Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 510: Separation Of Skin From Flesh

Cw: gore, torture

***

The first jolt of pain sent violent shudders throughout He Juan’s body, causing him to break into cold sweat.

His teeth instinctively clamped down on the cloth, stifling a groan that threatened to escape from his throat. Every cell in his body boiled with furious resistance and his instincts urged him to escape this horrifying ordeal. Alas, the drug had truly sapped him out of strength, rendering him as helpless as a dead fish on a chopping board or a weak sacrificial lamb ready for slaughter. Despite his anger and desperation, he was forced to endure the searing agony inflicted upon him.

He could feel in vivid clarity as the sharp scalpel tore away a piece of his skin, slowly sawing through his flesh. Warm blood trickled down his body in an unrelenting stream. His breathing became ragged, his eyes bloodshot, and sweat drenched him from head to toe. Every nerve in his body screamed in response to the heartrending agony delivered by each stroke, each cut that peeled away the skin on his back inch by inch.

He Juan lost track of the time amidst the excruciating torment. He teetered on the precipice of consciousness, only to be cruelly dragged back by the unending agony.

Within the intricate tapestry of the human body, countless sensitive nerves stitched together skin, flesh and bones. He had read somewhere that the separation of skin from flesh was the kind of otherworldly pain enough to drive someone to the brink of madness, and it was not until now that he could prove the truth.

It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt—! It hurt so much that he could go insane! The pain was relentless. It clawed at him mercilessly, reaching every recess of his body. Even the slightest twitch of his fingertips, each blink and each inhale he took felt like an endless torture. The sounds he made no longer sounded human, but more of a beast. A wretched animal on the verge of madness.

Just as Luo Xuan had desired, He Juan experienced every iota of suffering in this brutal punishment. He even suspected that the omega had instructed these people to take it slow for there seemed to be no end in sight. He began to flash in and out of reality as more and more blood was spilled from his body to stain the tiled floor beneath him crimson. At some point, he even thought that he was going to die from the sheer agony.

Yet every single time he believed that his life would end right there and then, an inexplicable force would yank him back from the abyss.

His mind wandered wide and far. He thought of Marius, who was still lost somewhere in the sea and had yet to be found. He thought of He Xie, the last smile he showed when He Juan sent him to the station as well as their promise to live together again. Lastly, his thoughts turned to Mu Yuze. Oh God, Mu Yuze... his sweet adorable bunny whom he had not seen for months. His little mate. He must have been worried sick about He Juan, haven’t he? Of course, he had to be. He Juan had promised that he would return so... he could not die.

He could not allow himself to perish here, in this accursed place! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He blinked away the moisture on his lashes. Whether it was sweat or tears, he could no longer tell. His head hung low, his body still wracked with spasms from the relentless pain. Yet amidst the torment, a glimmer of determination reignited within the depths of his clouded eyes.

There were so, so many things he had not done. So many promises he had yet to keep. And for these reasons, He Juan had to persevere.

He endured the longest, most agonizing period in his life.

He had no idea when those people were done. It could take minutes or hours; the passage of time was utterly lost to He Juan. Until the final cut on his lower back marked the end of the torture, and the man announced, "Boss, it’s done."

By then, He Juan was reduced to a twitching and shuddering mess. He couldn’t even imagine what his back looked like right now. His mind was muddled, and it felt as if the pain had been branded into the depth of his soul, one he would carry with him even after death. Amidst the deafening ringing in his ears and his ragged breathing, he distantly registered Luo Xuan’s voice saying, "Good work. Take care of him, and don’t let the wounds get infected."

"Yes, Sir!"

He Juan struggled to raise his head when he sensed Luo Xuan turning away, yet it was to no avail. Even the simple act of blinking felt like an insurmountable task, impossible to achieve. It was as though his body recognized the end of the torture and thus decided to shut itself down in order to heal. His consciousness was swiftly getting further away from him and the last words he heard before everything turned dark was Luo addressing someone else by the door.

"Have you found that person yet?"

He Juan tried to catch a glimpse of the other figure, but at that moment, another needle pierced his arm, near the previous injection spot. His senses abruptly began shutting down one by one until nothing remained but an endless void.

***

"... Boss?"

"Boss, are you okay? Boss!"

He Juan had no idea how long he had been unconscious when he was roused by the sensation of someone gently shaking his shoulder.

In an instant, the memory from the previous torture poured into his mind. Before his brain could process it, his body had moved to grab the other person’s wrist and twist it, intending to break it altogether. But then, the slightest movement sent a burst of pain throughout his body and he gasped, his strength faltering.

"Boss!"

Someone held him right before he could collapse onto the ground and he cracked open his heavy eyelids to find that it was none other than Chen Youzhi. Still not entirely relaxed, He Juan scanned his surroundings and realized that he was in one of the rooms in the underground typically reserved for emergency medical treatment. Beds with white sheets lined up along the wall, though all of them were currently empty save for the one he was lying on.

He was clad in a simple white shirt, his wounds freshly bandaged. Perhaps the effect of the drug finally wore off, He Juan seemed to feel twice the agonizing pain, and sweat gathered between his furrowed brows within seconds.

"Are you okay?" Chen Youzhi’s expression was tinged with extreme concern when he saw He Juan’s pallid complexion. He had never seen He Juan in such a weakened state before, not even when he had bullets embedded into his body. But now he looked almost... fragile; pale in a way that seemed as if he might shatter with the slightest force.

He Juan opened his mouth to speak but a bout of itchiness surged up his throat, forcing him into a fit of uncontrollable coughing. Even this caused him so much pain that his vision turned dark for a split second.

Alarmed, Chen Youzhi quickly poured a glass of water and helped him drink it. Seeing that He Juan looked visibly relieved after moistening his throat, he couldn’t help but ask again, "Did something happen, Boss? I received news that you’re injured, so I rushed here and..."

So Luo Xuan chose to keep his punishment a secret from the public. Of course, if the members learned that XIU, the Boss’ loyal and steadfast left-hand man had rebelled, it would surely tarnish Luo Xuan’s reputation. The corner of He Juan’s lips tugged into a sardonic smile as he struggled to speak in a way that would not pull at his wounds. "Nothing, just a little mishap. How long have I been out?"

Chen Youzhi furrowed his brows, clearly doubting He Juan’s dismissive answer. But in the end, he did not press further and replied, "It’s been one and a half days, Boss."

He Juan nodded and gingerly moved to the edge of the bed, taking slow and deliberate breaths through his mouth to get himself used to the pain. This would not take a short time, that’s for sure. But his temperament would not allow him to show just how much Luo Xuan had messed him up. Fortunately, there was only Chen Youzhi here. He Juan was about to ask him whether there were any updates about Marius, when he noticed that the man had a hesitant look on his face, as if he had something important to convey.

"Speak," he urged. "What is it?"

Chen Youzhi pressed his lips into thin lines before releasing a sigh of resignation. He decided to inform He Juan about the news he had just learned earlier. "I heard this a few hours ago..."

He Juan raised a brow, intrigued as to what kind of news could make Chen Youzhi put on such a conflicted expression, but then the next words he said caused He Juan to freeze in shock.

"It’s about A–Mu..." Chen Youzhi revealed with a somber tone, "Something went wrong with his major surgery, and the doctor was unable to save him."