Charles looked at Grayson and shook his head, exasperated. "You should just go home. Your family wants you to toughen up, not get yourself killed. I''m sure they''ve got people watching your back anyway. But if you go in there, you might not make it out alive."


    "Come on, man, you''ll protect me, right?" Graysontched onto Charles''s arm, looking up at him like he was some kind of hero. "Please?"


    Charles yanked his arm free without a second thought.


    When ra clung to him like that, he actually felt kind of proud. But Grayson? That just gave him the creeps.


    Charles didn''t hesitate he gave Grayson a swift kick right in the ass. "Get lost! If you get into trouble, don''t expect me to save you."


    Grayson rubbed his backside, looking absolutely stunned. "Why are you willing to take her, then?"


    "She''s tougher than you."


    Grayson just stood there, still massaging his bruised pride, lost for words. He''d seen ra back in the rainforest-she was wild, and he knew enough not to mess with her.


    ra and Charles made their way to the front of the group. The men in charge of picking test subjects lit up when they saw them and nodded in approval.


    They climbed into a battered SUV nearby. Inside, the smell hit them like a wall. Four or five strangers were already crammed in, all from different countries,pletely unfamiliar with each other.


    Once all ten seats were filled, the engine rumbled to life.


    Charles nced at ra, worried she might be bothered by the awful smell, but she just found herself a small corner, sat down quietly, and waited.


    Three hourster, the car finally started winding up the mountain roads.


    Security was no joke here. There was a checkpoint every hundred meters, and the guards were thorough. They barked orders in the local dialect—a weird blend of English and something else—making it nearly impossible to follow.


    ra got out with the others and stared at the massive factory looming ahead. It looked more like a fortress, with hundreds of armed guards patrolling the grounds.


    The ten of them were herded through a strict security check, forced to empty their pockets and leave everything behind. Then, they were split up for medical exams.


    The rooms for men and women were close together. A tiny girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, stuck to ra like glue. She spoke perfect Chinese, and her eyes were wide with wonder. From the moment they stepped inside, she couldn''t stop marveling at how fancy everything was.


    "The capital is a dump," she whispered in awe. "But this ce? It''s like something from TV."


    When it was time for ra''s checkup, the little girl grabbed her arm. "Let me go first! Please, let me go first!"


    ra stepped aside. No point arguing with a kid.


    They were the only women in the group. The eight men finished their exams quickly, but the little girl still hadn''te out.


    ra was about to go check on her when the girl finally stumbled out. Her face was ghostly pale, all the excitement gone, reced by pure fear.


    ra crouched down, about to ask what happened, but the girl flinched away.


    Just then, the door swung open. A man in a white coat looked ra up and down, his expression cold and strict.


    "Come in."


    ra nced at the girl, who was clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her face.


    Inside, the exam room was cramped and filled with equipment. One of the beds still had fresh blood on it.


    The man sat at a desk, barely looking up. "Lie down."


    ra walked over to the bed and nodded at the bloody sheets. "You''re not going to change this?"


    The man just sneered in response.<fnf6f6> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? find[?]ovel</fnf6f6>


    ray down anyway, curious what kind of exam they were running here.


    But then, out of nowhere, the man got up and strode over, reaching for her leg. ra braced herself, her face turning cold. "What do you think you''re doing?" He raised an eyebrow, giving her a once-over. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m examining you."


    He reached for her again, but with a sharp crack, ra twisted and broke his wrist.


    The man staggered back, face white as a sheet.


    "You-you dare fight back?! Fine! Guards! Someone get in here, this one''s causing trouble!"


    A handful of armed guards stormed in, the man frantically pointing at ra and yelling in hisnguage.


    They grabbed her and dragged her out.


    ra eyed their guns, already nning how to snatch one.


    They hauled her out to the edge of a


    freezing cliff, not saying a word, e guards raised their weapons ready to fire.  s


    no


    But ra was faster. She kicked a


    gun out of one man''s hands, bullet


    flying harmlessly into the air


    chaos broke out.  s


    She grabbed a rifle, took down the rest, and quickly changed into one of their purple security uniforms it was different from everyone else''s gear-perfect for blending in.


    s


    She pushed the bodies over the cliff and headed back. This disguise would make


    it way easier to move around.


    The cliff was so deep, you couldn''t see the bottom. From the looks of it, this was where they dumped the bodies.


    Who knew how many corpses had piled up down there over the years?