C19 Bread

As Kong Qing turned his head, five supervisors rounded the corner and caught sight of him.

"Hmm?" One of the supervisors' face contorted with sudden rage, and he charged at Kong Qing, his right hand clenching into a fist before striking Kong Qing squarely in the chest.

Bang!

The force of the blow sent Kong Qing crashing into the door behind him.

Creak!

Bang!

The door emitted a sharp creak as Kong Qing collapsed to the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Hiss!

Before Kong Qing could get back on his feet, the supervisor grabbed his clothes and hoisted him up.

"You've got some nerve trying to escape on my turf in the forty-third district!" The supervisor scoffed, his face twisted with malice.

Kong Qing responded firmly, "I didn't run."

"You didn't run?" The supervisor's face grew even darker.

Bang!

He slammed Kong Qing against the door.

The pain shooting through his back caused Kong Qing's eyes to narrow.

As the supervisor was about to strike again, Kong Qing managed to gasp out, "I was dropped here from the thirteenth district!"

"Hmm?" The supervisor paused, his clenched fist relaxing.

But then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he delivered a punch to Kong Qing's abdomen.

Puff!

Kong Qing couldn't hold back the supervisor's punch this time, and blood spilled from his mouth. Gazing up at the towering figure of the supervisor, a sense of dread filled Kong Qing.

"Even if you were transferring slaves, why would it be just you? Do you take me for a fool?" The supervisor's face shifted subtly, clearly suspecting Kong Qing of deception.

Before the supervisor could move again, Kong Qing quickly explained, "There were others with me, but they caught the attention of other supervisors along the way, so now I'm the only one left."

Kong Qing's lie was seamless; his face remained composed, his ears didn't flush, and he clutched his abdomen, feigning distress. In such perilous moments, he knew he couldn't afford to show any signs of panic. Any slip-up could lead to an immediate execution by the supervisor.

Observing Kong Qing's pained expression, the supervisor seemed to believe he wasn't lying.

The supervisor was reminded of the discussion from a few months back about bringing in young workers. He sized up Kong Qing, noting his youth and that he was in good physical shape, clearly possessing the necessary strength for the work.

Still, the realization that Kong Qing was alone caused the supervisor's expression to sour, and he silently cursed the other supervisor in frustration.

Kong Qing had been closely observing the supervisor's changing expressions, his heart pounding with anxiety. He wasn't sure if his rambling explanation would be enough to deceive the supervisor, but in this moment, he had no choice but to take the risk.

"Where's your supervisor? Why didn't he come with you?" the supervisor demanded sternly.

Kong Qing quickly responded, "I'm not sure why, but the supervisor kicked us out of the mining area early this morning and hasn't been seen since."

Seeing Kong Qing's compliant demeanor, the supervisor nodded in understanding. "I see."

Bang! Squeak!

The supervisor flung the door open and barked at Kong Qing to get to work in the mining area.

"These people are inhuman! Ugh!" Kong Qing thought bitterly to himself. Yet, he was determined that one day he would have his revenge and crush them beneath his feet.

Upon arriving at the mining area, Kong Qing took in the sight of nearly five or six thousand slaves. He stood there, surveying the vast number of people, and sighed internally.

But now was not the time for lamentation. His priority was to locate Jiang Wen and the others and inform them that he had managed to escape the supervisor's clutches.

After searching for a while with no sign of Jiang Wen and his group, Kong Qing inquired about the work requirements. To his delight, he learned that the quota was still five boxes. The mine here contained ordinary source stones, which were significantly easier to extract than those in the twenty-sixth area.

Kong Qing completed his task in just over two hours, but out of habit, he waited until evening to report to the supervisor's office.

When he looked up, he saw the same supervisor who had hit him that morning. Kong Qing fixed his gaze on the man, who eventually felt Kong Qing's stare and looked back at him.

"Hmm? What are you staring at? Take the mantou and scram!" The supervisor was incensed when he caught Kong Qing sneaking a glance at him. When had a slave earned the right to look at him freely? Where did that leave his authority?

Upon hearing the supervisor's bellow, Kong Qing hastily grabbed three steamed buns and dashed toward the mining area.

Even now, Kong Qing realized just how much better the Thirteenth District had been. It boasted a rest area, and the workload was limited to three tasks. Performing well could even earn him extra steamed buns.

Indeed, you don't feel the disparity until you have something to compare it to! Kong Qing thought, with a wry smile.

He was even thankful that he had spent his first three years in the Thirteenth District. Elsewhere, Kong Qing had witnessed too many scenes of supervisors brutally mistreating slaves.

Although he had grown accustomed to it, he still harbored a deep revulsion. Sometimes, the scenes were so gory that Kong Qing couldn't help but vomit.

The image of slaves with their heads cruelly stomped into the ground by supervisors, their eyes filled with desperation, always soured Kong Qing's heart when he remembered them.

If he had remained in the Ancient Quarters, maybe there would have been no change for ten or twenty years. When he grew old and unable to complete his tasks, his fate would be no different from those wretched slaves.

Returning to the mine, Kong Qing was surrounded by strangers. Just as he was about to take a bite of his bun, five or six slaves hurried past him, clutching their own mantou. Confused by the commotion, Kong Qing reached out and grabbed the shoulder of the last slave passing by.

The slave instinctively turned and, seeing Kong Qing's stoic face, became defensive. "What... what do you want?"

Kong Qing quickly released the man's shoulder and inquired with a calm demeanor, "What's the rush? You all seem to be in quite a hurry."

Realizing that Kong Qing had no intention of taking his steamed bun, the man relaxed. "We were just..."

Before the man could finish, he noticed the steamed buns in Kong Qing's embrace and asked, "You have steamed buns too?"

"Uh..." Kong Qing paused, momentarily caught off guard. "Is there a reason I shouldn't have steamed buns?"

"No, no, no!" the man hastily shook his head. "I mean, if you've got steamed buns, why aren't you finding a place to hide and eat them?"

"Do I really need to hide to eat steamed buns?" Kong Qing couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

"Aiya!" The man, seeing Kong Qing still standing there, bewildered, blurted out in urgency, "Young man, you must be new to our mining area, right?"

Kong Qing nodded in confirmation.

"Alright, long story short, our mining area is a bit unique. The overseers here don't beat or berate us slaves willy-nilly. As long as we finish our tasks, we get to eat steamed buns. Fail to do so, and we work non-stop until the next morning."

"That sounds pretty good, actually. You know, other mining areas treat their slaves brutally," Kong Qing remarked.

"Aiya, young man, you just don't get it!" the man exclaimed, growing more anxious. "What we're really afraid of here isn't the overseers—it's one of the slaves!"

"A slave?" Kong Qing was perplexed.

"Yeah, for some reason, that slave was demoted from being an overseer. He's allowed to stay in the mining area, and as long as he doesn't stir up trouble, the overseers turn a blind eye to whatever he does," the man explained, glancing nervously around before continuing.

"This slave couldn't handle the sudden shift to slavery. It's like he went mad. Every now and then, he rounds up a few other slaves to steal our buns!"

"And if anyone resists, they get into a brawl. Sometimes, they're even more violent than the overseers!" Having said that, the man quickly dashed off in the direction he had come from.

As Kong Qing stood there, unsure of what to do next, a familiar voice pierced the air.

"I'm not taking this lying down!"

Kong Qing's head snapped up as he looked toward the source of the outcry. His face paled, "Is that Jiang Wen and the others? That voice... it sounded like Guang Tao!"

With that realization, Kong Qing stuffed the buns into his pocket and sprinted toward the commotion.

Bang! Boom!

Guang Tao was sent sprawling to the ground by a blow. Through the rips in his ragged clothing, it was evident that his chest was a raw, reddened mess, even slightly caved in.

Upon seeing Guang Tao in such a state, Jiang Wen and his companions rushed to his aid, meticulously examining his injuries.

"A bunch of kids who don't even understand the rules around here!" The man's heart swelled with satisfaction upon witnessing the scene.

"We've always been the ones snatching steamed buns from others, but today it seems we've met our match!" Jiang Wen glared at the boastful man with icy eyes. If looks could kill, Jiang Wen would have already sliced him into shreds with the sharpness of his gaze.