Chapter 4747: Shock “Woo woo, we don’t know how we got here,” a child’s voice sobbed from the darkness. “I was just walking along when someone knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I was here. Woo woo… I want to go home. I want to go home…” “Woo woo… I want to go home too. I’m scared. Mother, I’m scared. Woo woo…” another joined in. One child’s cries quickly triggered others, and in an instant, the already dark room descended into chaotic wails. Hao’er listened intently, discerning that among the weeping voices were not only boys but also girls. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat as a chilling thought crossed his mind: Could they have encountered human traffickers? However, in the days that followed, he realized his initial assumption was wrong. He dared not reveal his cultivation level, fearing it would alarm his captors, so he could only wait. To his surprise, this wait stretched for several days. The small, dark room held about thirty children, ranging in age from six or seven to around ten. Since their capture, they had been kept in absolute darkness, unseen by anyone. No one paid them any attention, nor did anyone bring them food or even a sip of water. Initially, everyone cried out for their homes and their mothers, but as the days dragged on, they grew so weak from hunger and thirst that they barely had the strength to move. Hao’er remained in his corner, uncertain if there were powerful individuals observing them. He didn’t dare to move, but secretly regulated his breathing, calculating how long they had been imprisoned. After approximately three days, the door to the small, dark room finally creaked open from the outside. “Come out, it’s time to eat,” a voice shouted from beyond. Hearing this, the children, with what little strength they had left, gritted their teeth and painfully pushed themselves to their feet, leaning against the wall for support as they shuffled out. Once outside, they discovered they were in a much larger prison-like area. Small, dark rooms, identical to the one they had just left, were arranged in a circle. Children were emerging from every single room, though their expressions and physical conditions varied slightly depending on their confinement. The light in this larger space, though not very bright, was also not completely dark. For those who had grown accustomed to the profound darkness of their cells, it wasn’t glaring. As a result, Hao’er horrifyingly noticed that some of the children emerging from the other small black rooms carried a savage, bloodthirsty aura. Despite their tender age, they behaved like small, desperate beasts, wary of others and constantly on guard. Upon exiting their small cells, they immediately surged towards a tray holding only a dozen steamed buns, scrambling to grab and devour them. In an instant, the scene erupted into chaos: pushing, hitting, biting, and screaming filled the air. Hao’er was shocked to observe that even though the children were out of their individual cells, they were still divided into separate areas within this larger prison. Each small black room’s occupants were separated from the others, yet each area contained about twenty to thirty children, and only a mere dozen steamed buns were provided for each group. Stealing had become their sole instinct for survival. As he stood there, momentarily stunned, he watched helplessly as the dozen or so steamed buns in front of his own small dark room were swiftly snatched up. Some children frantically stuffed them into their mouths, others were still fiercely fighting over them, while some cried out, “Give me some, give me some, let me have a bite…” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 A bitter and shocking sensation rose in Hao’er’s throat. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and forced his gaze away from the horrifying spectacle, striving to calm his rapidly pounding heart.