The Dog Trainer’s men attached me to the cross. I watched as Duan Yunjie grabbed a large needle and injected some unknown drug into my body, completely unable to resist.
The Dog Trainer moved his shoulder and one of his men immediately removed his shirt for him. Then, another handed him a small whip. "Leave the room!" he said with a wave of his hand.
After the others left, only the Dog Trainer and I remained in the room.
"Turn people into slaves is an art,” said the Dog Trainer. “Rather than hunger and fatigue, I’m more deeply impressed by the methods of the ancients–pain! The drug I just injected activates the pain nerves throughout your entire body so the pain you feel will be ten times stronger than usual. Even if the wind blows on your skin, it’ll burn like fire."
I gritted my teeth, feeling the drug working. It was as if countless ants were crawling under my skin–a sensation of pain and itchiness spreading all over my body.
The Dog Trainer continued, "You should be glad that it’s me. If it were someone else, they would torture you to death by various sadistic means. But I would never. I appreciate you more than anyone else and I want you for my own use!"
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Am I the first Song family member to be taken here?"
"Yes, but definitely not the last one!” answered the Dog Trainer. “Well, let’s begin."
The Dog Trainer fiddled with the whip and lashed the side of my ribs. It felt like being pressed to the ground by a red-hot steel bar. Intense pain sunk into my bones as I screamed in pain, sweat pouring from the pores of my body.
"Call me Master and I will stop."
"Dream on!" I gasped for air.
"Your struggle is meaningless. It’s only a matter of time before your will collapses. Do you think you’re more special than the thousands of people I have tamed?" asked the Dog Trainer.
I sneered, "Just kill me!"
He put away his smile and continued whipping me. The terrible pain was almost enough to render me unconscious. The screams that escaped my lips sounded, unlike any cry I had ever heard myself utter. They echoed throughout the tiny room, piercing my eardrums.
The whip he was holding was commonly used for bondage purposes and sounded more painful than it actually felt. Thus, it didn’t leave any wounds. However, the drug enhanced my senses so the pain I experienced was eight or nine on a scale of one to ten.
But this was the limit I could bear. With only two lashes, I was already soaked with sweat, as if I had been fished out of water. Panting violently, the pain made me lose my mind.
The Dog Trainer ordered, "Call me Master!"
"Dream on..." I panted heavily.
Crack! Crack! Two more lashes decorated my body. I lifted my head and screamed at the top of my lungs. Goosebumps covered my flesh as a strong sense of shame impacted the fragile thing known as reason. My inner desire for survival was desperately trying to persuade me to surrender to the man before me. There was only one belief that supported me–someone will come to save me.
"Amazing! Ordinary people can't even bear three lashes," praised the Dog Trainer.
My hair was soaked in cold sweat and plastered on my forehead. All the shouting had given me a sore throat. I might have torn my vocal cords.
I looked up with defiance, "All you’re getting is my dead body."
"No, I will make you my loyal dog!"
The Dog Trainer sneered, and down came another crack of the whip. The pain pushed me beyond my limits. I felt my consciousness begin to blur and everything around me seemed almost unreal. My body’s self-preservation mechanism kicked into gear, sinking me into unconsciousness to protect me.
The Dog Trainer turned on the tap and poured cold water on me. It felt like being sprinkled with hot molten iron. My body was red and swollen. I was a trembling mess, teeth clattering and unable to speak.
The Dog Trainer held the whip in his hand and snapped it. Upon hearing the sound, I shook like a frightened bird.
"Call me Master!"
"Dream… on…." I muttered.
He fed me the whip once more. But this time, the Dog Trainer seemed angered. I felt pain tearing my body apart and I threw up uncontrollably. A glowing button-shaped object, food residue, and gastric juice splattered all over the floor.
That was the tracker that Bingxin had given me. I swallowed it when I was dealing with them in the unfinished residential flats. What they previously crushed was just an ordinary button battery which I deliberately exposed.
Surprised, the Dog Trainer picked it up, then smashed it and roared, "You son of a bitch!"
With that, he left the room and a triumphant smile rose to my lips before I fainted completely.
Fragmented nightmares filled my anxious rest and I felt a huge needle inserted into my body. I woke up screaming to see Duan Yunjie, the female officer, piercing a needle into me.
“You dog!" I spat.
"Don't get me wrong, this is the antidote,” explained Duan Yunjie. “I wasn’t brainwashed. I was just pretending to surrender to him."
I replied coldly: "I don't believe it!"
Duan Yunjie untied me and put me down, "You don't have to believe me, but I’m taking you out of here now."
Upon landing on my feet, I was retching so hard I thought I would vomit out my stomach and intestines. Duan Yunjie handed me a bottle of water and my clothes. Without a second thought, I took a sip and grabbed my clothes.
However, my limbs were still weak at this point so I couldn't get dressed at all. "Let me help you!" offered Duan Yunjie.
Under the current circumstances, I felt no shame in receiving her help to get dressed.
Duan Yunjie began, "I’m a graduate of the Police Academy’s Class of 13’, just like your girlfriend Huang Xiaotao. I received an undercover task from my superiors, that is, to approach the Dog Trainer, but I didn't expect to be found by him. Thus, I had to feign obedience to save myself."
I was shocked, "The police have already started to investigate the Dog Trainer?"
"The Dog Trainer has been in Nanjiang City for ten years, but he used other code names before. There’s evidence that many major cases were secretly manipulated by him ten years ago. I’ve investigated and collected information about his crimes. As long as I can contact my superiors, I can bring him down!"
The antidote began working and my body gradually regained feeling. As Duan Yunjie led me away from the torture room, two men bumped into us midway and asked, "Duan Yunjie, where are you taking him?"
"The master ordered me to move him to a safe place,” replied Duan Yunjie.
Just when the other party relaxed his guard, Duan Yunjie suddenly swept one of them to the ground with a kick. The other man was ready to draw his knife when he too was slammed to the ground by Duan Yunjie’s skillful move. Then, she kicked him heavily on the head, knocking him unconscious.
Duan Yunjie gestured, "Follow me!"
There were sounds of gunshots in the distance. "Are the police here?" I asked.
"No! The Dog Trainer is going to transfer all his slaves. Those who aren’t fully trained yet are being executed."
I gritted my teeth. I must bring this devil to justice.