Crimson Instinct

Chapter 101: A live demonstration

**WARNING. READERS MAY FIND THE SCENE IN THIS CHAPTER A BIT DISTURBING. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE**

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Chu Jie didn't know how long it had been since he was kidnapped and kept in that desolate place. He lost his sense of time. It felt as if he had been stuck here for ages.

The goons outside and that woman Sufy didn't interfere much apart from giving him food sometimes, which he didn't feel like eating it at all.

Whenever they slid a plate inside, Chu Jie would remember his mother's warm and delicious meal she so lovingly cooked for him. Every time, those memories stung his eyes with tears.

The first time, he left it as it was, but the second time, he got too hungry to ignore the food. But when he took one bite, he felt the need to puke. It was bland and tasteless.

And then there was the dead body of a strange man right next to his room.

Chu Jie shuddered. It gave him the chills remembering that bloody sight.

"Grr"

Cocoa sensed him nervously, shifting in place, and he scooted closer to him.

Suddenly, the men banged the door open and barged inside.

Chu Jie stiffened and jolted in fear. Instinctively, he hugged Cocoa harder.

"Arf! Arf!"

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Cocoa jumped on his feet and fiercely barked at them. He glared ferociously, growling at them.

The men tried to approach Chu Jie, but Cocoa protectively stood in front of him, threatening to attack them at any moment

"Damn, this dog!" He took out his gun in frustration and aimed at him

Terrified, Chu Jie pulled Cocoa back. "No! Don't shoot! I-I will come with you!"

"You both have to come with us, stupid brat."

His face paled.

"B-but"

"Shut up! Just come with us. Our boss is waiting for you."

"Grrr"

Cocoa was still resisting, but somehow Chu Jie calmed him down.

Soon, Chu Jie realized that the men were taking Cocoa and him towards the same room where that unknown man was killed.

The color started to fade away from the face. His heart thudded in his chest, and tears pooled in his eyes once again.

When they pushed them inside, Chu Jie automatically shut his eyes to avoid looking at the bloody sight again.

"Welcome."

Chu Jie heard a voice. He frowned. It was kind of stiff and robotic. He couldn't make out if it were a man or a woman.

His eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Contrary to his expectations, he didn't find that man. Even the room was spotlessly clean as if nothing ever happened.

Then he looked around and saw many strange people gathered inside the room, sneering at him. They were murmuring, creepily glancing at him.

A bad feeling arose inside him.

Chu Jie's glance shifted towards Sufy, who was standing expressionlessly near the monitor. He blinked his eyes at the big computer screen.

On the other side, he could see nothing much except a small source of light illuminating the room just a little. There was a faint image of someone sitting on a chair. Once again, he couldn't distinguish if it was a man or a woman.

Chu Jie strongly felt that it was looking at him, and he involuntarily shuddered.

Cocoa was fully alert, and he stuck to Chu Jie's side.

"Ooh, this dog has some spark!"

One other man chuckled. "Just look at his fierce gaze. It would be so fun to play with him."

They giggled. Chu Jie clearly heard them.

"When are we going to start?"

The person behind the monitor said, "Welcome, my friends. And welcome, dear boy."

Chu Jie looked at it, aggrieved. "W-what do you want? Why have you brought me here?"

Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Please let me goI want to go back..."

A beat of silence and everybody suddenly laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! I love it!"

"He looks so cute when he is begging, right? Just like all our other playtoys."

"He is so scared, shit. Ah, this is heaven!"

Chu Jie bit his lip hard. They were looking at him so strangely. All their mockery froze him on the spot.

"Why...why are you all talking like this? P-please, help me"

His shoulders trembled, and he started to sob hard.

Cocoa anxiously raised his hind legs towards him. "Arf!"

Suddenly a spotlight shone on him, and he shut his eyes in response.

"W-what?"

The person behind the monitor spoke. "Once again, my friends, we gather here to enjoy ourselves. This time it is this lovely boy who will give us what we want."

"Wooooo!!!"

Everybody cheered loudly.

Sufy came forward and laughed. "Darling"

Chu Jie remembered how she used to call him that way while chatting lovingly. But it was all fake.

Once his heart fluttered with her endearment, but now he felt goosebumps crawling on his skin.

"Do you remember I showed you one video about a man in the boiling water?"

Or course he did. His mom scolded him for watching something so horrible.

Sufy smirked. "How about we show you one live demo?"

Chu Jie didn't understand.

Suddenly from afar, curtains slid sideways.

There he saw a huge vessel filled with boiling water. Steam was rising upwards, blocking a part of view behind it.

One of the goons then dragged a man forward.

"No! Let me go! Help! What are you doing!"

He was struggling and resisting, but the men had firmly grabbed him.

"Now, young man."

Chu Jie jolted at the robotic voice.

"Do you want to know what happens next?"

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He backed away a bit.

Sufy sneered and signaled the men.

The goons grabbed the man's hand and forced it in the vessel of boiling water.

"AHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

The man's piercing cry reverberated throughout the room.

Chu Jie watched the scene unfold in horror. His eyes bulged out in utter shock. He stumbled and fell back. "No...No! What are you doing to him! T-that is hot water! Take his hand out! Take it out!"

The crowd laughed at his futile attempts.

Chu Jie looked at them, dumbfounded. He cried even more.

What is wrong with these people?

"Arf! Arf! Arf!"

Cocoa loudly barked. He got restless when the man suddenly screamed.

The men took out his hand. The flesh was starting to erode off, and it turned into a messy pulp with blood flowing out.

"Ahhhh!!! Hah"

The man collapsed on his knees, huffing breathlessly. He was squirming in extreme agony. Tears trickled out of his eyes.

The area under his arm pooled with blood.

Everybody whistled and cheered again.

"Blood! Look, blood!"

"Ah...Really. It's so beautiful."

"How about we do it once again?" One giggled.

Chu Jie furiously shook his head. "N-n-noplease"

He burst into tears. "Why are you doing this!? This is horrible! Why are you laughing! H-he is hurt so badly. What is so fun in that!? What have we done to you!"

He was once again shaking badly, just like the time when he saw this room all messy.

Cocoa circled around him and licked his tears.

"Help...pain...it's painful...help me please"

The man on the ground was pleading for help.

"Please"

Chu Jie begged. "Please take him to the hospital! He-he will die!"

The people looked at each other in surprise and laughed. "Hospital? Hahaha!"

"Why would we bring him here if we wanted to save him?"

One man clicked his tongue. "Che! This boy also turned out to be a scaredy-cat. Such a spoilsport!'

The person behind the monitor asked, "What happened, young man? Didn't you like it? Just look at the blood... doesn't it tingle you inside?"

Chu Jie was speechless.

Who are these crazy people? They are enjoying it when that man is bleeding?

Chu Jie finally realized it.

These people...these all people standing here... they are not normal. They are hell worse than being weird!

"Come on! We want to see more!"

"Yeah, put his hand back again in the water!" One whined like a little child.

The goons lifted him up.

"No!!! Let me go!!!!"

He fiercely resisted and screamed at the top of his voice.

But just as when they were going to dip his hand again, Cocoa jumped in a flash and bit the wrist of the goon, holding the man.

"Ahhh!!!"

The man let go of his grasp on the man and yelled in pain.

Silence. The crowd looked at the scene in shock. This had never happened before.

The dog ran to save that man.

"No! Cocoa!" Chu Jie blurted out, feeling terrified. "Come back!"

You cannot fight them all alone!

The other goons snapped out from their stupor. They tried to grab Cocoa, but he was moving so fast while still holding onto the wrist that they couldn't even go near him.

Then Cocoa released the wrist, and the man tumbled down.

The others took their guns out. Cocoa stared at them.

"No!!! Stop!"

The goon fired a shot straight at him, but Cocoa quickly leaped onto the side, dodging the bullet.

Once again, everybody was stunned.

"That dog...he dodged the bullet!"

Even the person behind the monitor was surprised by Cocoa's ability to resist a gunfight.

'Bai Li's dog...I see. He is not just a guard dog. He is not someone to trifle with either.'

Suddenly it laughed.

A flicker of light glinted in that person's eyes.

Interesting...so interesting...