She knew that if she wanted to get out alive, she had to accumulate her strength from moment to moment.

If it had been someone else, in such a situation, locked up for so long, without any assistance, it might have been over a long time ago.

But in her body, there is a deep source of strength.

I must live, Zhang Yating thought, I will face my enemies with my bare hands, and my courage is my shield. I will live like my ancestors.

As Yang Shuoming judged, she had a mixture of Chinese, British, and Jewish blood, and she inherited their best characteristics—intelligence, wisdom, bravery, and strong will.

My ancestors survived famine, plague, and flood, and I came out of here alive. She always forced herself to think so.

In this eerie dungeon, she sensed that the ghosts of her ancestors were with her, each of them a part of her.

In a trance, she saw her father's face.

"I won't let you down." Zhang Yating whispered to her father in the dark.

Zhang Yating knew that the first thing she needed to do was to recover her strength. The dungeon is too cramped for strenuous exercise, but it's enough for tai chi.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art taught to her by Zhang Yating's father, and each move has its own name and meaning. It only takes a small piece of space to practice this martial art, but it can get every muscle in the human body to move and be exercised. Zhang Yating got up and began to practice.

Her movements are smooth, graceful, and calm.

It takes about an hour to complete each set. After each practice, Zhang Yating would feel exhausted. She practiced once a day in the morning and afternoon until her body recovered and gradually became stronger.

When she is not exercising, Zhang Yating exercises her mind. She lay in the dark, doing complex math, thinking back to the poems she had studied, the lines she had read when she was acting on the campus of the Women's Normal University, and the movies she had watched.

And, of course, what the "Cheka" taught her.

In the dark, she played all sorts of games that she couldn't remember how to play. She gave a lecture to herself, trying to teach the ants crawling on her body to distinguish between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. Let a reptile understand Shakespeare and understand the difference between Judaism and Orthodoxy.

And what she thinks about the most is how to destroy her enemies one by one.

As a child, when she was still in England, she and her friends used to play a game: raise a hand to the sky to block out the sun.

And that's exactly how her enemies treated her.

They lifted up a hand, and she never came out.

She wanted revenge on the "Cheka" she served, on the gray cardinal, on the red thugs who killed her father, on the Soviet leaders who shone golden.

For the day to come, she can endure any kind of pain.

And now, she is only the first step in realizing her revenge plan, and this first step, she has succeeded.

Zhang Yating didn't know how many prisoners had been confined in this dungeon before, but she didn't care anymore anyway.

A ray of sunlight shone in, interrupting Zhang Yating's thoughts.

When the door of the dungeon was opened, Zhang Yating was stabbed by the sunlight that suddenly shot into the dungeon.

Several figures appeared outside.

"Get up, you can come out," said a man's voice.

The other party bent down and stretched out a hand towards Zhang Yating, wanting to pull her. But to his surprise, she was able to stand up with ease, without any help at all.

Zhang Yating did not immediately walk out of the dungeon, but stood in place and covered her eyes with her hands.

She knew that because she had been in the dark for a long time, she would be stabbed in the eyes by the sun when she went out at this time.

The man in front of him looked at the young woman standing there with some surprise, and couldn't help but look back.

Because when the other prisoners he escorted came out of the dungeon, most of them collapsed completely. And the young woman in front of her did not collapse. A person like her who has been locked up for so long and can still stand up on her own can be said to be unique.

Zhang Yating first stood in the dungeon for a while, then walked out slowly, standing outside, she moved her hands away little by little, so that her eyes gradually adjusted to the sunlight.

She saw clearly, contrary to what she had imagined, several people in Chinese robes were standing in front of her, not fierce prison guards. ,

These people looked at her, except for being a little surprised, but they didn't say anything, and they didn't embarrass her, they covered Zhang Yating's eyes with a black cloth and escorted her towards it. After a while, they removed the black cloth and handed her to a middle-aged woman who looked like a housekeeper.

The housekeeper was also a little surprised to see her, but immediately her eyes were full of concern, "Oh my God, what are you...... Come on, go take a hot shower, and I'll get you a clean set of clothes, and you'll have to burn all the clothes on you. ”

Listening to the housekeeper's words, Zhang Yating didn't react for a while, but she noticed that the middle-aged woman's face was very charitable, and pointed to the back room to her, so she hesitated and walked into the back room.

Unlike the dark, clammy dungeon, the furnishings of this hut were simple and simple, but the table, chair, and bottle were all fresh and elegant, and the room exuded a faint aroma, which was in stark contrast to the stench on her body.

In the middle of the room, there was a large wooden barrel for bathing.

The housekeeper and a maid-like man followed, and Zhang Yating noticed that the two of them fiddled with the valve-like thing on the wall a few times, and the hose that reached into the wooden bucket automatically flowed out steaming hot water.

Seeing this new strange water dispensing device, Zhang Yating's eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise.

The water in the barrel was soon full, and the housekeeper tested the temperature with her hand, and when she saw that she was still standing there, she smiled kindly at her.

"Wash it quickly, remember, this red water valve is hot water, this blue water valve is cold water, if you feel that the water is hot or cold, you can adjust it yourself." The housekeeper said, "It's fragrant pancreas over there, and if you like it, you can use whichever one you like." ”

"There's a shower head on there." The maid pointed to a lotus-like thing decorated with cloisonné craftsmanship above her head.

Yating smiled appreciatively at them and nodded.

The housekeeper and maid then withdrew and closed the door, leaving Zhang Yating alone.

Zhang Yating quickly stripped herself naked, tested the temperature of the water with her hands, and then entered the wooden barrel.

This hot bath made her feel so comfortable, Zhang Yating chose a piece of soap with a faint rose scent, and washed herself from head to toe. Then she drained the water from the barrel, opened the valve, put herself a bucket of hot water, and then lay down comfortably in the water, closing her eyes.

I don't know how long later, the door opened, Zhang Yating turned her head to look vigilantly, and saw that the maid just now put a set of clothes on the table, put the clothes she took off into a cloth bag, and then carefully held the cloth bag and retreated.

At this time, Zhang Yating had already settled down, she noticed that the other party's walking gait was not sound at all, obviously a maid from a large family, and couldn't help but think of the women who were trafficked into the green building, and she was vigilant and secret.

After resting for a while, Zhang Yating felt that her physical strength had fully recovered, she got up and dried her body, picked up the clothes on the table, and began to put them on.

Zhang Yating, who was dressed, came to the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror, and she had a strange feeling.

The woman in the mirror no longer has the high-spirited and youthful of the female student, but has a gentle and elegant appearance.

These clothes are simply tailor-made for her.

Thinking of the pair of black *** that set off her exquisite ** beauty to the fullest, her face couldn't help but blush.

She looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn't help but reach out and touch the long silky smooth hair.

She looked at her long, black hair, and realized that she had been imprisoned for a long time.

And thinking of where she was now, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but show a sneer.

If the young general really trafficked her into the Qinglou, it would be a good thing for her.

Because there, if she wanted to escape, it should be easy.

Zhang Yating quickly glanced at the furnishings in the room, trying to find something that could be used as a weapon, but found nothing that could be used.

When Zhang Yating came out after dressing up, the housekeeper was waiting for her: "Come with me." ”

Zhang Yating nodded, followed behind the housekeeper, and walked forward.

The housekeeper took her through the long corridor on top of the lotus pond, looking at the surrounding gardens, Zhang Yating actually had a feeling of being in a dream.

Zhang Yating pinched her palm with her fingers, and the pain in her heart clearly told her that this was not a dream. ,

The housekeeper took her to a warm pavilion, and when Zhang Yating saw the busy figure sitting on the chair with her back to her, she couldn't help but be full of fear in her heart.

At this time, she would rather face the old bustard and the turtle slave thug in the Qinglou by herself.

Yang Shuoming turned around and saw the housekeeper come in with Zhang Yating, and smiled at her and nodded.

"If you have any difficulties, just talk to General Yang, he is a warm-hearted person and will definitely help you." The housekeeper looked at Zhang Yating, whispered a word, and then turned around and left.

Yang Shuoming noticed that Zhang Yating's face unconsciously showed a look of doubt, and couldn't help but smile slightly, he looked at Xi Xue who was standing aside, and said, "Xi Xue, you are also tired, go down and rest for a while." By the way, tell the others not to come in without me. ”

Xi Xue nodded obediently, put two bowls of hot tea on the table, and then turned around and walked towards the door.

Looking at this beautiful woman who seemed to come out of an ancient beauty picture, Zhang Yating somehow had a sense of déjà vu.

When she was about to reach the door, Zhang Yating noticed that Xi Xue's gaze also flashed over her, but Xi Xue did not stop her steps, but walked past her silently, and then closed the door.

"Sit down." Yang Shuoming raised his hand slightly, pointed to the chair in the room, and said very casually.

"How long have you been keeping me in?" Zhang Yating remembered the housekeeper's heartfelt words that made her scratch her head and asked.

"See for yourself." Yang Shuoming got up, picked up a few newspapers on the table, and handed them to her.

Zhang Yating took the newspaper, looked at the date on it, and couldn't help but be taken aback.

"Today is December 25th, and according to Western custom, it's Christmas." "I remember last year's Christmas cut, when soldiers fighting in various battlefields in Europe spontaneously ceased fire and achieved a brief peace in the war, but this year, real peace has arrived." ”

When Zhang Yating saw the news and photos on the front page of the newspaper about the peace conference of various countries in Paris at Christmas, she realized that she had been locked in a dungeon by him for more than two months.

"You locked me up in your house?" Zhang Yating put down the newspaper in her hand and asked expressionlessly.

Shuo Ming nodded, and said with some amusement, "Mother Wu said something like that to you just now because she didn't know who you were and thought of you as a hard-working woman I saved from the streets." Speaking of this, he looked at her and his gaze suddenly became fierce, "If she knew who you were, she wouldn't be so polite to you." ”

"You're a big liar." Zhang Yating met Yang Shuoming's gaze, and her face returned to the cold and arrogant state when she first saw him.

"Each other, but the difference is that I deceived people out of good intentions and did not cause harm to others, while you are different, you liar, but you will kill people." Yang Shuoming looked at her and said slowly.

"If you know who I am, why don't you kill me?" Zhang Yating asked proudly, "Is it just to talk to me about this?" ”

"I already told you last time, I won't kill you, I also explained the reason why I want to keep you." Yang Shuoming smiled coldly and handed her another newspaper.

Zhang Yating took the newspaper and took a look, which carried the news that Li Shouchang, Xu Qian, Deng Zhongkang, Wei Jinsky and others were hanged.

"For well-known reasons, the newspaper didn't publish the photos, but I did have a few in my possession." Yang Shuoming opened a folder, handed a photo to Zhang Yating, and carefully observed her expression.

Zhang Yating put down the newspaper in her hand, took the photo and only glanced at it, and then involuntarily gasped.

In the photo, on a small wooden beam, there are several corpses of different heights, short, fat and thin, all of them with their necks crooked, and a thin thread-like thing on it, connected to the wooden beam, the expressions of the corpses are different, but at a glance, you can know that they all died after experiencing extreme pain.

And the people inside, of course, she knows all of them, and she also knows their true identities.

"Why not use the gallows?" Zhang Yating looked at the photo and said lightly.

Probably didn't expect Zhang Yating to say this, Yang Shuoming was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he replied, "China has abolished corporal punishment in the Qing Dynasty, this is the first time that criminals are hanged in accordance with public international law, of course, no special torture equipment has been prepared, and at the suggestion of an American expert, the wooden frame and piano strings used to hang pigs in the slaughterhouse were used for emergency response." ”,

After listening to Yang Shuoming's answer, Zhang Yating was silent.

His words reminded her of the victims she had seen in Petersburg who had been hung on trees by the Bolsheviks.

"I've seen it now, are you going to hang me with piano strings like they did?" After a long time, Zhang Yating finally had the courage to ask what she had always wanted to ask.

"Of course not, I'm going to kill you, just starve you to death in the dungeon, and I don't need to let you out again." Yang Shuoming smiled and shook his head, "I let you out to tell you that you are free now and can leave at any time." ”

Hearing Yang Shuoming's answer, Zhang Yating understood that he was not joking with her, the psychological defense line she had carefully constructed collapsed in an instant at this moment, and the boulder that had been pressing on her heart was removed, although she tried her best to suppress herself, she still couldn't help but cover her face with her hands and cry with joy.

Raw*** is something that no one can refuse.

"However, after all, you have been missing for more than two months, and after returning to school, how to explain it to your classmates and school leaders depends on you." Yang Shuoming stood beside her, looked at her and said, "Your so-called ** comrades, although the government has caught and executed a lot, but I think there must be more than a party, and they will definitely have a lot of questions about your disappearance for so long, and you must also do a good job of explaining and persuading." ”

Hearing Yang Shuoming's "reminder", Zhang Yating's heart was shocked, she immediately put away her tears and straightened up again.

"Thank you." Ms. Zhang said that when she said these two words, she was fluent and natural, and that the gratitude she expressed was genuine.

"It's yours, I'll give it back to you now." Yang Shuoming opened the drawer and took out a pistol, Zhang Yating recognized the gun as her own, and somehow felt an inexplicable depression in her heart.

"There were no bullets in it, I got the same bullet from the other thugs who were caught, and I loaded it for you, and there are a few magazines here, all of which are also loaded." Yang Shuoming handed her the pistol and magazine, "You may be able to use it, take it." ”

Zhang Yating looked at him with an incredulous gaze, trying to find out if he was crazy.

Wasn't he afraid that if she took the pistol, she would shoot at him?

Yang Shuoming looked at her, the gaze in his eyes was gentle and peaceful, and he couldn't see any clues.

Zhang Yating tried to calm herself down, she hesitated for a while, brushed the hair on her sideburns as if disguised, and took the pistol and magazine he handed over.

"If we have a chance, we will still meet." Yang Shuoming stared at Zhang Yating's eyes and said with a smile, "Isn't it?" ”

"Of course." Zhang Yating had completely understood why he wanted to let herself go at this time, and she immediately gave an affirmative answer.