Seventeen
Chapter 317 about 17. Coincidence? I don't think so.
It is May already, which is my exam month for A Level. I won't be as active in the comment section but I'll never release less chapters than I'm supposed to. Feel free to show your support on Patreon.
At a deserted, mossed ice field filled, there was a huge underground world built beneath karst.
A few kerosene lamps spread minimal heat to the surroundings, and the light they emitted hit the cave ceiling and walls, refracting luster between metals and ores.
It was damp, cold, lonely and depressing.
In this inaccessible underground space which seemed like an entirely different world, numerous steel pillars with the width of an arm securely formed a square iron prison with an area of a few hundred square meters.
An immensely heavy and rusty giant lock tightly sealed the only door of the iron prison.
This was a place isolated from the rest of the world. It was a place where sunlight couldn’t be seen throughout the year. One couldn’t inhale fresh air inside as well.
The cold, underground humidity could unstoppably erode, or even swallow anyone’s soul.
However in the iron prison, there were around ten thin and small figures curled up in different places of the iron prison. Some were lying on the ground, some sat there while hugging their knees while the others leaning against the steel pillars of the prison.
They were a group of boys and girls who looked around ten years old. They were all wearing grey short-sleeved shirts and shorts on their haggard and gaunt bodies.
There was no food. The only thing which allowed them to survive was merely the underground water which was occasionally dripping from the stalactites.
After days of suffering cold and hunger, many of the children were on the edge of collapsing.
More horrifyingly, there was no sound at all in the underground world which had a creepy and dark atmosphere. Even adults would feel insecure and oppressed after staying in the isolated space for a long time, not to mention it was an ice-cold iron prison. The feeling of despair would repeatedly emerge.
Two days ago, there were still children who were sobbing as a result of failing to suppress the fear in their hearts. However, these children who spent most of their energy had long finished their fuel.
Among the ten or so children, the ones who were lying on the ground were mostly cold corpses by now. However, due to the extremely low underground temperature, the decaying of the corpses took place in a particularly slow manner. They were merely at a rigid state.
Being in the underground which lacked sunlight and moonlight, none of them knew how much time had passed.
Slowly, the remaining ten or so children became the final ones who were alive.
In the huge iron prison, no one was talking while everyone’s breathing became extremely quiet. This was because they knew if they wanted to continue living, they couldn’t waste even the slightest amount of energy.
At this moment, a kid who had a relatively big physique finally had some movements after enduring immense hunger which was unimaginable by normal people.
Using the most efficient posture, he slowly moved towards the child’s corpse which was nearest to him.
In the dark, the boy leaned downwards to the neck of the body which was about his size. Slowly and resolutely, he took a bite on the body!
Before long, the sound generated by the friction between raw meat and teeth echoed in the quiet iron prison…
It was a sound that ordinary people would never get to listen in their entire lives. To the children there who were still alive, it sounded incredibly familiar. It wasn’t something that would shock them.
Following the first child’s hunt for food, three other children started looking for corpses.
Children’s teeth were much sharper than imagined. He swallowed the stiff and cold raw meat silently, only his deep breathing sound could be heard.
After swallowing a few mouthfuls of bloody flesh, the child slowly regained energy, causing his biting sound to be louder…
In a corner of the iron prison, yet another boy couldn’t endure his hunger anymore. He moved his limbs and climbed to two corpses which were closest to him.
One of the corpses was a girl while the other was a boy. They had been lying on the ground for more than a day without moving. The girl’s body was small and thin as opposed to the boy’s. However, under such a situation, whether it was a girl or a boy didn’t make a difference. They were both food!
The boy didn’t bother to choose. Gulping his saliva which had gotten bitter, he opened his mouth and leaned downwards to chew the girl’s corpse…
Suddenly! The boy felt something abnormal!
However, it was already too late the moment he felt something was wrong!
The girl ‘corpse’ that was assumed to be dead violently turned around and extended her palm which was as skinny as a bone near the boy’s temple.
The girl had rather long fingernails. At this moment, she used all the energy she had to clasp her palm, inserting her fingernails into the boy’s head…
The previously ‘diner’ suddenly turned to a dead ‘prey’ in the blink of an eye.
The girl pounced on the boy who just died a short moment ago. Just like a crazy and insanely hungry lioness, she started biting the boy’s flesh…
A newly dead corpse still contained body warmth after all while the blood was similarly heated. Such a ‘food’ evidently gave the ‘predator’ a much better fuel for survival.
As the girl started her first meal in a many days for around ten seconds, the ‘boy’s corpse’ located nearest to the girl slowly climbed up as well.
The boy quietly went towards the corpse which got killed by the girl with one strike. He didn’t communicate with the girl at all. Opening his mouth, he started biting the flesh at the areas where the girl hadn’t chewed on before...
The girl seemed like she wasn’t surprised. Apparently, she knew that the boy was similarly faking his death earlier, to wait for a warm prey. They minded their own business as they devoured the corpse and drank the hot blood.
Since it was all raw meat which was incredibly tough to be chewed, the two basically swallowed it without biting much. Their meal lasted for almost an hour before they finally stopped eating. Currently, their faces and hands were drenched in blood.
The body which was previously warm had already started releasing a stench.
However, since there were many corpses eaten in the iron prison, the smell had long diffused in the air.
The two went back to their own corners in the prison. In the dark, the two could barely see each other’s faces. Both of them had messy hair while their eyes held a beast-like, cautious gaze, as if they were ready to launch an attack.
The two children both knew that each other was most skilled in this type of survival training. If either of them gave the opposite side any opportunity, they’d end up being a prey.
Under such an unnecessary condition, fighting face to face was evidently irrational. As a result, defense was the best choice.
Once they sat down, their gazes hadn’t move away from each other’s faces before…
After an unknown amount of time, light entered the iron prison from the door. When the light shone upon the two, they slowly turned their heads to look at the light source.
A pale and cold voice resounded in Russian language to record the results…
“2 survived out of 57 subjects, number thirteen and number seventeen…”
…
In a dense rainforest, a multi-colored, venomous snake was wrapped on top of a red towering sequoia.
On the side of the sequoia facing away the sunlight, there stood a youngster who looked thirteen or fourteen year old, dressed in a tight-fitting camouflage shirt and camouflage pants made of canvas. Had had a strong and well-built body. He was currently resting his back against the tree as he sat on a pile of fallen leaves relaxedly.
He held a combat knife in his hand which had blood stains that weren’t dry yet.
The sound of cicadas repeatedly echoed in the rainforest. The youngster seemed like he was sleeping. His eyes were shut while his head was slanted.
At this moment, a figure similarly dressed in a camouflage shirt slowly walked out of the bunch of banana leaves. Holding a short knife in hand, it approached the youngster.
When he was one foot away from the youngster, the combat knife the youngster held suddenly pointed towards the figure that walked towards him while his eyes had opened as well.
It was a pair of cold and emotionless eyes while the emptiness within felt like surging lava was hidden inside.
“It’s you…”
The youngster spoke in a dull manner in English. Evidently, he knew who the person who appeared was.
The person in front was a teenaged girl who was similarly thirteen or fourteen years old. Her short hair extended to her ears while her skin was lightly red since it was exposed in sunlight for a long time. It could be seen that her face was extraordinarily exquisite. She would definitely be a beauty that could attract countless people when she grew up. However, her eyes held an expression which felt like the coldest period of winter, and had the same numbness and toughness as the youngster’s. It was hard for people to get close to her. Anyone who took a glance at her would even take three steps back.
“I want to partner up with you,” the girl said directly.
“Why?”
“You’re the strongest among everyone. I want to live. I have the highest chance of success if I team up with you,” the girl said concisely.
The guy laughed. “You should know that except venomous snakes and beasts, my enemies also include anyone in the rainforest.”
“You’re not afraid of me?” The girl laughed disdainfully.
“Don’t try to provoke me in this childish manner. Take out your assets.” The guy smiled coldly.
The girl suddenly revealed a seductive look which didn’t match her age at all, while her eyes expressed a strong, enchanting quality of a female.
“There have been two foolish men who thought they could eat me, but got killed by me at last. You’re stronger than them, but there’s something similar between you and them…”
The girl stopped talking for a while. Using an immensely enticing and husky tone, she said, “You’re a man as well. Similar to them, you want a woman to vent on…”
The guy’s gaze looked a bit different from before. After remaining quiet for a short while, he said, “You’re not the only woman here.”
“That’s right.” The corners of the girl’s lips revealed contentment. “But you are well aware that I’m the most good-looking one among them.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she started elegantly removing her tight-fitting shirt. Slowly, from her soft but firm, slim waist, her alluring skin of her body was revealed…
The girl had evidently been professionally trained. Every action she made was exceptionally alluring. No one could imagine they were performed by a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl!
The moment the girls body which was still in its development stage completely presented in front of the guy, his eyes finally couldn’t keep calm anymore as flame ignited inside them.
“I want to live, and you want to survive as well. Being the weak one, I’ll use my body in exchange for your help.” The girl didn’t try to seduce him with her female weapons anymore. Standing in front of the guy completely naked, she asked solemnly, “Thirteen, do you dare to want me?”
“How do you want me to trust you?” The guy was evidently suppressing something. Having understood the nature between men and women, he indeed needed a channel to vent on, to prevent his mind from collapsing as a result of the immense burden. However, he was very aware that the owner of the body in front of him was a beautiful, venomous scorpion…
The girl bit her thin lip while her gaze still looked so resolute and cold. Clearly, she said, “I don’t have any evidence, but I can tell you that—this, is my first time.”
The guy didn’t ask any more questions. Just like a leopard, he pounced on the girl who had given up all her energy, causing her to fall onto the ground…
After a series of stormy events, the top of the fallen leaves had finally regained peace.
“What’s your name…”
“Number Seventeen.”
“Your original name…”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why are you still persistent on living? Dying, is actually a kind of relief…”
“I want to return to my hometown. I want to meet my parents.”
“Why…”
“I want to ask them, about my name…”