As the Quality Control Supervisor for an import company, before the upcoming long weekend, I had to finalize the inventory of our last shipment of king crab. The moment I stepped into the minus-eighteen-degree freezer, the heavy door slammed shut behind me. The alarm system went dead. Realizing the temperature was dropping, I immediately grabbed the emergency warm packs from my kit. But as I peeled one open and pressed it to my skin, a bone-chilling cold immediately told me something was wrong. I screamed, frozen, and through the walkie-talkie, I heard my fiancé, Mark, burst into maniacal laughter: “We’re live-streaming a challenge: locking the company’s ‘Ice Queen’ in the freezer to see how long she lasts!” His colleague, Chloe, who was on duty with him, chimed in with her syrupy sweet voice: “Anya, give a little smile for the folks in the stream! The top gifter wants to see it!” In an instant, I understood. They were live-streaming a prank on me. Not only had they locked me in the freezer, but they’d also swapped my life-saving warm packs for cooling patches meant to bring down a fever! I gritted my teeth, trying to stay calm as I pleaded with them for help. “Spare… the spare warm packs… give them to me!” Mark’s voice came through the walkie-talkie, utterly dismissive: “Oh, come on, Chloe gets awful period cramps, so she’s using all the spare warmers for her belly!” “You’re so tough, just jump around a bit and you’ll warm up! You might even get some donations from the big spenders!” I stopped arguing. With my numb fingers, I pulled out the flare gun, aiming it at the most expensive, mysterious cargo in the freezer. A vial of frozen sperm, worth two hundred million dollars.
The cold metal casing of the flare gun pressed against my palm. I held the barrel steady, pointing it at the silver metal container labeled “AF-001.” “Mark, are you sure you want to play this big?” My voice trembled from the cold, but my tone was unwavering. On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Mark’s laughter abruptly ceased. Then came Chloe’s panicked voice. “Anya, don’t be impulsive! That… that thing can’t be messed with!” “Oh? Now you know it can’t be messed with?” I scoffed, my breath condensing into a cloud of white in front of me. “When you locked me in here, why didn’t you think about the consequences?” Mark’s voice was still defiant. “Anya, don’t try to scare us! “It’s just a prank, isn’t it? Is it really worth taking it out on the company’s valuable cargo?” “Do you even know what that is, daring to point a gun at it? Put the flare gun down!” I ignored him, instead using my free hand to tap lightly on the metal canister beside me. The canister emitted a sharp, resonant clang, piercing the dead silence of the freezer. “That’s Ms. Sterling’s golden ticket to an heir!” “She spent a whopping two hundred million dollars to get that, all the way from an African tribal chief!” “They say it’s once-in-a-century elite genetic material!” “I’m the QC supervisor who personally handled the receiving procedures. So tell me, do I know what it is or not?” Silence crackled over the walkie-talkie. I could picture Mark and Chloe’s faces in the monitor room, suddenly drained of color. They knew the value of this thing better than anyone. The day it was stored, Ms. Sterling personally oversaw it, even demanding that the movers use brand new gloves. She’d said if even a single thing went wrong, everyone involved would vanish, permanently. Chloe’s voice, laced with tears, rang out again, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “Anya, we really just wanted to play a joke, to lighten the mood…” “Who told you to always be so cold and distant? Everyone’s a little scared of you…” “Please put the gun down, okay? Mark will open the door for you in a minute.” The moment she finished speaking, Mark immediately followed up. “Right, right, Anya, we were just kidding. I’ll figure out how to open the door right now.” “Maybe the old lock’s circuits froze up. Don’t worry, I’ll go get some tools!” Listening to their coordinated story, the last bit of warmth in my heart vanished. Circuits frozen? This German-engineered cryogenic door can function perfectly in temperatures as low as fifty below zero. He thought I was an idiot. “Stop acting,” my voice was icy. “I’m giving you ten seconds. Open the door.” “Don’t forget, you’re still live-streaming.” “If Ms. Sterling sees her legacy destroyed because of you, do you think you’ll even live to see tomorrow?” “Ten seconds. Open the door. Now!” “Ten.” “Nine.” I started counting down, my numb fingers hovering over the flare gun’s trigger. Mark’s exasperated growl and Chloe’s sobs came through the walkie-talkie. “Psycho! Anya, you crazy bitch!” “Mark, what do we do… the chat is blowing up, the top gifter says he wants to see her actually pull the trigger…” “Shut up!” “Three.” “Two.” The second before I pulled the trigger, Mark practically screamed. “Stop! I’m opening it! I’m opening it now!” I let out a shaky breath, my body trembling even more from the sudden release of tension. But half a minute passed, and I was struggling to breathe. The heavy freezer door remained motionless. Through the walkie-talkie, Mark’s voice came again. “Oh, Anya, I’m so sorry.” “I was too nervous just now. I entered the electronic lock’s password wrong three times, and the system automatically locked itself.” “Now… we’ll have to wait for an engineer to unlock it.”
My heart sank instantly after hearing his words. The nearest engineer would take at least an hour to arrive. “Mark, you’re toying with me?” “How can you call it toying?” His voice held poorly concealed triumph, as if he were savoring my despair. “This is fate. Heaven itself wants you to cool down in there.” Chloe chimed in, feigning fragility. “Anya, since you can’t get out, why don’t you just cooperate with our live stream?” “Everyone in the chat says they want to see the Ice Queen looking pathetic in the freezer.” “The top gifter just dropped another ten thousand in digital gifts, saying if you dance ‘K-Pop Shuffle’ in there, he’ll give another ten!” I trembled all over, whether from cold or rage, I couldn’t tell. From the very beginning, they never intended to let me out! The so-called wrong password was just an excuse for them to buy time and continue their cruel live stream! “Mark, aren’t you afraid I’ll actually destroy this thing?” I raised the flare gun again, but this time, my hand shook so violently I could barely hold it. “You won’t.” All trace of panic had vanished from Mark’s face. He said with absolute certainty: “Anya, I know you too well. Your sense of responsibility is so strong, you put the company’s interests above your own life.” “Last time, to rush a shipment, you stayed at the warehouse even with a high fever. This time it’s the same.” “You wouldn’t dare destroy it. You can’t.” His words were like a knife, piercing my heart with brutal precision. Yes, he knew me. But he was using my sense of responsibility to condemn me to death. “And, I advise you not to do anything reckless.” His voice turned cold. “I’ve already reported to Ms. Sterling that you’re doing a routine check, and to ensure everything is perfect, you’ll be on duty in the cold storage area tonight.” “Ms. Sterling even praised your dedication and said she’d give you a bonus.” “If you dare touch that thing, how will you explain it when Ms. Sterling arrives?” Shameless! He twisted the truth, cutting off all my escape routes! If something happened to me in here, it would be a “dedicated” accident. If I destroyed the cargo to save myself, it would be “embezzlement and malicious destruction.” Either way, I lost. A chill rose from my feet, quickly spreading through my entire body, chilling me to the very marrow of my bones. I felt my consciousness begin to blur, my vision growing dim. No, I couldn’t die here. I leaned on the icy shelves, forcing myself to stand steady. “Mark… for the sake of us almost getting married…” My voice carried a hint of pleading, my last hope. “Just let me out, and I can pretend today never happened.” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie. I almost thought he would relent. However, Chloe’s lighthearted remark shattered my illusion completely. “Oh, Anya, you don’t know yet, do you?” “Mark has already decided to call off the engagement with you.” “He said being with you was too exhausting, like trying to warm up a block of ice that just won’t melt.” “And…” Chloe deliberately drew out her words, her voice full of triumph and smugness. “I’m pregnant. It’s Mark’s baby. We’re getting engaged next month.” *Boom!* My mind went blank. Pregnant? Calling off the engagement? So all of this wasn’t a spontaneous prank. It was a premeditated murder. They wanted me dead. So they could be together, guilt-free. “Anya, don’t blame me.” Mark’s voice came again, cold and devoid of any emotion. “If you have to blame anyone, blame yourself for being so boring, so overbearing.” “Chloe is gentler than you, she knows how to treat a man better. Not like you.” “Just rest in peace.” “Your career, your love life, everything you have, Chloe will take good care of it all.” Despair, like a vast net, trapped me firmly. I slid down against the shelf, collapsing to the floor, my body’s energy draining away little by little. Just then, I heard footsteps outside the freezer, and a slightly older voice asking. “Mark, not off work yet? What are you doing in the monitor room?” It was Mr. Miller, the night shift security guard! A spark of hope ignited within me. With all my remaining strength, I grabbed the walkie-talkie and screamed. “Mr. Miller! Help me! I’m locked in the freezer!”
No sooner had my cry for help left my lips than Mark’s calm voice came through the walkie-talkie. “Oh, Mr. Miller, still on duty? We’re just working a little overtime here.” He seemed to have switched the walkie-talkie to a private channel, as Mr. Miller didn’t hear my plea. “Oh, Anya’s in there doing a final inventory.” “You know, the last batch of goods before the Christmas break. She’s so dedicated, she insisted on overseeing it herself.” “We’re just here to keep her company, in case anything comes up.” Chloe immediately echoed him with a sickly sweet voice. “That’s right, Mr. Miller, Anya is so dedicated. We all told her to rest early, but she just wouldn’t.” “She even said it was cool in the freezer, which helped her focus on work.” Mr. Miller seemed convinced, his voice full of approval. “Ah, Anya’s a responsible young woman. You two are working hard too.” “Alright, you carry on. I’ll go check other areas.” The footsteps gradually faded. My last shred of hope was extinguished by their casual dismissal. I slumped to the ground, staring despairingly at the tightly shut door. The walkie-talkie was switched back to the private channel, and Mark’s mocking voice came through clearly. “Hear that, Anya?” “Everyone thinks you’re a workaholic, a strong, independent woman.” “Even if you freeze to death in there, you’ll just be seen as a martyr for the company, a tragic example of dedication.” “You’ll even become a positive role model for new employees.” Chloe’s laughter grew even more unrestrained. “Anya, listen! The top gifter just shelled out another ten grand in digital gifts!” “He says if you kneel down right now and act like a dog, bark a few times, he’ll make Mark turn up the heat.” “What do you say? Thinking about it?” Humiliation, naked humiliation. They not only wanted my life, but they wanted to stomp on my dignity, crushing it to dust, before I died. I bit down hard, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth. My body grew colder and colder, my eyelids heavy as lead. I knew this was a sign of mid-to-late stage hypothermia. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before I slipped into unconsciousness, and then my heart would stop. Was I really going to die here? Die in a meticulously planned trap set by my fiancé and his mistress? No. I wouldn’t accept it. I *refused* to accept it! I used my last bit of strength, leaning on the shelf, swaying as I stood up. If they weren’t going to let me live, then we’d all go down together! With the last ounce of power in my body, I steadied my gun-wielding hand just as I was about to slip. I no longer aimed at the vial. Instead, I raised it slightly, aiming for the yellow, deadly insulation layer above the shelves. My movement seemed to finally make Mark realize something was wrong. His arrogant laughter stopped. “You… you’re really going to do it?” For the first time, a hint of genuine panic entered his voice. I didn’t answer him. I just pulled the trigger with all my might. “Bang!” A dull gunshot. A blinding red flash, like an angry fire snake, instantly shot towards the yellow foam! The next second, flames erupted with a roar! Chloe’s ear-splitting scream came through the walkie-talkie. “Fire! Ah—!” Followed by Mark’s horrified bellow. “Quick! Put out the fire! Damn it!” However, it was too late. The shrill, piercing fire alarm, echoing throughout the entire factory, was instantly triggered. Its sound drowned out all the insane laughter and screams. Polyurethane foam insulation is highly flammable. Once ignited, the fire spreads rapidly, releasing thick smoke containing highly toxic cyanide. This was the first lesson I learned during my orientation as a QC Supervisor.
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