Chapter 116 Salvation
Philip’s breathing became ragged and frantic. Born into privilege, he had always held himself above others- when had he ever been humiliated like this?
My words struck him harder than a slap across the face, leaving him burning with humiliation.
I locked the cage and then watched him like a hawk, forcing him to send messages to his subordinates.
Philip was genuinely terrified for his life. He barked out a flurry of orders, all urging his men to expedite the development of an antidote.
I pored over his messages, finding no gaps or hidden meanings. Satisfied, I nodded to myself.
Rather than collaborating with Philip, I decided to pull him into the mess himself. Only when his own life was on the line would he push harder to find the cure. This was my second path.
After completing these tasks, I confiscated his phone and instructed Darian to send two absolutely trustworthy individuals. They would take shifts to monitor Philip 24/7, ensuring he couldn’t leak any information to the outside world.
Effectively, I had him under house arrest.
If the timing had been right, I would have exposed all his crimes and made him pay for the suffering of those innocent women. But alas, it wasn’t the moment yet.
If I acted now, his partners would catch wind of it, and they’d go on high alert. The information I needed would slip through my fingers.
Once everything was settled, I left the shadowy depths of the basement, with Cyril following close behind. The members of Knightfall Group shot curious looks in our direction, their gazes friendly but making me slightly uncomfortable.
Cyril seemed to sense my unease. He gave
em a sharp look, and their gazes quickly shifted.
I exhaled in relief before turning to Cyril. “Do./
think I went too far?”
He shook his head. “They had it coming. If it were me, I’d show no mercy.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “I want to comb through this estate. Philip has imprisoned many women, and I need to find out where he’s keeping them. If possible, I
want to make sure they’re treated humanely.”
Though I couldn’t release them yet–doing so would tip off Philip’s associates–I could at least provide them with better care.
These women, much like my sister had been through hell. If I could extend some compassion, perhaps my sister would receive some in return/
I couldn’t say for certain, but for my sister’s sake, I was willing to do anything.
Philip turned out to be even more monstrous than I’d thought. As I explored the estate, I discovered the entrance to yet another basement.
I paused, recalling the grim scenes I’d witnessed in the Hartman family’s underground operations. After a long moment of hesitation, I turned to Cyril and said, “Can you wait outside? I don’t think you should come in.
<Chapter 116 Salvation
These women, though stripped of their dignity under Philip’s cruel Influence, were still human beings in my eyes–people with self–respect. I couldn’t completely pull them out of the trauma of their past, but I could try to preserve what little dignity they had left. It was all I could do.
Cyril gave a soft nod and said, “Be careful, Aurora. If anything goes wrong, just call for me. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
I smiled softly, feeling a sense of security just knowing he was nearby.
The previous basement, perhaps a place for Philip’s indulgence, was cluttered with numerous and varied toys. But it still appeared relatively spacious and tidy, aside from some bloodstains on certain items.
However, this second basement seemed to be a dumping ground for things he had grown tired of, the remnants of his cruelty.
Nearly two dozen women were crammed into a tiny room. Deprived of sunlight, they lived in squalor. As I stepped in, they dropped to their knees, their faces stripped of pride, their voices trembling with exhaustion and fear. “Please, don’t hurt me,” one pleaded. “I’m starving… I can’t bear the pain anymore…”
The air reeked of decay, and my heart dropped. A deep, aching sorrow settled in my chest–a grief for the
suffering of my own kind.
These women hadn’t seen daylight in what felt like forever. I hesitated to flip on the glaring overhead lights.
Instead, I used my phone’s flashlight, casting a soft glow that let them see without hurting their eyes.
When they recognized me, they froze, their eyes wide with a mix of confusion and fear, like startled children
caught in a wrongful act. They stayed back, eyeing me cautiously.
But under that gentle light, their condition became painfully clear, and the source of the decay was horrifyingly apparent. It was their bodies.
Philip was a monster, and not one of these women was left unscathed. Some bore the marks of whips, others had fingers brutally severed at the root–each wound a chilling reminder of his merciless cruelty.
The wounds hadn’t been treated properly, as if Philip had grown tired of them and callously dumped them here, treating them like broken toys. This tiny room, less than ten square meters, had become a prison for
over twenty lives…
The room resembled a garbage dump where, one after another, these women–once full of life–had been
discarded as useless waste.
Tcouldn’t bear to look anymore. My heart ached with a sharp, stabbing pain–the kind that only arises when you see your own kind in torment. My sister had once been one of them, and the mere thought of it m want to rip Philip limb from limb!
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.
me
Then, in a voice rough with emotion, I said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I’m here to get you out of
this hell.”
But as my words hung in the air, they didn’t react with the relief I’d expected. Instead, they just stared at me with vacant, lifeless eyes.
One of them spoke up, her voice quivering, “What’s Mr. Hodge planning this time? Please tell me. I’ll do whatever he wants–I just don’t want to be beaten again.”
