The Untouchable Ex Wife by Mizuki Sei

Renee slapped Chase violently across his face, her patience worn thin to the bone.
“Spit it out, will you?!” she demanded. “Just tell me your idea and stop sputtering like that! It’s like you’re teasing me!”
Chase smiled awkwardly and replied, “The impostor, Mr. Q is indeed a cautious man, and he would only contact me through text
messages. There’s also no way to ascertain his address or whereabouts through his phone number, so unless he’s willing to
voluntarily show up, we have no way of finding him. So far, the only person who can make him turn up willingly is you, Ms.
Everheart.”
“I’m afraid I’m not that powerful...” said Renee dejectedly. “Ever since he stood me up, I couldn’t contact him at all. If he really
cared about me, he would’ve been a little more to say goodbye before he left.”
“I believe the impostor, Mr. Q, must have a good reason for it...”
“So? Get to the point. What should I do to get him to show up?”
“It’s really simple.” Chase curled his finger in a beckoning gesture at Renee. “Follow me, Ms. Everheart.”
In the dead of the night, Chase and Renee weaved through the vast and labyrinthine Carmine Pawnshop. After a long journey
through twists and turns, they finally stopped at the most remote courtyard. The place looked as if no one had stepped into it for
centuries, and the door was covered in thick wads of cobwebs, cementing in an air of decay and ruin.
“Chase Cheever, what... what are you trying to do?”
Renee pursed her lips and instinctively took a few steps back.
“Don’t be afraid, Ms. Everheart...”
Chase dusted off his long coat and calmly explained, “This is the area where water torture, one of the ten worst torture
techniques employed by Carmine Pawnshop, is conducted. It has been four years since the last person was tortured here, so it
might look as if it’s in disrepair, but back in the day, people filled this place all the time. It was a much livelier place back then.”
“Uh... ten worst torture techniques? A lively place?”
Renee was so taken aback that she almost choked on her own saliva.
“Are you sure you guys weren’t filming a movie here? Torture techniques? I’ve only heard of that in movies!”

“What you’ve seen in movies is probably much tamer than what we actually do here in Carmine Pawnshop. Because some of
them might be too atrocious for your taste, I won’t elaborate and go straight to the water torture...”
Chase then continued, “Water torture is the mildest among the ten worst torture techniques. The victim is first tied up inside the
water prison, where they will then suffer all manner of tribulations. At first, the water level reaches just around the victim’s waist,
but every half an hour, there will be other things added to the water. Firstly, all kinds of venomous snakes, centipedes, and
loaches will be released. Then, slowly, boiling water will be added. After that, boiling oil will pour in, and finally... sulphuric acid!”
“Stop! I don’t want to hear it anymore! Whoever thought of such a heinous thing must’ve been a complete psychopath!”
Renee could hardly bear to even imagine such a scene. Forget about the boiling oil and acid; she was covered in goosebumps
even thinking about the snakes! Even worse was the thought of how the snakes would writhe and flail around wildly in a panic
once the boiling water was added—she could not imagine how horrifying such a situation might be!
“You’re too faint-hearted, Ms. Everheart. I told you that water torture is the lightest among the ten worst torture techniques.
Besides, Boss was the one who came up with these punishments.”
“My brother came up with these?” Renee could not help but sigh. “Wasn’t he a little too aggressive?”
“His original intent for these things was to deter would-be dissidents,” Chase explained, “whether it be the employees of Carmine
Pawnshop or the customers. Anyone who disobeyed the rules must face the punishment. Yet, when faced with the grim
possibility of being punished with the ten horrifying torture techniques, almost no one dared to cause any trouble, so strictly
speaking, the actual number of people who were tortured is very low.”
“I can understand that,” said Renee. “Historically, rulers must have an extremely strict punishment system to maintain order. I’m
sure my brother must’ve seen a lot of period movies and read lots of books about history to come up with such a thing.
Otherwise, no normal person could ever think of doing something so insane.”
Renee was highly empathetic by nature. Although she disagreed with Quinton’s method, she could still understand why he had
to take such extreme measures. After all, Quinton must have had to work exceedingly hard to reach his current position, seeing
that he came from a humble fishing village. Without taking some extraordinary measures, he would never have made it this far.
“By the way, why did you take me here? Is someone getting punished?”