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Bonus chapter! Thank you to asdf for the donation! ^^
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The worker came back quickly, this time carrying a power saw. He used it to cut through the lock on the door.
Once the lock was sawed through, the worker set the power saw aside and pulled the door open. However, as the door swung open, the scene before him left him completely frozen.
Standing inside the doorway was a young boy. He wore a dirty white shirt, but his features were exquisitely beautiful, as if he had stepped out of a painting.
He was even more attractive than the celebrities the slightly chubby worker had seen on TV.
The chubby worker stared at the boy in a trance. After swallowing hard, he instinctively moved toward him, as if bewitched.
Seeing the man's gaze, Ruan Qing immediately sensed that something was wrong. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he nervously stepped back. Then, in a soft voice, he said, "Hello, thank you for saving me."
However, the chubby worker continued approaching, his eyes filled with desire and greed.
Ruan Qing bit his lip helplessly, fear shining in his beautiful eyes as he retreated step by step.
But Ruan Qing's frailty and helplessness did not awaken the worker's conscience. Instead, it fueled his dark intentions and emboldened him.
This was a basement where no one ever came. Whatever happened here would go unnoticed.
The chubby worker lunged at Ruan Qing, but in the next second, a heavy iron rod struck his head.
The worker stared at the boy in front of him, unwilling to accept what had happened. In the end, he collapsed to the ground, blood slowly pooling beneath his head, resembling a gruesome crime scene.
Ruan Qing’s face was filled with panic and unease as he stared at the blood beneath the worker's head. It seemed he had struck too hard.
Could he have killed him?
Upon realizing the worker was still breathing, Ruan Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately dropped the iron rod and ran out of the basement.
The basement exit led to a staircase. Without hesitation, Ruan Qing headed up, carefully and cautiously, fearing he might encounter the five people who had imprisoned him.
Luckily, he reached the first floor without encountering anyone.
The stairs from the basement opened directly into a room. To observe the situation outside, Ruan Qing slipped into the room.
Once inside, he noticed something was off about the room.
It appeared to be a place frequently used by the five captors. Signs of their presence were everywhere, including cigarette butts scattered on the floor.
In a corner, Ruan Qing even spotted a phone. Without a second thought, he picked it up.
The phone was still on and had some battery left, but it was locked with a password.
Trusting his instincts, Ruan Qing entered a number. He didn't have much hope, but to his surprise, the phone unlocked.
…This should be his phone.
Just as Ruan Qing was about to call the police, he heard voices not far away. Quickly, he put the phone away and hid in a corner.
Ruan Qing didn’t attempt to seek help from others again because he had already noticed something from the reflection in the glass.
He didn’t look safe.
The construction site was a mixed bag of people. If he was unlucky enough to ask the wrong person for help, he might encounter another situation like the one he just experienced.
Ruan Qing listened nervously to the sounds outside. It was the chatter of workers. The voices grew closer but then gradually moved away—it was clear they had only passed by.
When the workers were far enough away, Ruan Qing let out a breath of relief. He took out his phone to call the police, but the next moment, he froze.
His mind had gone completely blank—he couldn’t remember the emergency number.
Ruan Qing hesitated for a long time but still couldn’t recall the number. In the end, he silently put the phone back into his pocket.
It seemed that the only person he could rely on now was himself.
Ruan Qing forced himself to calm down. Those five people could return at any moment. He had to leave before they came back.
Instead of leaving immediately, Ruan Qing first went back to the basement.
Wearing a white shirt was too conspicuous. He put on the work uniform of the man who had claimed to be his lover before carefully leaving the basement.
The outside was just as he had guessed—it was a construction site.
It was currently working hours in the afternoon, so the workers were bustling around, busy with their tasks.
Ruan Qing didn’t dare appear boldly in front of the workers, even though he was wearing a uniform. His demeanor and physique were nothing like those of a laborer, and anyone could tell at a glance that something was off.
After carefully surveying his surroundings, Ruan Qing kept his head down and cautiously avoided the other workers.
The construction site was large, but its layout wasn’t complicated. Ruan Qing soon found the exit and quietly made his way toward it.
However, just as he was about to reach the exit, two familiar figures appeared there.
They were... two of the five people from earlier!
The moment Ruan Qing recognized them, his heart sank. Without thinking, he quickly hid in the shadows.
Those five people had clearly returned. He had to leave the site before they realized he was missing.
Ruan Qing, however, couldn’t find any opportunity to leave the construction site.
The entrance to the site required registration for entry and exit, and this wasn’t a shift change period for the workers, leaving no chance to sneak out.
Worse still, the five men seemed to have realized he was missing.
Ruan Qing knew he couldn’t escape from the construction site. He hid in a concealed spot, took out his phone, and, after scrolling through his contacts, dialed the number saved as "Dad."
However, the call didn’t go through. What he heard was the automated system message.
"The number you have dialed is currently busy. Please leave a message after the beep."
Ruan Qing’s grip on the phone tightened, his fingers turning pale from the pressure.
This kind of message usually played when the phone was off or when the recipient couldn’t take the call, indicating they had set up voicemail. If he called again later, the person might become available.
But he wasn’t sure if he could wait until they were free.
Instead of hanging up immediately, Ruan Qing spoke softly after the beep, taking advantage of the construction noise to mask his voice. He explained his situation, described the surrounding environment as much as he could, and shared his suspicions.
The more he spoke, the softer his voice became, and the more aggrieved he sounded. After finishing his explanation, he quietly added:
“Dad, I’m really scared. Can you come and take me home?”
It was just a voicemail, so naturally, there wouldn’t be any response. After a few moments of silence, Ruan Qing whispered again:
“You… will come to take me home, right?”
When he said this, his tone was laced with a sob and trembling uncertainty, careful and tentative. Just hearing it could make someone’s heart ache and fill them with the urge to agree to whatever he asked.
But unfortunately, it was only a voicemail. There would be no response from the other end of the line.
Ruan Qing wanted to say something more, but in the distance, a familiar male voice rang out. It was one of the five men.
Terrified, Ruan Qing immediately ended the call, hiding himself in a shadowy corner of the construction site, not daring to make another sound.
