Midsummer.
The scorching sun hung high in the sky, mercilessly baking the earth below.
The air was dry and unbearably hot. Every breath felt like swallowing a mouthful of burning wind mixed with sand.
The stench of urine and the sour, rancid smell of sweat filled the surroundings. The foul odor churned Xia Zhiyao's stomach repeatedly, making her feel as though she was about to vomit.
She was forced to curl up in the corner of a low iron cage. Behind her, the iron bars had been heated red-hot by the blazing sun, pressing painfully against her spine.
The cage was unbearably cramped. Yet seven or eight girls just like her were stuffed inside it, all wearing almost nothing.
They were no different from livestock waiting to be sent to the slaughterhouse.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together. Sticky sweat covered their skin, mixing with the heat and stench around them. Even the simple act of stretching their legs had become an impossible luxury.
