The bruises on the original host's stepfather's face had yet to fade when Jun Jiuli knocked. The door opened after only two seconds.
He had clearly been waiting by the door knowing Jun Jiuli was returning, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so quick.
His back was somewhat stooped, and his face was full of the marks left by the years. He smiled when he saw Jun Jiuli.
He turned and walked slowly back into the house, "It's good you're back, it's good you're back. Get some good rest."
He didn't dare ask Jun Jiuli what she had experienced. This incident had not only hurt the original host but him as well.
It was the original host's scar and also proof of his uselessness. Bringing it up wouldn't be good for anyone. He hoped the original host could forget and live well.
Following the original host's personality, Jun Jiuli didn't speak and walked into her room with her head down.
She opened the drawer where she kept money, took out fifty, and prepared to go grocery shopping. Before leaving, she knocked on her stepfather's door.
"Please rest well, I'll be fine. I'm going out to buy groceries and will be back soon."
He was clearly frightened and immediately spoke to stop her.
"Cough, cough, you're not going? I'll go. Just tell me what you want to eat."
"You don't need to get up. I can take care of myself. There are so many people on the street, you don't need to worry."
"I... I..."
Li Hai, who was struggling to get up, couldn't help but worry. But he couldn't let Jun Jiuli stay at home forever. It was a good thing that the child was willing to go out after such an experience.
After a moment's thought, he stopped his actions. "Okay, go ahead. Be careful and call me immediately if anything happens."
"Okay."
There was a market not far from the old residential area, and the goods were very cheap and affordable. In no time, Jun Jiuli had bought what she needed.
Upon returning home, she started cooking without a moment's rest. Li Hai wanted to help her wash the vegetables, but the kitchen was too small, so Jun Jiuli didn't let him interfere.
She stir-fried two vegetarian dishes and ate them with plain white rice. The meal was very silent; this was how this home had always been.
Chen Fangze woke up to pitch darkness. He called out gently, but no one responded. He felt as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.
Water dripped onto his forehead, drop by drop. The only sound in the entire space was the sound of this dripping water.
At first, he didn't feel anything, but as time passed, he wished he could die. He talked to himself to stay awake, afraid of going insane and dying miserably in the end.
Tang Zheng felt an unbearable heat all over his body. When he woke up, he realized he was in a sea of fire. He immediately ran to the door, but it wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried.
Even though his hands were being burnt and smoking, he didn't care. He frantically smashed the door, wanting to get out, and kept shouting for help.
There was no hope. The fire snakes slowly devoured him. The feeling of only being able to wait for death drove him mad.
"Old Tang, Old Tang, what's wrong? Wake up, are you having a nightmare?"
Tang Zheng opened his eyes, somewhat confused. Upon seeing his room, his first instinct was to run outside.
"Hey, what are you doing? Where are you going?"
His feet touched the cold floor. After running downstairs, he realized something was wrong. Everything that had just happened was only a dream.
Excitement immediately flooded his mind. He crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, and let out a burst of laughter.
"I'm alive, I'm alive."
"What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly so erratic? Did something happen with your business?"
Tang Zheng shook his head and suddenly stood up, feeling a bit dizzy and almost losing his balance. His wife immediately went to support him.
"How can you be so careless? It's late at night, aren't you tired? Go upstairs and rest."
"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare. I'll sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb you again in the middle of the night."
"Silly, why are you saying that? Would I dislike you? I'll stay with you."
"Okay, let's go to the guest room together."
Shui Wa found all of President Tang's hideouts and immediately took pictures and videos, sending them to the local police.
The police acted secretly, confiscating all the smuggled goods. The henchmen guarding the goods also couldn't escape.
The police's actions were too swift, and Tang Zheng didn't have time to retreat. He was stopped as he was preparing to go abroad with his wife.
"President Tang, I'm sorry, you can't leave this time."
In City A, a group of criminal forces was eradicated. The incident of Jun Jiuli being kidnapped was kept very quiet. Apart from Li Hai, only the police officers present at the time knew about it.
She would not be subjected to baseless speculation or odd glances from others. She was just an ordinary prospective university student.
Jun Jiuli: "Are you really unwilling to come back? I can erase your bad memories, and you can have a normal life."
"I... I don't dare. I'm afraid of repeating the same mistakes and having an even worse life. I've been locked up for so many years, and I'm out of touch with society.
As I am now, I'm timid and cowardly, and I've long forgotten the knowledge from books. I don't dare to imagine what the future will be like. Even if I forget those things, I might not be able to do well."
"Then you can think about it again."
"Okay."
Jun Jiuli waved her hand and sent him to Li Zhenjun's side, while she entered the space to see Chen Fangze.
"Ahhhh..."
Piercing screams erupted. Chen Fangze could no longer maintain his composure.
Shui Wa: "Tsk tsk tsk, he's quite mad."
Jun Jiuli: "What do you think is worse, being bitten to death by a dog, or this? Dogs are hard to find, and biting someone like him would be a disgrace to a dog's entire life."
"Then let him be like this."
Jun Jiuli used something to stuff his mouth. The entire space was no longer dark but as bright as day.
"Hey, do you remember who I am? Are you conscious? It's pretty meaningless if you die like this."
Chen Fangze's eyes were unfocused, perhaps he couldn't even remember who he was.
"Do you think he's faking it? Is it really that terrifying?"
"The torture methods in ancient times were no joke. Anyway, even if he were awake, he wouldn't regret it. It's better to let him be mad."
"Makes sense."
Jun Jiuli came out of the space. She had to cook and tidy up the house. Even though it wasn't a large space, there was no shortage of tasks.
The little puppet stepped forward, pulled out the bun blocking Chen Fangze's mouth, tore it into small pieces, and fed them into his mouth.
If he tried to spit them out, the puppet would directly push them down his windpipe, accompanied by a cute robotic voice, "Don't move around, be good."
Whenever Chen Fangze felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, the little puppet would immediately pick up a water bottle and force-feed him water.
This was keeping him alive, hoping he would last longer. However, this feeding process was incredibly torturous.
Chen Fangze could no longer comprehend why he was in this hellish place or why he had to endure such torment.