Chapter 115
Nangong Iren
Iren glanced at Tsaehorng, who was standing firmly beside him. The young man's eyes looked far ahead. He didn't know the young man was thinking about the situation they were in, or just daydreaming. Whatever it was, Iren didn't want to disturb Tsaehorng.
The two of them had been standing there for about fifteen minutes. Iren felt a little sleepy. Several times, he closed his eyes. However, he quickly opened his eyes again. He realized that now was not the right time to do that.
Glancing at his watch, he saw it was only five minutes past three. They did arrive ten minutes earlier than the time set by the kidnappers. Iren sighed because he felt impatient. Until then, there had been no visible signs of the appearance of the kidnappers or their envoys.
Iren looked left and right. He could not hide his anxiety. Once again, he glanced at Tsaehorng. The young man looked so calm. His expression didn't show the anxiety or anger that Iren felt.
As part of the elite, maybe this kid had often faced things that were so stressful! Maybe those things are much more stressful than the things we are currently experiencing.
The police stood guard a little away from there. The nearest police officer was about a hundred meters away from them. At least, that's what Iren knew. The closest cop was disguised as a drunk sleeping on one of the benches nearby. Iren did not know where the other policemen were hiding. But there weren't many hiding places nearby. So Iren concluded that the other police officers must have been on guard even further away. Iren only hoped that the police could act quickly when the time came.
"I'll keep watch over there, Uncle." Tsaehorng suddenly opened his mouth.
Iren answered with a nod. He saw the young man walking toward a large tree growing nearby. Once there, the young man leaned his body against the tree trunk.
Maybe this kid is sleepy! But that's normal. Since this morning, he has not rested. We shouldn't have asked him to come here! What if he gets sick? I'm afraid that if something happens to him, then the Mingju family will blame us.
They did not ask the young man explicitly that he should be present at that place. But they didn't prevent it either. As someone much older, Iren realized that they should have been able to tell Tsaehorng not to push too hard. But everything had happened. Iren hoped that after that night, they would no longer have to trouble Tsaehorng.
Less than thirty seconds later, Iren did the same thing. He walked over to Tsaehorng. there was nothing in particular that prompted him to do so. He just follows his feet wherever the feet move.
"Perhaps what I say will sound stupid." Tsaehorng opened his mouth when Iren was already in front of him. "Are you sure that the kidnappers will appear before us? Don't they know that the contents of this bag we are holding are not the actual ransom items?"
"I'm not really sure that they will actually show up. But I'm also not sure that this is just a distraction. Maybe they actually have other plans that they didn't tell us about."
"According to Uncle, what other plans do they have?"
Iren thought for a moment. "I don't know. This is something that is hard for me to explain. I just feel that there is something the kidnappers are hiding from us." Iren was telling the truth. What the young man said was not an easy thing for him to answer.
"So we'll wait for them here until what time?"
Iren nodded slowly. The interesting question was indeed disturbing his mind. Before leaving the house earlier, Yihshyong did not mention it at all. They all assumed that the kidnappers were waiting for them where they were supposed to hand over the ransom. It was unimaginable that they would have to wait like that.
"Maybe until four or half-past five in the morning. If, after that, no one shows up, then we'll go home." Iren closed his eyes when he finished saying those words.
It was Iren's decision. The decision he made himself without asking for consideration from other friends. Iren guessed that at that exact moment, Yihshyong was also thinking about the same problem. It was likely that Yihshyong would also make a similar decision.
"All right, Uncle. Let's just wait patiently."
"Hmmm." Iren muttered in an indistinct voice.
"Eh! Is it normal that there are still traveling food vendors passing by at this hour?" Tsaehorng's tone sounded like a child asking his mother when the child witnessed something that astonished him.
Tsaehorng's words made Iren open his eyes. He looked at where Tsaehorng was pointing. The young man's finger pointed to the undercover policeman. From a distance, they saw a traveling food vendor approaching the policeman, who was pretending to be drunk. The food seller pushed a medium-sized cart. It was clear that he was peddling his wares.
Iren stepped forward to approach the food vendor. After getting a bit closer, then Iren could see clearly what food the person was selling.
Tsaehorng seemed interested, too. The young man walked after Iren. Like Iren, maybe the young man also wanted to know what food the merchant was selling. Of course, that's just Iren's guess. Tsaehorng wasn't a member of their group, who was always hungry all the time. It was not impossible that actually Tsaehorng was just being wary.
"Are you hungry?" Iren's voice volume was so low. Almost like a whisper. Iren himself was not sure that the young man could hear his whispers.
"What?" Tsaehorng's voice sounded a bit odd. Maybe Iren's guess was right that the young man couldn't hear his words clearly. Or perhaps there was another reason. It could be that the young man said that just to check that he had heard correctly.
"There is a goat's leg soup seller." Iren pointed towards the food seller. "Do you want to try or not?"
Tsaehorng looked at Iren with a strange facial expression. Iren knew that Tsaehorng probably thought it was just a joke. For people who didn't know Iren and his friends closely, such remarks might be a bit strange and out of context. Iren didn't know whether at that time Tsaehorng had realized their tendency to act or utter unusual words.
"Why do you want to eat goat's leg soup right now? Are you joking?"
"I'm not joking. I'm serious. We'll be here until four or half-past five. So at least we have something to do. Either to fill our stomachs or kill some time."
"Won't the people currently watching us be angry?" Tsaehorng whispered. The youth's eyes widened as he whispered those words. Maybe he was worried that his voice could be heard by someone other than Iren.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the police will be angry or not. They are here because they are doing their job. We are here to do what we have to do. In the briefing earlier, the police did not say that we cannot eat while waiting for the bad guys to show up. Regarding the criminals. They also have no right to be angry. It was their own fault that they didn't show up right away. They shouldn't think that we will wait for them by just standing by, doing nothing."
Iren laughed inwardly. He knew Tsaehorng might not be able to understand what he had just said. Iren was imitating Shannchyuan. Their leader, when faced with a tense situation, sometimes took unexpected actions or uttered words that sound so odd. In addition to calming himself down, that would also confuse the other person who was stalking or looking for Shannchyuan's weaknesses.
"Sir! Please, come here, Sir! We want to buy!" Without waiting for an answer from Tsaehorng, Iren waved his hand, calling out to the traveling food vendor.
The food seller stopped pushing the cart. For about five seconds, his eyes stared at Tsaehorng and Iren without blinking. After that, he was silent for a moment. It seemed he hesitated. But an instant later, he pushed his cart towards Iren and Tsaehorng.
The cart stopped right in front of Iren and Tsaehorng. The food seller opened the cart so they could see the inside of the cart. He took out two folding chairs. Swiftly, he gave the two folding chairs to Iren and Tsaehorng. The two of them immediately opened the folding chair and sat in it.
The seller of the goat's leg soup was a man about fifty years old. He was about one hundred and sixty-five centimeters tall. His body was slightly bent. He wore a dark jacket. Iren couldn't see the person's hair clearly because he was wearing a knitted hat that covered most of his head.
"We ordered two bowls," said Iren.
"Alright, Sir!" The food vendor immediately started preparing their order.
"Tsaehorng, do you want to use chili sauce or not?"
"I want chili sauce, but just a little, Uncle."
"Sir! One uses a little chili sauce, while the other uses a lot of chili sauce."
The food seller nodded quickly. He also smiled.
"Uh, wait a minute, Sir!" Suddenly Iren remembered something.
"What's wrong, Sir?" The man stopped his hand movement.
"What kind of chili sauce is this, Sir?"
"Just an ordinary chilli sauce, Sir. A mixture of bird's-eye chilies, red chilies, and jalapeno. I also add a little zanthoxylum, black pepper, black mustard, red ginger, garlic, and wasabi."
"That's fantastic, Sir! Okay, I want a lot of chili sauce."
"Alright, Sir!" The itinerant food vendor nodded respectfully. He then started preparing the food that Iren and Tsaehorng ordered.
"Are you usually selling food until this hour?" Iren was curious. He wanted to know if that was indeed the itinerant food vendor's regular schedule.
"Usually, at twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, I have arrived home, sir! But this afternoon, I left the house to start selling, a bit late. This afternoon I had other business to do. As a result, at three o'clock like this, I still have to go around pushing carts. But this isn't the first time I've been selling past midnight. So maybe after sunrise, I can go back home."
Tsaehorng nodded his head. It seemed that he was also listening intently to the food seller's words. The young man looked like a student who was listening to the teacher's explanation in class.
Again, Iren looked to the right and to the left. From afar, Iren saw that the drunken policeman was no longer pretending to be asleep. He sat up straight on the bench and looked at Iren and Tsaehorng.
Iren laughed again, inwardly. Maybe the police were amazed to see them. Iren was willing to bet that the police had never seen that there were people waiting for the kidnappers to take the ransom items they were carrying, who still had time to buy food. Most people would lose their appetite at that point. But not for Iren. Thanks to Shannchyuan, who had passed on his eating philosophy to Iren and other friends.
Iren knew his actions might make the kidnappers discourage them from appearing before Iren and Tsaehorng. He hoped the kidnapper would patiently wait until they finished eating. Iren smiled to himself. It was one way for him to take revenge because the kidnappers had previously been so naïve as they changed the delivery schedule for the ransom.
After the food was ready, Iren and Tsaehorng ate heartily. Goat leg soup was indeed suitable to be enjoyed in the night air like that. Iren imagined the police squad watching them must have swallowed hard when they watched them eat.
"Would you like some more?" asked Iren.
"No need, Uncle. I've had enough."
"We only eat soup. No rice. Can you possibly be full?"
"I already ate, Uncle. With Uncle Jongharng and Mr. Juhrong."
"I also ate earlier. But still hungry." Iren laughed. He didn't know why he, once again, uttered such strange and useless sentences. Shannchyuan's influence had truly penetrated into his very bones.
"Sir! We ordered five more portions, but it's take away food!"
"Alright, Sir!" The food vendor smiled broadly.
"Five servings?" Tsaehorng widened his eyes as he turned to Iren.
"That's for the other friends." Iren smiled broadly.
Tsaehorng shook his head repeatedly. Maybe he just realized that he met an eccentric middle-aged man. Iren laughed at the expression on Tsaehorng's face. At that moment, he really laughed, not only inside. Tsaehorng had to learn that there were plenty of adults who still act strangely, unreasonably and irresponsibly at times.
A few minutes later, the food vendor had finished wrapping their order. Iren and Tsaehorng had also folded the folding chairs they were sitting on. After done paying, the two men returned to prepare to wait for the kidnappers to appear.
"Excuse me, Sir!" said the itinerant food vendor. He still hadn't moved from that place.
"What's wrong, Sir? Is the money I gave not enough?" Iren looked at the seller.
"Not about the money, Sir. I have something else to ask."
"Please, Sir," Tsaehorng said.
The person was silent for a moment. He looked doubtful. Iren was a little confused by the person's behavior. After a few seconds, the person seemed to have overcome his hesitation. With a fairly loud and clear voice, he then said what he meant.
"Earlier, someone told me to go this way. He said that there would be two men here carrying a big bag."
Iren's heart beat much faster when he heard the food vendor's words.
So the kidnappers made this poor man their errand boy!
"That man told me to give this to the two men standing here." The food seller took out an envelope from his shirt pocket. The white envelope was folded, so that it could fit in the person's pocket. He held out the envelope to Iren.
"What is this, Sir?" asked Iren.
"I don't know, Sir. I didn't open it at all. That person told me to give this envelope to the gentlemen who are here."
Iren stared at the envelope in his hand. "Thank you, Sir! I have received this envelope. It means your job is done."
"You're welcome, Sir. Can I go now?"
"Please, Sir," said Iren. "Be careful on the way."
The traveling food vendor then pushed his cart away from the place.
"The police will definitely arrest that person immediately." Tsaehorng whispered as the itinerant food vendor had walked some distance away from them.
"Don't worry. The police won't arrest that person here. I think the police will just follow him. Once he's away from here, the police will question him. But, just like the actor who was at the park yesterday, I'm sure the food vendor must be clueless."
"What now? Are we going to give this envelope to the police?"
"Of course not. There's a good chance the kidnappers are watching us now. So let's open this envelope and follow the clues inside. The police will surely follow us."
Iren then tried to open the envelope. He acted very carefully because he did not want the envelope to be damaged.
"Uncle, you don't want to tear this envelope?"
"Tearing this envelope is indeed the fastest way to see its contents. However, what if later it is not only this envelope that is torn, but also the paper inside? If a very important piece of information is torn apart, making it difficult for us to read, then our efforts may fail."
"Wait a moment, Uncle. I have a small flashlight in my trouser pocket. I'll take it for a moment."
Tsaehorng's words made sense. Even though the sky was quite bright that night, it was much better if they had a brighter light.
Tsaehorng turned on the flashlight he was holding. He shone the flashlight towards the envelope that Iren was about to open. Carefully, Iren opened the envelope. He took out a piece of paper from the envelope. After unfolding the paper, he began to read the writing on it with the help of Tsaehorng's flashlight.
"What's written on it, Uncle?"
"We have to go to a payphone about five hundred meters from here. There, we have to look for the next clue that the kidnapper has hidden in the telephone box."
The two of them started walking towards the place the kidnappers were referring to. The paper had a fairly coherent plan drawn on it so that they had no difficulty in locating the payphone.
The pay phone box was around a corner. When they got there, they saw an ancient telephone box. The old telephone box was taller and bigger than the newer telephone box, so it was large enough to accommodate two people. Iren and Tsaehorng entered the public telephone box together.
They started looking around for the object that the kidnapper had hidden. But after ten minutes of searching, they found nothing.
"Let's get out of this box first," said Iren. "Maybe from the outside we can see more clearly in."
Tsaehorng nodded. They then came out of the box. They backed up about ten feet so they could see the entire box.
"They must have hidden it in a place where it would be hard for others to reach. If before us someone had come here, then accidentally found it and taken it away, the kidnappers' plans would have been ruined."
"Uncle Nangong, you are right! The kidnappers must have put that thing in a place where it would be difficult for someone to find it by accident."
Again, they looked at the telephone box. A car passed the bend. The car's headlights illuminate the black telephone box. Instantly Iren and Tsaehorng shouted while pointing at the pay phone box.
"On the roof!" They both shouted the same words. Iren and Tsaehorng quickly approached the payphone box. Right away, Tsaehorng crouched down. To hold his body position so he wouldn't fall forwards or backwards, he pressed both palms against the glass wall of the pay phone box.
"Uncle, get on my shoulders." Tsaehorng patted his left shoulder with his right hand.
"All right! You're ready, huh!" Iren took off his shoes and climbed onto Tsaehorng's shoulders. After that, slowly Tsaehorng started to stand up.
"That's enough. Hold on!" said Iren.
Iren could see the roof of the payphone box. He saw a wooden box attached to the roof of a telephone booth using duct tape. Iren slowly opened the duct tape and took the box.
"Now you slowly crouch back down," said Iren.
Iren got off Tsaehorng's shoulders. Straightway, he opened the box. Just like the box they previously received, there was a letter inside.
The letter contained a hint of where they could find further instructions. Just like before, there was a plan leading to another public telephone. The payphone was also five hundred meters away. They had to go there and wait for the payphone to ring. The kidnappers would call them on the payphone. The plan to get there was very clear. Only problem was the kidnappers would call at four o'clock.
"Eh? What time is it already?" Tsaehorng asked.
"It's three-fifty-four. I can't be there in six minutes."
"Just let me run there, Uncle!" Tsaehorng bowed his body, as if he was begging. "While carrying this bag and plastic wrap, Uncle can catch up with me walking at a normal pace."
Without waiting for Iren's answer, Tsaehorng took the paper that was in Iren's hand. After that, Tsaehorng started running in the direction stated in the chart.
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