I did not want to hurt her

Wang Lian pityingly thought. His condition took a turn for the worse. He was gripped by numbing fear.

''So, will I die like this, here…..in this state….naked….unaccounted for...my people wouldn't even know about me...is this to be my fate''.

His heart missed beats. Suddenly, he felt so afraid of death that he found it difficult to breathe. He felt as though death stood before him to see how his breath went out, bit by bit. Overcoming his pain he tried once more to free his wrists.

His arms hurt excruciatingly. After struggling for fifteen minutes, he stopped. He then realized that the strip across his mouth had loosened and that he could get it out by manipulating his neck, which he did. Next, he spat out the tissues. He inhaled deeply for several minutes and then kept yelling aloud—as loud as he could—for help.