Shadows

Chapter 1: The Beast Tamer

Ten Years Later

He Minghui lit the cigarette hanging from his lips, casting a faint glow in the dimly lit room. Scattered papers, pens, and miscellaneous tools cluttered the space. A lone desk lamp illuminated a whiteboard crisscrossed with chaotic markings, drawn in bold strokes of oil markers.

Inhaling deeply, He exhaled slowly, his eyes fixed on the whiteboard as he began erasing useless lines, bit by bit, leaving behind a clearer connection. The remaining lines converged on a small area in the lower left corner of the map—an abandoned amusement park.

After finishing, he took another long drag from his cigarette, releasing the smoke with a deliberate breath. He couldn’t remember when he had started smoking—perhaps it was the day Xia Lan was abducted, or the countless moments afterward when he couldn’t find her.

"It all lines up." He Minghui sank back into his chair, his gaze locked on that small piece of the map. His mind raced with the plans for the night—he was going to confront that place.

Just a week ago, he had been suspended for excessive use of force. His gun had been confiscated, and tonight he would only be armed with a stun gun and a baton. But even so, he was confident he could beat them senseless.

Restless, He stood up, unable to sit still. This was his first real lead on Xia Lan in ten years, however tenuous the connection. He paced out of the dim room into his messy living room—a reflection of his chaotic life.

This had been Xia Lan’s house, now ownerless for a decade.

A Few Hours Earlier

A truck rumbled down a dirt road through the woods, eventually pulling up to its destination. A man climbed out and looked toward the woman waiting for him, flanked by several male attendants. The woman wore a leather jacket and a tight leather skirt, her ten-centimeter heels clicking on the ground, a whip coiled in her hand.

"Just got them, wild ones too. They’re all yours," the man said, gesturing to the back of the truck.

"How many?" the woman asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Two," the man replied, holding up two fingers.

"Impressive efficiency," the woman said, beckoning her subordinates. "Unload them!"

The man opened the truck's rear compartment, revealing two girls lying inside, disheveled and bound tightly with ropes. Their eyes were blindfolded, their mouths gagged with cloth and sealed with tape. One by one, the subordinates carried the girls into the building.

"They’re all yours," the man said before climbing back into the truck.

The sound of the engine jolted one of the girls back to semi-consciousness. Groggy, she instinctively tried to move but found herself completely immobile.

"Mmph! Mmph!" Realizing she was tightly bound, the girl began to panic, writhing desperately against the restraints.

"They're definitely feisty," the woman, known as the "Beast Tamer," sauntered behind one of her subordinates. "But soon, you’ll learn to behave, or there will be consequences."

"Mmph!"

Meanwhile, driving along a deserted country road, He Minghui reflected on the lead his informant, "Rat," had given him.

"Someone spotted activity at the abandoned amusement park outside town a couple of days ago, along with some parked vehicles," Rat had explained while handing over a folder. "At the same time, I also heard about some human trafficking involving 'pet girls.' You know the drill—where there’s demand, there’s supply, and someone’s gotta train them."

"Is it her?" He had asked, glancing at the photo of a woman.

"Her name is Gao He. She used to be an animal trainer but got fired for abusing the animals," the informant pointed at the picture. "Matches the 'Beast Tamer' lead you gave me. You can find her record in the database."

"Gao He, 22 years old. Orphaned, raised in a foster home. Joined a circus at 12. Became a trainer at 17. Fired at 20 for animal cruelty. No records for the last two years—like she vanished."

He stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it out the car window. His GPS indicated that he was approaching his destination.

Turning off the headlights, He parked the car some distance away and approached the amusement park on foot, careful not to alert anyone.

As he neared the park’s outer wall, he spotted two men patrolling with flashlights, their movements deliberate. One of them had a handmade shotgun holstered at his waist.

At that moment, He Minghui realized that whether or not this had anything to do with Xia Lan, this place was far from simple.

Inside

The two girls slowly regained consciousness, realizing they were being manhandled, their limbs being bent and tied in restrictive positions.

"Mmph!" The duct tape covering their mouths hadn’t been removed.

"Suit them up," Gao He ordered, standing to the side, clad in her tight black leather skirt.

Her subordinates strapped harnesses onto the girls’ limbs, forcing them into a degrading quadrupedal stance.

"Now, get moving!" Gao He sauntered up to the girls, gripping their chins roughly. "See over there? Stand up!"

"Mmph! Mmph!" The girls struggled, but as they glanced toward the corner of the room, they saw another girl—already in the same demeaning position—crawling out. Her elbows and knees scraped the ground as she moved like a four-legged animal.

The girls’ faces turned white as they realized what Gao He meant by "stand up." Humiliated, they shook their heads in defiance, only to be met with a sharp crack of the whip.

"Mmph!" one of them screamed in pain.

"Get up!" Gao He snapped, her voice cold and commanding, treating them not as humans but as animals. She was the trainer, and they were her beasts.

Outside, the two patrolling men continued their conversation.

"That last one was trained in two days. Now we’ve got two more—this hunter’s really efficient," one man said.

"That’s why he’s such a favorite of the boss," replied the man with the shotgun.

"Still, I don’t get it. We’re all working for the same boss, but why’s there such a huge difference in how we’re treated?" the first man grumbled.

"Depends who you compare yourself to. If you’re working for the hunter or the mistress, you’re high-class. But if you’re stuck with the butcher’s crew, it’s a whole other story—disgusting work," the second man explained.

"Yeah, I guess. Anything’s better than working for the butcher."

Bits and pieces of their conversation drifted to He Minghui, but none of it made much sense.

"Who's there?" one of the patrolmen shouted, suddenly alert.

"Probably just the wind..."

Thwack! A baton struck the man with the shotgun in the head.

"Who’s there?" the other guard barely had time to react before a stun gun pressed against his neck, knocking him out cold.

The first man was still recovering from the blow when He disarmed him, taking the shotgun and delivering another shock, leaving both men unconscious.

Dragging their bodies to a nearby corner, He quietly slipped into the amusement park’s circus tent.

Inside the Tent

"One after the other, don’t fall behind!" Gao He cracked her whip against the floor, barking orders at the three girls.

The girls circled her, forced to move like trained animals.

"Mmph!" One of the girls collapsed from exhaustion, immediately receiving another sharp lash of the whip.

"Mmph!" The white-hot pain left a fiery mark on her pale skin, causing her to cry out.

The other new girl trembled with fear, while the girl who had been there the longest had become numb—her body already covered in whip marks.

He Minghui, watching the scene from the shadows, clenched his teeth in silent rage.

Gao He, seemingly stimulated by the sight of the whip marks, reveled in her sadistic pleasure. For her, breaking these girls’ wills with each crack of the whip, turning them into obedient slaves, was her greatest thrill. It was her job—and her twisted satisfaction.

"Wag your tails!" Gao He commanded, her voice dripping with cruelty.

Unable to watch any longer, He Minghui withdrew from the tent and climbed a ladder to the amusement park’s lookout tower. From there, he scanned the entire circus grounds, counting the guards and marking their patrol routes. One by one, he silently took them out, using his stun gun to incapacitate them in the cover of darkness.

"How many girls have you done this to?" He muttered to himself.

Once the guards were neutralized, he caught his breath and lit another cigarette. Shotgun in hand, he walked purposefully toward the circus tent.

Inside the Tent

"Mmph! Mmph!" The girls whimpered in pain, their cries fueling Gao He’s sadistic ecstasy.

"Stop!" He Minghui’s voice boomed, the sound of a shotgun shell being loaded into the chamber echoing through the tent.

Gao He froze, unsure of what was happening.

"Put your hands up!" He commanded.

She turned around, only to find herself staring down the barrel of the shotgun.

"I said, hands up!" His voice grew louder, leaving no room for defiance.

"Who are you?" Gao He raised her hands slowly.

"Police. You’re under arrest," He Minghui replied, inching closer with the shotgun raised.

"You actually found me," Gao He sneered, surprised. "Where are my men?"

He didn’t answer, continuing to approach. "Drop the whip and put your hands behind your head!"

Gao He lowered her hands, pretending to comply, but in a flash, she cracked the whip, striking He’s hand and knocking the shotgun from his grip.

He hadn’t anticipated her speed or skill with the whip and instinctively reached for his stun gun.

But Gao He didn’t give him the chance. She pulled a dagger from the whip’s handle and lunged at him. He managed to grab her wrist, but the blade still pierced his skin, drawing blood. Sensing she was about to overpower him, He twisted her arm upward, using her own momentum against her.

In a split second, blood spattered across his abdomen, and Gao He’s eyes widened in shock as her own knife plunged into her stomach.

She collapsed to the ground, her life draining away.

Shaking his head, He Minghui hurried over to the three terrified girls, their faces pale with fear.

"Mmph! Mmph!" The girls recoiled, terrified by his presence.

"I’m here to rescue you," He said, his voice calm but devoid of comfort.

As he untied them, the girls burst into tears, their relief overwhelming.

"Come with me," He instructed, leading them toward the exit. As they approached the door, he spotted Gao He’s phone on a nearby table and pocketed it without a second thought.

Driving down the country road, the nearly naked girls huddled together in the backseat, trembling.

Ten minutes later, he dropped them off at the nearest police station and sped off without a word.

Staring at the phone he had taken from Gao He, He Minghui felt a flicker of hope ignite within him.