4

The moment they stepped onto the beach, everything went wrong.

Their luggage? Gone.

Their camera equipment? Vanished.

Ivan? Missing.

Smiling bunny-tooth guy? Suspiciously absent.

The second they set foot on the velvet-soft sand, a group of well-dressed men and women in white uniforms appeared like a hotel welcome committee from hell.

“Welcome,” one of them said, smiling eerily. “Follow us. You’ll be starting immediately.”

“…Starting what?” Xia Zhi asked weakly.

But they were already being led down a marble path lined with blooming orchids and birds that probably had names like Lucifer and Debt Collector.

Ten minutes later, Xia Zhi stood in a sleek, five-star villa kitchen wearing a black-and-white maid outfit that was somehow her exact size.

Her hair was tied up. Her hands were in gloves. And she was holding a feather duster.

She stared at it in horror.

Fu Ran stood next to her, also in a maid uniform, sipping a cup of hibiscus tea like they weren’t in a luxury-themed hostage situation.

“Senior Fu,” Xia Zhi whispered. “I think… we’ve been sold.”

Fu Ran didn’t even blink.

Xia Zhi glanced around the opulent marble counters, gold-rimmed dishes, crystal chandeliers, and infinity pool outside the window.

Fu Ran sipped her tea.

Xia Zhi clutched the duster like it was a dagger. “Are we undercover? Is this still the plan? Please tell me this is some ultra-deep cover operation?”

Fu Ran stared at a lemon tart on the counter. “Maybe.”

“…MAYBE?”

“I didn’t say no.”

Xia Zhi let out a tiny scream into her feather duster.

She tried to run, but the door was locked. The windows? Reinforced. There was even a cute but evil-looking surveillance drone hovering in the corner like a judgmental pigeon.

“Miss Heroine, I beg you,” she whimpered. “Can your IQ turn on now? Just temporarily? I have zero combat power. I’m the type who gets knocked out by door handles.”

Fu Ran finally turned to her, perfectly calm. “Relax. Observe.”

She pointed to a tablet on the wall. On it was a message:

“VIP Guest arriving in 2 hours. Room must be spotless. Disobedience will be punished. :)”

Xia Zhi read it. Blinked.

Then sank slowly to the marble floor.

“So this is what being sold looks like… with Wi-Fi.”

____

Xia Zhi sat cross-legged on the marble floor, holding the feather duster like it was a piece of her broken dignity.

She pointed a trembling finger at the villa's gold-plated ceiling fan.

"Senior Fu," she whispered, "is this the biggest illegal prison in the world, or did we get kidnapped into a luxury drama set?"

Fu Ran didn’t reply. She was busy peeling an orange, like a woman who hadn’t just been sold into elite maid service.

Xia Zhi's voice rose, dramatic and accusing: “You told me this place was called Blackstone. You said it was infamous. You said people came here and never returned.”

Fu Ran nodded, calm as ever. “They don’t return.”

“They don’t want to return!” Xia Zhi screeched. “Because this isn’t a prison, it’s a tropical retirement plan for international billionaires!”

She got up and marched to the massive glass window, pointing dramatically to the lush scenery outside.

“Look at that view! Look at that sea! Even the criminals here wear linen! I haven't seen a single guy with a shiv, only sunglasses and skincare routines!”

Fu Ran shrugged. “What did you expect?”

“I expected blood, barbed wire, and tattoos that say ‘No Regrets’ spelled wrong!”

Fu Ran finally looked up. “It’s not Blackstone.”

Xia Zhi froze. “…What.”

Fu Ran calmly bit into the orange.

“This place is called Diamondstone.”

Xia Zhi's soul left her body again. “YOU MEAN TO TELL ME… WE GOT OFF AT THE WRONG ILLEGAL PRISON?”

Fu Ran: “It’s the more exclusive one.”

Xia Zhi staggered back like she was slapped with luxury. “You mean this is the premium crime island?! This is the platinum tier of underworld vacations?!”

She collapsed onto a velvet couch. “No wonder the Wi-Fi is good.”

She stared at the ceiling.

“So that’s it. The great Blackstone… was actually just a typo. It wasn’t ‘Blackstone.’ It was ‘Diamondstone.’ A place so secret even Google Maps thinks it's a myth.”

She paused. “Netizens really believed this was a brutal prison… but it’s just a rich guy’s island with attitude.”

She curled up dramatically. “I was ready to face death. Turns out I just needed sunscreen.”

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