After the beating, the children stand obediently by the doors, sniffling. A man in leather armor steps out, surveying them. “Now, keep your distance from each other and follow the guards,” he commands.

A few minutes later, Henwell and the others are led to an open area. The sky is dark, with only a few stars visible, and no moonlight. It seems to be just before dawn, the darkest hour.

A shirtless man approaches, inspecting the tear-streaked faces of the children. He’s nearly two meters tall, bald, bearded, and his bare chest is covered in scars from cuts, stabs, and burns. Disgusted, he walks past them, frowning.

“Did you crawl out of a cesspool? Why do you stink so much? Go wash up immediately! The pool is over there, and you have limited time. If you’re not done by then, you’ll receive a little bonus!”

With that, an hourglass is placed on a nearby table. Judging by the sand’s flow, they have about ten minutes. The bald man points to a place now lit by oil lamps, roughly five hundred meters away.

A boy suddenly dashes forward, but after just two steps, he screams in pain. The bald man has thrown a rock at him, knocking him to the ground, his head bleeding as he clutches it and cries out. The bald man says coldly, “Did I say start? Are you so disobedient?”

He then looks at the group with a chilling gaze, “I don’t need clever little tricks here, and I hate cunning brats!”

The children stand frozen, not daring to move or speak. The bald man slaps the table, “Now get going! It’s started!”

At his words, the children scramble towards the light. No one wants to find out what the “little bonus” might be, assuming it’s not anything pleasant.

Henwell isn’t the fastest, but he makes sure to stay in the leading group.

As he runs, he starts stripping off his clothes. By the time he reaches the pool, he’s completely undressed. He kicks off his boots and quickly washes himself, even rinsing his hair. In three minutes, he’s done.

He pulls on his pants and shoes, dressing as he runs back. When he returns to the original spot, there’s still a bit of sand left in the hourglass, about a minute or so. A few other boys are already there, and the bald man glances at Henwell before turning his attention back to those still running back.

Half an hour later, the last boy returns to the group.

The bald man claps his hands, “Good! Good! Some of you were so slow, wasting my precious time. You really are a pain!”

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He walks over to the group of children who took too long, stopping by one of them—a girl, tears welling in her eyes. “Why were you so slow?” he demands.

The girl, on the verge of tears, responds, “We’re girls. We had to wait for the boys to finish before we could undress and bathe.”

The bald man lowers his head, gripping her chin, “Oh? You do look like a little girl! And quite a pretty one at that!”

The bald man revealed a fierce smile in the frightened eyes of the little girl and said, “So now take off your clothes! I want to see if you’re a girl”

The little girl struggles, pleading, “Please, sir, let me go!”

The bald man responds coldly, “On the count of three, take off your clothes!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

There’s a sudden snap!

The little girl’s neck is twisted off by the bald man, who then throw the limp body aside and say, “Take off her clothes! Hang her up! Let everyone see it”

The man in leather armor opens his mouth to say something but is silenced by a glare from the bald man.

“You handed them over to me, so you should know my rules. What’s wrong with a few disobedient ones dying?! The goods I produce are always the best! And for quality merchandise to catch the eye of customers, a price must be paid!”

The man in leather mutters, “These people aren’t cheap, you better watch the losses.”

The bald man spits on the ground, “Get lost! Your job is done, what happens next isn’t your concern!”

The leather-clad man gives him a long, hard look before turning and walking away.

The burly guards drag the little girl’s lifeless body away, stripping her and hanging her up as the bald man instructed.

The bald man pointed at the corpse with satisfaction and looked at the other little girls, “Now it’s your turn! You should choose to take off your clothes or be like her”.

Faced with death, the young girls have no choice but to comply. Sobbing and swallowing their humiliation, they reluctantly strip in front of everyone. The bald man watches with a wicked grin, his gaze lingering on their youthful bodies as he circles them like a predator.

Just as everyone thinks the bald man is about to do something, he suddenly drops his smile and waves to his men.

“I said if they were late, they’d get a reward! I keep my promises!”

With that, amidst cries and screams, the guards rush forward, grabbing the girls and throwing them onto the punishment racks. The whips crack down, leaving crimson welts on their pale skin.

The bald man bellows at the boys, “See that? Here, there’s no distinction between male and female, no reason for special treatment! In my eyes, you’re not children! You’re not even people! You’re just goods, goods that need processing!”

Then, every latecomer among the boys receives ten lashes.

Including Henwell, twelve boys manage not to be late, but the bald man is still furious.

“You filthy pigs, can’t even wash yourselves properly? Didn’t I tell you not to let me smell your stench? Didn’t you hear me?”

Then, except for Henwell, the remaining eleven boys are dragged off for a beating. Left alone, Henwell notices the bald brute sizing him up and senses trouble.

Sure enough, the bald man sniffs at Henwell moments later. “You washed up nicely! Ran fast and weren’t late. Seems like you’re an obedient kid! I like that—obedient kids get treats!”

But then his tone shifts, “However, I also mentioned that I hate cunning brats! So, tell me, why are you so cunning? Who told you to strip on the way?”

Henwell ends up strung up as well. The lashes hurt like hell, especially since they’re dipped in saltwater! It’s like getting disinfected while being whipped!

This isn’t a training ground for assassins; it’s clearly a prison! Whether you accept it or not, they break your spirit first with a brutal beating.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep