As the conversation concluded, the two bodyguards handed Rebecca over to Beardo and briskly walked away without a backward glance. The sea breeze blew strongly, and Rebecca couldn't help but think she must have appeared as disheveled as a beggar on the streets of Seardale. She was led to a corner of the deck by Beardo. Her hands were chained and locked to the railing as if she were a piece of cargo brought onto the ferry. This was a precautionary measure to prevent any escape attempts from her. Gazing at the azure ocean, she listened to the buzzing cacophony around her. Unable to withstand the unpleasant scent of diesel fuel, she eventually succumbed and vomited. Having gone through the night without much food and an empty stomach, she expelled only bile. A passerby noticed and loudly berated her while delivering a swift kick to her stomach. In an unfamiliar accent, he scolded her for sullying the area. She was curled up in the corner. Rebecca's head throbbed intensely, and
The room remained dimly lit. No one had a phone on them, and nobody knew how much time had passed. The only rhythm they followed was eating when hunger struck, sleeping when exhaustion overcame them, and navigating to the distant corner for necessary bathroom breaks. The cramped toilet was barely enough for one person to stand in, but it served for washing hands and faces and attending to toilet needs. As time went on, the smell of ammonia gradually spread in the small space. Initially, only the nearby area had a stench, but eventually, even Rebecca on this side could catch a whiff. However, Rebecca and the woman beside her were already sitting in the farthest corner of the space. The unpleasant odor in the air became increasingly pungent, and the men, now familiar with each other, became more audacious in their speech. Dreams of striking it rich in the new place turned into discussions about the beauty of the women in this unfamiliar territory. These crude remarks could
Everyone squinted due to the sudden beam of light. Rebecca was no exception. However, being the furthest inside, she had a bit more time to adjust to it. When the familiar face of Beardo came into view, her heart skipped a beat. Luckily, he wasn't there to take her away; instead, he tossed a box of bread and mineral water inside before hastily closing the door. The storeroom fell back into silence. After a while, scattered complaints broke the silence. A man got up to bring the food over. He casually piled it in a spot accessible to everyone. Then, the previous casual chatter resumed. Susan from across got up and brought some food and water over. Suddenly, she turned to Rebecca and asked, "Hey, why are you thinking of going out? Do your family members know?" "I'm just curious. If you don't want to talk about it, forget it. I can see you're not that old. You probably just graduated from college. Despite your untidy appearance, you've got a decent face. How did you end
Following a momentary silence, a timid voice broke through the crowd, "Ca-Cassian, I want to go back. What should I do?" "To be honest, I want to go back too ... I've never really traveled far before. I only decided to come here after reading online about how to make money and such. Look at Susan's brother—he died without anyone knowing. "At least he had someone to deal with his corpse. If I were to meet a similar fate, my parents are getting up in age ..." Restlessness spread through the crowd. They all felt uneasy. When they got on this ferry, they probably never imagined the journey would take such an unexpected turn. After all, having invested a significant amount of money, success was anticipated. Therefore, no one could have predicted this outcome. Nevertheless, having come this far, they believed they could overcome challenges on the path to success. Until now, as they contemplated the death of Susan's brother in a foreign land, a sudden realization struck them—per
Upon hearing the commotion, Rebecca abruptly opened her eyes. The intense light caused her eyes to squint slightly. Soon after, she saw Beardo walking toward her. Unlike before, this time, he had others with him, and each one was a muscular and sturdy man. Her heart sank as their footsteps approached closer and closer. As the group entered, the cramped storeroom hardly had enough space to accommodate them. Those who were lying down had to sit up and retreat into even tighter corners. Perhaps due to the unpleasant odor inside, one of the muscular men grew impatient and asked Beardo sternly in a foreign language, "Which one is it exactly?" After scanning the room, Beardo responded, "I can't discern their features. There are only two women here; take them both." The muscular man's gaze swept through the crowd and eventually settled on Rebecca and Susan. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded and said, "Okay." With a wave of his hand, the men behind him rushed straight
Beardo probably didn't anticipate that this seemingly feeble group possessed such explosive strength. He found himself forcibly ejected from the storeroom. He was pressured to step back. However, this tussle lasted only briefly before taking an abrupt turn when the other side brandished weapons. The most uproar they typically caused was perhaps a brawl, and the mere sight of blood was considered terrifying. Hence, charging toward sharp blades to uphold their sense of justice was out of the question. After all, it was just a stranger, and sacrificing their lives wasn't worth it. Unarmed and rushing forward would only make them appear foolish. The path that had previously been forced open retracted, and an even wider passage emerged in the middle. It facilitated Beardo and his group's entry. Observing the weapons in the foreigners' hands, Susan restrained her usual temper and said, "I have a condom in my bag. If you're determined not to let go of me and this woman, can you al
Rebecca wasn't entirely certain about her safety. Despite her bold decision to make a daring move, the lingering worry of potential new dangers gnawed at her. However, upon reflection, she concluded that there was no greater peril than their current situation. So, she went for it. As she examined the relatively clean single room, she wasn't sure if she had won the gamble. Yet, for the moment, the odds seemed to be in her favor. In response to Susan's question, Rebecca took a moment to ponder. Without delving into a full explanation, she simply said, "I have family involved in overseas business. So, I'm hoping to negotiate a deal with them to let us go. However, I can't be sure if they'll agree." These were essentially the same negotiation points she had discussed with Beardo, but she refrained from going into too much detail to avoid putting innocent people at risk. Besides, she couldn't guarantee her own safety entirely, so she didn't want to give false hope to those aro
"Oh? Is that so?" Susan sat up on her bed. She was surprised by Rebecca's revelation. However, she didn't harbor any resentment toward Rebecca for being the reason they were brought out. In the midst of her surprise, she simply said, "That sounds tough for you. You're a rich lady, and you got kidnapped. Now, you're stuck on this ferry with the rest of us." With a heavy sigh, Susan continued, "Well, that's why they say rich people receive elite education. If this happened to someone in our village, they'd have started complaining and crying to those foreigners for mercy. "You wouldn't see them trying to figure out a solution like you. Those pampered princesses from TV dramas seem to be acting after all. But it seems like this kind of thing won't happen to us. When I think about it, you're the one who's more pitiful." Rebecca remained silent once again. She was unsure of how to respond to Susan. To be honest, if she had been raised in the same manner as the Johnson family t