Xu Zifan selected ten students, eight men and two women, who were the students who had received the most treatment in the past three months. Xu Zifan took pictures of their medical records with his phone, then hacked into the school principal's computer, found the student files, and matched them one by one. He discovered that six boys entered the school because they were addicted to games, two boys were addicted to online dating, and two girls were livestreaming inappropriate content.
He then unexpectedly discovered an encrypted folder on the principal's computer. He cracked it and found hundreds of sex videos!
Xu Zifan frowned and clicked on the videos. He saw that the men in the videos were all the principal, and there were more than a dozen videos showing the principal and others sexually assaulting female or male students. Doctor Yang, Instructor Li, and several unfamiliar men around fifty years old were also seen as perpetrators. He glanced at the videos and estimated there were over thirty victims. In the videos, the students all resisted fiercely; some eventually became numb and endured the abuse, while others who resisted were severely beaten and dragged away. And these were only the videos the principal had saved of his own involvement. What about the other staff members? Could the doctors and instructors have also assaulted students in private, but simply didn't keep videos?
How filthy is this school?! It's a closed-campus school; even if students eventually leave and the police are called, it's useless—where would they find any evidence then?
Besides the videos, the folder contained three tables. One was a list of deceased students. Xu Zifan opened it and glanced at it. The school had been operating for five years, and a total of 21 students had died, averaging one student every three months. The list also included compensation amounts: some were 200,000 yuan, some 100,000 yuan, and some only 50,000 yuan. These children's lives were so worthless in the eyes of their parents. Perhaps, in their eyes, these children deserved their fate.
The other table was a list of honorary principals, containing seven names—all honorary principals of the school. Xu Zifan instantly understood their purpose: they were people with various connections who used the school to make money and even exploit the students! They must have been in the videos he'd seen before. The list also recorded the principals' semi-annual bonuses.
There was another table with many names and bank card numbers, followed by amounts and dates. Although it didn't say what the purpose was, the fact that it was in an encrypted folder meant it was definitely something shady. Xu Zifan coldly backed all of this up to his cloud drive, closed the encrypted folder, and began searching every computer in the school, as well as every mobile phone using the school's Wi-Fi.
Most of the items were useless, but he still found two videos of students being abused in the recently deleted files on both phones. He had heard the instructors mention being whipped a certain number of times; it turned out the whip was a steel bar. They pulled down the students' pants and whipped their buttocks until they were stiff and purplish-black. There was also a ruler, made of iron, which left their hands bleeding and swollen after being used. In the videos, you could also see the instructors extinguishing their cigarettes by pressing the butts against the students' arms, causing the students to scream in pain.
Both videos were filmed in a small, dark room, and the instructors probably deleted them afterward for fun. Xu Zifan also found a list of trainees the instructors were focusing on. The list contained fifty-eight people, twelve of whom were marked in red, indicating they were being prioritized. The ten people he had just identified as easily convertible were also marked in red. His name and the girl 1017 who was disciplined that afternoon were also in red.
Twenty-one people's information was grayed out. Xu Zifan checked the names and confirmed that these 21 were the deceased "troublemakers." The remaining people were in black, with only five in green. Four of the green ones had a note indicating successful transformation and graduation. Only one remained, with a note indicating successful transformation and continued enrollment.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Zifan saw that the person renewing their enrollment was named Zhou Likai, student number 516. Wasn't that their dormitory head? Zhou Likai's reason for enrolling was addiction to games. Xu Zifan had seen the word "addicted" far too many times. It seemed that in their parents' eyes, anyone who liked to go online was considered "addicted" no matter what they did, and if their academic performance was poor, there was a problem.
The list on this form was full of troublemakers. Xu Zifan glanced at Zhou Likai's enrollment date, then flipped through his medical records. He was surprised to find that Zhou Likai had been extremely rebellious during his initial period at the school. He had been to the infirmary six times in the first month, three times in the second month, only once in the third month, and never again. He thought of how Zhou Likai had always strictly followed the rules in the dormitory and taught them the rules, and he didn't know what to say. But someone who had reacted so strongly back then—he believed there was still a fire burning within him, making him someone who could be turned against his former self.
This form is very important to Xu Zifan; in the school's eyes, these thirty-odd troublemakers are all his allies.
After searching through all available resources, Xu Zifan checked his watch; it was already 2 AM. He began editing audio, cutting out the screams of the trainees being tortured, and posted it online with the title: [Ghostly!! Is the Huaxia Youth Training School really reforming problem teenagers? Listen to the screams of the trainees being abused!]
The word "abuse" was too captivating. Without him even trying to promote it, the post was quickly and wildly shared across various platforms. Some people were even trying to trace his IP address and identity, but of course, nothing was found. It's foreseeable that this largest internet addiction treatment school in the country will become the hottest news story recently.
His phone was out of battery, so Xu Zifan erased all traces of use from it and put it in the medicine cart. He was also very tired and his body couldn't take it anymore. In order to recover quickly, he washed his face and lay down on the bed to try to fall asleep as soon as possible.
While he slept, the two posts he made online were rapidly gaining traction. With so many night owls these days, both posts sparked heated discussions, but for the time being, no one seemed to connect the untraceable "gentle breeze" with the internet addiction treatment center that abused its students; the discussions were confined to their respective circles. The only similarity was that they both went viral.
It became a trending topic.
The screams garnered even more attention, sparking discussion among almost all online netizens. Eighty percent condemned the internet addiction treatment school, calling the parents who sent their children there brain-dead. One ten percent remained neutral, skeptical of the audio recording and doubting that such a large-scale, "legitimate" institution would engage in such practices. They felt that such training schools, at most, would subject children to some hardship, like military training, to prevent them from having the energy to go online. Another ten percent stated that unruly children need to be disciplined, and sending them to the school is for their own good; the screams were definitely a fabrication against the school and not credible.
Different attitudes lead to arguments, and the more arguments there are, the more information is sought for debate. Some netizens have even found several cases of deaths at internet addiction treatment centers, but these reports have all fizzled out without any substantial evidence. Many who claim not to spread rumors are making it seem as if someone has framed someone. Yet, there are several such cases, which is chilling. Most people believe them to be true, while a few remain skeptical, but the combination of these examples has certainly attracted greater attention.
Many netizens, along with the official Weibo accounts of the cyber police, various government agencies, and major media outlets, demanded that the authorities provide the truth. The cyber police quickly stated that they had not found the source of the audio and urged everyone not to jump to conclusions before clarifying the facts. Netizens, of course, ignored this advice. They felt the authorities hadn't done their job properly without a result, and the discussions became increasingly heated.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Dr. Liu arrived. He examined Xu Zifan, gave him an injection, and started an IV drip. When Xu Zifan looked at him, he said, "Doctor, you lost your phone and haven't found it yet."
Dr. Liu was taken aback. "My phone? Where's my phone?"
Xu Zifan took his new cell phone out of his white coat pocket and pressed it under his body, saying, "You lost your phone, it's probably in the infirmary, we need to find it."
Dr. Liu subconsciously reached into his pocket, then nodded, "Yes, I lost my phone last night." He searched for a while and suddenly found it on the trolley, letting out a sigh of relief, "So that's where it was, it was out of battery."
"Bring the cable over to charge it."
"Charge." Dr. Liu, completely unaware of what he was doing, obeyed the command in his mind and quickly grabbed the charger. Xu Zifan put the charger away after he had been charging for half an hour. He had already decided how to record the video.
The videos we found before are enough; we can just heavily blur the trainees' faces to show them. What we're missing now is a video of them being disciplined during training on the field. Without seeing it with their own eyes, some people will refuse to believe that this inhumane phenomenon is real.
Xu Zifan was wearing a long-sleeved camouflage uniform with long pants, and he had hidden his phone and charger inside his sleeve. Around ten o'clock, Dr. Yang arrived and, seeing Xu Zifan receiving an IV drip, coldly questioned, "Xiao Liu, how can you be so wasteful?"
Dr. Liu said, "1018's condition was very bad; it only improved a little today."
Dr. Yang glanced at Xu Zifan's face and said, "Send him back after this bag of IV fluids is finished. Only by overcoming hardship can one become a superior person. If he gets better, he won't need further treatment."
Just then, there was an urgent knock on the door of the infirmary. "Dr. Yang! Someone is attempting suicide!"
Xu Zifan had a sudden thought, and while they had their backs to him, he secretly started recording.
"What happened? What did she use to commit suicide?" Dr. Yang pointed to a spot and frowned. "Lay her flat on the ground."
One of the instructors threw a girl on the ground and said disdainfully, "You swallowed a tube of toothpaste, you're crazy. Toothpaste doesn't cost money, does it?"
Xu Zifan saw that the girl on the ground was the same girl, 1017, who had been disciplined the previous night. She was writhing on the ground, clutching her stomach, groaning and moaning in pain. Dr. Yang and Dr. Liu examined her. Xu Zifan sat up and said to Dr. Liu, "Doctor, is she dying? Did she enter the school with me? Why did she attempt suicide?"
The instructor picked up his baton and slammed it against his bed, saying fiercely, "Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak? If you can sit up, you're fine. Go back to your dorm as soon as your IV drip is finished!"
Dr. Liu, who had been hypnotized by Xu Zifan, honestly answered his question, "1017 is critically ill; she may not have learned her lesson from yesterday."
Xu Zifan then asked, "What lesson did she learn?"
"Twenty lashes with the dragon whip, then lock him in a dark room without food."
The instructor angrily pointed at Xu Zifan, "Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up? You little bastard, get down and stand on one leg. Don't put it down until I tell you to!"
Dr. Yang looked at Xiao Liu with displeasure, "Why are you telling him all this? Just do your own thing."
Dr. Liu quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Dr. Yang, should we take 1017 to the hospital now?"
"There's nothing fatal in the toothpaste ingredients, so we don't need it. Who's going to sign the critical condition notice if she goes to the hospital? Just get her to the bathroom, force-feed her water, and she'll spit it out."
"Yes." Dr. Liu dragged 1017 to the bathroom, not forgetting to say to the instructor, "1018 was critically ill last night but has just recovered. Don't punish him yet, lest someone die again."
The instructor muttered dismissively, "So what if a life is lost?" But seeing that Xu Zifan was standing obediently with his head down, not saying anything more or talking back, he ignored him and didn't insist on punishing him.
The instructor complained to Dr. Yang, "There are idiots who commit suicide all the time. Do you think they can even succeed in committing suicide with their limited abilities? They're just asking for trouble."
Dr. Yang said, "Don't worry, the school has stocked up on a lot of medicine and emergency supplies this year, so it's not that easy for anyone to die."
Loud splashing water and the sounds of 1017 vomiting and complaining of stomach pain came from the bathroom. The instructor chuckled, "I'll go see what happens when you pour water into toothpaste. That guy who tried to commit suicide by drinking laundry detergent last time, he was still bubbling after a whole can of water! These bastards..."
Are the eggs just there to amuse us?
Dr. Yang solemnly instructed, "You need to be careful what you say. You absolutely cannot talk about these things as a joke outside."
"Don't worry, Dr. Yang, where else can you find such a good job? I'd be crazy to tell anyone. People outside think we're gods, gods who can keep their kids in check." The instructor chuckled as he went into the bathroom and said to Dr. Liu, "You're being too gentle. You have to be a little rough with these kinds of people. If it doesn't hurt, they won't know they've done anything wrong. Her parents said they'd beat her if she made a mistake, and they even signed a waiver. We're not afraid of anything."
The screams of 1017 echoed from the bathroom, making it easy to imagine how much pain she was in. A full half hour later, Dr. Yang finally said, "Alright, 1017's stomach is clean. No need for further treatment, take her away."
The instructor snorted and grabbed 1017 by the hair, scolding, "Stand up and come with me! I think you haven't had enough of the dark room. Stay in there for a few more days to reflect on your actions. You're not getting any food today!" With that, he pulled 1017 out.
At this moment, Xu Zifan's medicine also ran out, so Dr. Yang said, "Take this with you too, he's fine now."
"Okay, come here and come with me!"
Xu Zifan followed silently behind him with his head down. After two treatments, he was mostly recovered. Once the initial shock subsided and the side effects of the treatment wore off, he would be fine. The other injuries on his body were just painful; he had a vial of external medicine hidden away, and they would heal quickly.
On the way, the instructor kept scolding 1017, and occasionally he would also scold Xu Zifan. He was very impatient with them, complaining that they were taking up his time watching the game. Xu Zifan recorded all of this on his phone. 1017 was locked in a small dark room. Xu Zifan followed and saw the place. It was a very small room with nothing in it. The light switch was outside. When the light was off, it was pitch black inside. Who wouldn't be in pain if they were locked in there? This was psychological torture.
By this time, 1017 was powerless to resist, lying motionless on the ground like a lifeless doll. The instructor led Xu Zifan forward, and when they reached a place where there was no one else and no surveillance, Xu Zifan hypnotized the instructor in 10 seconds, just like he had hypnotized Dr. Liu, and ordered: "You want to drink? Drink a lot of alcohol until you're drunk. Call five gossipy friends to drink and brag, brag about how arrogant you are at school, tell them how you and other instructors beat students, how students who commit suicide are treated, tell them all your fun stories, make them envious of you. Then you'll forget everything you said while drunk and go to work normally."
"I'm going to have a drink. Go back to your dorm by yourself." The instructor waved his hand impatiently and turned to leave.
At this time, all the students were in class, where they were studying the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the Precepts and Instructions for Women. Xu Zifan carefully avoided the surveillance cameras and walked to the back window of the classroom. After waiting for about half an hour, he saw someone recite it incorrectly. He quickly took out his phone to record a video and captured the instructor hitting the student's hand with an iron ruler until it bled. For every cry, five more blows were added. The student endured the pain without daring to make a sound, and his hand was trembling after the beating.
Then another student, influenced by this, also recited the wrong name. When the instructor hit him, he pulled his hand back in pain and resisted. Immediately, four instructors rushed over and punched and kicked him, pressing his head and hands onto the podium so everyone could see him being beaten. After the beating, they handcuffed him behind his back, dragged him out, and said he would be punished with 20 lashes.
Xu Zifan edited the video and audio he had just recorded, blurred them out, and uploaded them to his cloud drive. Before returning to his dorm, he went to the bathroom. There was a water heater and a power outlet there, so he fully charged his phone. Back in his room, he searched for the identities of the honorary principals, then looked for information on other officials, hoping to find someone who could uphold justice.
At noon, while the others went straight to lunch after class, he didn't. The night before, he had seen them eating stir-fried red and green chilies, and they weren't allowed to leave any rice. He was feeling much better now, but eating chilies was definitely not an option; he'd rather go hungry and figure something out later. After lunch, the trainees returned to their dormitories for a nap. Just as a few lay down to sleep, the door was suddenly flung open, and two instructors carried in an unconscious trainee, throwing him onto the empty bed.
Xu Zifan watched as everyone else stood at attention, then followed suit, keeping his eyes straight ahead, but his hand behind his back pressed a few keys to activate the recording. The instructor, after setting the boy down, said, "Keep an eye on him. If he dares to escape again, you'll each receive 20 lashes!"
"Yes, instructor!"
The instructor went out and locked the door. Xu Zifan looked at the trainee and tentatively asked his dormitory head, Zhou Likai, "What's wrong with him?"
Zhou Likai said without any emotion, "Five days ago, he injured the instructor on the way to the dark room and tried to escape. The instructor caught him and whipped him 50 times. After emergency treatment, he was locked in the dark room without food or water, so he is still in a coma."
Xu Zifan tapped rhythmically on the steel frame of the bed with his fingers and asked, "Is he our roommate? So you were punished for running away?"
One trainee said irritably, "Of course we had to endure it! We did frog jumps for an hour and ran 20 laps outside! Damn it! It hurts everyone and everyone else. If we could escape, everyone would have already done it, and there wouldn't be so many people here."
Zhou Likai snapped, "Shut up! If the instructors hear you say that, you're finished. Nobody wants to run away."
The five trainees climbed onto their beds and lay down to sleep. Zhou Likai went over and touched a trainee's forehead. Seeing that he didn't have a fever, he breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. He then warned Xu Zifan, "You've seen what happened to him. Remember, don't run away, or you'll end up like him."
Xu Zifan continued banging on the steel pipe, then turned off the phone's recording function. "It's lunch break now, you're all sleepy, right? Go to sleep and have sweet dreams."
Several trainees yawned and fell asleep within seconds. Zhou Likai also planned to lie down, but Xu Zifan stopped knocking, looked into his eyes, and said, "Zhou Likai, are you willing to accept this? You really don't want to escape?"
Zhou Likai was visibly taken aback, then asked warily, "What do you mean?"
"Si? How do you know my name?"
Xu Zifan lowered his voice and said, "Not only do I know your name, but I also know that you weren't this cowardly when you first came here. You've been to the infirmary more times than anyone else in the school, haven't you? Are you going to become the school's lackey and discipline us now?"
Zhou Likai's mind was already affected by the seriously injured student and Xu Zifan's hypnosis. Provoked by these insulting words, he blurted out, "Bullshit! I wish I could kill them!"
After saying that, he calmed down a bit, quickly glanced at the people in the dormitory, then looked out the window, grabbed Xu Zifan by the collar, and whispered harshly, "What do you want to do? Make me run away with you? If I report to the instructor, you're finished! You and I know what happened today, so let's just let it go. I won't hold it against you. You better behave yourself, or you'll end up like 1009!"
"1009? Looks like he didn't arrive a few days before me. There must be a lot of troublemakers among our new batch of newcomers, right?"
"So what? Sooner or later they'll become just like us."
Xu Zifan shook his head, looked into his eyes, and said, "We are different. My rebellious spirit will never change. I must get out!"
Zhou Likai's heart skipped a beat. Meeting Xu Zifan's eyes felt like he was being seen through. He staggered back, collapsing onto his bed. He raised his right hand, his smile more like a grimace. "Change? What's the use of changing? My hand has been shocked 11 times. I can't play anymore. I'm a cripple. What's the point of escaping? My stepfather doesn't want to see me, so my mother sent me here. It's been a year. They keep renewing the fees, but they haven't come to see me once. I'm afraid I'll kill them if I go out!"
Xu Zifan said coldly, "Is that all you've got? So what if your right hand is crippled? You still have your left hand. Even if both your hands are crippled, you still have your feet. What's the use of giving up on yourself? You'll only waste the rest of your life, living like a piece of trash. You're 19, and you don't need a guardian. Do you really have to live with them when you go out? The more they don't want you to have a good time, the more you should live better than them. Killing them won't help. I have a way to make them wish they were dead."
Zhou Likai looked up at him, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes for the first time. "What method?"
"Let's talk about escaping first." Xu Zifan looked into his eyes. "Tell me, do you want to escape?"
"Yes!"
"Can you help me find everyone who's trying to escape? We'll escape together and destroy this hell!"
"Okay! I'll listen to you! Let's escape!" Zhou Likai's rebellious spirit was completely ignited.
Xu Zifan didn't completely hypnotize Zhou Likai; he merely used psychological guidance to get Zhou Likai to speak his mind and make a decision that followed his heart. He didn't lie to him either; he had indeed found a place for those irresponsible parents, and once he got out, he would make them taste the horrors of hell!
Xu Zifan had previously hacked the dorm's network jamming. Now that everyone else was asleep, he took out his phone and showed Zhou Likai the list of people the school was focusing on. Zhou Likai was startled and immediately stood up to block him, whispering in astonishment, "How did you hide your phone? Didn't they search you? Where did you get this list?"
"You come in naked and changing into your school uniform, so who could hide a cell phone? But I have my own way of doing things. I not only got these, but I also got other evidence that is detrimental to the school, so you can completely trust me and help me contact reliable accomplices who want to escape."
Zhou Likai's hope instantly ignited into a raging fire. He had been driven to despair by the loss of his right hand and his will had been worn down by the countless failed escape attempts. But now he saw hope. Regardless of how Xu Zifan had managed it, getting a phone right under the instructor's nose was a feat in itself. He also sensed Xu Zifan's powerful confidence, which made him unconsciously convinced. He was willing to escape with Xu Zifan!