Chapter Ten: Amber

By six o’clock in the evening, the end-of-day bell rang out across the compound—undoubtedly the moment the “piglets” looked forward to most.

Since I’d already hit my performance quota, Team Leader Song gave me a meal card for the second-floor canteen, reserved for those who had brought in sales. It was my first time tasting a proper meal inside the compound.

Though the second-floor canteen was meant for those who’d made sales, even here there were different tiers. Most of the piglets filled their stomachs in the free dining area. Since it was free, no one expected much in terms of flavor.

Breakfast was usually a bowl of plain rice porridge with either a steamed bun or a stick of fried dough. If you were willing to pay extra, you could get a tea egg, an egg pancake, or a cup of soy milk.

Lunch and dinner were similar: a bowl of white rice with a ladleful of greens boiled in salt water or some stir-fried bean sprouts, plus a bowl of watery vegetable soup. If you wanted something better—noodles with meat sauce or a pork chop—you had to pay out of pocket.

Prices inside the compound were steep. I wandered the paid section for a while, thinking I’d treat myself since I’d just earned a commission, but I was shocked to see a tea egg cost two and a half yuan, a bowl of beef noodles twenty-five, and a serving of braised chicken with rice a staggering forty yuan.

Resigned, I let out a few wry laughs, turned back to the free area, and got myself a bowl of white rice, a scoop of salted greens, and a bowl of mixed-vegetable soup.

The taste was nothing to write home about, but it was enough to fill me up. After days of eating leftovers and moldy buns, finally sitting down to a decent meal, I wolfed it down ravenously.

After eating, I wandered the sports field alone as if nothing were amiss. During break times, piglets were allowed outside in designated areas.

By the rules, there were still two hours of evening shift after dinner, but to encourage sales, the compound allowed those who’d met their quotas to skip the evening session. Of course, if you wanted to work extra for more commission, you could—Brother Can and the others even admired such ambition.

That night, with nothing better to do, I started running laps in the compound. Honestly, my sister’s reminder wasn’t the only reason. In a place like this, you never knew when you’d be struck with a stun baton or thrown into a water cell—keeping fit could only help.

But to prevent escapes, our activity area was strictly limited. Running away was nearly impossible.

As I jogged the track, my mind turned over what my sister had said earlier that day.

Suddenly, lost in thought, I bumped into someone head-on and sprawled across the ground.

“Damn! Who the hell—are you blind? Can’t you see a person right—”

Before I could finish, a sharp knock landed on my head.

“You little brat! Got a mouth on you now? Say that again, I dare you!”

Recognizing the voice, I quickly changed my tone. “Sis…” I called out softly, almost in a whisper, imitating Huang Mao’s way of addressing her to cover up, “Miss Liu…”

“It’s fine! We’re in a blind spot for the cameras.” My sister rolled her eyes, exasperated. “You’ve been like this since you were a kid! Never listen to anything I say! I told you not to come, but you had to come! Now look—we’re both stuck, and I have no way to get you out!”

Her words made me both angry and on the verge of tears. “Three years! You’ve been missing for three years! Do you know that even on their deathbeds, Mom and Dad were still calling your name!”

Even as I said this, I couldn’t help but embrace her.

She tilted her head back and took a deep breath, her eyes reddening. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

“So, Sis… when—when can we go home?” I asked her softly, brushing her bangs aside, finally voicing the deepest wish in my heart. It was the first time I’d ever been so bold with her.

“Not yet. You’ll have to bear it a little longer.”

“Listen—tomorrow, I have to leave this place. But there’s something I need you to do!” She hugged me tight, whispering in my ear, “People die in this compound every so often. I need you to find out where the bodies are taken. Don’t worry. I’ll be back after a while.”

“The bodies?” I asked, puzzled. “What else? They must be buried or burned, right?”

“Tsk, tsk! Are you stupid? If it were that simple, why would I have you investigate?” My sister, annoyed, gave my ear a hard twist.

“Do you remember those masked people around Brother Can?” she suddenly asked.

It hit me then—I remembered the terrifying sight when I’d broken one of their masks: that face covered with dozens of eyes, big and small.

“To be honest, you may not believe me—but I suspect those masked people are the ones who died here before!”

Hearing that, I felt a chill. “Nonsense! There’s no such thing as people walking around after they’re dead! This isn’t some zombie movie!”

“Oh, really? Then tell me—how could someone survive days of starvation, hacked at with knives, and then locked in the water cell for hours and still live?”

She was talking about me!

But this reminded me of something she’d mentioned before—Amber.

I was about to seize the moment to ask her more when suddenly, from the nearby bushes, a shadow stumbled out.

“Who’s there?”

We both shouted at once.

Because of the poor lighting, I couldn’t see the person’s face, but they were close enough to have overheard everything between my sister and me.

“This person can’t be allowed to leave!”

My sister’s eyes flashed cold. She drew a combat knife from her belt and charged straight at them. If anyone found out about us, it would be the end for both of us.

I was a step slower, but realizing how serious this was, I hurried after her.

But the person was quick, and despite our training, we couldn’t catch up.

The figure scrambled up the dormitory wall, about to escape.

In desperation, I grabbed a stone and hurled it as hard as I could. It struck their shoulder, making them stumble and fall over the other side.

Unwilling to give up, I threw another stone after them.

“This is the piglet dormitory area! That must have been a regular piglet sneaking around!” my sister said.

I finally relaxed, but I knew if anyone exposed our relationship, we’d both be ruined. Even if it was just another piglet.

My life was worthless, but not hers. I’d seen enough stories online about what happened to undercover agents who got caught. I couldn’t bear to imagine what fate would befall my beautiful sister if they got their hands on her.

Though I said nothing, I silently resolved to hunt down tonight’s eavesdropper and deal with them at the first chance—sooner rather than later.

When I looked back, there was no one behind me.

“Sis…”

I tried to call out, but in a place like this, I had to swallow the words.

Just as my sister had said, the next morning after breakfast, I saw Brother Can and several compound leaders escort her into a military Humvee from a distance.

When I arrived at the office hall, I found someone new at my side.

It was Number 2044, sporting a black eye, his arms and legs covered in bruises and wounds.

Clearly, Huang Mao and his gang had shown him no mercy.

The look he gave me was pure hatred.

“Just wait,” he said—the only words he left me with that morning.

As the workday began, Number 2050 wandered over to her station on my other side. She plopped heavily into her chair and slammed her Employee Handbook on the desk, the pen clipped to it rolling to the floor.

Even though I’d never been in a relationship, I understood that when a girl started slamming things around, she’d definitely been upset by something.

“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?” I quickly bent to pick up her pen, but she ignored me completely.

Seeing her silent, I glanced her over and sure enough, there were several fresh wounds on her legs and bruises on her forehead.

My heart sank. Had one of the thugs hurt her?

But thinking it over, I recalled she’d said she was sick. No matter how perverted the thugs were, they wouldn’t risk catching something from her.

“It’s fine! I’ll buy you spicy hot pot for lunch. How about it?”

“Whatever,” she replied coldly, not even glancing at me before turning to her computer to start phishing.

Seeing her like this, I just gave a wry smile and got to work myself.

With my quota met for the month, I spent the whole morning idling—I had no wish to make another cent for this damned scam operation.

At lunchtime, I didn’t care whether 2050 agreed or not. I dragged her up to the second-floor canteen and ordered a spicy hot pot.

That meal cost me nearly fifty yuan—painful, considering I only had a three-hundred-yuan bonus.

2050 gave me a suspicious look, but then tucked in without hesitation.

“How’s it taste?” I asked.

“It’s fine,” she replied, not looking up.

“If you like it, eat more. After eavesdropping and climbing walls last night, you must be starving.”

Caught out, 2050 stopped, staring at me expressionlessly.

She slowly set down her bowl and, hands trembling, pulled a pen from her work uniform pocket.

“Don’t move!” I said quickly, pulling an orange-yellow bullet from my own pocket. “The bullet’s right here.”

Her expression changed. She stared in shock at the pen in her hand.

That’s right.

It wasn’t an ordinary pen. It was a concealed pistol.

“So you picked up my pen this morning on purpose!” she said angrily, gripping the pen tighter.