Chapter 1964: Beauty

Her lips were painted a vivid red, making her look exceptionally enchanting and seductive.

Zhang Zhiqiang stared at her for a long time before recognizing that this woman was the companion of the man who had just beaten him.

The woman giggled: "I never expected you to be so tough. No wonder you're my type." Saying this, she reached out and pinched his chin, then leaned close to his face and spoke with breath like orchids: "Little brother, big sister likes you very much. Follow big sister from now on, and big sister promises to let you eat well and drink well. How about it?"

Zhang Zhiqiang's gaze was vacant, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"What kind of expression is that? Don't tell me you're a gay?" the woman said in surprise, then reached out and pinched his chin, examining him closely: "Tsk tsk, you really do look like one."

Zhang Zhiqiang remained silent. At this moment, he felt his consciousness gradually blurring, and strange yet familiar scenes suddenly flashed through his mind. He saw a group of police officers dragging him into an interrogation room at the station, then waking him up with a bucket of cold well water.

He remembered that he had once participated in a robbery and murder case, and that he was indeed a criminal. After the police asked for his name and unit, they locked him in a cell, handcuffed him to an iron chair, and stripped off his clothes. Then a crowd of police officers rushed into the cell and tortured him with various instruments. He screamed in heart-wrenching agony and finally fainted into death...

After regaining consciousness once more, Zhang Zhiqiang was terrified to find himself transferred to a hospital, where the ward was heavily guarded, making escape utterly impossible.

After lying on the hospital bed for a week, Zhang Zhiqiang recovered some strength and took the opportunity to sneak to the prison, hoping to slip out secretly, but unfortunately failed.

Later, a middle-aged man with glasses and a full beard appeared. He told Zhang Zhiqiang that this was a prison, specifically a secret prison secretly developed by the military, built through special military channels to detain a batch of top-tier spies, serious criminal suspects, or extremely dangerous individuals. He told him that his parents, wife, and children were all here. If he could escape successfully, he could visit his relatives; if he failed, he would stay here forever. Zhang Zhiqiang understood the meaning of this statement: his parents and his wife and children were all here. The only people in this world he cared about besides his mother were his parents. But now, his parents would also lose him forever. He hated the person who had sent him money and supplies. But he hated his boss, Huang Hongde, even more. If Huang Hongde had not forced him, he would never have ended up in this situation today.

Zhang Zhiqiang was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die ignobly. He wanted to live; he must find a way to escape. He decided to seek help from that middle-aged man with glasses.

Following the method taught by the middle-aged man with glasses, Zhang Zhiqiang quietly sneaked into a room. When he walked in, he was stunned. Besides him, there were six or seven men and women in the room. They were all around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Their expressions were calm and indifferent, as if they were a pool of dead water.

A cold current rose in Zhang Zhiqiang's heart. He could not help but shiver.

Just then, a young man beckoned to him: "Little brother, come over here."

Zhang Zhiqiang slowly shuffled to the young man. The young man stuffed two pills into his mouth, then handed him two bottles of mineral water. Zhang Zhiqiang was puzzled and wanted to ask something, but found his throat painfully dry, so he gulped down a bottle of water. At that moment, the young man patted his shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr.!" Zhang Zhiqiang immediately bowed in gratitude.

"You're welcome," the young man said with a smile: "Work hard from now on. I hope our paths will cross again."

Zhang Zhiqiang nodded: "Thank you!"

The young man smiled, then waved his hand, and the others got up one by one and walked out. After they had all left, the young man said to Zhang Zhiqiang: "Little brother, please follow me!"

The young man led Zhang Zhiqiang along a narrow, dim corridor inward. Every few meters, a light bulb was mounted on the wall, illuminating the pitch-black, dim corridor brightly. Although cold and damp, the space was not cramped, and the decoration was exquisite, everywhere filled with the style of classical art. Zhang Zhiqiang thought to himself that this place must be extraordinary, probably a secret base of some national high officials.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the two arrived at a heavy stone door. The young man took out a key and opened the stone door, and Zhang Zhiqiang followed him inside.

Inside the stone door lay a world of its own; after entering, Zhang Zhiqiang was immediately deeply captivated by this vast space.

It turned out this was actually a huge underground castle, with a complex and interconnected layout inside. Every corridor was guided by lights, and many strange patterns were carved on the walls. Zhang Zhiqiang guessed these things must all be masterpieces by archaeologists. He saw rows of shelves displaying a dazzling array of jewelry and rare treasures. This place was nothing short of a luxury goods exposition.

This place was too big.

Zhang Zhiqiang followed the young man around for about a hundred laps before finally stopping and pushing open a heavy stone door. They arrived at another ancient and solemn hall. Zhang Zhiqiang found that the arrangement inside this hall was also very exquisite. It had both the atmosphere of modern technology and a strong sense of civilization. The overall shape was circular, with many windows around. Zhang Zhiqiang noticed that every window had a camera. And there were thousands of people busy in this hall. Some were inspecting goods on the shelves, while others were moving cargo. These people were whispering in low voices, occasionally bursts of laughter sounding out, seemingly very satisfied with their work just now. They all wore uniform clothing with a golden star printed on their chests. Zhang Zhiqiang knew they were military personnel.

In a luxurious office, an officer in military uniform sat on a wide, comfortable sofa, legs crossed, leisurely smoking a cigar.

Kneeling opposite him was a person. That person was none other than Zhang Zhiqiang!

He raised his head, stared at the officer in front of him, and asked: "What do you want with me?"

The officer pulled out a stack of papers from his chest and threw them onto the table, saying: "Will you sign it yourself, or shall I do it for you?"

Zhang Zhiqiang picked up the stack of papers, glanced at them, and showed a surprised expression on his face: "You... how do you know my name?"

The officer laughed heartily, then stood up, walked to Zhang Zhiqiang, and looked down at him: "Of course I know you, because I am the person who saved you that day. I just forgot to tell you that my surname is Lin."

"You are Lin Zhong?" Zhang Zhiqiang widened his eyes.

Lin Zhong said with a chuckle: "Yes, do you know me?"

Zhang Zhiqiang shook his head: "No."

Lin Zhong continued to ask with a smile: "Then how do you know my name is Lin Zhong?"

Zhang Zhiqiang fell silent for a moment: "Because I saw your shoulder boards. Your shoulder boards were inlaid with three golden stars. I think that must be the rank of a major."

"Hmm, correct! Very smart!" Lin Zhong nodded satisfactorily, then pulled Zhang Zhiqiang up.

"I want to know what you want with me."

"I want to ask you to help me do something," Lin Zhijie said directly.

"What thing?"

"Protect my safety!"

Zhang Zhiqiang hesitated: "Then wouldn't I have to stay here for the rest of my life? Will there be any restrictions like this?"

Lin Zhong smiled and shook his head: "You misunderstood. No matter where you are, as long as you want to go home, you can go home anytime."

Zhang Zhiqiang suddenly understood: "Oh, is that so."

Lin Zhong suddenly asked: "Do you know 'Blood Wolf'?"

"I've heard of it. It's a special forces unit."

"Then do you think they are formidable?" Lin Zhong asked with interest.

Zhang Zhiqiang shook his head: "I don't know."

"Alright then. Rest for a while first." Lin Zhong said, turned around, and left.

Watching Lin Zhong's departing back, Zhang Zhiqiang fell into deep thought. He did not understand what Lin Zhong was up to, but one thing was certain: Lin Zhong would not harm him. At least not in the short term.