142. The Scene Inside the Cabin

Old Tong and Uncle Yang approached the cabin, which reeked of a foul stench. Old Tong stood before the threshold for a long moment, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. In the flickering torchlight, the two men saw the interior clearly. Zhang Xuan and his three companions, who had been watching their every move, were deeply concerned about what lay inside. Led by Zhang Xuan, they pinched their noses and stepped toward the cabin.

The most striking features inside were seven or eight wooden stakes, each bound to a child whose body was marred by cruel injuries. Scattered around the room were various implements of torture: wooden clubs, bamboo strips, whips, bramble rods, and ropes. In the corner of the cabin, a chaotic pile of small corpses lay in a heap, the source of the nauseating odor.

As Old Tong and Uncle Yang took in the sight, their breathing grew ragged. They were consumed by an unprecedented rage; how could these human dregs do such things to children? They were just children!

Old Tong turned his head away, unable to bear the sight any longer. Uncle Yang handed his torch to Old Tong, stepped inside, checked the pulses of each child tied to the stakes, and untied them. Once all the children were lowered to the floor, Uncle Yang bowed his head. Old Tong looked toward him, and receiving a silent shake of the head, understood: the children had succumbed to their torture and were no longer among the living.

As Uncle Yang brought the children down one by one, Zhang Xuan and his companions reached the doorway. Seeing the scene in the firelight, they instinctively covered their mouths, stunned by the horror. Zhang Xuan had previously suspected that the Nie brothers had endured beatings and abuse in the camp, but the sight before him shattered his understanding of the suffering they had experienced. It also explained why Nie Zheng—and the other child he had encountered earlier—had been so eerily, terrifyingly silent while torturing the overseer and killing the traffickers.

Uncle Yang emerged from the cabin and pulled the door shut behind him. He stood outside for a moment, head bowed in deep thought. Then, he looked up and said to Yang Zaixing, "Zaixing, give me your blade. You should go to the prison cells and guard the children there, to ensure no traffickers try to seize them as leverage against us."

Old Tong also turned to Zhang Xuan: "Little Xuan, give me your blade as well. Leave the rest to Uncle Yang and me. You, Yuwen, and Yang Hu, go to the cells. Remember to protect the children. As for the children in this cabin, and those who perished before, I will see their vengeance served! How could these scum be so heartless? To lay such heavy hands on a child—they have no humanity left. If they have no humanity, why should they be allowed to live?" Old Tong spoke with a chilling calmness, yet anyone could hear the inferno of rage burning beneath his words.

Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing exchanged a look, then silently handed their blades to the two men. "Take them. Old Tong, Uncle Yang, do not let a single trafficker escape! Not one of them is innocent. Hu, go with the Second Brother to the front gate. Guard it, and kill anyone who tries to flee. Big Brother, come with me to the prison; we must protect the children there and ensure no more harm comes to them."

Yang Zaixing, Yuwen Chengdu, and Yang Hu nodded. Zhang Xuan bowed toward the cabin, saying, "I am sorry we were late." The other three followed suit. Outside the front gate, two figures—the brothers Nie Rong and Nie Zheng—were hiding. They had watched Uncle Yang emerge from the cabin empty-handed and witnessed the four youths bowing in mourning. The tears they had fought to suppress finally broke free; they could only imagine that their former companions had finally escaped their torment to a better world.

Old Tong looked at the cabin. "When this is over, burn it down. Let them find peace. I pray they never encounter such horrors in the next life. Go now, and stay alert. Once we are finished, we will meet you. Until then, protect yourselves. Do you understand?"

"We will not let a single one escape!" Zhang Xuan and the others replied. "We will keep the children safe!" With that, Yang Hu and Yuwen Chengdu headed for the gate, but not before Yuwen Chengdu passed his blade to Yang Zaixing. Armed, Yang Zaixing and Zhang Xuan moved toward the prison. Old Tong and Uncle Yang watched them go before turning their attention toward the cabins where the traffickers were resting.

Zhang Xuan glanced back once more at the two men. In the dancing light of the torches, they looked like vengeful spirits or emissaries from the underworld, their time arrived to claim the lives of those drenched in sin.

Just then, a figure stepped out from one of the traffickers' cabins.