C8 Area 26

"Five frames..."

"How could anyone possibly complete that?"

Complaints echoed through the crowd immediately after the third supervisor's words.

"Oh? Can't get it done?" The third supervisor's brow furrowed. "The workload for five frames is indeed quite substantial."

A slave, hearing the third supervisor's words, thought mercy was forthcoming. He eagerly exclaimed, "Exactly, Supervisor! I know you're not like the others. You..."

Hiss!

A sharp blade abruptly cut off the man's words, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. With a contorted face, he slowly looked down at the blade that had pierced his abdomen, only to see the third supervisor calmly withdrawing the weapon.

Thud!

As the blade was removed, the man collapsed to the ground, blood gushing out profusely.

Kong Qing and the others witnessed the entire scene, their eyes wide with terror, too afraid to even draw a deep breath.

Kong Qing swallowed hard and subtly shifted behind a larger man.

After surveying the crowd for a moment, the third supervisor sheathed his blade and walked away.

At once, the crowd surged like a flock of startled birds, racing towards the mine to frantically start digging with their pickaxes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kong Qing didn't stop working until deep into the night. He carried the rocks out basket by basket. Glancing at the third supervisor, who was lounging comfortably in his chair, Kong Qing noticed the supervisor's gaze fixed on him.

Taking a moment to steady himself and push down his fear, Kong Qing approached the basket filled with steamed buns. He hesitated, then reluctantly took three buns.

As Kong Qing was about to walk away, the third supervisor suddenly called out, "Hey kid, come here!"

Buzz...

The voice struck Kong Qing like a bolt of lightning, reverberating in his ears.

"Phew!"

Exhaling deeply, Kong Qing realized his fear was subsiding. Over time, he had come to accept the grim reality that he might never leave this place alive, let alone return to his original world.

"Third Supervisor, were you looking for me?" Kong Qing inquired with a calm demeanor.

The Third Supervisor's brow furrowed as he interrogated, "I can tell from your eyes that you don't seem to be afraid of me."

At this, Kong Qing couldn't help but chuckle. He lifted his head to meet the Third Supervisor's gaze with an impassive face and nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid."

"Oh?" The Third Supervisor grew even more puzzled. "Anyone else in your position would be gasping with fear, yet here you are, conversing with me as if nothing is amiss."

Kong Qing shook his head. "Ever since I arrived in the 26th district... no, since the moment I set foot in the Ancient Quarters, I never entertained the thought that I might leave here alive."

"Hmph, 'never thought,' you say?" The Third Supervisor scoffed with a hint of mockery. After studying Kong Qing's demeanor, his eyes sharpened as a memory seemed to flash before him, but he dismissed it and pressed on, "What's your name?"

Kong Qing was taken aback.

The Third Supervisor should have just killed me outright. Was it possible he had made some mistake? To ask for my name... Kong Qing had seen the Third Supervisor's brutality with his own eyes.

It then struck Kong Qing, reminiscent of a line from the martial arts novels of his world: I do not kill the nameless. State your name!

"So, I cannot escape death after all," Kong Qing sighed to himself.

Still, he responded, "Kong Qing!"

Upon hearing Kong Qing's name, the Third Supervisor nodded subtly and gestured dismissively, "Alright, I've got it. You're free to go now."

Kong Qing was baffled to see that not only did the Third Supervisor refrain from drawing a blade to slash at him, he was actually being allowed to walk away.

Could it be a ploy to attack me from behind?

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

When Kong Qing hesitated to leave, the Third Supervisor spoke up sharply, "Do you think you're a sight to behold?"

"Uh..." At a loss for words, Kong Qing quickly made his exit.

The 26th District was no 13th District, where one could find decent wooden planks to sleep on. Here, slaves were resigned to rest in their own work areas.

Arriving at his designated space, Kong Qing saw that others were still laboring away, particularly the elderly, who had managed to fill less than two baskets so far. Clearly, they would go without food today.

Reclining against the sloped wall, Kong Qing continued to observe his peers. It wasn't difficult to notice many teenagers around his age, yet their eyes betrayed an emptiness, as if their souls had vanished. They mechanically chipped away at the source rock, over and over.

A memory surfaced in Kong Qing's mind, recalling online posts about animal lovers who confined a small bird in a tiny cage from the moment it hatched. Despite having wings, the bird was unable to fly. Initially, it would frantically crash against the bars of the cage, but as its injuries worsened from the repeated impacts, it eventually ceased any attempt to escape.

The bird's plight mirrored that of the native inhabitants of the Ancient Quarters. They initially fought fiercely against the overseers' tyranny, but as time wore on and the death toll rose, they abandoned their resistance in favor of mere survival.

Such widespread capitulation didn't happen overnight; it took an exceedingly long time—years, even decades. This state of absolute submission wasn't fleeting; it was permanent, instilling a deep-seated fear in their souls. The mere sight of an overseer would quash any inkling of defiance.

Once a person was fully entrenched in this mindset, the overseers' objective was realized. The slaves wouldn't resist the unjust oppression or defy the overseers' commands. They were completely at their mercy, stripped of all dignity and self-worth.

To bring the entire population of the Ancient Quarters to this level of subjugation, the overseers enacted a far-reaching strategy. They began by eliminating any leaders who dared to resist, then incrementally improved the living conditions, only to subtly increase the workload. As time progressed, the tasks became more demanding, and the food supply dwindled in both quantity and quality.

Initially, the changes were imperceptible, and the overseers gradually wore down the humanity within the people. Those accustomed to following orders wouldn't dream of defiance, knowing all too well that insubordination meant starvation.

Eventually, the overseers escalated their tactics to oppression, insults, and beatings, cementing the Ancient Quarters as a veritable hell on earth.

With a heavy heart, Kong Qing pulled out three steamed buns from within his clothing. He was about to take a bite when several elongated shadows loomed over him.

Kong Qing looked up sharply, taken aback by the sight of the other slaves.

Their gazes...

"What do you want!" Kong Qing quickly stashed the steamed buns away, eyeing the group of slaves before him with suspicion.

They didn't respond but instead charged at Kong Qing, reaching for the steamed buns he cradled in his arms.

"Get away!" Kong Qing could only yell at the top of his lungs.

But Kong Qing was no match for these ravenous wolves. In mere moments, the steamed buns he held were snatched away by the slaves.

"Ah!" Kong Qing let out a guttural scream.

As he watched the crowd continue to scuffle over the buns, Kong Qing's expression grew grim.

A slave who managed to grab half a bun took a bite, but before he could swallow, another gaunt man forcefully removed the bun from his mouth and devoured it himself.

Kong Qing hadn't eaten in just two days, while these people had gone much longer without food. When hunger struck, they had no choice but to eat whatever weeds and roots they could find on the mountain walls.

"Why..." Kong Qing whispered to himself.

Several large crates of steamed buns were left outside the mining area, right in front of the supervisors. Why didn't they try to snatch those?

This was the only question on Kong Qing's mind, though he already knew the answer.

Subservience!

They were too afraid to break the rules imposed by the supervisors.

The more Kong Qing dwelled on it, the angrier he got. He had toiled all day, enduring hunger, without a moment's rest, all for the sake of a meal.

And yet, the fruits of his labor, the steamed buns he had earned, were all taken by them.

Suddenly, he stood up, his vision blurring. The gnawing hunger in his belly, combined with the fury in his heart, caused Kong Qing to start hallucinating.

The slaves seemed to morph into supervisors, stripping away what was rightfully his. Familiar with desperation, Kong Qing picked up a rock from the ground.

He glared at them as if he were facing the supervisor from District 13, his grip on the rock tightening as he slowly approached the slaves from behind.

The pain in Kong Qing's head intensified. Unable to bear it, he dropped the rock and clutched his head, rolling on the ground in agony.

"Ah!"

His scream echoed across the Ancient Quarters, while nearby, the slaves continued to grapple over the fragments of steamed buns.

Kong Qing lowered his hands, braving the pain as he once again lifted the stone. The illusions in his vision began to sway.

At last, Kong Qing reached out and firmly grasped the shoulder of an elderly man.