help –you are harassing me."
"Listen, don't make it difficult than it already is. If you shout, we will kill him."
Vanquished, Xiao Zhan stepped inside the van but before he could ask them to release Zhuocheng, a huff of GHB made him black out.
. . .
A sharp ray forced him to open his eye. Taking his time to adjust with the light, Zhuocheng slowly speculated his surroundings. It was a different room, there was a big glass window on front and door on the wall adjacent to it. It looked like a home clinic with machines and medical equipment. Zhuocheng got up slowly realizing he wasn't tied anymore, the wound on his forehead was also patched and he was changed into a hospital gown. Did they rescue me already?
Zhuocheng climbed down from the stretcher and walked towards the only door. Turning it, attempting to pull it open but it failed. He tried again, exerting more force but the door wouldn't budge.
He wanted to slam the door open but his gut told him that trouble waited the other side, so he decided to look around, finding another way.
His other option was the glass window, it was stained, no one could look what was beyond. Trudging closer, Zhuocheng placed his face on the window and with both of his hands blocked the light from sides, bringing them closer to his eyes. Narrowing his eyes, he witnessed a grisly scene.
Hanging by the hooks, there hanged many blobs of red. The tendons that were webbed, springing up, separating form the flesh. Each fiber, unhitched dripped with dark fluid.
It perfectly replicated a meat market – Except it was human meat.
A rush of terror ran in his body, making him jump back and fell on the floor. His body was trembling with unimaginable fear while the cold sweat run down his face, making the air terrifyingly chilling.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Zhuocheng followed the sound of the pitiless laughter and was immediately pinned to the floor, harshly slammed to the marble tiles.
"Look at your face now! where did that confident from earlier go huh?"
Zhuocheng was shaking in fear, the sight from before made him realize that the man is not joking, he would do extreme.
"W-where is Z-Zhan gege?"
"You're still at it? Hahahahah how stubborn." Grinding him on the floor, hovering over him, the man leaned closer, whispering in his ear,
"I already made a mess out of him."
Now hearing that, tears trickled down his eyes, puddling on the floor.
"Ah! Why are you crying? Don't worry, I will treat you better." The man smirked, biting his ear lobe. Disgusted by his act, Zhuocheng mustered his strength and pushed him away, escaping out of his hold.
Picking up the scalpel, Zhuocheng pointed at the man, firmly he demanded,
"Take me to Zhan gege!"
The man got up from the floor and dusted off his clothes, stepping towards Zhuocheng, with a smirk he said,
"You think, I would let you order me around?"
"And you think, I would let you do whatever you want?" Zhuocheng retorted.
The man shook his head, mused.
"You are very interesting, alright let me tell you." The man bridged the gap a little more. Zhuocheng stepped backward, still raising the scalpel straight ahead.
"Xiu Qing had eyes on Xiao Zhan for a long time but unfortunately, he couldn't capture him." The man said.
"What does he want form him?"
"Let me tell you one more thing." The man walked further, his chest touched the tip of the scalpel pointed at him, cunningly he added,
"Xiu Qing likes the kind of man; who can go well with red ." Saying so, he twisted, Zhuocheng's arm and banged him to the wall, taking away the scalpel.
"...Ngn...!"
He brought his face closer to Zhuocheng's ear again and whispered,
"I would have fun, playing with you."
The twisted man, pulled the white gown a bit lower, using the same scalpel, made a cut on his back.
"Arg....!" Zhuocheng couldn't set free from the firm hold, he withered because of pain. The man ruthlessly curved the blade, making a heart on his skin, oozing the blood.
"How beautiful you are."
"Shut up!!" Zhuocheng roared and pushed the man behind, the scalpel dug deeper in the process, but Zhuocheng rather die than letting man molest him. He staggered and slumped on the floor, groaning in pain. He rushed to the door from which the man arrived earlier.
. . .
Xiao Zhan woke up in a dark room. He squinted his eyes to see properly. In the distance, he could see little heads popping up and down. Rubbing his eyes for clear vision, Xiao Zhan slowly called,
"Is anybody there?"
Tiny whispers begun to ensue but a firm statement didn't come. Thus, Xiao Zhan tried again,
"Were you guys kidnapped as well?"
A little head stepped forth cautiously. With the little light creeping out of the wall, Xiao Zhan could see that the other party was merely a child.
"Come here." Xiao Zhan called but the boy didn't budge any further. Raising his both hands, Xiao Zhan assured,
"I will not hurt you. I was brought here on hard terms."
More little heads popped up, stepping a closer towards the big man.
The brave boy shrunken the gap and finally came closer to Xiao Zhan. He gave the little ones a warm smile and one by one they all came out, sitting next to the big man.
"How long have you been here?" Xiao Zhan asked the children. The little brave boy extended both his arms – Long enough.
"Your parents didn't find you?"
The boy shook his head and moments later added, "Papa and Mama are gone." Xiao Zhan felt his words. The child was just so small, he pulled him into a hug and soothed.
"Gege's papa and mama are also gone. But don't worry, we will find a way to get out of this place."
The little heads looked at him with eyes, full of sparkles that he could detect them even in the dark.
"My name is Xiao Zhan. What are your names little pollens?" Xiao Zhan tried his best to comfort the terrified children. They had been locked up in the dark for many days and God knows how they were treated to make them scared.
"I am Zheng Fanxing." The brave boy introduced himself and he pointed his little finger at the others –one by one, introducing them.
Xiao Zhan smiled sweetly, bringing forth his hand for little ones to accept and they didn't disappoint. Slowly but surely, they all accepted his warmth. There were in the middle of their introduction session when the door thud open, revealing a shrewd man.
"Since, you are introducing each other – I am Sun Cheng Xuan." The intruder came.
The little ones hurriedly hid behind Xiao Zhan. Zheng Fanxing was the only one who stayed beside, even though he was trembling himself.
"Where is A-Cheng?!" Xiao Zhan demanded.
"Oh, we have released him, like we promised."
"I need a proof."
"We already dropped him off, now move on." Sun Cheng Xuan dropped the food he brought to the floor, purposely dirtying it.
"If you dropped him off, I am sure Uncle Jian will come find me."
"Only if you stay alive till then."
Not even flinching at the statement, Xiao Zhan asked a different question,
"What are you going to do with these children?"
"Nothing that you should know."
"T-they take our friends and never return them." Zheng Fanxing voiced out.
"What did you do with those children." Xiao Zhan demanded, grimly.
Sun Cheng Xuan moved towards them, purposely stepping on the food. Xiao Zhan immediately pulled Zheng Fanxing behind with the rest of the kids.
"As long as you obey, no one can hurt you."
"I am not afraid of dying!"
Pissed off by the statement, Sun Cheng Xuan landing a hard kick on Xiao Zhan's chest, making him stagger backwards.
"Now eat up before I change my mind." Sun Cheng Xuan mocked and left the room.
The children circled around Xiao Zhan, eyeing him worriedly.
"It's alright, I am okay." Xiao Zhan said wiping the blood off his lips. He looked at the pile of chow that was supposed to be their food. Carefully he picked up the clean portion and fed the little ones.
"Is it always like this?" Xiao Zhan asked in a sad voice.
"Sometimes." Zheng Fanxing said hungrily munching on the scraps. He added,
"When they are mad, they don't even give food."
Xiao Zhan's eyes softened, his tenderly patted the brave boy. Counting them, he confirmed that there were 7 children and by what Zheng Fanxing said earlier, there were more children in some other part of the building.
"Gege..." A tiny angelic voice called the big man. Turning around, Xiao Zhan found a little girl tugging his sleeves. From how Zheng Fanxing introduced earlier, this little one was called Ye Xuantong.
"What is it, twinkle?" Xiao Zhan endearingly welcomed the little angel in his lap. Climbing on top, the little angel comfortably sat on the gege chair.
Later, she pushed the little loft of bread towards Xiao Zhan, urging him to eat.
"Gege, didn't eat. Gege hungry."
All the sullen parts of his heart mellowed at the little angel, he reciprocated with his own angelic smile and assured.
"Gege is not hungry, twinkle should eat."
Seeing the gestures, all the little ball of delights brought their lofts of bread and presented it before the big man. The food was barely enough for them yet they were ready to share.
Only inhuman could torture such angels.
Xiao Zhan convinced them calmly that he was not hungry and little ones finally abided, filling their tummies.
I will find a way to get you out!
. . .
The moment Zhuocheng stepped out of the door, his steps faltered. The sight before him made him fear, not for himself but for the kids present before him.
It was a room of children approximately from 5 to 13 years old. Zhuocheng himself was just 17 years old.
The children were all tied to the cot with many tubes attached to them. From the looks of it, most of these children were either orphan or street beggars, brought there without their consent. Zhuocheng looked around but couldn't find the mute child from earlier.
The door behind him creaked open, revealing the man from before, his face not pleased at all. Urgently, Zhuocheng scanned the room and at the opposite end, found the door. He leaped towards it with the man following behind. Reaching at the door, Zhuocheng tried to pull it open but it was locked.
Shit!
Turning around the man was standing in the middle of the room, looking at Zhuocheng with wide grin. He sneered,
"Are you really going to leave these kids behind, how cruel?"
"You're the one who is cruel! Trapping these innocent kids like this! What do you want from them?!" Zhuocheng mocked in return.
"Oh! I am not the one who trapped them here. I am just here for fun."
"That makes you equally guilty."
"You're right." The man laughed, stepping closer to the bed of a child. He sat down next to her, caressing her face with his thumb. From the looks of it, it looked like a girl of 12 years old.
" Xiu Qing found her in the Asylum he was in."
The man placed his hand on the ventilator that was placed on her face, slowly he reached the exhalator valve and blocked it with his thumb.
"Poor thing couldn't breath properly. The oxygen to her brain was insufficient, her parents thought she was mad. They left here there, to rot."
The cardiac monitor next to her cot, begun to beep indicating the drastic change.
"Stop it!" Zhuocheng gritted his teeth. The man didn't move his hand away despite the warning. Zhuocheng stomped to him and pushed him away from the girl. The beeping sound stopped a while later.
"Hahaha, you don't get it, do you? These kids are kidnapped: true. but they each have a condition that the doctors were too lazy to take care of. Some were abandoned by their parents, while some were picked up by Xiu Qing. You see, he's doing them a favor." The man got up from the floor.
"...Then what about those organs in the other room?!" Zhuocheng asked. No matter the man said, he just couldn't believe him. He didn't even want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The man contemplated for a moment before grinning,
"Those who disobey shall be punished." He sat at the other bed of another child –This time a little boy. Grinning, he pulled out stitch from his arm, making the blood trickle down.
"What are you doing?!" Zhuocheng asked, sending daggers at the man.
"Testing how long will it take for the blood to rush out, leaving him dry."
"Stop it you psychopath!" Zhuocheng again pulled the man away, slamming him on the floor again. While he urgently, tried to block the wound.
"Hahahaha! You like it rough huh?" The man got up from the floor again. While Zhuocheng was trying to stop the bleeding, he pulled out the scalpel that was still stuck in Zhuocheng's shoulder blade bringing immense pain to him.
"Urgg....!" Zhuocheng shivered in pain, standing on his guard, facing the man.
The Psychopath brought the cold scalpel near his mouth and licked the blood off it. Zhuocheng watched in disgust.
"Right, I never introduced myself. Yao Shu Hao, Qui Xing's brother in law."
"Tch – No wonder you're disgusting!"
"Hahaha! I really like you; you know! So, stern. So beautiful."
"Shut up!"
"Why don't we go back hm? You wouldn't want these poor things to get hurt, now would you?" Yao Shu Hao gave a jolt to the scalpel, resulting in the splash of blood on the faces of little children lying motionlessly.
Zhuocheng looked at him, he knew their future was grave but he was not ready to give up before trying. Inhaling deep he said,
"Alright, but don't hurt them anymore."
"Of course, I promise, beautiful."
Zhuocheng was led back to the room where he woke up.
"I need to patch up your wound, sweat heart."
"No need!"
"Oh? But I do need, otherwise it will cause infection."
"Just get lost!"
"Don't make me hurt you. I really do like you." Yao Shun Hao simpered.
"I dare you!"
Yao Shu Hao shook his head, amused.
"How about I rephrase it? Don't make me hurt those children hm?"
Zhuocheng gritted his teeth and without saying anything, opened the side of his gown, and lowered it for the man to patch it.
Yao Shu Hao feast his eyes on the body before, the red fluid flowing through those curves made him gulp hard.
"Lower your gown a little more."
"If you touch me unnecessarily, I will cut off your fingers!" Zhuocheng growled.
Yao Shu Hao lustfully patched his wound. Contended with his job, he got up,
"I am going to bring some food for you. Be nice sweat heart." Saying that Yao Shu Hao exited out of the room.
The moment, the man was out, the adrenaline rush settled down bringing immense pain to Zhuocheng. He lied on his side, careful enough to not hurt his injury any further.
The sight of the window in front, only made him feel blue. He was shocked, terrified, hurt and bruised but kept reminding himself to be strong.
----------
Sorry!
Next few chapters will be brutal.
Ye XuangTong – Child Shijie
Sun Cheng Xuan – Mo Zi Yuan (MXY cousin)
Yao Shun Hao – Jin Zi Xun