As I approached the man, I felt a certain nervousness. It seemed that the fear from that day was still alive in me. Although it didn't belong to me, it still made my vigilance level rise very high.

In front of me was one of those freaks who kept smoking on the sidelines. At the time Ellanora was being beaten by one, the other was sitting on the sidelines and judging by the actions. Registering her for the site, and the third was standing by the window smoking.

If you think about it now, they had a very well-coordinated team. They were obviously very experienced.

Looking at the man in front of me, I was ready for anything. There were three knives on my body. One hidden under my clothes, tied on my leg for better access. Another one right in my sleeve, causing me to have to move a little more carefully. And the third was right in my bra. It was embarrassing to hide anything in there, but I found a folding knife so extra caution wouldn't hurt. Although sometimes it seems that the knives are about to fall down, still they somehow hold on.

The man was silent and smoking for a while, but he did not stop copying my body with his eyes. Although the body is thin, it still has proportions. Plus, the handsome face enhances it all.

"Why are you wearing those clothes?"

Finishing smoking, the man tossed aside the garbage and then asked, looking at the mask covering my face.

I said nothing, turning my head to the side. In situations like this, it seems to me that silence is best.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the man smirk. Then he walked over to me, reaching his hand out and putting it around my neck. I could feel him pushing me forward so that we would walk in that pose. Holding anger and some fear in me, with thoughts of holding back, I followed him toward the building.

Climbing the steps and going inside, we didn't make it to the front desk. The man pressed his hand on me, forcibly changing directions. Walking to the right after the entrance, we went deeper into the corridor.

After that, we went into the same room, and I thought that everything would take place there. But the man let go of my hand and went forward. There was a closet, opening inside was like an ordinary closet, but he tapped on the back wall of the closet, at which time the wall shook and opened. Behind it was an aisle where another man, who I knew, was standing. It was the freak who had registered me. He held out his hand in a gesture of invitation. Gritting my teeth, I walked forward, and the other man also looked at me with meaningful eyes as he stepped aside. Passing through the closet, I walked forward, and behind me, the two freaks followed.

Without going more than a few steps, the straight corridor changed into steps. Turning my head, they were still following me with smirks on their faces. Sighing, I started down the steps. The corridor was brightly lit, most likely their base. And there was obviously a lot of illegal stuff going on here. Descending almost to the floor, another door appeared before me. It was iron, unlike the others outside. The more I got to know this place, the more I needed to increase my vigilance.

The first thing is to find out if they have weapons. I can't be sure that I can beat them in close combat. That's why I brought knives, but if they have weapons, my situation will become extremely dangerous. Although, what if I get a weapon in my hands? In such an outcome, I have very little faith in their ability to stand up to me.

As I approached the door, I stopped, and the two who were walking behind me approached. One stood behind me, and the other tapped at a peculiar rhythm. I think they're scheming too hard. The little window on the door advanced to the side, and from there, a man who I didn't know was looking at us. This fact proved that there were more than three of them.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Following this, the window closed abruptly before the door opened revealing a surprisingly cozy but expensive room. Upon closer inspection, I confirmed that it was definitely their base, or at least one of them.

The room served as both the living room and kitchen, located in the right corner. Several rooms could be seen on either side.

There were already five men and three elegantly dressed women present when we entered the room. Counting their number, my heart sank - not counting the women, the situation was already very bad.

As I observed them carefully, my eyes narrowed. It was clear that one of the men had a gun, but it was unclear if the others were armed.

I stood there silently, watching as the men chatted with the women while some sat on the couch and others stood at the counter getting drinks.

As we walked in, all attention turned to us. After scanning the room, I couldn't find the third person we were looking for. They were likely in another room.

My last chance to leave disappeared as the door closed behind us with a sound. I stood there in a daze until a hand rested on my shoulder, prompting me to move forward.

Other men also gathered near the center, where one of them began to speak.

"Now that all the guests are here, let's get started. I can't wait any longer," he said, walking over to the center table and picking up the cards.

"Identical numbers will be paired together. Naturally, it won't work if it's two men or two women. The unlucky ones will try again later," he added with a smirk, looking over the faces of the others.

Based on my understanding, they were just trying to be funny.

My hand still clutched my neck as I watched the man holding the cards walk among the others, offering to take the cards. The men hid the cards when they took them, and the women were shot.

Soon, it was our turn. The man standing next to me took the card and hid it. The settlement offered to take the map to me. Since there were not many maps left, I had to maintain it for now. The situation was dangerous.

As I took the map, I glimpsed that it had a number "4" written on it. The last contestant holding my neck also took one before there was one left for the man handing out the card. He went back to the center before he spoke.

"And so you can show your cards, and we'll see what the results are."

Following his direction, everyone showed their cards, and I did the same. As it turned out, the man who had checked me at that time had a number four like mine. Seeing this, the other man who was holding me by the neck let go and stepped aside, clearly displeased. The man in the center continued.

"And so you can have your fun."

The man holding the card headed toward me, and when he finally came to me, I thought and said in a quiet voice, "Can I go to the restroom first?"

He looked at me, then nodded with a smirk. "I'm waiting, honey. Don't make me do this for too long."

After finding out where the restroom was, I went inside, closed the door, and walked over to the washbasin. My emotional state was not good at the moment. Although before I came here, I had some reassurance, now I was clearly afraid. If I couldn't get out or made a mistake, I was dead. And not just me, even if I didn't get killed, my sister might get hurt too.

For a moment, the thought occurred to me to be obedient…..

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and one of the elegantly dressed women stepped inside. I immediately took deep breaths to calm myself.

She walked over to the washbasin and tilted her head down, making it impossible for me to see her face. I thought she was scared because she hadn't spoken for a long time and was looking in the mirror.

Subconsciously, I asked, "Are you okay?"

She didn't respond, and I confirmed my thoughts. It seems that I'm not the only one in danger, and these women are victims too. Although on the outside, they behave well, on the inside, they are afraid.

After looking at her for a few seconds, I clenched my teeth and reached for the knife in my bra, the smallest and most inconspicuous one. For some reason, I wanted to help this woman, which made me regain my resolve.

Showing the knife to her, I said, "Take this and hide it. In case something happens, you can protect yourself."

She was still unresponsive for a moment, but then with a slight glance at me out of the corner of her eye, she reached out and grabbed the knife. "Thank you," her barely audible voice broke out, and she seemed to calm down.

After thinking about it, I decided to leave. But the woman came out first after fixing her makeup.

Looking at her back, I calmed myself down as well. I checked my knives, took a few deep breaths, and decided to step out.

Walking out, I wanted to move forward, but suddenly felt danger. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to react. A foot struck me right in the stomach, taking my breath away and causing me to fall to the ground.