Ning Yunhuan's heart pounded at the memory of her past life. She gritted her teeth as needles of pain shot through her limbs, forcing herself to move. Her voice came out hoarse when she whispered "Panpan?" into the darkness, fingers trembling as they brushed against something - either Li Panpan or Gu Yingxi.

Each syllable scraped like blades across her throat. Her lips were cracked and peeling; time itself felt like an abyss since being taken. She could feel nothing but bare skin beneath torn flannel, zippers left open in a cruel mockery of vulnerability. If not for the certainty that no one had touched her body, she would have already succumbed to panic.

Her eyes were sealed with some sticky material - likely why they'd been unconscious. The mouth remained free, an ironic mercy as Gu Yingxi's voice trembled through the shadows: "Huanhuan?" Li Panpan shivered nearby, and Ning instantly recognized the movements from her right side.

"Where are we? Why did this happen?" Panpan clung closer, her breaths shallow with fear. Born into a powerful military-political dynasty as an only daughter, she'd never known danger until now. The Rens guarded their princess fiercely - yet even that protection had failed tonight.

Ning remained composed, memories of her past life's trauma etched in sharper relief. She'd faced the Dragon Alliance leader before, endured days of psychological torture. But whatever awaited them paled to what she'd survived in this rebirth... except it was Lanling Yan who still haunted her dreams.

"Ni... Ni shixiong? Are you there?" Gu Yingxi's voice quivered as she tried moving closer. Ning's legs were bound so tightly, a kick would have been a luxury - but fury overpowered reason when Gu screamed suddenly for help.

Oh damn. Just as Ning had begun working on her ropes with the plan to escape, this idiot decided to make noise. With every ounce of restraint, she kicked out: "Shut up!"

Gu's wails were muffled by fear, then erupted into full-blown hysteria. Ning barely resisted the urge to stomp harder when Gu was silenced by a sharp kick that made her gasp.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Ning hissed through clenched teeth, suppressing the homicidal impulse thrumming in her veins. The room remained suspiciously empty despite their eyes being taped but not fully blinded - dark outlines suggested they were alone for now.

"Panpan," she whispered fiercely, "if anyone comes, you're to feign unconsciousness completely. Even if they strike you, don't make a sound."

The girl whimpered an affirmative. Gu's sniffles grated on Ning's nerves until she hissed, "Stop crying! Do you want them here for our funerals?"

"Me... me not," Gu stammered in hushed tones after realizing her earlier volume echoed too loudly. Her thoughts drifted to Lanjiu, the man who'd chosen this screaming mess as a lover.

"Panpan, can you stand closer?" Ning fought through dizziness caused by suppressed anger and fatigue. When Panpan failed to rise after several attempts, she resorted to using teeth to gnaw at the binding cloth - a method that worked surprisingly well.

Two hours of violent struggle later, sweat-drenched women managed partial freedom when Gu suddenly wept: "Do you think... do you think we'll survive this?"

Ning had no patience for sentiment. The ropes loosened just enough when Panpan finally succeeded in freeing them both. As they worked on their own bindings, the room dark and oppressive as ever, Ning found herself forced to tolerate Panpan's sudden self-sacrificing impulse toward Gu.

"Since Rens have saved you," she warned Gu as footsteps echoed outside, "I don't care what you do - just don't slow us down."

The door creaked open with a man's sleazy voice declaring: "Three girls inside. Perfect time for some fun!"

Ning clamped a hand over Gu's mouth before she could scream, her heart racing as the three women braced themselves. The moonlight filtered through revealed three men - and their plan began.

"Stay ready," Ning hissed to Panpan, mimicking a choking gesture with one of the ropes. When the door opened fully, Ning sprang into action. She lunged at the nearest man, snaking her makeshift garrote around his neck while Panpan did similarly.

But Gu - useless as ever - flailed like in some absurd romance novel scene. The man's laughter turned to shock when she responded with a... well, let's just say Ning was very tempted to choke someone else after that.

"Stop or I kill her!" the man threatened as he subdued Gu. But it was too late - Ning had already broken his neck through sheer force of will and determination.

"You want him dead? Go ahead," she said coldly while recovering from the adrenaline rush, tightening another knot around the remaining man's throat. She wasn't doing this for Gu - survival demanded it.

"Xiong... why be so cruel to me?" Gu wept as her captor suddenly relaxed. But it was a mistake that allowed Ning to finally take control of their fate.

(Note: The final line is cut off mid-sentence in the original text.)