Chapter 025
Dongfang Jenqyih
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Dongfang Jenqyih sat in the train car that took him home. On the way, he was pensive, thinking about the things that had happened throughout the day. After a while, he felt sleepy. Maybe because this whole day was filled with activities that were so stressful, it wouldn't be strange if his body became tired. Twenty years ago, he had never tired like that. Working hard for twelve hours a day did not make him tired quickly. He couldn't deny that now he differed from his old self. Increasing age had weakened his body. He tried to hold back the drowsiness that attacked him fiercely. For a few minutes, he could still beat the drowsiness. But the attacks of sleepiness were increasingly hitting him. Finally, Jenqyih gave up too. He fell asleep.
Whether he had been asleep for a while, Jenqyih suddenly woke up. The sound of a child's loud cry had awakened Jenqyih from his sleep. The child sat right to the left of Jenqyih. A woman was sitting pensively to the child's left, who Jenqyih assumed was the mother. She didn't seem to care about her child, who was howling. Several pairs of other passengers' eyes on the train gazed at the mother and child. Jenqyih shifted his seat more to the right, so he wasn't too close to them. He's too lazy to interfere. By then, he was too tired to expend energy. Even just to reprimand, Jenqyih felt reluctant.
It's absolutely none of my business!
Fortunately, Jenqyih's destination station had not been missed. If he missed it, Jenqyih wouldl be even more troubled because he had to get off and get back on the train in the opposite direction. One more station was the station where Jenqyih has to get off. Jenqyih was grateful that he woke up at the right time. Maybe he should thank the little boy, for crying out loud. As soon as he realized his destination station was so close, Jenqyih stood up and walked towards the door. He wanted to jump out as soon as the door opened. His body was exhausted.
The train arrived at the station Jenqyih was going to. He got off and forthwith walked out onto the surface. Wasting no time, Jenqyih walked quick, even half running. The tiredness that hit him as much as possible he endured for a while. When he got home, he would straight away take a shower and rest. Jenqyih realized that there was a possibility that he was being watched. But he didn't care. At that time, the most important thing for him was to be able to get home as soon as possible.
I guess the people watching over me must be just as tired as I am.
The distance from the station to the house was not too far. And it felt even closer because Jenqyih didn't observe his surroundings at all. The people who were currently watching him, had it been confirmed that he was being watched, would have done nothing that night. As fast as the wind, Jenqyih used his pair of legs that were actually tired to walk.
In no time, he was in front of the house. After opening the gate, he bent to the right. There was a small pot there. Jenqyih lifted the small pot and took a lock on it. They did put a fence padlock under the little pot. After that, he locked the gate with the padlock.
Jenqyih walked briskly to the front door of the house. As usual, the door was locked. Each of them had a key to the front door and the fence. Jenqyih took the key to the front door out of his trouser pocket. Immediately, he unlocked the door and grabbed the doorknob. With a strong jerk, he opened the door.
Behind the door was their living room. The four friends had not slept yet. They all sat on the sofa in the living room. Their four pairs of eyes stared at Jenqyih with eyes that Jenqyih had difficulty describing. Jenqyih walked to the couch. He intended to throw himself right away on the couch, which, at that time, looked so comfortable.
I rest for a minute or two. After that, I will tell the story.
Shannchyuan rose from his seat. A fatherly smile graced his face. Gently, he patted Jenqyih's shoulder. The middle-aged man restrained Jenqyih from sitting down. "I think you should take a shower first. After resting for a while, then you can tell us what happened."
Shannchyuan's words made sense. Jenqyih nodded. He agreed to take their dahge's advice. Quickly, Jenqyih walked to his room and changed his clothes. He came out of the room in shorts and shirtless. Then he at once went to the bathroom to clean himself.
The flow of warm water that splashed all over his body really felt comfortable. Jenqyih even almost fell asleep while enjoying the warm water. Jenqyih realized he couldn't stay in the bathroom for long. Many people were waiting for him out there. A few minutes later, he finished his shower and was ready to tell his friends.
But, when Jenqyih arrived in the living room, Shannchyuan instead got up from the couch. He prepared to leave the room. "Have you eaten yet? If you haven't eaten, you should eat first."
Jenqyih had already eaten. But now he was hungry again. He followed Shannchyuan into the kitchen to get the food there without much thought. After leaving the kitchen, Jenqyih saw the other three friends sitting neatly in the dining room. Apparently, they had caught up with Jenqyih and Shannchyuan. They moved in silence so that Jenqyih didn't hear their voices. Even then, when Jenqyih caught up with them sitting in the dining room, all his friends didn't say a word. They were all patiently waiting for Jenqyih to finish eating.
After everything was settled, Jenqyih looked at his friends one by one. "You want me to talk here or we go back to the living room?"
Yihshyong raised his right hand. "We'd better go back to the living room. Miss Liuchiou is asleep. This place is too close to the room she is sleeping in. I'm afraid our voices will wake her up."
If so, why did you guys even move to sit in the dining room?
Jenqyih looked at Shannchyuan. The man nodded. They all then moved back into the living room. Before starting his story, Jenqyih looked back at the surrounding faces. This time, he told them the whole story.
Jenqyih told the things he had experienced since he left the house this afternoon. Before arriving at the part where Jenqyih will tell his meeting with his old friend, Jenqyih stopped his narration. He asked Shinnshiow to tell him what happened to him after they got separated. Shinnshiow said that he had already told everything to the other friends. Jenqyih insisted on asking Shinnshiow to tell them one more time. He said it was crucial. As the others simultaneously stared at Shinnshiow, the youngest of the five sitting in the living room finally agreed to repeat the story.
Shinnshiow did not repeat all the stories he had told earlier, only the part after he separated from Jenqyih. Jenqyih was very surprised to learn that the people who followed Shinnshiow experienced a tragic event. After Shinnshiow finished telling the story, Jenqyih continued his story, starting from the part after he got separated from Shinnshiow.
Jenqyih did not explain clearly the background and full identity of the old friend he visited. He only said that the person was a friend he had known since over twenty years ago. Jenqyih's four friends did not inquire further about the person's background. They didn't seem too bothered about such things.
Jenqyih also did not go into detail about how he managed to escape the person who was stalking him. He simply said that he came out the back door of his friend's apartment building. And then, his friend took him to the station by motorbike. The stalker might not have recognized him because, in addition to wearing a helmet, Jenqyih was also wearing a leather jacket lent by that friend. Jenqyih's friends all agree that the jacket made Jenqyih's posture look much bigger.
It was late at night. According to the original plan, they would negotiate what they should do next. But apparently, Shinnshiow was already so sleepy that they canceled the plan. Shannchyuan then stood up and asked Jenqyih to follow him.
It turned out that Shannchyuan was walking towards Jenqyih's bedroom. Even though he didn't understand what Shannchyuan meant, Jenqyih still followed him. Jenqyih shared a bedroom with Yihshyong, while Shinnshiow and Iren occupied another bedroom. Previously, Chioujen had also occupied the bedroom occupied by Iren and Shinnshiow.
Shannchyuan then went into Jenqyih's bedroom and headed straight for the bed. On the bed was the leather jacket that Jenqyih had previously worn. He had taken it off before he showered earlier. Shannchyuan took the leather jacket. He promptly took it out of the room.
Followed by Jenqyih, Shannchyuan continued walking with the leather jacket in his hand. He walked towards the shed, which was near the kitchen. Shannchyuan then opened the shed door. After turning on the light, he entered the shed room. There were lots of items in the shed. Among the things was a box one meter by one meter, about one meter high. Shannchyuan opened the box. The box contained several costumes, which were drama properties.
Several months ago, in a game he designed, Songfei asked the participants to wear special costumes usually used in dramas. Since the five of them didn't have any special outfits, Songfei lent them the costumes. After the game was over, it turned out that Songfei had forgotten to ask for the costumes back, so they were still in their house. Shannchyuan put the costumes in a box that he put in the shed. Incidentally, whenever they met with Songfei, they forgot to mention it.
Shannchyuan folded the leather jacket he was carrying. Deftly, he tucked the leather jacket under the pile of costumes for the play's props. While smiling. Shannchyuan closed and locked the box. The key to the box immediately disappeared into Shannchyuan's trouser pocket.
The box, from the outside, looked like an ordinary wooden box. But it was clear that it wasn't an ordinary wooden box because it wasn't made of wood at all. The material for making the box was a very light metal alloy. Although light, its strength was much greater than steel. They had already tried to break the box purposely. Among other things, by hitting the box with a hammer. Even Shannchyuan had dropped the box from a height of ten meters. The box turned out to be okay.
Shannchyuan came out of the shed and took Jenqyih to go to the backyard.
What did Dahge actually mean? Going around in circles like this really didn't make the situation any easier.
"Let's sit here first." Shannchyuan put his ass on one chair. He asked Jenqyih to sit on the chair in front of him. At that moment Shannchyuan sat facing the wall in the backyard.
I hope this isn't some kind of test. I'm so tired right now.
"How is your friend doing? Does he look all right?" Shannchyuan opened the conversation.
"He looks a lot older. But he's fine." Jenqyih didn't lie. Indeed, that was what he had witnessed.
"When was the last time you saw him? I mean, before six months ago?" Shannchyuan's tone was soft yet firm.
"About fifteen years ago."
"It's been a long time, huh?" Shannchyuan nodded. "Over the past fifteen years, have you had any contact with him? I mean, by phone or letter?"
"Nothing. I was surprised when I met him six months ago on the train."
He still didn't understand the meaning of the series of questions that were successively asked by Shannchyuan. But from what Shannchyuan had just said, he concluded Shannchyuan suspected something.
From the look on his face and eyes, Shannchyuan seemed to have guessed that Jenqyih had such thoughts. He let out a long breath. While gazing far away at the high wall behind him, he opened his mouth. "You were being followed by an unknown person. You don't know how far the person following you will go. He might injure you. In that situation, instead of going to the police station, you visit your friend. If the person who was following you was really a dangerous person, then you're tantamount to putting your friend in danger."
Shannchyuan stopped his speech. He was still looking at the high wall that separated their backyard from the backyard of the house behind them.
Ah! Turns out I was right! Dahge must have thought that my friend was a special person!
After about ten seconds, Shannchyuan continued his speech. "Unless your friend isn't an ordinary person."
Shannchyuan was silent for another moment.
What should I do now? I couldn't have told Dahge all of our backgrounds.
"If your friend isn't an ordinary person, then the person following you might not be a match for your friend. You must have thought that your friend would be fine. So your act of visiting your friend makes sense."
To anyone, all this time, Jenqyih had never once told a part of his past that he really shouldn't tell. But from his words, it was clear that Shannchyuan had already guessed certain parts of Jenqyih's past that he had never shared with his friends. Shannchyuan seemed to have guessed what kind of organization had been a part of Jenqyih's life.
This is really a dilemma! I need a little time to think.
Jenqyih was speechless.
"Don't worry," said Shannchyuan. "I understand that someone must have a good reason to tell something, or not to tell something."
Jenqyih nodded several times, listening to Shannchyuan's words. He still didn't utter a word.
Shannchyuan still said more. "Do you think your friend is worthy of your trust?"
Jenqyih took a deep breath. "I've helped him in the past. I could say that he owes me my life. Therefore, it seems unlikely that he intends to harm me."
"But that was over twenty years ago. In twenty years, people can change." Shannchyuan's voice was relaxed yet firm.
Jenqyih was surprised. Shannchyuan could guess that the incident he had helped his friend with had happened over twenty years ago.
Who exactly is this Dahge? How did he know it was over twenty years ago? It turns out that there are many mysterious things about him.
Jenqyih thought further. He realized he wasn't the only one who didn't tell Shannchyuan much. All this time, it also seemed like there were a lot of things that Shannchyuan didn't tell others.
So many mysterious things about Dahge. Maybe he also had more or less the same experience as me.
Such a thought was not too strange. Shannchyuan came from a family from privileged background. The people in the Duanmuh family should be familiar with such mysterious matters.
"I hope you're right. If that friend of yours can still be trusted, then he can help us. But before we can be completely sure of that, we better be careful."
Jenqyih nodded. He agreed with that thought.
"How many things have you told your friend?"
"I told almost everything. Except for things related to Miss Liuchiou. I said nothing about her at all. I just said we got the bag because Songfei called us. He wanted to leave the bag with us for a while. I also didn't tell about the notebook we found. I told him that from inside the bag, we found a brown envelope filled with paper filled with red ink scribbles, a photograph, and a map. Regarding the photo, I didn't say that we recognized any of the faces in the picture. We've never seen the kidnapping incident, so there's no way we'd know that the woman in the photo was the victim of a kidnapping."
"Good!" Shannchyuan nodded. "We don't need to involve Yinqyueh. As originally planned, if anyone asks, just say that Yinqyueh is my relatives."
Jenqyih nodded. "About that jacket..." Jenqyih said the sentence with full of doubts.
"Ah! I just want to be careful. I'm afraid that the jacket has been fitted with some kind of sound-tapping device. I heard from several people, currently there are some sound-tapping devices that have sky-high sensitivity. So if you just put the jacket inside room, it could be that the sound of our conversation is still within the reach of the eavesdropper installed there. The box in the shed is an extraordinary box. It is made of sound-absorbing material."
"How do you know?"
"I have already tested it. At that time, I once inserted a voice recorder, which I lit into the box. Then I screamed and banged on the box. After I checked, it turned out that the sounds I made were not recorded on the recorder at all."
Oh! So that's what Dahge actually did back then!
Jenqyih remembered that several months ago, they had gone camping in a mountainous area outside the city, about three hundred kilometers from the southern limit of this city. At that time, they brought the box because it was a multipurpose box and could hold many things. When they all went to explore the area surrounding the campsite, Shannchyuan refused to come. He chose to stay at the camp. When they returned to the camp, they saw Shannchyuan sitting cross-legged on the box, screaming and pounding it with a hammer. They had thought Shannchyuan was releasing his pent-up emotions.
Many people had a habit of screaming in nature and open spaces, such as mountains when they climb mountains, or on the beach, when they swim in the sea, or some were desperate to scream on the roofs of skyscrapers. They said it was beneficial to release emotions that have been pent up. After that, they could feel better emotionally. Jenqyih didn't know if it was true or just a placebo effect. Jenqyih had never tried it, so he didn't know for sure.
The kitchen door opened. Iren came out from behind the door. "How about the continuation of our plan? Are we going down that hole tonight? We have little time."
Jenqyih was surprised when he heard those words. He rolled his eyes at Iren. "You mean we're going to hide in the room in that hole?"
Shannchyuan laughed. "For the umpteenth time, I have to explain again about it."
Jenqyih straightened his back. He wanted to hear more clearly what Shannchyuan had to say.
"Isn't it obvious that Dahge wants us to hide out there," said Iren.
"Not quite like that. Hiding in the basement is only a last resort if we don't find another way. I mean, tonight we're just going to double-check the state of the room below. Not tonight going down there to hide."
"Then I'll get changed first. I can't possibly go down to the dungeons dressed like this." Jenqyih got up from the chair.
"Ah! You don't have to come. I want you to just rest. You must be exhausted by now. Not everyone has to come down to the dungeons," said Shannchyuan.
"Isn't Shinnshiow tired too?" Jenqyih said. "Doesn't he need to rest?"
"But Shinnshiow is not as tired as you," said Iren. "He's younger after all."
Jenqyih glared at Iren.
Shannchyuan patted Jenqyih on the shoulder. "Shinnshiow will only keep watch in the living room."
"How about the others?" Jenqyih asked.
"Yihshyong will guard the edge of the hole. So only Iren and I will go down there," said Shannchyuan.
"But I feel refreshed now. I'm ready for some action that requires energy. Checking the dungeons sure isn't a trifle." Jenqyih could no longer contain his curiosity. Since they entered the hole a few months ago, Jenqyih had wanted to repeat the action again. However, because his friends hadn't shown any enthusiasm at all, Jenqyih never said anything either.
Shannchyuan sighed. "All right! Then you stay on guard at the edge of the hole with Yihshyong. If we need you later, then you or Yihshyong will be called down to help."
After that, they went straight into the house. Shannchyuan and Iren then went to the shed to get two oxygen cylinders and a rope. Soon after that, they intended to check the conditions in that dungeon. Jenqyih was really excited. The drowsiness that had attacked him vanished.
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