Chapter 102
Nangong Iren
With the steps that weren't too fast, but not too slow either, Nangong Iren entered the kitchen carrying two dirty plates in his hands. Arriving at the dishwasher, he saw two dirty dishes. Iren smiled. He intended to spend the next few minutes of his life washing those four dirty dishes.
He could hear Yihshyong's voice clearly when his friend was talking to Chioujen. Like the night before, tonight would be a long night filled with adventure. He shook his head excitedly.
Iren remembered their promise, that each of them would take the time to write a memoir. At first, he thought his memoir would be very boring. They have indeed experienced many unique events in this city. But Iren felt the events were not so unique that it would be interesting for people to read their memoirs. The series of events of the last few days had completely changed everything. He could already imagine that the memoirs he was about to write would be full of unexpected things, which would very likely thrill the hearts of those who read them.
Speaking of unexpected things, today, while tailing someone, Iren also experienced such things. What he had heard and witnessed were not things that could be taken lightly. He already wanted to tell all of those things to Yihshyong. But he must find the right place and time. Previously, Yihshyong had clearly forbidden him from telling all the things they had witnessed, related to Duanmuh Shannchyuan, to other friends.
After washing the dishes, Iren returned to the dining room. The number of people sitting at the dining table had increased. This time, Jenqyih and Tsaehorng were also sitting there.
"It's almost half-past six in the afternoon." Iren looked at Tsaehorng and Chioujen. "Shouldn't you guys be getting ready already?"
Tsaehorng opened his mouth right away. "Yuehming isn't far from here, Uncle. Even if the traffic was heavy, it still wouldn't take us long to get there."
"You're right," Yihshyong said. "While waiting for the time, you better tell us about Juger's situation. Since arriving this afternoon, you haven't explained that to us at all."
Tsaehorng's face turned very serious. He nodded with a strong motion. "That's right, Uncle! I do have something to explain. This is very important."
"So, how's your driver doing now?" Iren stepped towards the chair that was right next to Tsaehorng's seat. "I hope everything is much better than yesterday."
"The doctors were having a hard time explaining to me about Juger's condition." Tsaehorng's face looked slightly tense. "His health is very unstable. His condition has fluctuated drastically. This morning, when we got there, he was getting better. But thirty minutes later, he was getting worse. They said it had happened many times."
"Have the doctors never encountered such cases?"
"Judging from the symptoms, this is similar to the case of the pandemic that occurred five years ago. But it's not exactly the same. There are several things that are different. For example, his fluctuating conditions."
Iren felt like he was thrown from a high place. This was really dire. The pandemic that occurred five years ago really left a deep wound in everyone's heart. The pandemic that lasted for three years had taken the lives of many people closest to them. If that happened again, Iren really didn't know what to do.
"Are you serious?" Yihshyong's voice was a bit stuttering.
"The doctor said so, Uncle," Tsaehorng replied.
"But if that's true,then the proper authorities must have issued an order to quarantine everyone who was currently in that hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must have come to us," Chioujen said.
"We've all been vaccinated," said Jenqyih.
"That's right, Uncle," said Tsaehorng. "The doctors said that Juger's condition did not endanger anyone. So they did not apply quarantine procedures to him."
"Juger already got the vaccination, right?" asked Iren.
"That's it, Uncle. In accordance with government regulations, we will only hire people who have been vaccinated against the raging virus several years ago."
"Maybe there is a certain condition of his body that makes him sick," said Yihshyong. "I'm not saying he's not sick because of a virus or bacteria. But certain conditions that Juger has may make him more susceptible."
Chioujen nodded. "This could be another virus whose symptoms are similar to those of the disease that became a pandemic five years ago."
"We have some things to clear up first." Jenqyih also opened his mouth. "The pandemic that started five years ago and ended two years ago has not hit everywhere. There were places that had not been touched by the pandemic."
"You're right," Chioujen said. "This happened because, at that time, there were many areas that immediately isolated themselves as soon as the epidemic broke out in other areas. They did not allow anyone to enter their areas. Therefore, those areas were relatively safe."
Jenqyih continued his words. "This gigantic city and its surrounding areas and our New World Capital and its surrounding areas were two of dozens of areas that were relatively safe."
"I guess," said Iren. "That's one of the reasons why people here don't seem to understand how bad things can get if the virus manages to spread widely."
"I hope this is all just a false alarm. Hopefully Juger recovers from his illness soon. Now it's better if we discuss other things. What do you think?"
Yihshyong's remarks closed their conversation about the pandemic. Iren was relieved Yihshyong stopped the conversation on that topic. Their area of origin, namely Yeuandong, was one of the many areas that had been severely affected. Talking about the topic in their hometown would usually make people fight each other because of differences of opinion that sometimes were difficult to bridge.
The pandemic had truly had extraordinary consequences in all aspects of life. Unlike in other areas where the most obvious impact was in the economic sector, in Yeuandong, the pandemic resulted in a multi-dimensional crisis. Even in the political field, the local government was almost overthrown. Political adventurers ruthlessly take advantage of an unfavorable situation to discredit the government, which had worked hard. Luckily, the worst didn't happen. There were still many good people who had sincerely worked hard to prevent further damage from happening.
Yihshyong looked at the clock hanging on the wall. He then turned his gaze to Chioujen and Tsaehorng. "I think you should leave now."
Chioujen and Tsaehorng nodded. They quickly got up and got ready to leave. However, at that moment, a familiar sound startled them.
Ring!
Everyone stopped moving.
Ring!
Yihshyong and Iren ran towards the phone. The lights on their Huahshiang didn't twinkle.
"I hope the kidnappers don't change their plans again," Chioujen shouted.
Ring!
Yihshyong picked up the phone.
"Hello!"
After saying that few short words, Yihshyong only listened to what the other person said. Iren, who was standing next to Yihshyong, could clearly see Yihshyong's face changing. He looked angry and very irritated.
"You can't just decide something like that." After just listening for nearly two minutes, Yihshyong finally opened his mouth again. He spoke while shouting. Iren had never seen Yihshyong look that angry.
"The time is too tight. This is impossible!" Yihshyong was still screaming. "You guys are crazy! At least you have to give us twenty-four hours!"
Everyone was approaching. They all crowded behind Yihshyong.
"Fine! We'll try! We'll see!" Yihshyong slammed the receiver down.
Everyone looked at Yihshyong with anxious looks.
"Eh! You cut off the phone just like that? Won't they be mad?" Jenqyih's voice was full of worry.
"I don't care! They really have gone mad!" Yihshyong's voice still sounded so loud.
Iren was surprised. He really didn't expect that Yihshyong's emotions could overflow like that. As far as Iren knew, so far, like Shannchyuan, Yihshyong had always been able to control his emotions. What he witnessed this time completely overturned the assumptions he had believed so far.
Their Huahshiang twinkled. The police wanted to talk.
"You go talk to the police. My feelings are messed up. I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing." Yihshyong patted Iren's arm.
Iren hesitated. He looked at the other friends.
"What are you waiting for?" Jenqyih looked at Iren while frowning.
"You guys do the talking." Iren begged his friends to take their place to talk to the police.
Chioujen stepped to the phone. At the same time, Jenqyih also came forward. They put those Huahshiang earphones in their ears.
Iren grabbed Yihshyong's arm. The two of them then backed away and sat down on the chairs in the dining room. Jinqkang followed behind them. But the young man did not sit down. Instead, he speedily ran to the kitchen..
"I am Dongfang Jenqyih." Jenqyih identified himself to the police. Jenqyih's voice was so strongly and tightly. Iren could hear clearly.
"I am Jongharng Chioujen." Like Jenqyih, Chioujen spoke those words firmly. "We apologize! Mr. Shimen is not available. So we will represent him."
Jinqkang returned from the kitchen. He gave a glass of cold water to Yihshyong, who took a sip of the water in the glass straight away. In such a short time, Yihshyong gulped down the water.
"Would you like another glass of water?" asked Jinqkang.
"Thank you," said Yihshyong. "This is enough."
Even though Yihshyong said so. But Jinqkang still ran back to the kitchen. He soon reappeared with a bottle of water. Instantly, the young man poured water into Yihshyong's glass. After that, he put the bottle on the table.
Iren looked back at his two colleagues, who were talking to the police. Chioujen and Jenqyih looked serious as they listened to what the police had to say. The two of them nodded rapidly. Occasionally, they answered with short sentences.
Except when thanking Jinqkang, Yihshyong didn't make a sound at all. He just sat quietly, occasionally sipping water from his glass.
After about five minutes, the telephone conversation ended. Iren had no idea what had actually happened. They must be discussing about the phone call from the kidnappers. However, the short sentences that Jenqyih and Chioujen spoke while conversing with the police did not adequately describe what the kidnapper had said to Yihshyong earlier to make him so angry.
Jenqyih and Chioujen moved towards the dining table. Tsaehorng followed them. Quickly, they all returned to sit at the dining table.
"Shyongge! You don't need to say anything. Please, just let Yihge and I explain to the others." Chioujen patted Yihshyong on the shoulder.
Yihshyong nodded. His face still looked tense.
"As we expected, the kidnappers changed their plans again. This might lead some of us to suspect that there is a possibility that these kidnappers are testing our patience or that they really don't know the basics of planning. But I tend to have other ideas on the matter." Chioujen's voice was authoritative.
Had Chioujen chaired meetings like this many times? It seemed he was used to it.
Iren realized he didn't know what position Chioujen had at the company where he worked. Chioujen hardly ever talked about it.
"This time they asked us to do something very difficult. We may actually understand their request if they then give us enough time to fulfill it. But with time constraints, it's rather impossible for us to fulfill their request one hundred percent."
Tsaehorng and Jinqkang's faces looked confused and tense. Chioujen did not immediately say what the kidnapper wanted. That seemed to make Tsaehorng's and Jinqkang's faces look even more contorted.
Please don't talk in circles! Just say it as soon as possible!
"The point is, after we transfer Songfei's belongings into the new bag, the kidnappers want us not to just randomly fill the old bag. They want us to fill the old bag with the same items as the ones we moved."
"So they want us to look for items that are like the other items we moved into the fresh bag?" Tsaehorng raised his eyebrows.
"Right!" Chioujen said.
"That's impossible!" Iren shook his head. It was only natural for Yihshyong to be furious. It was an unreasonable request.
"I realized it would be very difficult for us to get items that were one hundred percent the same, but at least from the same brand and type," said Chioujen.
"As Chioujen said earlier, it is not impossible for us to do this if there is enough time," said Jenqyih. "The problem is they only give us such a short amount of time."
"How much time did they give? When should we hand over the two bags to them?" asked Iren.
Jenqyih took a deep breath. "Just three hours!"
"Three hours from twelve? Does that mean they want us to drop the bags off at three o'clock, before sunrise?" Jinqkang's eyes widened.
"That's right," Chioujen said. "They again postponed the handover of the ransom goods to three o'clock, when the situation was not much different from midnight."
"What is the kidnapper's excuse?" asked Tsaehorng.
"Based on information from the police, the kidnappers reasoned we should do this so that the police would not become suspicious. The police will definitely check the items in Songfei's bag before we take them to the place where the ransom items are handed over," Jenqyih said.
"The police really have to check the bag. In cases like this, usually the police will install a tracking device on the bag used as a container for goods or ransom money. To install a tracking device, the police must open the bag. Once the police open the bag, of course they'll realize we've changed the contents if we just put other items at random instead of the ones we've moved into the extra bag," Chioujen said.
"So, actually, the kidnappers' demands are quite reasonable." Tsaehorng nodded.
"Of course it makes sense. However they should have given us sufficient time to search for the same items. Moreover, they should have emphasized this point in the letter they sent us last night. By using such an annoying method like this, it's obvious that they don't know what planning is all about." Jenqyih grumbled.
"I believe the kidnappers already suspect that we are cooperating with the police. So it really doesn't matter what items we put in Songfei's bag," Chioujen said.
"So you think there's another reason?" Jenqyih turned to Chioujen.
"As I mentioned earlier, when I opened our emergency meeting." Chioujen nodded in a reassuring motion. "First, they delayed the handover of the ransom items from ten at night to twelve at night. Then now, they've postponed it again until three o'clock. I feel this delay has a lot to do with their plan. Escaping from the police is definitely not a simple thing. They need a lot of preparation. So I'm sure this delay is part of their preparations. Maybe something has happened to them, so they need extra time to smooth out their actions."
"But Mr. Gongyang's original bag will only be filled with replacement items. Why did they plan such a clever strategy to take the bag and run away from the police?" Jinqkang looked straight at Chioujen.
Ah! Maybe this kid is a bit tired, so this time he was a bit slow at digesting Chioujen's words.
"They didn't plot a proper route to escape the drop off bag containing the replacement goods. They're hatching a plan to escape from the new bag drop-in area, which we've filled with genuine stuffs. I'm pretty sure they already know that we've informed the police about the two bags plan. They knew the police would be on guard in both places. So they need a good plan to escape." Chioujen looked at Jinqkang..
"Ah! So that's it," said Jinqkang. "If they already know, then why are they continuing this plan of two bags?" Jinqkang asked.
"The first possibility is that they don't know for sure whether we are cooperating with the police or not. If we don't cooperate with the police, of course they are safe, but if we cooperate with the police, of course they have to come up with a new strategy," Chioujen said.
"And the second possibility?" asked Tsaehorng.
"The second possibility is that they just want to make us let our guard down. If we think we've outsmarted the kidnappers, then we'll be off guard. So we and the police will carry out our plan without thinking that the kidnappers have other plans," Chioujen smiled bitterly..
"So, what did the police say?" asked Tsaehorng.
"The police said they could provide some items that were in Songfei's bag," Chioujen said. "They already took inventory of the items yesterday morning. So actually, they are ready with replicas of some items. But there are still items that are difficult for them to get in a short time."
"Actually, what's in Mr. Gongyang's bag?" Jinqkang asked.
"Apart from a few pieces of clothing, there were iron handcuffs, a mustache trimmer, a toothbrush, a towel and a large brown envelope," said Iren.
"What's in the envelope?" Jinqkang looked very curious.
"It contains a piece of paper full of handwriting, a photo that looks like it was printed decades ago, and a map," Jenqyih replied.
"It doesn't seem too difficult to find the items or make copies of them," Tsaehorng said. "The problem is we don't have enough time to get those things."
"What items are the police having trouble finding similar?" Jinqkang asked.
"Handcuffs and trimmers," Chioujen said.
"The police must have a lot of handcuffs," Jinqkang said. "And trimmers? I think we've got some trimmers in this house."
"The handcuffs are special handcuffs. The police said earlier that the handcuffs used to belong to a famous magician. So apart from the material and shape being different from the standard handcuffs using by the police, there are also not many of them in the world because less than twenty units have ever been produced," said Jenqyih.
"That mustache trimmer is also a special edition. It's out of production. The police say they know where they can get it, which is in another town very far from here. But it should take twelve hours to get it here as fast as possible," Chioujen said.
"In an emergency like this, can't things be sped up?" Jinqkang asked.
"The problem we are facing right now is only an emergency for us, but not for all residents in this city," said Chioujen. "We can't force the special forces of the Imperial Guard, who have the power to bypass everything, to bring those things here."
"Then, according to Uncle Dongfang, what should I do now?" Tsaehorng glanced at Jenqyih.
Jenqyih glanced at the clock on the wall. "Of course you have to leave now. Carry out the plans we have made. Let us here handle this matter."
"Fine, Uncle!" Tsaehorng nodded. The call from the kidnapper had kept Chioujen and Tsaehorng in this house. They should have left the house by now.
"You have to hurry. Don't be late to meet Mr. Hertyan," said Iren.
"Because they delayed the delivery of the ransom goods, so we also postponed the departure time from this place," said Chioujen. "After midnight, traffic is relatively light. So the two teams will leave here at two in the morning."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tsaehorng and Chioujen immediately walked out with a quick, hurried step. Jinqkang got up from his chair to lead them all the way to the gate.
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